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The Mid-Week Beat: Enter the World of World Music

Music is a critical part of nearly every human culture. Trace back through history or just travel the globe today and you’ll hear an absolutely boggling number of sounds and styles. From the polyrhythmic drums of Africa to European symphonies, to hillbilly banjos to the Tuvan throat singers of Siberia, people have always found a way to express themselves, and their culture, through music.

Before recording technology, you literally had to travel the world to experience these exotic rhythms, melodies and scales. But even in the sixties and seventies, after vinyl records were mainstream consumer products, it was difficult, if not impossible, to find world music in your local record store. A trip to New York City, Chicago or Los Angeles opened up possibilities, but finding real gems from the far corners of the map was still unlikely.

With major advances in recording technology and distribution, music from all of the world is now accessible with a few clicks. But even with such access, there’s still nothing like a live performance. Fortunately, the world is shrinking and now musicians from everywhere travel to the USA and elsewhere to share their gifts.
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