Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Happy Album Release Day to The Seldom Scene! Since forming in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1971, the group has remained quintessential bearers of the bluegrass tradition, releasing nearly two dozen albums that cast a wide net for inspiration and repertoire. ‘Remains to Be Scene’ is no exception, delivering stirring takes on bluegrass standards and signature interpretations on cuts from the likes of The Kinks, Jim Croce, and Woody Guthrie. This milestone album is the first to be released since the passing of founding member and trailblazing banjo player Ben Eldridge, who contributes heartfelt liner notes to the release. It also marks the final recording with Dudley Connell, who wrapped up a Seldom Scene tenure of nearly three decades on guitar and vocals with his retirement at the end of 2024. “Throughout its history, The Seldom Scene always kept a rollicking, playful free spirit where anything can happen,” Connell reflects. “That’s one of the joys of this band for us players in it, as well as for the audience. And good material counts, too, of course. I think Seldom Scene material will outlive all of us. I think it’s a band that has made an important contribution to the development of bluegrass by saying, ‘Yeah, it’s okay to record a James Taylor song and have the bluegrass audience accept it, so long as it’s a good song and well-done.’” ‘Remains to Be Scene’ is available to stream or purchase on CD, LP, and digital formats. Listen now and pick up your copy → https://lnkd.in/edghm9eu Album cover by The Grass Spot

Ustad Farida Mahwash, a beloved singer known around the world as the "Voice of Afghanistan," rose to prominence in the 1960s and '70s and became the first Afghan woman to receive the honorary title of Ustad (meaning "master musician") in 1977. Her soulful, expressive voice opens the Folkways LP 'Teahouse Music of Afghanistan' with a dazzling performance of "Come to Me in the Morning." The musicians featured on this 1977 album were all members of the Radio Afghanistan orchestra, many representing the teahouse tradition—an integral part of Afghan cultural life—and a generation of artists who gained renown through the broadcasts of Radio Afghanistan, also known as Radio Kabul, including Mahwash herself. Listen now → s.si.edu/3QKfB6H #InternationalWomensDay

“Today, it is common to hear the youth in our community sit at a drum and sing the ‘Mi’kmaq Honour Song,’ and for the children to join the drummers for a chance to enjoy the songs and stories that the Sons of Membertou so love to share,” writes community leader and drum keeper Darrell Bernard in the liner notes for the group’s newly reissued 1995 debut album, ‘Wapna'kik: The People of the Dawn.’ The Sons of Membertou recently traveled to Wellington, New Zealand, to take part in the 48th World Conference of the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance. Enjoy this video featuring their recording of “Kepmite'tmnej (Mi'kmaq Honour Song)” alongside moments from their visit. The traditional Mi’kmaw drum group continues to perform throughout Canada, Turtle Island, and the world, preserving their culture and language by sharing their music with younger generations and welcoming new members. Listen to ‘Wapna'kik’ and learn more → orcd.co/sons-of-membertou ?? Produced by The Centre for Sound Communities, Cape Breton University. Edited by Nick Baldwin.

Mardi Gras is based on the ancient tradition of “carnival,” the celebration leading up to the beginning of Lent. It ends on Fat Tuesday, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, and is the last hoorah before repenting. While Mardi Gras in New Orleans is famous for its grand parades and masquerade balls, it’s also an important cultural event in Southwest Louisiana—but its traditions differ from those of the celebration in New Orleans. On Mardi Gras Day (Fat Tuesday), Cajun and Creole communities participate in an event called the “Courir de Mardi Gras” (Mardi Gras Run). People dressed in costumes go from house to house, collecting small donations from their neighbors to give to charity. During these runs, they also chase chickens to make a gumbo with later. The traditional “Mardi Gras Song” is sung at events during the entire Mardi Gras season in Southwest Louisiana. Although the lyrics can vary from one interpretation to the next, they generally tell the story of the Courir de Mardi Gras: catching the chicken, asking for donations of money and food, eating gumbo together, and celebrating. The use of a minor tonality helps to convey the message of this song. According to Cajun great Dewey Balfa, in a recording on his 1977 Folkways LP ‘Cajun Fiddle: Old & New,’ the song is about “begging,” and participants are actually “praying or begging through the melody.” To dive deeper into this unique aspect of Mardi Gras culture, check out Lesson Hub 10 of our newly launched Music Pathway, “Cajun and Zydeco Music: Flavors of Southwest Louisiana,” here: s.si.edu/43EgUvN The Music Pathways are a free teaching tool designed to explore lesser-known aspects of music history using sounds and resources from the Smithsonian Folkways catalog. These comprehensive materials are available to teachers, parents, and the public through our website. ?? folkways.si.edu/learn --- Pictured: Mardi Gras Boys, photo by Gabrielle Savoy. Album cover photo by Camilla Smith, design by John Cohen.

