Popular music is drawing inspiration from literally the four corners of the earth, in turn creating a pool of listeners for the artists of those countries. The
Virgin Directory of World Music [
RBB Ja 1 93] began introducing listeners to them, and now authors of the Rough Guide travel series have expanded on the theme. Divided into regional chapters and then subregions, the text explores the history of indigenous or traditional music and its current status and permutations. Individual bands and performers are described within the text, and such performers as Mari Boine, a Sami performer, and King Sunny Ade{‚} of Nigeria are highlighted in sidebars. Other sidebars cover special instruments such as the Uillean pipes, genres such as Taarab, glossaries of important terms, or lists of festivals. Annotated discographies end each subsection. Some countries not included in the narrative are given space in the discographies (e.g., Denmark). The text has a breezy conversational flow. Topics covered range from India's movie-music industry to Hungarian and Gypsy music to Klezmer's comeback. Black-and-white photographs, both historic and contemporary, dot the book. The guide's closing information includes a list of the credentials of contributors and an index. There isn't a bibliography, because much of the information was gathered while the contributors traveled, which also accounts for the personal flavor of the entries.
World Music works well to update the smaller Virgin Directory, the author of which is also a contributor to the new work. This highly readable book will prove popular in high-school, public, and undergraduate libraries.