World Music the Basics

World Music: The Basics gives a brief introduction to popular musical styles found around the world. Organized by continent/region, and then A to Z by country, the book features both background information on the cultural and musical history of each area, along with succinct reviews of key recordings. The reader can quickly find out enough about each musical style to appreciate its subtleties, and is also directed to the best available CDs for further listening. Unlike the massive Rough Guides or MusicHound volumes, this book is designed to be concise and easily digested, covering the essentials on each style, rather than encyclopedically listing every possible recording. It is a perfect introduction for the student, scholar, or general listener.