Travel Notes

Today, we’re honored to be joined by a true cultural torchbearer — saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and Big Chief of the Congo Square Nation… Donald Harrison.From second-line rhythms in New Orleans to classical orchestration, nouveau swing to trap-infused jazz — Donald Harrison’s musical reach is nothing short of cosmic. In this episode, we dive deep into his creative process, his groundbreaking orchestral work like the Congo Square Suite, and his vision for connecting ancestral sounds with modern innovation, including his mind-bending new project in quantum improvisation.We talk about how his music reflects the shared soul between cities like Charleston and New Orleans — and what audiences can expect when he headlines the Charleston Jazz Festival on April 27.Plus, we explore how Harrison is shaping the future of music through mentorship, multi-genre storytelling, and a lifetime of turning sound into spirit.So whether you're tuning in from the Lowcountry or the Crescent City, from a porch swing or a subway ride — get ready to travel through rhythm, history, and heart.

We’re kicking off Season 5 of Travel Notes with a true global music visionary—Jacob Edgar! As an ethnomusicologist, cultural explorer, and world music tastemaker, Jacob has spent his career uncovering the sounds that shape cultures around the globe.In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of ethnomusicology and its surprising breadth, explore how Putumayo World Music transformed global music marketing, and discuss how music influences our understanding of culture. Jacob also shares insights on the evolving role of music appreciation in different cultural contexts and how the digital age has shifted us from communal listening experiences to hyper-personalized curation.Join us as we celebrate the power of music to connect, educate, and inspire—one note at a time.

Today on Travel Notes, we are featuring the American Railroad project by the Silkroad Ensemble in anticipation of their show at the Charleston Gaillard Center on November 19th. Today’s special guest, celtic harpist Maeve Gilchrist takes us behind the scenes of this monumental project.Silkroad’s American Railroad project highlights untold stories and amplifies unheard voices from the communities who actually built the transcontinental railroad, addressing past injustices and providing a more truthful account of global diasporic contributions to the creation of the American Empire. We also listen to two tracks off of their upcoming album, The American Railroad album which comes out on November 15th.Tickets to American Railroad at the Charleston Gaillard CenterSilkroad WebsiteMaeve Gilchrist WebsiteTravel Notes WebpageTravel Notes Instagram

Today on Travel Notes, we talk to musician and songwriter, Eljuri. Eljuri is a New Yorker, immigrant, Latina, woman, singer, and guitarist. Her greatest passions are songwriting and activism. Her music is a fusion of Latin, reggae and global rhythms with rock and funk. Her bilingual songs are socially conscious and about current global issues.In her world, music and activism are positively intertwined. She seeks to empower not only the Latino community but all champions for human rights. She is an artivist (activist meets artist) whose bilingual songs are stories about resilience, resistance, civil rights, and saving the planet.We talk about her musical influences, mission as an artist and activist and her most recent tour and project, Concerts for Democracy.Eljuri Website - https://www.eljurimusic.com/Concerts for Democracy - https://www.eljurimusic.com/tour-1 Travel Notes - https://www.gracemcnallymusic.com/travel-notes

In this episode of Travel Notes, we explore the vibrant city of Toronto through the music of KUNÉ, Canada’s Global Orchestra with special guests, Aline Morales & Matias Recharte. Formed in 2017 by The Royal Conservatory of Music, KUNÉ became an independent collective in 2021. This eleven-piece ensemble includes musicians from around the world, reflecting the cultural diversity of Toronto. We discuss how KUNÉ blends cultural traditions, fosters collaboration, and connects us all through their shared musical experience. https://www.kuneworld.com/ https://www.alinemorales.com/https://www.instagram.com/matiasrecharte/https://www.gracemcnallymusic.com/

