The Genius of Bert Jansch: Folk, Blues & Beyond

Appalachian Journey is one of five films made from footage that Alan Lomax shot between 1978 and 1985 for the PBS American Patchwork series (1991). It offers songs, dances, stories, and religious rituals of the Southern Appalachians. Preachers, singers, fiddlers, banjo pickers, moonshiners, cloggers, and square dancers recount the good times and the hard times of rural life there. Performers include Tommy Jarrell, Janette Carter, Ray and Stanley Hicks, Frank Proffitt Jr., Sheila Kay Adams, Nimrod Workman and Phyllis Boyens, Raymond Fairchild, and others, with a bonus of a few African-Americans from the North Carolina Piedmont.

A short film about Pete Seeger and the birth of banjo music throughout the Southern United States.

The amazing and inspiring journey of Mexican guitarists ‘Rodrigo y Gabriela’ who at a very young age decided to do only what they loved the most: music.

Two storytellers put forth their versions of the story of Shravan Kumar. The art for the film uses painted images from a wooden portable shrine called a Kaavad. The film is a collaborative work between traditional Kaavad storytellers and Kaavad artists from Rajasthan, together with the filmmaker. Combining lush animation with live-action, the film is an interpretation of two stories which are forever fused in the act of telling and retelling.

Connie Converse was a trailblazing singer-songwritter who bared her soul through thought-provoking music only to discover that 1950's America was unprepared for such candor from a woman. Discouraged, Connie packed her VW Bug and disappeared forever, leaving behind a body of work in a carefully indexed filing cabinet, hoping the world might someday be ready.

This show shot in 2003 at Lupo's and unpretentiously directed by Eric Masunaga captures Thompson and his band in a top notch performance. The only flaw with the DVD is it's too short-many of Thompson's shows can go well over the two hour mark and I suspect that many songs are missing from this terrific show.

Folk music of the Sahara is an intoxicating experience of sight and sound captured among the Tuareg and Libyan people of North Central Africa. Filmed from the perspective of actually being one of the performers, this mind-blowing IN YOUR FACE document captures the spirit of Libyan folklore and the essence of emotion armed with pounding rhythms and wailing vocal choruses. Both men and women are featured here equally as overseers of the hybrid forms of expression where central African traditions collide with the tones and colors of the Arab world creating one of the most unique overviews of Saharan folk music ensemble and dance the outside world has ever witnessed. The diversity of faces is extraordinary, every costume is stunning, and the women are among the most beautiful on earth.

A documentary film by Peter I. Chang which traces the life of the Japanese musician Hisao Shinagawa through his early years as a folk singer in Tokyo to his current occupation as a street performer in Los Angeles.

Celtic Woman’s new DVD represents the sentiment they would like to share with their fans around the world: one of love, hope and expectation as the world looks towards getting back together again. What better way to express these wishes than to write and send a postcard, but this postcard is written with the music and songs from Celtic Woman’s DVD ‘Postcards From Ireland’. This new DVD features Celtic Woman performing 13 brand new songs, plus some fan favourites, and also contains exclusive behind the scenes footage and interviews. Filmed in 14 iconic locations around the island of Ireland, join Celtic Woman on this magical journey, stopping off to perform their music in some of the most stunning land and seascapes in the country.