Guardian Music — (Fantasy/Concord)The Chieftains have enjoyed an extraordinary career for the best part of five decades, partly because of adventurous, high-profile projects like this. They have matched their rousing Irish traditional playing with styles from across... more info

Altsounds — This years Manchester Irish Festival is staging a special opening night concert sponsored by Guinness dedicated to Ireland’s Blues legends such as Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, Thin Lizzy and Bob Dylan. The night takes place on Friday 5 Mar... more info

Guardian Music — Influential guitarist seen as an original rock'n'roll heroThe guitarist Mick Green, who has died aged 65, played a pivotal role in the development of British rock, although he was never a household name. In the 1960s rock'n'roll group Johnny Kidd and... more info

Guardian Music — As they await their big break, today's young artists are having to make ends meet with day jobs. How are they coping?How does the average ­artist make a living? If you're Damien Hirst, of course, you need only flog a couple of sharks in formaldehy... more info

Live Daily — Van Morrison [ tickets ] has canceled three upcoming shows in Texas due to "severe exhaustion," according to a statement on the Texas Performing Arts website. The Irish singer was scheduled to perform Jan. 23 at Bass Concert Hall at The University... more info

Live Daily — Joe Henry, a singer/songwriter with country-rock roots and jazz aspirations, has become a go-to producer for like-minded acts from earlier eras. Allen Toussaint's traditional jazz album "Bright Mississippi," Bettye LaVette's soulful bar- burner "I'v... more info

Jam! Showbiz Music, Canada — A British woman is reportedly set to take Van Morrison to court in a bid to determine if he's her father. more info

Guardian Music — Best known for his pioneering work with the Pirates, Green, who died this week, was the original British guitar heroThe roll call of great British guitar players has for too long missed out the name of the late Mick Green, who died this week aged 65.... more info

All About Jazz — Regarded as "the William Faulkner of jazz," pianist and songwriter Mose Allison counts Elvis Costello, Van Morrison and Ray Davies among his legion of fans. Possessed with a honeyed voice and a humorist's eye for detail, Allison is midway through a... more info

Live Daily — Simon and Garfunkel have been confirmed to headline the first weekend (4/23-25) of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, according to the event website. The reunited duo's April 24 performance is likely to be their only American appearance i... more info