An album of music from various cultures intertwined in rainforest environments in the Western hemisphere. This album is from the Endangered Music Project of the Library of Congress (produced by
Mickey Hart
, no less) and features the Garifuna of Belize, the Choco of Panama, the Shipibo and Ashaninka of Peru, the Aluku of French Guiana, the Wayana of Surinam, and the Maroons of Jamaica. The point of the album is to expose the world to the musics of these cultures, whose ways of life are in danger due to rainforest disappearance, both as an attempt to endear the foreign market to their cause as well as a record of a culture that may not continue in its present form. As such, the album does quite well. It is an ethnomusicologist-bent record in its coverage of both the music and the ways in which the people interact with the music. Much of the music is worth hearing in its own right for pure aural gratification, though not all will stand up as such. Anyone with an interest in the culture, musical as well as other aspects, of the various rainforest peoples of South America and the Caribbean should consider giving this one a listen. Those who are interested in the possibility of learning about the cultures might find this a worthwhile starting point for an inquiry as well, given the extent of the liner notes and the breadth of the musical samples. ~ Adam Greenberg