Photo: Judith Burrows

The Editor's Box Ian Anderson's comment column

At the end of March I got asked to participate in a discussion panel as part of the Guardian Open Weekend. It coincided with another eruption of bashing the term ‘world music’ (25 years old this month, folks) in their pages, which – rather laughably – was written by the bloke who penned David Cameron’s infamous ‘Big Society’ speech. As it turned out, everybody on the panel – where, bizarrely, I was replacing Baaba Maal – was far too bored to touch on the freshly re-manufactured controversy. So whilst there was a lot of talk about music from Africa, rock stars and hip hop, I eased into a reflection on how it’s a shame that hardly any modern English rock music has roots in the wellspring of our centuries-old, mongrel traditions. It seemed well received.

I was reminded of a letter we published back in July 1991 from Alistair Anderson. “In case there are still some readers who feel that the inclusion of features on foreign artists is irrelevant to a British folk magazine, may I suggest that they read the interview with Baaba Maal,” he’d said. “Not only did it give a fascinating insight into his music but it included one of the most articulate discussions on using traditionally based music in a contemporary context that I have seen… the one thing that he returned to again and again was that in order to keep the energy of the tradition flowing through his new work he must know that tradition intimately and return to it repeatedy. This is surely of relevance to us all… the deeper the roots of the tree the further it can branch out without becoming unbalanced.”

Sadly, we still keep needing to make the same point to yet another generation who don’t get it…

We spend a lot of time in fRoots sharing enthusiasms for newer music and musicians that we’ve encountered, so it seemed a great idea to take a fresh look at some inspiring, influential veterans of English folk-related music. Starting this issue, on and either side of our 33rd anniversary, we’re revisiting three icons. Alongside each in-depth new feature, we’ll include extracts from the first interview we ever published with them (the whole original feature will go up on our web site). Quite a few readers won’t even have been born when they were first published, so we hope old-timers will permit this brief indulgence.

But at the same time, of course, we continue to give you fascinating pieces from other places – for example this issue’s back-to-back features on Greece’s Loxandra and Turkey’s Café Aman Istanbul, two bands revisiting the same rich culture from countries that once shared many roots, but are now separated by nearly a century of bad history. And the interview with young American traditional singer Elizabeth LaPrelle, a beacon of light in her country. Everywhere you look, there’s always inspiration to enthusiasm.

Oh, and we’re introducing two new columns to entertain you. Welcome to regular slots from Tim Chipping and Elizabeth Kinder. We do know how to spoil you…