Donald R. Hill overviews the musical scene of the island of Carriacou in the Grenadines, tracing the series of cultural roots branching out to West Africa, Europe, the Mediterranean, the greater... more

This compilation chronicles the arrival of New Orleans Jazz in Chicago during the early 1920s and demonstrates how that body of music was integrated into the Chicago music scene. The album features... more

The intricate novelty rag demands virtuosic technique and an ability to establish one's own musical identity while remaining true to the composition. The performances on Interpretations represent the... more

The boundaries between jazz and popular music were never as blurry as in the 1920s, when jazz bands played pop songs and dance bands performed jazz tunes. This recording celebrates this mixture and... more

This album is the product of three years of fieldwork and research conducted by ethnomusicologist Karen G. Helms. Helms recorded the traditional and, she felt, overlooked music of the Outer Banks of... more

This volume is half of a two-recording set that includes recordings not issued on the Vanguard or Elektra Newport compilations. It features folk songs and ballads sung by Irish, Canadian, and... more

Recorded during the height of anti-war protests in America, this 14-track collection focuses on the issues of civil rights and the Vietnam War. Contributing songs and performances are Frederick... more

As it did with blues and jazz, the early recording industry missed the beginnings of ragtime. Luckily, the burgeoning player piano industry produced ragtime tunes on paper rolls, and these rolls... more

Avast ye, landlubers! There be shanties here for only true salts of the seas. Aye! 2 CDs full of the music of real sailors sung by everybody from Pete Seeger to actual recordings of working sailors... more

Recorded at "hoots" in '58 and '59 (this tradition was nearly two decades old by then), this album overflows with audience participation, social commentary and, of course, legendary folk songs and... more

Irwin Silber produced this classic 1960 Folkways comp of Civil War songs both famous and obscure, from rousing marches to brokenhearted ballads. Along with Tenting Tonight; Lincoln and Liberty; John... more

Created in 1931, the American Folk Song Festival helped Kentucky mountain singers share their music with the world. Perhaps more relevantly, it allowed the rest of the world to hear the music of... more

Compiled in 1990 to accompany a Hemphill Collection exhibit of folk art, this is a perfect sampling of Folkways' cherished children's records: "There Was a Man and He Was Mad," "How I Hunted the... more

A cornetist blowin', a clarinetist wailin', a trombonist mournin', a pianist groovin'... all in a crowded, smoky parlor. The 1940s arguably marked the height of big band era, and a resurgence of... more

Ragtime was first recorded in 1897, and this selection of recordings begins shortly thereafter, in 1902. Although listeners associate ragtime with the piano, musicians arranged popular rags for other... more

Among the impassioned performers on this 1961 recording of spirituals, gospel and new songs are high school girls from Alabama, seminary students and others who sang out for first-class citizenship... more

This compilation reflects musicians' accounts of the growth of jazz, spotlighting forms they heard in New Orleans such as the march, rag, blues, spiritual and "standards. " Featured are Jelly Roll... more

There is no single kind of music that led to the creation of Jazz. Instead, the genre evolved, and continues to evolve, from diverse musical avenues. The best big band Jazz orchestration is created... more

Illustrious musicians from two bands came together for this night of jazz greatness at Town Hall in NY. Recorded in '46 but not released 'til 1960, it includes "Royal Garden Blues," "China Boy,"... more

Released in 1972, after many of it's artists had risen to international acclaim, Broadside Ballads, Vol. 6 contains previously unreleased songs that appeared in the folk publication Broadside... more

There is no single kind of music that led to the creation of Jazz. Instead, the genre evolved, and continues to evolve, from diverse musical avenues. Following the popularity of swing music in the... more

The Easter Rebellion of 1916…the Irish Civil War in the '20s…and centuries spent by the Irish fighting to win their freedom—that's what's chronicled on this 1975 LP. Rebellious spirit and biting... more