“I honestly believe that the future is going to be millions of little things saving us. I imagine a big seesaw, and one end of this seesaw is on the ground with a basket half-full of big rocks in it. The other end of the seesaw is up in the air. It’s got a basket one-quarter full of sand. And some of us got teaspoons, and we’re trying to fill up sand. A lot of people are laughing at us, and they say, ‘Ah, people like you have been trying to do that for thousands of years, and it’s leaking out as fast as you’re putting it in.’ But we’re saying, ‘We’re getting more people with teaspoons all the time.’ And we think, ‘One of these years, you’ll see that the whole seesaw go zooop in the other direction.’ And people will say, ‘Gee, how did it happen so suddenly?’ Us and all our little teaspoons. Now granted, we’ve got to keep putting it in, because if we don’t keep putting teaspoons in, it will leak out, and the rocks will go back down again. Who knows?” —Pete Seeger, broadcast on Democracy Now, from a 2004 interview Want to learn more about Pete’s life, music, and legacy? Explore the career-spanning anthology ‘Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection’ → s.si.edu/41pG6TK

Mary Lou Williams was a prolific pianist, composer, and arranger, as well as a dedicated educator and jazz advocate. In the late 1970s, Williams commissioned the artist David Stone Martin to illustrate “The History of Jazz Tree,” a visual lineage of jazz artistry that she used as a teaching tool. The jazz tree reflects Williams’ deep conviction about the music’s origin, development, and importance in Black American history. “From suffering came the Negro spirituals, songs of joy, and songs of sorrow,” Williams wrote in a handout distributed at her performances. “The main origin of American Jazz is the spiritual. Because of the deeply religious background of the American Negro, he was able to mix this strong influence with rhythms that reached deep enough into the inner self to give expression to outcries of sincere joy, which became known as Jazz.” To learn more, see the liner notes for the album ‘Mary Lou Williams Presents Black Christ of the Andes’ → s.si.edu/2n5Ni8E ??: Tom Caffrey / Globe Photos #SmithsonianBHM

Ella Jenkins and a group of musical friends introduce children to the idea of labor unions through songs, rhymes, and stories on ‘Ella Jenkins and a Union of Friends Pulling Together,’ released on Smithsonian Folkways in 1999. This GRAMMY-nominated album presents a broader concept of what it means to be part of a union—whether in friendship, family ties, musical collaboration, or organizing for better working conditions. Ella reminds us that unity, solidarity, and strength are part of everyday life and are important ideas for children to understand. In the liner notes, she recalls how her friend Big Bill Broonzy brought her to her first musicians’ union meeting and reflects on her journey as a union member: “I belong to the Chicago Federation of Musicians Local 10-208. When I first became a member, the union was segregated. Black musicians belonged to Local 208, located on the South Side of Chicago. White musicians belonged to Local 10, located in downtown Chicago. Union locals helped musicians get jobs. Through much effort by African Americans, Chicago now has a single integrated union: Local 10-208. Last year I became a ‘Lifetime Member’ of the musician’s union.” You can listen to the album and view the liner notes here → s.si.edu/41sSyDm #SmithsonianBHM

