The universal language?

Frogman: Ethnic traditional folk and modern music has always been an exciting and enjoyable listen for me. Bella Ciao music has been my latest phase with my favorite being "Chansons du peuple en Italie" on HMA label. My wife has been listening to Klezmer jazz which is the only jazz that she cares for. "Brave old World" on Flying Fish label and "New Orleans Klezmer All Stars", Stretchy Records are her favorites. For modern Basque music there is "Kepa Junkera, Bibao" a two CD set on Alula records. Traditional Tango is also something that moves me (cannot locate my discs off hand) but recall that one is entiltled "Forever Tango". Gospel and choral music can also have a local twist to it and I listen to Tiny Powell (recordings from the 40's and 50's), A Haitian choir (can't locate the disc right now) and just picked up a CD by "Sisters of Freedom" the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble" that is a recent release but has the feel of early Aretha instead of sounding like techno disco or later R&B, more traditional I guess. Another CD that I just picked up is of folk songs from Soviet Georgia (I live in a small Russian community and will look for more of this music in the thrifts from now on). We picked up the Basque CD when my wife was reading "The History of the Basque".

Dekay, the Basque recording intrigues me, I'll try to find it. For tango, try Astor Piazzola's music; very passionate stuff. There has been quite a lot of interest in his music as of late by well known artists; Gidon Kremer is high on the list. A good starting point is "Zero Hour" recorded with his own group. More sophisticated than much traditional tango, but every bit as sexy. Enjoy.

Frogman: Thanks for the leads. Alula.com is listed on the Basque CD liner. DanVet (Charlie) has also listened to the CD and might be able to give another view of how good it is. We love it, but not all of our friends do. When I first got interested in Tango I was looking for something like the background music used on "The Adams Family" television show, but discovered with my first purchase of a used CD that it goes well beyond that. It was kind of like listening to the BV Social Club for the first time and as you have mentioned above it reflects a way of life as well as the history of a people.

Man! I love that Kepa Junkera disc set. That accordian really pops, and many of the cuts are meshed well with a more modern feel, so you get a bit of it all. (One of the discs has various guests on differing cuts and makes for a great combo.) The comment is correct that not everyone likes it, but my kids have no choice if my truck is going fast enough. Thanks Dekay for the lead. It is 88 degrees here today, and I am ready for a few months of sweaty latin beat and cold beer. Juan-Carlos Formell's "Songs From a Little Blue House" is excellent Cuban music. If you like BVSC, you must have it. Charlie.

Good potential for this thread Frogman. I've enjoyed expanding my musical horizons via the music of other cultures for many years now. In particular, Indian classical music has become a favorite. Several years ago, I got a chance to see phenomenal musician live, Budhaditya Mukherjee (sitar). He and his tabla player, Subhen Chatterjee, were on fire that night-absolutely incendiary. Probably the the best concert I've ever attended. The sarod (indian lute) is a wonderful instrument and Ali Akbar Khan is an excellent ambassador for it. He's got a large discography and I've never bought a bad one. A good introduction is "Garden of Dreams" on the Worldly Music label. It's not true classical, but rather, Akbar's own shorter compositions. My favorite musician from India is Buddhadev Das Gupta, an elderly sarodist that absolutely is beyond belief. His playing traverses the gamut from extreme delicacy to frenetic and muscular. His rapid fire improvisatory talents leave me awestruck at his licks. Another great uknown talent is the Japanese composer Minoru Miki (Camerata label.) His music was the delicate background music NBC used during some of the Nagano Olmypics broadcasts. "Selected works, volume 1 & 2," are great intros to this excellent music that combines Japanese and western classical musical traditions. Lastly, Javanese gamelan orchestral music is an interesting genre if you like percussion music. The Seven Seas label (Japan) has many excellent performances in this and many other Asian genres. An excellent catalog for the intrepid musical traveller.