The meaning of FOLK?

What is the meaning of FOLK?  Folk music, new folk, folk revival, folk-rock... oh the list is endless!  What is your definition of folk music?

And when you see a concert advertisement: FOLKKONCERTS in Latvia... my immediate instinct says its a folklore concert of traditional music that I love love love.  But alas, this is not always the case, and one recently attended concert was not full of beautiful tautas tērpi (folk costumes) and tautas dziesmas (folk songs)... it was infused with the folk-essence of the greats- Dylan, etc.  Raspy voices, acoustic guitars, even a harmonica, mixed with jazz elements such as saxophones, pianos and violins filled the beautiful hall of Lielā Ģilde in Old Town Rīga two weeks ago.

So here are two clips from the concert- one "traditional" folk, one "new" folk.

However, two weeks ago was the CD release concert for Sviests IV, a collection of contemporary folk music, in many variations and interpretations.  I've grown to love and to follow avidly the work that comes out on these CDs, many times groups form especially to make a recording for this collection and you can't find their stuff elsewhere, but other times you have new gems from your favorite artists.  Always a surprise- this edition even has a group from Canada- Tērvetes Trubadūri- which was especially cool!

The concert, at the Academy of Music, featured five groups playing small sets of their repertoires.  It was a diverse and at times bizarre mix of music and unfortunately dragged on because the stage needed to be reset after each group.  Either way, it was a great opportunity to see friends and know that the folk movement in Latvia is alive and well!