Best General

Most touching are the string-backed laments that open and close the album, "Hawai'i '78 Introduction" and "Hawai'i '78," initially a reflection on his father's death, later on the passing of Hawaii's native culture. Best known is his medley "Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World," which played over the closing credits of the film Meet Joe Black .

The artist behind Facing Future , the top-selling Hawaiian album of all time, the late Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole was possessed of a voice so sweet, so tender, and so lovely that it continues to deeply stir those who hear it long after he died.

Fiddle virtuoso Bonnie Rideout celebratesChristmas with this enthusiastic holiday performance that she takes on the road each year, playing at performing arts centers and large theaters nationwide in November and December. Rideout performs along with the Scottish Christmas Ensemble - a group of internationally renowned musicians including the City of Washington Pipe Band and dancers from the Scottish Highlands!

Charlie Recaido: guitar; formerly with the group Summer Kevin Teves: guitar BAND_MEMBERS: Charles Michael Brotman Kevin Teves Charlie Recaido.

Imagine the inhabitants of the Menam Basin being called to dance and sing by the birds and monkeys, or imagine trying to become familiar with how the traditions of the ancient Indian and Khmer cultures developed. Elders no longer speak the story of how the Thais have lived and dreamed in their land for more than 1,000 years. The tunes here, based on folk forms that leave plenty of room for individual interpretation, run the gamut--there are lullabies, ensemble pieces for fiddle, percussion and gong, Thai folk rock tunes that make use of Western drum kit and electric keyboards, and a Thai brass band playing the National Anthem.

The Music of Islam Vol.

Australian music inspired by the Didgeridoo. Features Robert Mirabal and Mor Thiam.

The dramatic scenery and spiritual promise of the Himilayas have prompted numerous artists and adventurers to make a pilgramage to their rugged slopes in search of beauty and inspiration.

Inkuyo , a group of accomplished musicians, brings the ancient instruments and songs of the majestic Andean highlands and of their Incan heritage, firmly into the 20th century. Performing on the quena (a resonant cane flute), an assortment of pan-pipes, Andean drums and other percussion instruments, as well as specially constructed versions of the guitar, violin, harp, and tiple (introduced by the Spanish), the members of Inkuyo conjure a heady atmosphere of scintillating melodies and spicy, South American rhythms. An internationally recognized virtuoso of pan-pipes and South American flutes, Inkuyo founder Gonzalo Vargas , inherited his traditional musical knowledge growing up in the remote Andean village of Tapajkari, Bolivia.

This twentysomething, Mozambique-born beauty of Portuguese, Spanish, German, African, and Indian descent rapidly rose from the Mouraria district of Lisbon to become fado's newest and brightest star.

It is a distinctive mix of folk instruments and courtly formality--a highly disciplined and richly ornamented music originally conceived for moments of importance and ceremony. Several unusual instruments are employed, including the dan bau , a one-string guitar with a bamboo stem that bends notes like a whammy bar , and the k'ni , a rifle-shaped fiddle with a mouth attachment that can create a voice-box effect similar to that used by rock guitarists such as Peter Frampton and Joe Walsh in the '70s. The music is so expertly performed and so beautifully sequenced--the focus shifting from ensemble to solo pieces, from stringed instruments to flutes--that attention never wanders. The most exciting pieces feature a clarinet playing long lines over pounding percussion, a combination common to the music of many Southeast Asian nations.

It is a distinctive mix of folk instruments and courtly formality--a highly disciplined and richly ornamented music originally conceived for moments of importance and ceremony. Several unusual instruments are employed, including the dan bau , a one-string guitar with a bamboo stem that bends notes like a whammy bar , and the k'ni , a rifle-shaped fiddle with a mouth attachment that can create a voice-box effect similar to that used by rock guitarists such as Peter Frampton and Joe Walsh in the '70s. The music is so expertly performed and so beautifully sequenced--the focus shifting from ensemble to solo pieces, from stringed instruments to flutes--that attention never wanders. The most exciting pieces feature a clarinet playing long lines over pounding percussion, a combination common to the music of many Southeast Asian nations.

Teachers and families who have children with special needs will find that Bean Bag Activities can be a wonderful resource.

Fronted by Cambodian pop star Ch'hom Nimol, who sings in Khmer, Los Angeles sextet Dengue Fever blends the rhythms of sixties Cambodian pop--heavily influenced by American surf, rock, and early psychedelic garage bands--with their own eclectic mix of American and international styles. Escape from Dragon House is also darker, both musically and lyrically, with a fully realized style that melts all of the band's influences into one realized voice that is pure Dengue Fever.