From Library Journal
These eye-popping volumes, which omit the glossaries but otherwise update and expand to twice the size the marvelous single-volume 1994 edition (LJ 1/95), give general audiences over 160 articles on pop, folk, and non-Western classical musical traditions from nearly every country in the world and many borderless ethnic groups or national musical subdivisions. (Jazz and much of U.S. commercially popular music are not included.) The articles, written in British English by more than 100 contributors and delivered with opinionated snap and multicultural spice, provide historical background, cultural context, interviews with musicians, quotations from lyrics, discographies (including CDs, some highlighted for "first purchase"; cassette tapes; and a few vinyl discs), and black-and-white photos of selected musicians. Each volume includes information on contributors (a mix of scholars, journalists, producers, and fans), a directory of record labels and shops, ads for recordings and magazines, and many references to web sites. Highly recommended for public libraries and for any music library as a guide to recorded sound collection building.ABonnie Jo Dopp, Univ. of Maryland Libs., College Park Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Fans of Buena Vista Social Club , among others, should appreciate this guide, a companion to the volume that was published in 1999 and covers Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Excerpted from World Music : Latin America, Caribbean, India, Asia & Pasific by Rough Guides. Copyright © 2000. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
Introduction It's fitting that this new edition of the Rough Guide to World Music is published at the start of a new millennium, for it deals with the oldest and newest music in the world - from centuries-old traditions to contemporary fusions. It includes the most sacred and profound music and the most frivolous and risquŽ, music of healing, music of protest, the loudest music you'll ever hear, the softest and most intimate, and maybe also the most moving and enjoyable. The Guide sets itself a clearly impossible task: to document and explain the popular, folk and (excluding the Western canon) classical music traditions around the globe. However, since the first edition appeared in 1994 it has been the chief handbook for beginners and enthusiasts alike, and become a resource for those working in the World Music business. In producing a new edition we were aware of shortcomings in the first edition and we have added many new pieces on countries that weren't covered before - The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Central Asia, Sri Lanka, Tibet and Venezuela, for example, in this volume. Other articles were expanded, revised and rewritten; India, for example, is now covered in seven individual articles, covering the main regional styles. In addition, the new edition reflects the huge expansion of the whole World Music market over the past five years. There are more concerts and festivals than ever before - and many would say that there is actually a surfeit of CDs. In preparing this edition, we surveyed the lot, completely overhauling our discographies, adding biographical entries for artists, and reviewing and highlighting the best discs available. That's the main reason why this new edition of the Rough Guide is not one book, but two: this volume covers the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, while Volume One has Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Even with two books, each volume has turned out longer than the entire first edition. The articles - from more than eighty contributors - are designed to provide the background to each country's music styles, explaining how they relate to history, social customs, politics and identity, as well as highlighting the lives and sounds of the singers and musicians. We hope you'll find this enriches the whole experience of listening to World Music. How this book works This volume is divided into two geographical sections: Asia and the Pacific (including India and Australasia), and The Americas (including the Caribbean). Within each section the entries are arranged alphabetically by country or genre. There are running heads and an index to help you find your way. Our discographies follow the arrangment of each article and when it makes things clearer by style (for example, the Antilles has sections on zouk and cadence, biguine, chouval bwa, and Dutch Antillean groups). Compilations are listed first and artists follow (listed A-Z), with a brief biography and reviews of their key discs. Each section has one or two 'star discs' which are indicated by a larger than usual CD symbol ( p). These are the ones to buy first. All other selections are preceded by a CD ( p), cassette ( A) or vinyl ( V) symbol: those specified as cassette or vinyl are not available on CD but worthwhile. To avoid any conflict of interest, as some of our contributors are involved with bands or labels, selections are the responsibility of the editors. In the directories at the end of the book we've included addresses and Websites of the most important record labels releasing the music featured in this volume, as well as the best specialist shops to track down CDs and cassettes.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The Rough Guide to World Music spans the music of seventy different countries and regions - everything from salsa to soukous, cajun to calypso, rai to qawwali. The detailed coverage brings together more than sixty expert contributors, whose feature articles take in the music to be seen and heard live around the globe, as well as on record. Major pieces are backed up by interviews with the key groups and artists, translations of lyrics, and extensive reviews and discographies. Whether you've discovered world music through Paul Simon or Ali Farka Toure, David Byrne or the Bhundu Boys, Celia Cruz or Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the Rough Guide is guaranteed to expand your horizons... and your CD, cassette and record collection!

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

These eye-popping volumes, which omit the glossaries but otherwise update and expand to twice the size the marvelous single-volume 1994 edition (LJ 1/95), give general audiences over 160 articles on pop, folk, and non-Western classical musical traditions from nearly every country in the world and many borderless ethnic groups or national musical subdivisions. (Jazz and much of U.S. commercially popular music are not included.) The articles, written in British English by more than 100 contributors and delivered with opinionated snap and multicultural spice, provide historical background, cultural context, interviews with musicians, quotations from lyrics, discographies (including CDs, some highlighted for "first purchase"; cassette tapes; and a few vinyl discs), and black-and-white photos of selected musicians. Each volume includes information on contributors (a mix of scholars, journalists, producers, and fans), a directory of record labels and shops, ads for recordings and magazines, and many references to web sites. Highly recommended for public libraries and for any music library as a guide to recorded sound collection building.--Bonnie Jo Dopp, Univ. of Maryland Libs., College Park Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Hats off to anyone with the guts to publish a guide purporting to deal with all the music in the world-and hats off twice to the editors of this book, who have succeeded not only in providing such a guide but in doing so with wit, succintness, and mind-boggling thoroughness. And talk about user-friendly-the table of contents consists of a big world map with boxes pointing to various regions and directing the reader to the appropriate chapter. Each musical style is given a brief but thorough overview, while sidebars provide information about especially significant artists. Every section ends with a selective discography. It doesn't seem that any musical tradition of any importance has been left out: you'll find essays here on everything from Colombian vailenata music to Moroccan chaaoi. What could have been unwieldy sprawl is made easily manageable by an exhaustive index. Given the price, this guide is budget-friendly, too, and should be considered an essential resource for even the most limited music collection.-Rick Anderson, Contoocook, N.H.

Philadelphia Inquirer

The most impressive reference work of the year.

Andy Kershaw