The Rough Guide to the Music of Central America

Performer: Various Artists
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: This is the first comprehensive single-disc collection of the various popular and folk styles from the Central American region of the world. Included on this album's 17 selections are representative tunes of the styles of Guatemala (marimba), Belize (brukdown), Nicaragua (trova), Honduras (punta), and countless variations incorporating reggae, salsa, son, cumbia, and local styles. The performers are well-known in the region, and especially in their native countries, so this is not a collection of field recordings. Nowhere is this more evident than in the album's opener by Belize's Andy Palacio; "Nag�ara," from his album Keimon, is a solid blend of infectious pop with a traditional rhythm (garifuna). He makes a second appearance with "Lasmiselu," and it too is irresistible in its pop appeal and killer rhythmic invention. Also present is the truly wonderful Guadalupe Urbina with "Agosto Azul," from Costa Rica, a sublime blend of poetry and music. The crossbreeding, the miscegenation here, is almost unbelievable for its invention of new styles from old. Take Philip Montalvan's "Bilwi Luhpia Mairin," which is a seamless fusion of reggae and folk music from Nicaragua's indigenous Miskito tribe. But there are folk elements too, from Mr. Peters & His Boom & Chime, with his virtuoso accordion playing fronting a band playing brukdown, a form of black Creole music from Belize, or Guatemalan musician Jursino Cayetano's paranda, which uses garifuna drums, acoustic guitar, and Latin and Spanish rhythms in a folk song. There are also tracks here from Panama, El Salvador, and other nations. Whatever your taste is, it is at least reflected here. But for most listeners, this music will be a revelation, a stunning wake-up call that, even in the widespread marketplace ghetto called "world music," there is much that is within easy distance of our ears, yet never heard on these shores. Thank goodness for the Rough Guides and others like them. This isn't just good music, it is essential music for everyone interested in the world around them. A fantastic collection. ~ Thom Jurek

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