New Americans
A new wave of Kurds fleeing Turkey bring their own sound to Nashville’s Music City
Nashville has been a popular destination for Kurdish refugees in the US. Today, Kurdish newcomers are trying to preserve their culture. Community centers and associations are helping new arrivals maintain a connection to their heritage while navigating life in a new country.
From Addis Ababa to Boston
Mulatu Astatke‘s mesmerizing soundtrack for the film “Broken Flowers” brought him a new generation of fans. But the Ethiopian musical icon has spent the last 50 years bridging western jazz with Ethiopia’s indigenous sounds. Gideon D’Arcangelo first met up with him in Addis Ababa.
Min Xiao-Fen
The pipa, or Chinese lute, has been part of traditional music in China for more than 2,000 years. These days, a few intrepid players have been incorporating the pipa’s sound into jazz, bluegrass, and modern classical music. Pipa virtuoso Min Xiao-Fen finds it impossible to stick to just one genre. Produced by Studio 360’s Lu […]
Thao Nguyen
At just 24, she put out one of 2008’s best indie rock records, We Brave Bee Stings and All and she’s touring the country now with her band. She grew up in Arlington, Virginia, where her mother owns a coin laundromat and dry cleaning business. We sent Jesse Dukes to meet up with Thao and […]