In the music column dated March 31, 2017, we talked of the Indian indie music scene, specially emphasising on the fact that there was no clear way of defining the genre. This week, we look at two international music categories that suffer from the same problem, even though the quality of sounds produced in both is outstanding.
The terms ‘World Music’ and ‘New Age’ have been commonly used, sometimes interchangeably, since the late 1980s. While the former’s origin is actually credited to ethnomusicologist Robert E. Brown, who first used it in the 1960s, it was popularised two decades later as a marketing device for non-Western traditional music.
New Age, on the other hand, was initially used as a form used for meditation, relaxation and even yoga. The first recording in this genre is considered to be Tony Scott’s ‘Music For Zen Meditation’, released in 1964. From the early 1990s, it was used as a marketing term for any kind of ambient, lounge or peace-inspiring music, whether used spiritually, or in clubs or concerts.
Going global
Let’s talk about both genres separately. The definition of World Music, for instance, changes according to where the listener hails from. For Americans and Britishers, it would mean any non-English music that doesn’t fall under clearly-defined categories like pop, rock, classical, jazz, blues, reggae, country, dance or hip-hop. For many them, even artistes like Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan come under this genre. For someone staying in Brazil or China, it would mean anything other than the folk and popular music of their own regions, and other than well-known forms of Western music. For them, Indian music comes under the World Music umbrella.
Indians have another approach, but that again depends on where they are settled. For those staying in the country, or even in the US, Canada or UK, it means any music that’s not American, British or European classical, and that doesn’t belong to the Sub-continent. In some cases, they make an exception by specifically displaying their fondness for Arabic or Chinese music. Indians staying in Africa or mainland Europe would not include music from those regions in the World Music bracket, but treat them as local music. So for them, barring the music from the country of their residence, anything other than American, British, European and Indian music comes under this broad umbrella.
Get the point? Or plain confused? Earlier, people picked up albums from the Real World Records label that offered easy access to music. But now the internet has changed things. Set up by rock musician Peter Gabriel, Real World was hugely responsible in making Fateh Ali Khan an international sensation. Other artistes on its roster included Afro Celt Sound System from the UK, Uzbek singer Sevara Nazarkhan, US-based Blind Boys of Alabama, Creole Choir of Cuba, Finnish band Varttina and Papa Wembe from Congo. Even Indian mandolin maestro U. Srinivas has also recorded on the label.
The list of World Music artistes is huge, but a good beginning can be made by checking out tunes from Mali, specially popular guitarist-singer Ali Farka Toure and his son Vieux Farka Toure, kora player Toumani Diabate, singers Salif Keira, Fatoumata Diawara and Oumou Sangara, and ngoni (a stringed-instrument) player Bassekou Kouyate.
South African musicians Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masakela and Dollar Brand, and singer Angelique Kidjo from Benin, have all performed in India. Other recommendations would be French singer Edith Piaf, Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum, Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour, Spanish bagpipe player Jose Angel Hevia, the guitar duo of Jorge Strunz and Ardeshir Farah, Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria and American drummer Mickey Hart.
Listen with love
For New Age, one would begin with any meditation compilation. However, the list of artistes named under this genre is interesting. Popular ones are Greek composers Yanni and Vangelis, Japanese multi-instrumentalist Kitaro, Irish singer Enya, German electronic producer Enigma, British composer Mike Oldfield, French duo Deep Forest, Irish group Clannad, French composer Jean Michel Jarre, Irish-Norwegian duo Secret Garden and German group Tangerine Dream. That brings us back to our earlier point. Listen to each artiste, but for its ambient nature, there is absolutely no similarity between the sound of one and another. How they all got bracketed under New Age is a mystery.
On top of that you have another relatively newer genre called ‘Classical Crossover’, where acts like the girl group Bond, pianist Maksim, violinists Andre Rieu and Vanessa Mae, and singers Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman and Josh Groban perform traditional classical compositions in a contemporary way.
Well, what’s in a name really, it all boils down to feeling the music.
