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Appeal of world music continues to grow
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Columbus Dispatch, Appeal of world music continues to grow >>
Les Yeux Noirs (the Black Eyes), a French sextet, named after the 1930s Django Reinhardt tune, playing Gypsy, Yiddish and manouche (Frech Gypsy) music, also as part of the City Music World Music series - 7 p.m. in the Fawcett Center.
A heady mix of international musicians will stream into Columbus during the next two months: Colombian rocker Juanes, South African singer Vusi Mahlasela and Pakistani singer Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali plus - Latin-Afro group Los Hombres Calientes.
Each falls under "world music," a sprawling field that includes any popular music created by artists outside English-speaking countries.
The category provided the most growth in record stores during the 1990s, according to Jeff Tamarkin, editor of the New York magazine Global Rhythms.
It is rooted in ancient times, but the genre is less than 20 years old.
In 1987, executives from a few small record companies in London realized the lack of a catchall in stores for recordings from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and other parts of the world.
They coined the label "world music" and began a one-month marketing campaign.
The name stuck.
World music has affected anyone who has bought recordings by Ladysmith Black Mambazo of South Africa or the Gipsy Kings of Europe, or attended concerts by a west African superstar such as Baaba Maal or All Farka Toure or anyone who has danced to the Cuban rhythms of the Buena Vista Social Club or listened to the haunting tunes of the Bulgarian Radio Women's Choir.
The popularity of world music has surprised observers who viewed it as short-lived.
During the 1990s, more recordings were made available and concerts by international artists mushroomed.
"The world-music scene has been steadily growing," Tamarkin said. "I wouldn't call the growth explosive. But in cities like New York, it cuts across age barriers. I see a lot of young people really supportive of the music."
Long before Ry Cooder rediscovered vintage Cuban songs in the late 1990s and created franchise that has sold millions of records, America was enjoying international sounds.
King Sunny Ade of Nigeria took New York by storm in the early 1980s with his jubilant mix of Western instruments such as a pedal-steel guitar and traditional African rhythms. Also from Nigeria, Fela Kuti became the hero of American hipsters with his blend of Afro-beat and American funk and jazz.
Meanwhile, Peter Gabriel toured with Senegalese singing sensation Youssou N'Dour.
Western pop stars soon began following bands from other nations, incorporating what they learned into their own music.
As a result, fans at concerts by Gabriel, David Byrne and Paul Simon heard the influence of world music, Simon explored South African rhythms and vocals on his Graceland album and, later, Banian elements on Rhythm of the Saints.
Byrne, formerly of the Talking Heads, and Gabriel founded labels devoted to the category.
Another factor: globalization.
During the past 15 years, major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, London and Paris the recording epicenter for African pop stars have seen their populations swell with immigrants.
And, of course, members of the burgeoning Latino communities in New York and Los Angeles seek the music of their native countries.
In addition, the tastes of baby boomers have transcended the boundaries of folk, blues, jazz and rock.
One label, Putumayo World Music, has focused on what it calls "cultural creatives" - a sociological name for about 50 million people in North America whose tastes extend to the nontraditional.
"The cultural creatives are curious, college-educated, and tend to travel a lot," said Dan Storper, president and founder of Putumayo World Music in New York. "They tend to be politically liberal and moderate as well."
To reach such consumers, the company - founded in 1993 - has built a network of thousands of book, gift and clothing stores; cafes; and other retail outlets that sell its compilations.
Twenty-five of the sets have sold more than 100,000 copies; and two of them, more than 300,000.
In central Ohio, radio audiences have access to the syndicated Afropop Worldwide from noon to 1 p.m. Sundays on WCBE(90.5FM).
Ante Meridian, hosted by Mike Taylor and airing from 9:15 a.m. to noon weekdays on WCBE, relies on world music for the bulk of its programming.
"We've definitely seen signifi cant growth in our listenership since we've added world music," Taylor said. "Often, the world-music portion of my show is the most-listened to musical segment of WCBE's day."
How much of the music is sold nationwide isn't easily determined.
International artists, as Storper estimated, represent 3 percent to 5 percent of compact-disc sales.
Still, Billboard magazine doesn't compile charts dedicated to the genre.
World music, the executive said, has managed to seep into the culture in various ways through soundtracks and car commercials, for example.
"There's an underlying infectious rhythm and melody to world music," he said. "It's spicy. The music makes you feel good, and it's like traveling: Listening to it takes you on a journey."
-Jory Farr 02/10/05
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