Rough Guide to World Music Volume One: Africa, Europe & The Middle East (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

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.

Review

"A great reference book . . . reading it feels like a treasure hunt for good grooves"

STRAIGHT NO CHASER

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Product Details

• Paperback: 762 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 2nd edition (February 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858286352
• ISBN-13: 978-1858286358
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #612,805 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Work of Lunatic Scholarship Indeed, January 5, 2007

By	Zekeriyah (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Rough Guide to World Music : Volume 1 (Rough Guide Reference) (Paperback)

The first two editions of the Rough Guide to World Music have long been essential reference books for music lovers, and it still holds true with the third edition. Expanded and revised, this is the first volume in a three-volume set, this time around focusing on the music of Africa and the Middle East. Drawing upon a whole host of authors, this work broadens the horizons by looking at every major style of musc in the region, from classical and tribal music, to modern Afro-pop, al-Jeel and Rai sensations. New and popular generes, such as African rap, Arabesque and Toureg music, are also examined in depth, making this volume much more thorough than it's predecessors. The book makes a monumental effort to catalouge the best of newer CD releases, including mention of prominent CD labels, as well as classic hits. Also, in addition to the standard articles, interviews and CD recommendations, most chapters also include a suggested playlist of iPods or MP3 players, giving an overview of the country's musical styles.

The first section focuses on the vast and culturally diverse continent of Africa, and takes up roughly 3/4s of the book. Almost every major country and style is covered - Congolese soukous, Algerian rai, Ethio-jazz, Nigerian Afro-beat, high life from Ghana, East African taraab, chimurenga and mbira from Zimbabwe, and many more. Indeed, South Africa has three seperate articles focusing on pop, jazz and gospel, respectively. Other articles focus on specific cultures, such as the Kabylie Berbers of Central African Pygmies. New and expanded material includes a look at Toureg music, Libyan music, the San and !Kung bushmen of Namibia, Botswana and post-war Liberia. This makes it an essential buy for those interested in these little known countries. In addition, there are countless profiles, biographies and even interviews with many prominent musicians such as Rachid Taha, Angelique Kidjo, Malouma mint Meidah, Cesaria Evora, Yossou N'Dour, Oliver Mtukudzi and the Drummers of Burundi. Other short side bars and notes highlight topics as diverse as Malagasy reburial rites, Nigerian pop stars abroad, the tribal musics of Kenya, the Chaoui Berbers of the Aures Mountains, and Moroccan music festivals. Theres even an article on pioneering ethno-musicologist Hugh Tracey, who's recordings highlight now lost musical traditions from across sub-Saharan Africa. All in all, a great and wonderfully enlightening look at African music.

Although smaller than the section on Africa, the Middle Eastern section of the book is just as interesting and informative, even if the region is covers is somewhat smaller. The greats of Arabic classical music, such as Abdel Halim Hafez, Farid al-Atrache, Fairouz and, of course, Oum Kalthoum, are all covered. There is also a quite up-to-date (for the moment anyway) chapter covering Egyptian pop music, and seperate chapters for the regional musics of other Arab countries. Whereas they were lumped together in the previous edition, articles on Lebanon, Syria and Iraq have been updated and expanded enough to merit their own chapters, each showing their countries unique styles of music. The many, diverse traditions of Iran, Turkey and Israel are each covered, ranging from the whirling dervishes to bellydance to Persian classical music. There are also seperate articles covering ethnic groups such as the Kurds, Sephardic Jews and the Bedouin. The Caucasian republics - Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan - get pushed into this book too, due to shared cultural heritage with the Middle East. And, to top it off, theres a great new chapter about the rise of Arabesque, eletronic music that draws on Arab and Turkish influences (think Natacha Atlas, or Rachid Taha's remix of "Ya Rayah"). Very cool...

So, is it worth the buy? I'd certainly say so. If your a world music fan, especially one interested in African or Middle Eastern music, this book will become an essential reference for you. Especially if you want to learn more but have no idea where to begin. Even if you consider yourself pretty familiar with the musical styles here, you'll still find plenty of gems you may have missed out on, or never heard of before. Trust me on this one. It's already expanded my CD collection, and I've only had the new edition for a couple of days. The focus has greatly expanded from the previous editions too, which were a little heavily focused on pop music. This edition is more broad, showing a vast array of regional and cultural styles from across Africa and the Near East. It's a must buy, and I strongly recommend it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb survey of African, European & Middle East music., June 4, 2000

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

World Music appeared in 1994 and became a fine resource: here is the first volume of a 2-volume edition; this first volume covering Africa, Europe and the Middle East with expanded musical references, over 80 articles from experts, extensive discographies organized by country and photos and directors of world music labels and specialty stores. An outstanding reference and a 'must' for avid world music listeners. Don't miss the Rough Guide Music Sampler CD, which provides a satisfyingly diverse sampler of some of the most famous names in world music from Carlos Gardel's tangos to Inti-Illimani's Andean sounds and the Soul Brothers' special South African beats.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for experts, good for beginners, April 8, 2000

By	Stephen Leahy (Appleton, WI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book's scope is its strength. Not only do you get chapters on Scotland, Ivory Coast, and Egypt, but also Greenland, Alpine Music, islands in the Indian Ocean, and the Gulf states. Geared more toward the musician or the academic, beginners also can find this valuable. Its weaknesses include the uneveness of the contributions. Some include detailed histories of cultures, others focus on the local scene. Also, some music is determined to be world music in some chapters; in others is not. For example, Greenlandic rap is world music in Greenland, but only French regional music is included here. Also, I noted that music that supported oppressive governments in the Soviet Union and Serbia received only passing mentions. On the whole, I would recommend this book to academics, musicians looking for new sounds, or people trying to learn more about other cultures. (P.S. Please include the publication date in your discographies!)