From high in the Alps to the Calabrian coast, the traditional music of Italy is as varied as its landscape. This Rough Guide offers a glimpse of the country's rich musical heritage, from the mysterious sounding 'a tenore' singing style of Sardinia to the tarantellas of Naples in the south.
Artists include: Daniel Sepe, Tenores Di Bitti, Riccardo Tesi, La Macina, Banda Ionica, Cantovivo and Totore Chessa
Like the other entries in this almost uniformly excellent series, The Rough Guide to the Music of Italy presents a richly diverse introduction to its chosen subject, collecting forms of Italian music both traditional and contemporary, national and localized. Artists present include Banditaliana, Banda Ionica, Baraban, and Tenores Di Bitti. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
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[02]. Rough Guide to Italia Nova
An interesting compilation of some very new trends in Italian music. The Italia Nova scene is one that combines traditional Italian music with contemporary electronica in some form. It's becoming something of a mainstay of the underground club scene. This trend can take two basic forms: traditional artists adding some electronic kick to their usual work to make it a bit more accessible, or electronica artists adding some bits of traditional music into their work in the constant expansion of samples that's the key to electronica. The album opens up with some horn-based town style, moves into a mix of eurodance and pizzica tarantala, and finishes the opening trio with saxophone master Daniele Sepe. As the album progresses, a good deal of ground is covered, usually with either a basic house beat or some drum and bass as the electronic aspect. The traditional aspects vary a bit from song to song, jumping from Sicilian to Neapolitan to more pizzica, but always keeping the same sort of reveling in the moment that's central to much of traditional Italian music. While all of the tracks have something worth hearing held within, perhaps the most representative of the pieces is a work from Tazenda incorporating an updated version of traditional polyphony along with accordion (and a tiny bit of George Clinton if you listen carefully). Give it a spin for a look at the new edge in the constantly evolving Italian club scene, and a way to catch some of the older traditions outside their usual element. ~ Adam Greenberg, All Music GuidePart 1
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[03]. The Rough Guide To The Music Of France
France has developed a strong musical scene over the last decade, one that treasures its past (evident in "La Bourée Des Capucins"), but also looks to a multi-cultural future, as evidenced by acts like Lo'Jo and Massilia Sound System. Inevitably, there's plenty of accordion -- just listen to Jo Privat & Didier Roussin or Les Orgres De Barback -- but not in the cheesy, sidewalk café sense. That bal musette music, so lovingly played by Les Primitifs du Futur (which includes cartoonist R. Crumb), has a lush, sensual quality that leads well into classic chanson from Edith Piaf or Léo Ferré. Gabriel Yacoub represents the Breton connection, where French and Celtic music meet. France is also home to some hot jazz and gypsy music, as typified by Romane and Angelo Debarre. The pipes are part of the French tradition and get an airing on the spicy "Cayenne," while the vocal past can be heard on "Deomp D'An Univet." Happily, the uncategorizable sound of Dédale is included -- and fitting end, since they're informed by French tradition, but intent on making something very new and challenging from the past. As an overview of French music, this is excellent. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music GuidePart 1
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[04]. The Rough Guide to Paris Cafe Music
The Rough Guide To Paris Café Music conjures up the romantic image of accordion music floating through wisps of smoke from a Gitane, the voice of Edith Piaf and a moonlit Eiffel Tower. This style of music is known as bal-musette and grew from the music of the immigrant communities in Paris at the turn of the last century. This unique and comprehensive collection traces the music from its lowly roots in the café-charbons to its modern incarnations in modern jazz and rock-musette with tracks from its seminal artists.Part One
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[05]. Rough Guide to the Music of Spain
Subtitled "Infectious Beats From the Spanish Streets," this is a collection of newer, often younger artists, mostly acoustic performers, who are all of, and frequently working in, the traditional and regional styles of Spain. There's plenty of Andalusian influence here, right from Javier Ruibál's opening track into Javier Paxarino's Arabic-inflected "Amanecer el la Sabika," but that's hardly all. Galicia is represented by Anubía, while the wonderful Hiru Truku and "Neska Soldadua" raise the Basque flag. In between there's a very fair selection of what's going on in Spain, whether it's the flamenco of Diego Carrasco or the political Catalan song of María del Mar Bonet. At its heart, as the compilers note, a lot of this might be classified as pop music (though not in the more American sense), but still very rooted. Notably, some experimental performers, such as Mercedes Peon and those working in a straight folk form (like Susana Seivane), aren't here, but that's fine; this gives exposure to many lesser-known talents, all of whom deserve it. A strong look at a part of Spain that hasn't received enough international sun -- yet. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music GuidePart One
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[06]. The Rough Guide To The Music Of Portugal
The popularity of Brazilian music in jazz and pop-jazz circles has inspired some artists who aren't from Portuguese-speaking countries to learn to sing in Portuguese. In fact, some American jazz singers (such as Susannah McCorkle) can actually sing convincingly in that language. Most of them have learned Portuguese as it's spoken in Brazil, but as this CD demonstrates, there's a whole other world of great Portuguese-language singing -- Portugal itself. The liner notes for The Rough Guide to the Music of Portugal describe Portuguese music as "one of the great and overlooked joys of European culture," and it's hard to argue with that after listening to this collection of mostly fado music (a style that has some similarity to the music of other Southern European countries like Italy and Spain). Containing mostly recordings from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, this compilation turns the spotlight on many of fado's important singers, including Amalia Rodrigues, Jose Afonso, Maria Da Fe, Jose Afonso, Teresa Silva Carvalho, Maria Teresa de Noronha, Vitorino and Dulce Pontes. Most of these songs are acoustic, emphasizing acoustic guitar, and have a traditional outlook, but Lendas & Mitos' "Barquinha Do Mar" provides an electric take on fado that incorporates both rock and Scottish/Celtic music. Lovers of Brazilian music will notice how different Portuguese and Brazilian singers are in their approach to the Portuguese language -- in fact, their accents and pronunciation are every bit as different as an American's English would be from that of a Londoner. If you've never experienced the joys of fado, this superb CD would be an excellent place to start. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
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[07]. Rough Guide To The Music Of Greece
This welcome addition to the Rough Guide catalog shines a light on a country whose music has largely been ignored internationally, and proves that, within the borders of Greece, the musical traditions are complex and marvelously rewarding. Thankfully it's not solely focused on modern-day artists, but frames them in the context of the past, with tracks by the legendary Kostas Nouros, "The Nightingale of Smyrna," and George Koros, the man responsible for really introducing the fiddle into Greek music (his "Ballos" is an aural treat). Inevitably, there's plenty of rembetika and laiko, those particularly indigenous Greek forms, but this stretches beyond that, to encompass the jazz-funk of Mode Pagal, whose "Pikrodafni" is rather insipid and uninspired, as well as several of the superb female Greek singers who've broken through in recent decades, like Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Glykeria, and Savina Yannatou, perhaps the most adventurous of them all. And no overview of Greek music would be complete without Mikis Theodorakis, best known for his theme to Zorba the Greek. Memorable as that was, his real writing has extended in so many directions, and "To Trizoni" offers just a small glimpse of one of his facets. With excellent liner notes and an enhanced CD that gives you all the information on Greece from The Rough Guide to World Music, it leaves you fully prepared to delve more deeply into music that deserves wider discovery. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music GuidePart One
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