In some ways, the whistling, chanting and atonal flute melodies that pervade the Ecuadorian village of Kotama sound like tangled webs of rhythm that are difficult to understand. Read more...

Photo: Jessie Vallejo, a Ph.D. student who did fieldwork in Ecuador for her dissertation, found inspiration in the flute traditions of the people of Kotoma, a small village in Otavalo, Ecuador. The rich culture behind the music inspired her to produce a CD with the indigenous people, “¡Así Kotama! The Flutes of Otavalo, Ecuador.”

Back in the day, rappers wanted to be, and at times were, gangsters. Now the name of the game is transcendence: Rappers aim to be gods. Enter “Magna Carta... Holy Grail.” Read more...

Photo: courtesy of Roc-A-Fella Records

Owen Clapp did not think he was good enough. A musician since the third grade, Clapp still said he worried during his second year of college that he was not cut out for the rigors of the music world. Read more...

Photo: Alumnus Owen Clapp recently released collaboration album “The Journey.”