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

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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NEW BLUES & BLUEGRASS: CEDRIC BURNSIDE & SHADOWGRASS

August 15th, 2018

Facing the hot season head on, we hit up juke joints, dancehalls and folk festivals to get our fill of hot licks from blues and bluegrass musicians, oldtimers and newcomers alike. We talk shop with Mississippi Hill Country bluesman Cedric Burnside about playing music alongside his grandfather R.L. Burnside, finding his voice and translating old school sounds for a new generation. Then we head to the Montana Folk Festival to hear the bluegrass bonafides of ShadowGrass and talk with the young Appalachian upstarts about balancing their tour schedule with junior high school. Plus, fife and drum music from Otha Turner & the Afrosippi Allstars, surrealist blues rock a la Captain Beefheart and old-time and rockabilly picking from Doc Watson.

  • Listen to Hour One
  • Listen to Hour Two

HOUR ONE

  • Dog Days of August Cephas and Wiggins
    Richmond Blues, Smithsonian Folkways
  • Open Bed: Hard to Stay Cool Cedric Burnside
    Benton County Relic, Single Lock Records
  • Me and the Devil Blues Robert Johnson
    Single, Vocalion
  • Love in Vain The Rolling Stones
    Let It Bleed, Decca
  • Lonesome Train on a Lonesome Track Johnny Burnette and the Rock 'n Roll Trio
    Johnny Burnette and the Rock 'n Roll Trio, Coral
  • Lo Yo Yo Stuff Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
    Clear Spot, Reprise
  • Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning Aretha Franklin
    Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington, Sony Music
  • Instrumental: The "In" Crowd Ramsey Lewis
    The In Crowd, Argo
  • Young Man's Blues Mose Allison
    Mose Allison Sings, Prestige
  • Women Be Wise Bonnie Raitt
    Bonnie Raitt, Warner Brothers
  • Blues for the Night Owl Ramsey Lewis Trio
    Blues for the Night Owl/Hello, Cello!, Argo
  • One for the Highway James Booker
    Classified, Rounder
  • Guitar Highway Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee
    Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee Sing, Smithsonian Folkways
  • Instrumental: Outlaws Bill Frisell
    Blues Dream, Elektra Nonesuch
  • Station Blues Otha Turner and the Afrossippi Allstars
    From Senegal to Senatobia, Birdman
  • SEGMENT: Cedric Burnside

    Listen
  • Amen James Booker
    Classified, Rounder

HOUR two

  • Open Bed: Train 45 ShadowGrass
    Recorded at the 2018 Montana Folk Festival, Montana Public Radio
  • Black Mountain Rag Doc Watson
    Black Mountain Rag, Rounder
  • Shake, Rattle and Roll Doc Watson
    Docabilly, Sugar Hill
  • Little Red Rooster Sam Cooke
    Night Beat, RCA Victor
  • Milk Cow Blues Bob Wills
    Millenium Collection- 20th Century Masters, MCA Nashville
  • Instrumental: Grey Eagle Presley Barker
    Just-Ten, CD Baby
  • SEGMENT: ShadowGrass

    Listen
  • White Freightliner Blues ShadowGrass
    Recorded at the 2018 Montana Folk Festival, Montana Public Radio
  • Call Me the Breeze ShadowGrass
    Recorded at the 2018 Montana Folk Festival, Montana Public Radio
  • Instrumental: Pretty Stars Were Made to Shine Bill Frisell
    Blues Dream, Elektra Nonesuch
  • Picture Show John Prine
    The Missing Years, Oh Boy
  • Act Naturally Buck Owens
    The Best of Buck Owens, Capitol
  • One Time One Night Los Lobos
    By the Light of the Moon, Warner Brothers
  • Streets of Baltimore Gram Parsons (and Emmylou Harris)
    GP, Reprise
  • Them Dance Hall Girls Fraser & DeBolt
    Fraser & DeBolt with Ian Guenter, Fallout
  • Bright Lights Big City Neil Young
    Everybody's Rockin', Geffen
  • Small Town Talk Boz Scaggs
    A Fool to Care, Columbia
  • Closing Bed: Walking Home Donald Harrison with Dr. John
    Indian Blues, Candide

THE LATEST STREAMS

  • June 7th, 2023

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

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  • May 31st, 2023

    PIANO PEOPLE AND MORE: JASON MORAN & HEATH ALLEN

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  • May 24th, 2023

    MEMORIAL DAY WITH THE 2022 NATIONAL HERITAGE FELLOWS

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