Host: Sam Lee
Guest musician: Alkanna Graeca
Alkanna Greaca is a new vocal trio blending raw folk traditions from the Balkans, Mediterranean, and Black Sea with free improvisation and expansive soundscapes. Formed by Dunja Botic, Alexandra Achillea, and Irini Arabatzi, the trio’s music intertwines the rich cultural heritage of their homelands with a bold, boundary-pushing edge.
The Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) is a small, brown, unremarkable-looking bird, but they possess one of nature’s finest singing voices. The English population winters in Sub-Saharan Africa in the western countries like Sierra Leon and Senegal, returning to the very same thicket they were born in arriving in early to mid-April. They spend April to the end of May mating and nesting where we can encounter the extraordinary display of the males’ courtship song, famous for his all-night broadcast.
Sam is a folksinger, song collector, activist, nature conservationist, guide, and presenter. With three critically acclaimed albums - his debut receiving a Mercury Music Prize nomination - he works holistically in challenging the sound and purpose of our indigenous music in the 21st Century.