Rhythm Planet [Hardcover]

Tom Schnabel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1998

When World Music first captured the public imagination in the early 1980's, NPR's Tom Schnabel was in the vanguard. He introduced international musicians to public radio and pioneered an eclectic format that has become a standard for alternative radio nationwide. Inspired by more than a decade of interviewing international artists and playing their music, Schnabel has mapped a global tour of the international figures making music history today. A stunningly illustrated and fact-filled journey, Rhythm Planet also features selected discographies and Schnabel's list of essential World Music recordings. An antidote to the latest flavor of pop, Rhythm Planet is an affirmation of what music can be: the most passionate expression of the human spirit, transcending limits of culture and language.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Gleaned from radio interviews conducted over the last 15 years at KCRW Santa Monica, Rhythm Planet features conversations with and career overviews of many of the greatest musical innovators on the planet--past and present. As host of the program "Morning Becomes Eclectic," Schnabel refined a music format that was to become highly influential, especially in its exploration of world music. With a foreword by Brian Eno, Rhythm Planet goes well beyond the standard reference work on world-music artists to include such musicians as Tom Waits, Segovia, and Egyptian legend Umm Kulthum. The book threads bibliographic information and conversation together, and the history, cultural perspective, and creative objectives of these artists are brought into vivid relief through intelligent questioning and intimate response, free of the hyperbole often associated with the promotion of particular current releases. Fela Kuti, interviewed in 1986--just after his release from prison in Nigeria--offers priceless insight on how his upbringing and later sojourn in '60s Los Angeles shaped his career and political outspokenness. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan also talks about the universal transcendence that music can accomplish. Khaled, Baaba Maal, Astor Piazzolla, Cesaria Evora, Ravi Shankar, and Tito Puente are among the 35 artists who shed light on the workings of their own creative muses. The function of music as an integral part of everyday life around the globe is apparent on every page. Stunning graphics and pictures make this a great coffee-table item, albeit one that may halt conversation as guests will likely become immersed in it for a long time. --Derek Rath --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Universe (November 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078930239X
• ISBN-13: 978-0789302397
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,652,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasing Introduction to World Music, March 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rhythm Planet: The Great World Music Makers (Paperback)

Schnabel's book has beautiful graphics and is well presented in an easy-to-read format. It is a good introduction to the major figures of world music and fills us in a little on their lives and cultural contexts. My other favorite world music book is "The Brazilian Sound" (Temple University Press, 1998), which I also purchased through amazon.com.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to "World Music", June 1, 1999

By 

Lucas Wilson ([e-mail]) (Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rhythm Planet: The Great World Music Makers (Paperback)

The real pleasure in this book is not so much the artist synopses, which are brief, but in the diversity of artists described.

For instance, I've been a Jobim listener for years, and found his section a little lacking, but... I had never heard of Oumou Sangare, and what a joy it was when I went out and bought one of her albums.

Thanks for opening my ears!

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The authority on World Music., February 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rhythm Planet: The Great World Music Makers (Paperback)

This book is biled as the bible for "World Music" written by the man that first coined the phrase. Tom is a KCRW disk jockey in Santa Monica, CA and is the authority on this wonderful music.