By Kat Stewart

The genre with the vague misnomer of "world music" is often reviled, and for good reason. The huge majority of CD's collecting dust in the "world" section of your local music mega-mart are little more than slick Western new-age pabulum dressed up with a few semi-exotic instruments and an occasional syncopated rhythm. "Whendo", while not likely to arouse as much interest in indie-rock listeners as an Ethiopiques compilation or Sublime Frequencies album, manages to be startlingly good.  The ten-piece Gangbe Brass Band consists solely of vocalists, horn players, and percussionists, creating something that manages to sound like Dixieland jazz and African folk at the same time. There's something very charming about hearing euphoniums and African drums work together so well.