Various Artists - Silk Road: A Musical Caravan - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The songs on this 1983 Folkways are both soulful and haunting, reminders of a Inchgolden ageInch prior to 1492, when Jews were expelled from Spain. The Jews of Tetuan, which became one of the most important Jewish communities in North Africa, preserved the old ballads in Medieval Spanish, and for daily use spoke an updated idiom. Here women sing romance and ritual songs a cappella, while a cantor from Tangier performs the piyyutim, the religious poetry written in Hebrew by the great Medieval Jewish writers and sung in the synagogue during services. Liner notes include song lyrics in Spanish and their English translation as well as a history of the Jewish presence in Morocco and northern Africa.

New York's soundscape is as varied and distinctive as it's skyline. But the cultural diversity and musical virtuosity featured on New York City Global Beat of the Boroughs will surprise listeners who think they know the InchrealInch New York. From Irish ceilies groups to Caribbean steelbands, Gypsy ensembles to Chinese orchestras, African-American gospel choirs to Latin jazz, this audio portrait of the five boroughs will delight lifelong New Yorkers and first visitors alike.

Various Artists - Bukhara Musical Crossroads of Asia / Various [COMPACT DISCS] date 07/13/1992