Francesco Turrisi: Last News

Chris Willman Music WriterNominations have been announced for the Folk Alliance International’s Best of 2021 Awards, with such recent Grammy nominees (and winners) as Allison Russell, Rhiannon Giddens, Arooj Aftab, Valerie June, Kalani Pe’a and Sarah Jarosz among the contenders in the association’s three categories.Also set for non-competitive lifetime honors at the May awards ceremony are accordionist Flaco Jiménez, Jason Mraz, Denver-based folk music center Swallow Hill Music and the late singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith.Awards will be handed out May 18 in Kansas City on the opening night of the annual FAI conference, in a ceremony that will be webcast online.Russell is the only artist with a nomination in two of the three categories, being up for album of the year for her Grammy-nommed “Outside Child” as well as for artist of the year. Nominations are based on domestic and international year-end lists and folk DJ airplay.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic It’s been a few years since Rhiannon Giddens did anything remotely in the ballpark of a “pop” album, and it’s not hard to come up with reasons for that: Besides her having a full dance card, you could almost argue she’s overqualified for the job. The recipient of both a MacArthur “genius grant” and a Pulitzer, the banjo-wielding balladeer has sustained herself for a while at the intersection of earthy and highbrow, most recently winning acclaim for her opera, “Omar,” and she looks at least at much at home fronting the LA Phil as she used to leading the old-fashioned string band the Carolina Chocolate Drops.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Rhiannon Giddens has recorded her first solo album in six years, and her first album of all-original material ever, “You’re the One,” the singer announced Tuesday. The album will arrive August 17 on Nonesuch. The album announcement comes a day after Giddens was announced as being a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for music, for her opera, “Omar,” an honor she shares with co-composer Michael Abels. A tour is being simultaneously announced, as well, with most of the dates taking place this fall, including a September headlining stop at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Some of the highest-profile dates stretch into 2024, including shows next March and April at the Beacon in New York and the Theatre at Ace Hotel in L.A. (See the full itinerary below.)