The million dollar question these days is "what is world music?"  Music journalist and musicologist Elijah Wald attempts to answer this question in his book, Global Minstrels (Voices of World Music), recently published by Routledge.  Many global musicians, journalists, music web site hosts etc. have been grappling with this relatively new genre which leaves me wondering, what did they call music from Scandinavia, the continent of Africa or India before all this music found itself lumped into a category which is more of a catch phrase than an actual genre?  And why can't we just call music what it is, such as music from India as folkloric, traditional, classical or pop?  Or African jazz, Afro-Latin, Afro-pop and traditional African?  Or an even better question, why must we categorize music at all?

While Wald turns out to be just like the rest of us, (he is unable to answer the question), he does provide us with a collection of engaging interviews with top name and emerging global musicians from 5 continents.  I am more intrigued with the spiritual connection that many of the elder musicians, particularly from Africa and India made about their music.  Interview with the late Ali Farke Toure (Mali) and Ali Akbar Khan (India) supply us with good examples of what music is suppose to do, feed our souls and not someone's bank account.  The musicians brought up issues such as the younger generation losing touch with the spiritual essence of music that touches all of our lives.  And no matter what genre we lump music under, we do need to take a look at the power of words and sound vibration instead of treating it as entertainment or audio wallpaper.  Music effects our overall health and well-being and by understanding that concept, we can revolutionize the world in which we live.

Global Minstrels acts as both a thoroughly enjoyable read as well as, an informative guide to global music and the labels we attach to it.  The author, although modest, is well informed about a variety of cultures, traditions and countries.  Although I wish that he would have left out drug culture music.  While some folks might wish to know all the types of music coming out of their society, I believe that by including drug culture music (corridos), in the context of this book, the author is giving power to a destructive force and one that could never heal society or bring peace, but instead perpetuate violence and racial victimization thinking.  Further damage is caused to Hispanics who do not wish to be stereotyped as gangsters and drug traffickers, but would like to preserve instead the beauty of their collective cultures.  Fortunately, Global Minstrels leans toward life-affirming music and only two interviews reflect on corridos.

PLH (12/12/06)