ARTIST ... Origin
Title  Duration
(Album) [Label]

JUSTIN VALI TRIO ....Madagascar
Bongo Lava - The Broad Mountain Ranges 5'36
(Ny Marina) [Real World]
I thought it might be interesting to start this week with a comparison between one type of Malagasy Valiha, and the Paraguayan harp.

ALFIRIO CRISTALDO .... Australia
Galopera 2'39
(Kulluka: Where Our Roots Lie) [Sandstock]
A very new compilation from a Melbourne organisation that has been supporting Australian performances of non-western music for years. Everything from South African marabi to Japanese koto and vocal/percussion music from Papua New guinea. Highly recommended.

CHASKI .... Australia
Sacsawaman 2'10
(Kulluka: Where Our Roots Lie) [Sandstock]
My only significant criticism of this disc is that The Boite chose to call it an "Australian World Music Compilation", a vehicle for me to have along-overdue whinge. If we have to live with a commercially inspired meaningless term, let me be totally pedantic. What is this strange thing called "World Music"? Is "Americian Music" a valid one-fits-all description for all music forms from the USA, from MOR and pop, to garage psychaedelia, trad jazz, cajun and indigenous music? Am I to believe there are "world people" singing "world songs" in a "world language", thereby known as "world music"? No. There are no such singular all-encompassing simply-defined creatures. This disc is more accurately a collection of "Australian performances of music from around the world". The more strongly we resist this stupid terminology, the less our "First World" superiority complex will appear to be.

SLIVANJE ....Australia
Autumn 6'15
(Kulluka: Where Our Roots Lie) [Sandstock]
Now I can be partly self-contradictory. If the term "world music" has any basis, this group might be aiming to define it - musicans and influence from not only Australia, but also Japan, India, Africa and South America rolled into a very multicultural sound.

CLANNAD .... Ireland
(a) Alasdair MacColla 2'10
(b) Farewell Love 4'42
(Lore) [BMG]
There is a bonus disc with this new album, that features six songs from over 10 years ago. What does this say about the interim direction of Clannad's work?

Nusrat Fateh Ali KHAN & Roger WHITE .... Pakistan / UK
(a) Re-opening by the river 1'52
(b) Chottie See 3'53
(c) Phoolan's Revenge 2'35
(d) Hillside Drums 1'15
(e) Death to the Bandit 0'42
(f) Red Bandana 1'22
(g) Jammanchpur 1'32
(Bandit Queen) [BMG]
Music from and inspired by Shehar Kapur's controversial film - definitely a powerful and very different experience to the usual song, dance and romance of Indian cinema.

Abdel Aziz El MUBARAK .... Sudan
Ya Izzana 8'18
(Sounds of Sudan) [World Circuit]

Parviz MESHKATIAN .... Iran
Segah: Dar Gham 6'03
(Dawn) [Kereshmeh]
Persian Classical Music featuring the santur, the seventy-two string three-octave wooden-hammered dulcimer.

Dursun ACAR .... Kurdistan / Australia
Malemin
(Kulluka: Where Our Roots Lie) [Sandstock]

Vladimir KOCHIBELLI .... Albania / Australia
Kaba - Feeling 3'20
(Kulluka: Where Our Roots Lie) [Sandstock]

Yusuf ISLAM .... UK
(a) Tala'a al-Badru Alayna
(b) La ilaha illa Allah
(c) Muhammad al Mustafa
(The Life of the Last Prophet) [Mountain of Light]
The feature of this album is the other main disc that includes readings of sacred verses of the Qur'an, which is very tastefully and respectfully produced. This is the short music disc. Just in case you don't know, Yusuf ISLAM was formerly known as Cat Stevens.

George XYLOURIS ENSEMBLE .... Australia
Sitiakes Kondilies 7'00
(Xylouris Ensemble) [independent]
This group specialises in Cretan music.

Hossam RAMZY .... Egypt / UK
Night Foal 2'27
(Baladi Plus) [ARC Music]