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Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens: American Railroad: A Musical Journey of Reclamation
by Katchie Cartwright
Rhiannon Giddens is not afraid of big projects. American Railroad, the album, is part of a larger work, subtitled A Musical Journey of Reclamation, which Giddens initiated with the widely acclaimed Silkroad Ensemble, a diverse international collective of performers, improvisers and composers created by Yo Yo Ma. American Railroad digs into the building of America's transcontinental railway system, focusing on voices that have been missing from public narratives: voices of the laborers on whose backs the hard work fell, of ...
Continue ReadingWu Man: Pipa
by C. Michael Bailey
For the uninitiated, the pipa is the lute-like instrument one hears often when dining in Chinese restaurants. More twingy than twangy, the pipa has a much more supple, pliant sound than the guitar. It is a four stringed instrument with a pear-shaped body. Its short, bent neck has 30 frets which extend onto the soundboard, affording a 3-½ octave range. The pipa has been mentioned in ancient texts dating from the second century BCE. There is a considerable amount of ...
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