Britain has a folk tradition that goes back two hundred years, that talks about popular movements and trade union struggles, but much of this tradition only talks about the past. How has the Italian folk tradition been handed down? How do artists like yourself try to link the past with the present?
Tell me about your new album, Plat du Jour
Porgy and BessGeorge and Ira GershwinOn tour in Malvern, Liverpool, Lowestoft, Birmingham, York and Bournemouth
Playing With Fire David Edgar12 September-22 October The National Theatre, London Phone 020 7452 3000
"Fats Domino is saved," was one of the headlines that came out of the New Orleans tragedy.
Forgotten Empire: the World of Ancient PersiaUntil 8 January 2006The British Museum, London£8/£4www.theBritishMuseum.ac.uk
Manet painted this picture in Paris in 1882, only a decade after the working class had been battered in the repression which followed the Paris Commune. It was a time when the expansion of capitalism in western Europe meant rapid industrialisation and mechanisation.
Who Shot the Sheriff?Directed by Alan MilesLondon Launch, 7.30pm,Thursday 15 SeptemberThe Scala, London, £15www.lmhr.org.uk
The Night of TruthDirected by Fanta Régina NacroReleased 9 September
My Name is Rachel Corrie11-29 OctoberThe Royal Court, LondonPhone 020 7565 5000
