The first three volumes of Smithsonian Folkways planned ten-volume Music of Central Asia series are extraordinary, even if I can’t pronounce any of the performer’s names, the genres, instruments, or song titles. Producer Dr. Theodore Levin of Dartmouth University has done all of that for me, and in addition has selected a wide palette of musical styles for Volume 1, Tengir-Too: Mountain Music of Kyrgyzstan, Volume 2, Invisible Face of the Beloved: Classical Music of the Tajiks and Uzbeks, and Volume 3, Homayun Sakhi: The Art of the Afghan Rubab. So grab a strong cup of coffee and a ziggurat, then sit back for great sounds and video, too. Each of these lavishly packaged releases includes a DVD containing a 24-minute documentary on the artists and styles, plus a glossary of the instruments.
via http://www.technobeat.com/COLUMNS2/STAN.html.
http://www.folkways.si.edu/music-of-central-asia
Ismailimail 