June Carter Cash came into this world as a niece to A.P. Carter, who was a giant of American music, as stoic and distant as a Civil War portrait. Her mother, Maybelle, was a beloved matriarch, not just of a gifted brood but of an entire genre of music. As if this weren’t enough to [...]

This isn’t so much a tribute album as a seance, with Muldaur…how to put this?… rubbing the magic ball and finding her future in the past. She’s been doing this, of course, ever since her debut with the Even Dozen Jug Band, whose odd distinction was to be a nostalgia act that was also ahead [...]

Wynton Marsalis made himself the most visible jazz trumpeter since Louis Armstrong by marrying the literate to the soulful, not just in his playing but in his self-appointed role as a cultural ambassador. Armstrong played the latter role too, but his mission was to spread the full compass of this music on joyful wings. His [...]

There are changes in the modus operandi for Norah Jones’ third album, her first not produced by Arif Mardin (recently deceased), and the only one that includes no covers. Neither of these aspects heralds a change of great significance, though. Like her previous releases, Not Too Late operates from an intimate stance. In fact, it [...]

Slave songs and other musical artifacts of early African America would certainly not disappear without the caretaking of Kim & Reggie Harris. It’s doubtful, though, that anyone would bring them so fully to life. This husband-and-wife team performs these songs, though born from injustice, with a buoyant spirit that opens them to all listeners. Their [...]

It is surely no cakewalk to launch your career in music if your father has gone and made himself a legend before you had any say in the matter. That’s especially true if your sound resembles that of your dad’s. Understandable as that is, given the DNA, the music in the household, and so on, [...]

Among country music demigods, Vince Gill occupies a unique and somewhat unsettled place. He is, first of all, a marketing conundrum, neither a venerable elder nor a young pinup. He’s also hard to pigeonhole, being not just a jack but a master of all trades. His soulful, honeyed voice positions him as the Michael McDonald [...]

Though his own sound is evident, George Winston also evokes James Booker, Henry Butler, Dr. John, and Professor Longhair in this tribute to the sound and spirit of New Orleans. The high point, “When The Saints Go Marching In”, opens with a long, waltz-time introduction in a minor key; Winston’s muscular attack and dramatic shifts [...]

What could be more American than the open road?. The concept was compelling enough to persuade Pete and Maura Kennedy to drop their usual emphasis on originals and focus on material that enjoys heavy rotation in their van as they roll from show to show. If there’s a theme to this playlist, it’s not tempo. [...]