This month on Travel Notes we head north to Canada where we talk with Laura Risk, assistant Professor in the Music and Culture program of the Department of Arts, Culture and Media at the University of Toronto Scarborough and professional Scottish and Québécois fiddler. Her fiddling has been described by filmmaker Ken Burns as "a revelation and achingly beautiful” and Living Tradition hails her 'powerful, percussive style… bursting with energy and passion.”Today, we dive into some of her research projects and explore tunes and musical traditions that are hundreds of years old with relations to music from all over the globe. We also listen to a few songs off her newest album, Traverse, which was released in 2023 and is a 10 track musical journey through traditional fiddle music. https://laurarisk.com/ https://www.gracemcnallymusic.com/

Welcome back to Travel Notes! Today, we're thrilled to chat with professional violinist, Laura Diaz. Laura's musical journey took her from graduating with degrees in Music Performance, Music History and Computer Information Systems to a 2021 SURF Grant where she explored Guatemalan composer Joaquín Orellana's career amidst Guatemala's turbulent history, digitizing and archiving his work for future generations. Tune in for a deep dive into the innovative music of Joaquín Orellana, Laura’s groundbreaking project and this unique cultural connection!Link to the documentary: https://youtu.be/fFvcQVbNddwLink to NY Times article on Joaquín Orellana: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/arts/music/joaqin-orellana-the-spine-of-music.html

In today's show we are going somewhere we’ve never been before on Travel Notes! We are going to the southernmost island in the Caribbean just off the coast of Venezuela, perhaps most musically well known for their steel drums thanks to their economy’s heavy reliance on petrochemicals and petroleum, you may have heard of this island called Trinidad and Tobago!Our cultural liaison will be Trinidadian and Toronto based musician Drew Gonsalves, founder of the calypso group Kobo Town. Together, we get to know the complex, diverse and compact country of Trinidad and Tobago through the musical lens of calypso and Kobo Town’s newest album, Carnival of Ghosts.

Today's musical guests on Travel Notes are two lovely humans and fantastic musicians: Eleanor Dubinsky & Darío Acosta Teich. Eleanor is a USA-born vocalist, guitarist and cellist who sings in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. Her music is open-hearted and culturally fluid, connecting underground tributaries between languages and world rhythms in uplifting, soulful compositions that explore the fragile links between human emotions and responsibility. Dario, a guitarist, composer and master of Latin folk instruments, combines his deep knowledge of classical and South American vocabularies with his passion for jazz harmony and free improvisation.Together, we explore their music, expansive respective and shared musical journeys and discuss how music connects us as all as human beings.Learn more about their work & music here

This week on Travel Notes, Grace talks with the groundbreaking Gambian kora virtuoso, Sona Jobarteh! Sona is breaking barriers as the world’s first professional female kora virtuoso from the West African Griot dynasties. With a lineage of renowned Kora masters, including her grandfather Amadu Bansang Jobarteh and cousin Toumani Diabaté, Sona's talent is unmatched. Her distinctive voice, infectious melodies, and onstage grace have garnered international acclaim. Beyond music, Sona is a dedicated humanitarian, founding The Gambian Academy and advocating for social change on global platforms. Join us as we dive into Sona's inspiring journey and discuss her impactful work as a global changemaker. This is an episode you don’t want to miss!

Travel Notes highlights the LEAF Global Arts retreat happening May 9-12 in historic lake Eden, NC and talks with special guests, Jennifer Pickering who is the co executive director of LEAF Global Arts non-profit based in Asheville NC and Adama Dembele, LEAF Cultural Ambassador who is also a talented djembe and balafon player from the Ivory Coast. They listen to some of Adama’s music and dive into everything you need to know about LEAF Global Arts Retreat and the organization as a whole!

In today’s episode of Travel Notes we are talking with Derek Gripper who has been on the show before and a renowned South African guitarist, whose love for the kora set him to transcribing and recording some of its greatest works. He is joined by Malian kora virtuoso, Ballaké Sissoko for their upcoming performance at the Savannah Music Festival this weekend, March 30th at 5:30 PM and 8PM. For their performance, Sissoko and Gripper explore the ancient musical traditions of the griots of Mali in their performance titled: The Art of the Kora.This episode features an unreleased bonus track at the end of the program which will be on Derek & Ballaké album, 'Derek Gripper & Ballaké Sissoko' coming out in early May 2024

Join us on today's episode of Travel Notes as we journey to Uppsala, Sweden to chat with folk musician Gabbi from the Nordic folk/rock band, FRÄNDER.I was lucky enough to catch FRÄNDER live at the Scandinavia House in New York City earlier this year and I can tell you first hand that you guys are in for a treat. Not only is their music dynamic and fantastic live, it’s also very thoughtfully rooted in Nordic folk music traditions which we dive into in more detail in today’s show.

