Silkroad + Rhiannon Giddens - American Railroad CD

Release Date: November 15th, 2024 Nonesuch Records

'American Railroad,' a new album from The Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens, will be released November 15 on Nonesuch Records. The album is the culmination of four years of research, collaboration, and music-making, having brought Silkroad artists all across the United States to uncover and uplift the stories of those who built the transcontinental railroad and connecting railways across North America.

“We shed light on those who have been erased or overlooked throughout American history and merge with it Silkroad's unique ability to amplify voices from a multitude of backgrounds and cultures," Giddens says. "The result is a tapestry of stories, traditions, and musics that have shaped our multifaceted cultural identity, and that must be heard and recognized. I hope audiences will leave with a clearer sense of where we come from, how we got here, what it cost us—and that we collectively reflect on where we're headed.”

Musicians:

Rhiannon Giddens, banjo, fiddle, voice
Shawn Conley, bass
Pura Fé, conch, lap-steel guitar, voice
Haruka Fujii, percussion
Sandeep Das, tabla, voice
Karen Ouzounian, cello, voice
Mazz Swift, violin, voice
Niwel Tsumbu, guitar
Francesco Turrisi, frame drums, accordion
Kaoru Watanabe, Japanese flutes, percussion
Michi Wiancko, violin, voice
Wu Man, pipa
Yazhi Guo, suona, Chinese percussion

Production Credits:

American Railroad was recorded live at Green Music Center in Sonoma, CA and Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, CA on November 17 and 18, 2023.

Rhiannon Giddens, Kaoru Watanabe, and Jody Elff are co-producers. Jody Elff is the recording and mixing engineer.

Track Listing

1. Invocation
2. Swannanoa Tunnel / Steel-Driving Man
3. Rainy Day
4. Far Down Far
5. Tamping Song
6. Rela
7. Wíhaŋblapi Mázačhaŋku
8. Have You Seen My Man?
9. Swannanoa Strings
10. Milimo
11. Fukagu Sanjurokkei
12. Mahk Jchi
13. O Shout!