Paradigms

Dengue Fever is celebrating 20 years as a band with their new album Ting Mong. The band was on hiatus until 2019 when they reconvened, exploring new music, and then the Covid pandemic. The result is this new record.

“In Cambodian culture, a Ting Mong is an effigy of protection, a scarecrow-like figure usually placed at the entrance of a village or a home. It wards off diseases and evil spirits. We’re all in desperate need of a Ting Mong.” – denguefever,music.com

Senon Williams and Zac Holtzman join Baruch to discuss the formation of the band, the inspiration and the process of making this music, and the healing from the war that this music brings.

The band consists of Chhom Nimol vocals, Zac Holtzman guitar/vocals, Ethan Holtzman keyboards, David Ralicke horns, Paul Smith drums and Senon Williams bass.

• Sleepwalking Through the Mekong

Music by: Dengue Fever

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Teni Rane sings original songs about life. They offer us an opportunity to connect our lives with each other in a musically beautiful and unassuming way. The lyrics, the musicianship, the singing, all create a homey feel that is calm, introspective, traveling through the ups and downs of life.

Teni is a member of Folk Alliance International, an organization which promotes and encourages Folk Music in it’s many forms through conferences, concerts, musical camping and community experiences, and more.

Goldenrod is the new album. Teni and Baruch discuss the making of the album and it’s inspirations, and we’ll hear some of the songs.

Music by: Teni Rane

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Neil Adler grew up with musician parents.  Music has always been part of his life. He’s played and studied with masters of his craft, teaches, and has just released Emi’s Song, a record featuring original compositions, with Neil playing piano and harmonica, Jeff Buenz on 6-string bass, and drummer Akira Tana, and Carlitos Medrano on congas.

The music is energetic and melodic, driven and guided by a rhythmic core, this trio creates a great groove for your mind with every track. As Neil says, “Twelve tunes to make life better.”

Neil and Baruch discuss the music, the record, and of course the human condition.

Music by: Neil Adler

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Mariah Parker has coined the phrase Indo Latin Jazz to describe the musical fusion she is inspired to create.  A lifelong pianist, Mariah’s compositions are inspired by relationship with the muse; rhythms, experiences, and occasionally a complete piece shows up in her imagination.

The new record Windows Through Time is inspired by, and offers listeners an opportunity to experience musically, the concept of the multiverse. This idea has been explored for decades in the literature of quantum physics and most recently in film, an example being Everything Everywhere All at Once.

The musicians assembled for this record include masters of their craft Paul McCandless on sax, Matthew Montfort on guitars, bassists Kash Killion, Sascha Jacobsen and Gary Brown, drummer Mark Walker, percussionists Daniel Feldman and Michaelle Goerlitz and Ian Dogole,  and vocalist Claudia Villela.

Music by: Mariah Parker

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Okaidja Afroso is a Ghanaian artist who has just released the second installment in his Ancient Africa Wisdom Trilogy. It’s called ÀBÒR ÉDIŃ which means Melanin Earth Garden in the Gãdangmé language. The first record came out in 2022, JAKU MUMOR  which means Ancestral Spirit. The third record will come in 2025.

Gãdangmé language is in the family of Kwa Languages, spoken by 25 million people in the south-eastern part of Ivory Coast, across southern Ghana, and in central Togo. – Wikipedia

This music grounds us into Nature and Life with melodies and rhythms and words. The musicianship is rich and expert.

Okaidja talks about his life, his inspirations, and this trilogy; what he is offering and invoking.

Music by: Okaidja Afroso

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Ganesh Rajagopalan, the celebrated violinist, has been making music his whole life, on his own and with his brother Kumaresh. In 2023 he celebrated 50 years of being a professional musician both with Ganesh Kumaresh and with Shakti. He has an extensive catalog of albums, and tours regularly.

Yugma is Ganesh’s latest project. This piece, an original composition in the traditional form of the Indian Raga, is performed with the violin as the main instrument, accompanied by a string orchestra. It’s stunning!

Ganesh and Baruch discuss inspiration and music, this music in particular and the dimensional aspects of all music.  It was a bright and super friendly conversation. Ganesh shares how he was first exposed to music, which is very cool.

Music by: Ganesh Rajagopalan, and Shakti

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Alex Martin has created an album, songs made from the poetry of his father Michael Martin. It’s called Appalachian Fall: The Song-Poems of Michael Martin.

Michael Martin lived on a mountain and wrote poems. He was called “the foremost meditative poet of Appalachia” by former North Carolina Poet Laureate Shelby Stephenson.

Alex Martin is a guitarist. He has brought together fine Americana and Jazz musicians to set to music some of his father’s poetry. Ten poems sung by Jess Eliot Myhre, with some portrayed “cameos” by characters, from the poems.

Alex shares some of his life story and his father’s, and describes how the making of this album at the end of his father’s life, added to their lives.

Music by: Alex Martin

This episode of Paradigms is lovingly dedicated to Patricia Wixon, poet, patroness of the arts, teacher, mother, grandmother, loving partner and more, who died on July 17.

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Natalie Spears lives in Colorado where she listens to birds, to the land, and is inspired to create music. Her latest record is Hymn of Wild Things, a collection of original songs about connecting with nature, and about grief; personal grief and the transpersonal grief a person can feel for the world.

This music brings together old-timey Appalachian music with more contemporary folk.  You can hear, in the music, the sounds of the traditional, as well as Natalie’s own musical sensibilities. Natalie has been touring in support of this record.  If you’re lucky she’ll come to your town!

In conversation with Baruch, Natalie talks about her inspirations, especially her father with whom she was very close.  A couple of the songs on the album are about him.

Music by: Natalie Spears

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Eljuri returns to Paradigms to talk about her free Concerts for Democracy starting July 13 in Riis Park, Chicago, sponsored by the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago. Here is the entire Tour schedule so far.  More dates may be added.

Eljuri is partnering with HeadCount.org, SpreadTheVote.org and Every Vote Counts to provide information and voter registration at these concerts!

The US election in November is of huge importance.  Nothing less than Democracy is at stake. With an actual fascist, who is also a felon and an adjudicated rapist, running at the top of the Republican ticket, it is imperative that all US voters who value Democracy, who support our Constitution, vote on or by November 4, 2024.

Eljuri is a person of conscience and integrity, and her music reflects that.

Music by: Eljuri

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John Kruth has been exploring and innovating musically since he was a child. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays mandolin, flute, sitar, guitar, banjo, the list goes on.

John has written five books about music and musicians, including Bright Moments – The Life and Legacy of Rahsaan Roland Kirk

Check out some of John Kruth’s past musical projects. He is involved with a number of projects, most recently The Folklorkestra has released a record A Strange Day in June. The music is a fusion of many musical forms from Folk to Rock to Jazz to Indian to Classical, and more.  In other words, this is musical expression which transcends expectations.

The podcast and radio versions of this episode contain excerpts from the interview with John Kruth.  Here is the interview in it’s entirety, with some great stories!

• John Kruth on Paradigms, entire interview

• The Folklorkestra – A Pair of Boleros (Ravel & Page) on YouTube

Music by: John Kruth and The Folklorkestra

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