On today’s episode of Travel Notes, we are featuring a musical group that had humble beginnings on a farm in South Africa some 63 years ago. Today, they are living legends whose music has played a pivotal role during the apartheid in South Africa. Nelson Mandela listened to their music while he was imprisoned during the apartheid citing their music carried a powerful message of peace. Today’s featured guest is the legendary group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo  We dive into their origin story, the style of music they sing, their new 2023 album ‘Soothe My Soul: Songs From Our South African Church’ and revisit some of their most memorable moments throughout their incredible six decade long career. They’ve won more grammys than any other world music group in recorded music history - and today I’m honored to have Albert Mazibuko who is celebrating his 55th year as a member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo on the show.

Drum roll….it’s the first episode of Travel Notes for 2024! I’m so excited about this year’s first guest - Clay Ross, a multi-grammy award winning guitarist/vocalist, composer and educator about his group American Patchwork Quartet or APQ. I saw the American Patchwork Quartet perform at the APAP conference in NYC this past January and was absolutely blown away by their live performance and music.This dynamic and virtuosic group binds timeless American folk songs with jazz sophistication, country twang, West African hypnotics, and East Asian ornamentation on their debut self titled album which comes out Friday, February 9th. Throughout the album, we find potent symbols of unity in diversity, exploring universal truths through a range of musical languages and cultural lenses - themes like longing, heartbreak, desire, fulfillment, tranquility and love...ultimately revealing the joys, sorrows, and unwavering hope of a nation crafted by shared dreams and diverse histories.

In this episode of Travel Notes we are exploring the current political and cultural dynamic in Cuba through the eyes and upcoming album of Grammy nominated powerhouse duo, Elizabeth Rodriguez and Magdelys Savigne’s who perform under the name OKAN. Fusing Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, folk and global rhythms in songs about immigration, resistance and love, OKAN takes their name from the word for heart in their Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria.

Today on Travel Notes Grace is joined by special guest is Kurtis Lamkin, a Philadelphia born and Charleston based poet and musician specializing in the west african kora and an instrument called the jinjin. In true griot fashion, he blurs the line between poet, musician and storyteller. Kurt has performed on stage, radio, film, and television, and was one of the featured poets in the Bill Moyers documentary, Fooling With Words. He also hosted MultiKultiMove, a reading series featuring writers from around the world; and produced a radio series called, “Living Proof: Contemporary Black Literature.”And as Mark Nepo, NYTimes best selling author puts it - “Kurtis Lamkin is a singular talent of our generation entering his years of mastery. He is an innovator, a storyteller, a musician, a poet and a moral historian who has studied and mastered the kora, a West African bridge harp with twenty-one strings...And in the tradition of Homer he travels the country singing the truth of our history, the hope of our humanity, and the imagination of our community…”

In this part II episode of Venezuelan music on Travel Notes, we go live from the Ohm Radio studio with Charleston based group, the Venezuelan Sound Ensemble to bring you live Venezuelan folk music and conversation. We dive into the rich and multifaceted history and musical traditions that connect Venezuela to other countries near and far.

In this episode of Travel Notes, we embark on the first leg of a journey through Venezuela's rich musical landscape with award winning Venezuelan born Toronto based musician, Eliana Cuevas. Her most recent album, Seré Libre, blends together classical, jazz, Afro-Venezuelan rhythms and folk music to create a seamless reflection of the multifaceted music of Venezuela.

Join host Grace McNally for an all new Travel Notes episode on Native American music and culture featuring Cathy Nelson from Keepers of the Word, an organization that works to preserve South Carolina Native culture and Two Piece, a Charleston based musical duo comprised of Delia Chariker and Bill Whittaker.