The Country, Folk & World Recommendation Thread

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Albanian Folk Song - Jarnana (Albania)

Alycia plays a variety of styles of fiddle music ranging from foot stompin’ Celtic, to more eclectic music, and incorporates these diverse influences into her shows.
An engaging and entertaining selection from one of North America’s finest young fiddlers – …

Alycia Putnam - Trolley’s Reel / Dunmore Lasses / Balmoral Castle / Edinburgh Rock (Nova Scotia, Canada)

Ivo Papasov is a Bulgarian clarinetist. He leads the Ivo Papasov Wedding Band in performances of jazz-infused Stambolovo music, and is one of the premier creators of the genre known as "wedding band" music in Bulgaria, along with the violinist Georgi Yanev, saxophonist Yuri Yunakov and accordionists Neshko Neshev, Ivan Milev and Peter Ralchev.
"Ivo's album of wedding music, played first thing in the morning, provides thorough and long-lasting attitude adjustment for the busy executive." (Frank Zappa)

Ivo Papasov - Ivaylovsko Horo (Bulgaria)

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A young guitarist from Geneva, Louis Matute, is a musician recognized for his talent as a performer and composer...a group with "variable geometry", as he says himself, with Latin reminiscences and aiming to create a soundscape based on harmonic work and, above all, the communication of colleagues on the journey.

Louis Matute Large Ensemble - Renaissance (Switzerland)

Lars was an auto-didact and multi-instrumentalist (accordion, keyboards, voice, melodica, etc.) who was completely fearless in his approach to music. He could be unabashedly sentimental (Boeves Psalm, Soon Song), write incredibly dense and complex counterpoint with the best of them (Pas de Valse, Utflykt med Damcyckle), and be mischievous and joyfully wacked-out (Circus I, II).

Lars Hollmer - Boeves Psalm (Sweden)

Sharon Shannon has music at her fingertips....literally! The accordionist from Ireland has achieved legendary status throughout the world and has made the much-maligned accordion 'cool' in her home country...
Natalie MacMaster CM ONS (born June 13, 1972) is a Canadian fiddler from Troy, Inverness County, Nova Scotia, who plays Cape Breton fiddle music. She has toured with the Chieftains, Faith Hill, Carlos Santana and Alison Krauss, and has recorded with Yo-Yo Ma...

Sharon Shannon & Natalie MacMaster - Jean's Reel (Ireland/Canada)

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Marta Pereira da Costa begins her musical training on the piano at the age of 4; she studied 2 years of classical guitar at age 8; At 18, she started playing Portuguese guitar.
She graduated in Civil Engineering, and after working for 8 years, in 2012, she abandoned the activity and dedicated herself exclusively to music and the Portuguese guitar, thus starting her solo career.

Marta Pereira da Costa -Fado Lopes (Portugal)

Formed in 2006, Beirut is an American folk pop outfit, originally the brainchild of Zach Condon, who hails from Santa Fe, New Mexico. They are a concoction of indie - rock and world music.

Beirut - Serbian Cocek (USA)

Spoiler for Beirut - Gulag Orkestar:

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This 8-strong collective from England, Italy, France, Congo, Argentina and New Zealand combine traditional afrobeat and hi-life with funk, jazz, Latin and dub to deliver party music born of their truly global DNA.
Sung in Lingala by lead vocalist Juanita Euka.

London Afrobeat Collective - Topesa Esengo Na Motema (England)

Yeghish Manoukian is an Armenian duduk player, performing since 1967.

Yeghshe Manukyan - I Beg You Mountains (Armenia)

Steeped in the cadence of her native County Cavan, it is by turns raw and wild, warm and melodic, grief-stricken and exuberant, driven always by the drama inherent in the song.

Lisa O'Neill - Old Note (Ireland)

The Mary Wallopers are a folk group from Dundalk, breathing new life into both well known & rare ballads. Travelling the length & breadth of the country singing & collecting songs, they exude a raw energy that could be described as the Clancy Brothers meet John Lydon.

The Mary Wallopers - Cod Liver Oil & The Orange Juice (Ireland)

Spoiler for The Mary Wallopers - Eileen Og:

Caravan is a jazz standard composed by Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington.
The melody is emphatically chromatic, mysterious, almost oriental. Ellington arranged the song with additional orientalisms and gave it a new, more conventional middle section, which contrasts strongly with the main melody in terms of rhythm and tone. The piece draws its particular strength from this contrast.
It's no wonder that greats like .... and Tommy Emmanuel don't want to miss out on joint concerts with Joscho Stephan. The German is one of the great innovators of the genre.

Tommy Emmanuel & Joscho Stephan - Caravan (Australia/Germany)