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Tangle Eye: A New Take on Lomax

CD cover of 'Alan Lomax's Southern Journey Remixed.'
CD cover of 'Alan Lomax's Southern Journey Remixed.'

Some of Alan Lomax's old field recordings are getting a surprising makeover.

The Library of Congress recently acquired the personal archives of the late folklorist Lomax, including thousands of hours of sound recordings. Rounder Records also has access to the recordings and is in the process of releasing a 100-CD collection of the music.

Scott Billington of Rounder has put a new spin on some of Lomax's rich musical archive. Billington and producer Steve Reynolds, using the name Tangle Eye, remixed the original recordings, added new instrumentation and beats to the powerful voices Lomax captured on tape years ago. The CD is titled Alan Lomax's Southern Journey Remixed.

The two producers tracked the album in New Orleans with the help of Meters bassist George Porter, Jr., bluesman Corey Harris, banjo player Tony Trischka, guitarist Jeff Raines and trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Liane Hansen
Liane Hansen has been the host of NPR's award-winning Weekend Edition Sunday for 20 years. She brings to her position an extensive background in broadcast journalism, including work as a radio producer, reporter, and on-air host at both the local and national level. The program has covered such breaking news stories as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the capture of Saddam Hussein, the deaths of Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Columbia shuttle tragedy. In 2004, Liane was granted an exclusive interview with former weapons inspector David Kay prior to his report on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The show also won the James Beard award for best radio program on food for a report on SPAM.