Product Description
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. Unl… More >>
This book seems to be everything I’ve been looking for in a world music guide: simple clarity about what kinds of music are being made where, with suggestions about how to start listening to it. It reads like a good book on rock or jazz, avoiding the too-typical dry academic approach to “world” music. That’s a good thing.
One day into it, though, and I’ve already caught a glaring error (and I’m no expert). The book discusses Amadou & Mariam as a Senegalese act, when in fact they’re from Mali. It’s a pretty bad mistake, considering the book’s premise (country-by-country coverage) and especially considering Amadou & Mariam’s global stature.
If there’s a factual error in one of the areas I know anything about, how much can I trust the rest of it? (“The rest of it,” of course, being where I want to find value in the book.)
So. Helpful: yes. Authoritative: no. Treat it like Wikipedia I guess…a decent place to start, but don’t take it to the bank.
Rating: 3 / 5
The title, World Music: The Basics, is too modest for the breadth and depth of research, time and money saving recommendations, and the author’s concise and intelligent style. The book serves as a primer for the newcomer to world music, as well as a reference book for the aficionado with a growing music library. Because the selections are based on the author’s very exacting standards, the information remains timely and vital.
Rating: 5 / 5
Being a huge World Music junkie, I have been searching for a book of this sort. I have always enjoyed exploring new artists from all over the world, but the hunt can prove overwhelming and this book gives a great help.
It is great fun to read, full of interesting historical and musical facts – this guy really did his reasearch! It has some really interesting and daring political insights that impress me very much.
But the best thing for me about this book is all of the CD recommendations which are incredible. I have gotten more than 10 cds so far, based on recommendations from “The Basics” and they have been right on! Really discovering lots of new and fabulous stuff here.
I unhesitatingly recommend picking this up. A gem!
Rating: 5 / 5
Wow! The world of World Music has gotten its first definitive guide. I can unhesitatingly give this hefty little tome 5 stars. This is an entertaining guide that covers an immense amount of musical territory in an enjoyable and beautifully written way. This book is so smoothly written that it could be read cover to cover, but it is also ideal for consulting as an encyclopedia. I have found that Richard Nidel has impecable taste, and as a result this book is also a great resource for choosing the best recordings of an artist.
I would say that the sections of Brazil, Argentina, Greece, Turkey, West Africa, and Celtic Music are especially strong, and always peppered with extra facts both political and historical to give the music more background.
I find the real strong points of this great survey to be the spot-on cd recommendations and the obvious vast knowledge of World Music that comes through in Nidel’s fluid prose throughout this little book. Being a World Music follower for some time now, it is obvious that there was an immense amount of research put in because this guy really knows his stuff.
There is an excellent intro by Jazz legend Branford Marsalis, and the book is a beautifully packaged 400 pages.
Pick it up!
Rating: 5 / 5