Out today, the first-ever reissue of Sons of Membertou’s debut album, ‘Wapna’kik: The People of the Dawn,’ marks the return of a landmark album that revitalized Mi’kmaw music and culture upon its initial release in 1995. Drums are at the heart of ‘Wapna’kik,’ which features original and traditional songs sung almost entirely in Mi’kmaw, with fiddles, banjos, and electronic sounds woven throughout. This remastered and resequenced edition comes with two new tracks: the “Mi’kmaq Honour Song,” often regarded as the national anthem of the Mi’kmaw Nation, and “500 Years,” a beautiful poem by Rita Joe, the renowned poet laureate of the Mi'kmaw people, set to music. New liner notes by community leader and drum keeper Darrell Bernard Sr. trace the music’s origins throughout Unama’kik (Cape Breton Island) and its growing impact since its first release thirty years ago. “It is our responsibility to share our music with the young people of our Nation so that we preserve as much of our culture and language as we can,” Bernard writes. “Now, you have this opportunity to enjoy some of the music of the Mi’kmaq as presented by the Sons of Membertou. Msit No’kmaq!” ‘Wapna’kik’ was produced in collaboration with members of the broader Membertou community and is the first release in our Sound Communities recording series with The Centre for Sound Communities at Cape Breton University, supported by the Cultures of Sound Network. Stream or purchase the album on CD and digital formats → orcd.co/sons-of-membertou ?? by Barry Bernard

Remembering Agnes “Sis” Cunningham (1909-2004), born on this day in Watonga, Oklahoma. Sis was a folk singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, labor organizer, activist, and member of the Almanac Singers with Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Millard Lampell, Lee Hays, Bess Lomax Hawes, and others. In the early 1960s, she co-founded the mimeographed topical song magazine Broadside with her husband, Gordon Friesen. As the editor of Broadside, Sis guided one of the most influential music magazines of the time. From 1962 to 1988, its pages featured songs by Bob Dylan, Janis Ian, Rev. Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick, Malvina Reynolds, Phil Ochs, Lucinda Williams, and dozens of other songwriters. During these years, Sis transcribed songs from home recordings to publish in the magazine, took part in various Broadside hootenannies, and produced Broadside LPs issued by Folkways Records. Sis eventually recorded a full-length solo LP, ‘Broadside Ballads, Vol. 9: Sundown,’ which was released in 1976. The album showcases her original songs, including “My Oklahoma Home” and “But If I Ask Them,” along with a selection of favorites she adapted or learned from other performers, interwoven with her spoken reflections. Read more about her life and listen to ‘Sundown’ here: s.si.edu/4k7iZWD

Roxanne Shanté is a storied battle rapper and pioneering figure in hip-hop. As a 14-year-old MC growing up in the Queensbridge housing projects in New York City, Shanté recorded one of hip-hop’s first-ever diss tracks: “Roxanne’s Revenge,” produced by Marley Marl. A response to Brooklyn-based rap collective UTFO’s 1984 hit “Roxanne, Roxanne,” which depicted a woman rejecting the group’s romantic advances, “Roxanne’s Revenge” sparked the “Roxanne Wars” of the 1980s, a series of rap feuds that yielded dozens of response records by various artists. “Roxanne came to represent the voice of young Black women navigating life in post-civil-rights-era America,” Dr. Tammy L. Kernodle writes in the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap. “The result was a spate of response records by women who claimed the moniker and persona of Roxanne.” Shanté was a member of the Queensbridge hip-hop group Juice Crew, which included MC Shan, Biz Markie, and others. “Shanté’s legacy in rap is not solely defined by her role in the so-called Roxanne wars,” Kernodle states. “Throughout the late 1980s, she recorded venomous battle raps that foreshadowed the intricate wordplay and aggressiveness associated with the ‘90s mafioso rap style of Lil’ Kim, Eve, Foxy Brown, and other female MCs.” This month, Shanté made history again as the first solo female rapper to be honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy. ?? “Roxanne’s Revenge” and “Roxanne, Roxanne” are both featured in the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap → s.si.edu/418jgB4 --- Collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, Photo by Al Pereira, 1990 ? Al Pereira