Variety From Papua New Guinea to Portugal

World music means many things to many people. For some, it’s simply an all-inclusive way to describe the 80% or so of global sounds that aren’t a direct product of the U.S. and European pop music mills. For others, it means world beat--a fusion of traditional music, the rhythms of pop and the audio technology of synthesizers and the recording studio. And for still others, world music can only identify undiluted cultural expressions ranging from sophisticated classical forms to traditional folk art.

From the point of view of this column, it makes more sense to be inclusive rather than exclusive, to spread a listening umbrella receptive to everything from the Afro-beat pop of the Paris recording studios to the unique sounds of tropical New Guinea. With that perspective in mind, here’s a quick survey of some of the high points in the many fascinating new CDs--primarily collections--that have arrived since the first of the year.

“Bosavi: Rainforest Music From Papua New Guinea,” Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. This three-CD boxed set offers a compelling view of the transformations that have taken place in the lives of the Bosavi people in the southern highlands of Papua New Guinea. One CD chronicles the richly expressive music of ritual and ceremony present as recently as the ‘60s and early ‘70s, before the arrival of evangelizing missionaries. Another CD includes everyday sounds, chants, songs and shouts associated with work and play; many are still present in Bosavi society--the only remaining aural artifacts of pre-missionary culture. And the third CD presents the guitar bands omnipresent throughout since the ‘90s--an expression that represents the end of a pristine traditional culture and the entry into the more generic arena of Pacific Islands popular music.

“Discover Indonesia: Music of Indonesia,” Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. The “Discover Indonesia” series is actually a 20-CD collection embracing the area’s entire panoply of musical expressions--not insignificant, given the fact that only China, India and the United States have larger populations. This release includes 15 tracks from the series, recorded in locations from Sumatra in the west to Papua in the east, including selections representing indigenous, imported and hybrid musical forms.

“Green Linnet Records 25 Years of Celtic Music,” Green Linnet. Green Linnet has been recording Celtic music since it was more specifically described as “Irish music.” This two-CD set includes the traditional and the contemporary, from the early sounds of the Irish Tradition and fiddler Brendan Mulvihill to the electric Celtic music of Eileen Ivers, with stops in between at the music of Deanta, Capercaille, Altan, Lunasa and the Tannahill Weavers.

“Putumayo Presents Mexico,” Putumayo. Yes, there is music from south of the Rio Grande besides the norteno style. Putumayo’s sampler reveals a colorful and diverse tapestry of music, reaching from Zapotec and Mixtec roots to the trova of the Yucatan. Among the featured performers are the versatile Lila Downs, Ramon Ayala and L.A.’s Los Lobos (with their first original song, from 1977, “Flor de Huevo”) and El Conjunto Jardin.

“Desert Roses & Arabian Rhythms,” Mondo Melodia. An entirely different sort of sampler, this one surveying the entertaining manner in which performers from the Middle East and North Africa have adapted the timbres and rhythms of contemporary pop to their own ends. Sting’s duet with Cheb Mami on “Desert Rose,” here remixed by Victor Calderon, is a highlight in a lineup that also includes Khaled, Soraya, Hakim, Kazem Al-Saher and Rachid Taha.

“One World,” Lusafrica. A collection largely devoted to Cape Verde and Cuba, with performances by the inimitable Cesaria Evora, her protegee Fantcha, Zap Mama’s Sally Nyolo and the classic sounds of Cuba’s Orquesta Aragon.

“Planet Chant,” Triloka. Triloka takes a different approach to global compilation with this gathering of largely vocal music that can only vaguely be described as chant. But much of it is intriguing regardless of label, from the actual chanting of Lama Gyurme and Choying Drolma to the choral sounds of Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the Bulgarian ensemble Angelite.

Chen Jun, “Erhu Classics,” Naxos World. The erhu is a two-stringed instrument, played with a bow, similar to the violin. In these performances of traditional Chinese songs as well as classic compositions for the instrument, Chen--described as the Paganini of erhu--provides an appealing introduction to a subtle, engaging music, one that merits a far wider hearing in the Western world.

Cristina Branco, “Post-Scriptum,” L’Empreinte Digitale/Harmonica Mundi. The growing revival of Portugal’s fado is well served by performers such as Misia and Branco. In this latest release, Branco’s most appealing characteristic--an emotional delivery enhanced by her passionate vibrato--is on full display.

Antonio Carlos Jobim, “Tom Canta Vinicius Ao Vivo,” Universal. In 1990, the great Brazilian songwriter was featured in a concert to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of his principal collaborator, poet Vinicius de Moraes. The result is a penetrating insight into some very familiar material--including “Garota de Ipanema” (The Girl From Ipanema) and “Insensatez”--sung and played in Jobim’s incomparable style.

Luis Delgado, “El Hechizo de Babilonia,” Nubenegra. Delgado has been exploring the cultural links between the Middle East and the Iberian peninsula for years. This latest effort is a stunning collection of pieces dedicated to the work of six female poets, set to Delgado’s music and performed in a style that references both the traditional sources and contemporary sounds.

Trans Global Underground, “Yes Boss Food Corner,” Ark 21/Mondo Rhythmica. The Trans Global players have been pulling together every imaginable world music element for a decade. Their latest effort has left behind some of the more techno-oriented elements of earlier outings, but the heavy dance beats remain, for the most part, and the Trans Global motto is unchanged: “If you see a barrier, trash it.”