AMERICAN ROUTES
Blues and Jazz, African Roots and Branches with Shemekia Copeland and Balla Kouyaté Blues and Jazz, African Roots and Branches with Shemekia Copeland and Balla Kouyaté June 7th, 2023 (Hour 1)
Blues and Jazz, African Roots and Branches with Shemekia Copeland and Balla Kouyaté

It’s Blueswomen, Jazzmen, African roots and branches. Chicago blues singer Shemekia Copeland‘s father, the late blues guitarist Johnny Copeland, brought her into his music as a child. As an adult, she found new ways to use blues to express her perspective. We’ll hear from some of Shemekia’s heroes including Etta James, Ruth Brown, Alberta Hunter and Big Mama Thornton. Then a conversation and performance by Boston-based Mandinka balafon player Balla Kouyaté and music inspired by and from the continent of Africa from Randy Weston, Miriam Makeba and the Modern Jazz Quartet.

Shemekia Copeland photo by Mike White

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AMERICAN ROUTES ON INSTAGRAM

REIMAGINING KENTUCKY COUNTRY MUSIC & NEW ORLEANS JAZZ WITH KELSEY WALDON AND AURORA NEALAND

March 22nd, 2023

Country singer Kelsey Waldon grew up in the Ohio River bottoms of Ballard County Kentucky-a place called “Monkey’s Eyebrow” where her family has farmed for generations. She tells us about her journey as a songwriter, and her friendship with another hero of Kentucky, John Prine. Then a live set of New Orleans jazz and its Caribbean cousins with the widely acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, Aurora Nealand and her quartet at Artisound Studios in New Orleans 9th Ward.

  • Listen to Hour One
  • Listen to Hour Two

HOUR ONE

  • Open Bed: The Dog (Outro) Kelsey Waldon
    No Regular Dog, Oh Boy Records
  • Gone, Gone, Gone Everly Brothers
    Gone, Gone, Gone—The Everly Brothers, Warner Brothers
  • Highway 51 Blues Bob Dylan
    Bob Dylan, Columbia
  • I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow The Soggy Bottom Boys, Dan Tyminski
    Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Mercury
  • Blue Moon of Kentucky Bill Monroe
    Bill Monroe—Anthology, UMG
  • Blue Moon of Kentucky Elvis Presley
    A Boy from Tupelo: The Complete Recordings 1953-1955, RCA
  • Instrumental: Ike Everly's Rag Merle Travis and Joe Maphis
    Country Guitar Giants, CMH
  • Warfaring Stranger Johnny Cash
    Solitary Man—American III, American Recordings
  • Kentucky Waltz Osborne Brothers
    100 Greatest Bluegrass Hits, CMI
  • Van Lear Rose Loretta Lynn
    Loretta Lynn—Van Lear Rose, Third Man Records
  • SEGMENT: Kelsey Waldon

    Listen
  • Instrumental: So Round, So Firm Eddie Pennington
    Walks the Strings and Even Sings, Smithsonian Folkways
  • Honey Don't The Beatles
    The Beatles for Sale, London
  • Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby Carl Perkins
    Sun Rockabilly Classics, Sun Records
  • Matchbox The Beatles
    The Beatles Live at the BBC, BBC
  • Boppin' the Blues Carl Perkins
    Carl Perkins—Sun King, Sun Records
  • My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night John Prine
    Single, Oh Boy! Records
  • End Bed: Old Kentucky Home Shotgun Jazz Band
    Steppin' on the Gas, Shotgun Jazz Band
  • Nous, Les Cuisinières The Aurora Nealand Quartet
    American Routes Live at Artisound Productions,

HOUR two

  • Open Bed: Tropical Moon Rhumba The Aurora Nealand Quartet
    American Routes Live at Artisound Productions,
  • It's All Right with Me The Aurora Nealand Quartet
    American Routes Live at Artisound Productions,
  • Ain't No Sweet Man That's Worth the Salt of My Tears The Aurora Nealand Quartet
    American Routes Live at Artisound Productions,
  • Instrumental: The Optimism Blues BC Coogan
    American Routes Live at Artisound Productions,
  • Shag The Aurora Nealand Quartet
    American Routes Live at Artisound Productions,
  • Lucky Old Sun The Aurora Nealand Quartet
    American Routes Live at Artisound Productions,
  • SEGMENT: Aurora Nealand

    Listen
  • Instrumental: Rosenbecks Backroom Aurora Nealand Quartet
    American Routes Live at Artisound Productions,
  • Temptation Rag The Aurora Nealand Quartet
    American Routes Live at Artisound Productions,
  • End Bed: Georgie Cabin The Aurora Nealand Quartet
    American Routes Live at Artisound Productions,

THE LATEST STREAMS

  • June 7th, 2023

    BLUES AND JAZZ, AFRICAN ROOTS AND BRANCHES WITH SHEMEKIA COPELAND AND BALLA KOUYATé

    Listen
  • May 31st, 2023

    PIANO PEOPLE AND MORE: JASON MORAN & HEATH ALLEN

    Listen
  • May 24th, 2023

    MEMORIAL DAY WITH THE 2022 NATIONAL HERITAGE FELLOWS

    Listen
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