Customer Rating:  
Summary: exquisite music from the roof of the world
Comment: It's an excellent idea, doing a rough guide to the Himalayas. Because there is not very much music really from the mountains themselves, this selection has a lot of music inspired by the Himalayas. Hence, there's the Chinese flute song with Japanese percussion titled "Himalayas" the dj mix of Tibetan monks and instruments evoking the atmosphere of the place, the Indian raga inspired by Kashmir, and the collaberation of an American guitarist and Tibetan nun. However, there's also music from the area directly.
It starts with the Steve Tibbetts/nun collaberation, which is just beautiful, followed by Pahadi, a light raga and a trio of Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shivakumar Sharma and another guy, playing Indian flute, santur and tabla. It's very peaceful and light, very happy, and strongly evocative of the Kashmiri scenery it aims to describe; the first two tracks are truly the soudtrack to the Himalayas. Later on there's Bhuddist chanting by nuns and also monks. Awesome stuff.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Himalayan Trek through Multifarious Musical Moods
Comment: The good ol' Rough Guide series, reliable as ever, and they've proven it again with this fine CD. The music on this album is incredible and wide-ranging: from subtle and refined Buddhist chants to exuberant and percussive festival tunes, from folkish flute airs in isolated valleys to streamlined studio collaborations with Western musicians, with hints of many different musical cultures converging and swirling in this mountainous region. Don't expect uniformity from this CD. Just sit back and allow yourself to be taken on a far-flung musical tour of the Himalayan Mountains' wonderful variety of sounds and moods.
Ken Hunt's liner notes are nicely written and do a wonderful job of contextualizing each track in a clear, succinct fashion. His style manages to get in just the right amount of detail for the listener's music appreciation without getting bogged down and ponderous; the tone shows the same sense of balance, enthusiastic but not gushy, reverent but with little flashes of wit. And, unlike some of the newer Rough Guide CDs coming out, the descriptions are clearly subdivided and arranged in the same order as the tracks on the CD, so one can follow along with ease (except that tracks 1 and 5 are by the same artists, which threw me for just a second). And that's the point after all, to allow the listener to better enjoy and appreciate the excellent music on this fine CD.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A great rough guide
Comment: I am a big fan of the Rough Guide series and this brand of music CDs has been invaluable in introducing me to various folk music traditions from around the world.The Rough Guide to the Music of the Himalayas is no exception. The music spans the length and breadth of the Himalayan mountain range. Buy this CD if you are looking for a starting place to explore the music of this region. I cannot think of a better place to start!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Unique Journey to a Forgotten World
Comment: This CD blew my breath away. The music on hear comes from many different people, languages, religions and cultures, all united by the vast Himalayan mountains. Traitional and contemporary music is featured on this CD, ranging from monastic traditions in Tibet to Ladakhi tribesmen to classical Indian music and more contemporary Chinese numbers. It really amazes me that so many different musical traditions could exist high in the mountains. If you are a fan of pan-Asian music, in particular Nepalese, Tibetan, Chinese, Indian, Ladakhi and so forth, then you will certainly appreciate this music. There is a definate slant towards more traditional forms of music, especially emphasizing the religious aspects of the music (for instance, Indian classical, tribal Ladakhi and Tibetan Buddhist monks). It may not be remixed or westernized, but it is still amazing. It reaches out and touches the spirit.
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