Art of Field Recording (Sampler Album)

Art and Margo Rosenbaum: A Sampler of Southern Musical Traditions

This 24-track compilation offers a vivid introduction to the field recordings and photography of Art and Margo Rosenbaum, who spent decades documenting traditional music across the American South and beyond. Drawn from their extensive archive, this sampler reflects the wide range of styles, voices, and stories they captured.

Spanning spirituals, blues, fiddle tunes, ballads, Sacred Harp singing, gospel sermons, shape-note hymns, and folk songs, the album is a celebration of deeply rooted musical traditions and the individuals who kept them alive.

Featured artists include:

• Sister Fleeta Mitchell and Rev. Willie Mae Eberhart, delivering a haunting spiritual in "Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down"
• Buell Kazee, a Kentucky banjoist whose 1920s recordings earned him lasting influence in American folk music
• Cecil Barfield, whose raw and hypnotic guitar playing evokes the deep blues of southwest Georgia
• The McIntosh County Shouters, preserving the West African-influenced ring shout tradition
• Shirley Griffith, an Indianapolis-based bluesman and student of Scrapper Blackwell’s Piedmont style
• Golden River Grass Group, representing the enduring vitality of American string band music

The album also features regional gems such as Sacred Harp singing from the Georgia Sacred Harp Convention, a Cajun fiddle tune by Fidel Martin, and a Mexican corrido performed by Epifanio Sanchez and group.

This sampler is a journey across musical landscapes, personal histories, and cultural traditions.

Prefer the CD? Check out the physical version here.