This thread makes me think back to my college days at Wesleyan University, which had (and still has, I hope) a _great_ world music program. If I remember correctly, Wesleyan had the second Javanese gamelan orchestra in the U.S. (with Berkeley having the first). The all night (literally) wayang kulit’s (shadow puppet theater, with one puppeteer performing the whole way, backed by gamelan) that were held once or twice a year were awe-inspiring. There was a terrific complement of Indian musicians, with the chief instruments represented being sitar and tabla from the North and vina and mrdangam from the South. Unfortunately, the only musician’s name I can remember is the violinist L. Shankar, who has since recorded with many Western artists. During Ramadan, you could go to two or three Indian concerts a week (all free and held in very intimate spaces). There was lots more going on, including Jeanie Redpath and her traditional Scottish music and Doogie Mitchell, a leading exponent of American Indian music who unfortunately died young. For my own part, I took lessons in shakuhachi (Japanese vertical bamboo flute) for four years. I continued only for a few years after I graduated, but the memories of the weekly time I spent sitting a few feet in front of four of the six then-living descendants of the original lineage listening to them show me how that powerful and haunting instrument was supposed to be played are irreplaceable. Then there were the ancillary experiences, like helping one of the masters get acquainted with some methods of mood enhancement that were prevalent on American campuses at the time but not acceptable in Japan... but, hey, I’m out of time. I can barely remember what I majored in at college, but the music... man!
The universal language?
Discovering the music of a foreign country can be one of the most fascinating and rewarding experiences that a music lover can have. Ethnic music, it is generally acknowledged, is an open window to any culture's idiosyncrasies and it's people's lives, and is the purest expression of that country's soul. In addition, there is a very interesting link between the sound and rhythm of a language and the music of that country. Would any of you fellow Audiogoners like to share any experience(s) you have had, positive or negative, with the music of a foreign country; or of your own native country? These can be through recordings (please recommend) or live performances you attended in or outside of that country. I look forward to your responses.