Recordings, Books Provide Global Perspective

With the holidays rapidly approaching, it’s time to take a look at some of the gift choices for the world music fans on your list. And once again, there’s a lot from which to choose. 1998 saw a great proliferation in the variety of product, which is arriving from every corner of the globe.

Recordings: “Global Voices: A Vox Set” (Music of the World) is a three-CD box surveying vocal music in the traditional, sacred and contemporary arenas. The fascinating array encompasses styles from 34 countries, including overtone singing, chants, Hindu, Sufi, Christian and American gospel devotional music, contemporary a cappella, yodeling, blues and flamenco. It’s hard to imagine that there could be a form of expression for the human vocal cords that is not included in this compelling collection.

“China: Time to Listen” is another superb anthology from Ellipsis Arts, one of the first companies to release world music CDs in thoughtfully documented boxed sets. The music offers an extraordinary overview of the rich diversity of Chinese music, ranging from folk songs to fusion blendings with Islamic music, from pop sounds to traditional Cantonese music, from soloists and chamber ensembles to large orchestras and choruses. A 56-page booklet illuminates individual tracks as well as the complex culture from which they were generated.

The endlessly productive lode of African music makes another appearance in “African Heartbeat: The Essential Collection of African Music” (Shanachie). A four-CD boxed set, it includes discs devoted to “African Tranquility,” “African Troubadours,” “Voices of African Women” and “African Dance Party.”

It’s not exactly a collection, but Hemisphere Records has just issued a set of six new releases from Spain, Portugal and Latin America. Included is “Amalia Rodrigues: The Art of Amalia,” a compilation of hits from the great Fado singer, dating to her golden period in the ‘50s and ‘60s. There also are flamenco albums from Juan Pena, “El Lebrijano” and the impressive new singer Remedios Amaya, as well as a collection, “Flamenco: Son Del Sur.” Finally, there are two stirring tango compilations: “The Story of Tango, Vol. 11” and “The Women of Tango” (the latter a rare opportunity to hear some of Argentina’s gifted female artists).

Obviously, there are dozens of recordings deserving of attention from individual artists, as well. Here are a few that were especially intriguing, for a variety of reasons.

“As Night Falls on the Silk Road” (Shanachie) features the unusual combination of Indian sitarist Shujaat Husain Khan and Iranian kamencheh (spike fiddle) player Kayhan Kalhor in a moody blending that finds unusual connections between their two musical cultures. Bahia’s Virginia Rodrigues has been praised as one of the great new voices of Brazilian music. Her debut album, “Sol Negro” (Hannibal), produced by Caetano Veloso, features her rich, lustrous voice, a bit reminiscent of Cesaria Evora as well as gospel great Marion Williams, is a marvel to hear.

“The Girls of Angeli” (Finlandia/Atlantic) features “yoik” singing, an entirely different kind of vocalizing that combines chanting and Finnish folk songs. The album features performers from the village of Angeli in northern Finland, an area inhabited by the Sami or Lapp people--often referred to as “European Indians.”

Chava Alberstein is one of Israel’s most popular singers, with more than a dozen gold albums. Yet “Crazy Flower” (Shanachie) is her first recording released in the U.S. Although she sings in Hebrew, the recording includes literate English translations of the songs. But her dark-toned voice and the compelling musical settings easily transcend the specifics of the words.

In Print: There are gifts, too, for those who like to read about music while they’re hearing it. There is a new softcover edition of “The Brazilian Sound” (Temple University Press) by Chris McGowan and Ricardo Pessanha. Updated, with additional chapters, it continues to be the most informative--and eminently readable--book about Brazilian popular music.

Los Angeles’ own world music expert, Tom Schnabel, also has a new collection, “Rhythm Planet: The Great World Music Makers” (Universe Publishing). Schnabel has assembled a collection of profiles based upon interviews conducted during his various world music shows on KCRW-FM. The list of entries is long and diverse, reflecting Schnabel’s omnivorous tastes.