An intoxicating album with a riveting collection of Gypsy music. 16 pieces from Hungary, Russia, Central Asia, Romania and the Balkans, over an hour of music, from the very traditional to today's modern renditions, presented by some of the finest exponents in the genre.

Classical Music

Dzambo Agusevi Orchestra has been called the “newest trumpet revolution,” In the competitive world of Balkan brass bands, this 11-piece group is legendary. This fast-paced, passionate program features 14 tracks of outstanding Balkan music, some composed by the ensemble and some traditional tunes. The Dzambo Agusevi Orchestra has an impressive list of awards to their name, including first prize winners at the Fanfare World Competition in Dole, France, and first prize winner in the Balkans’ “Kumanovo Trumpet Fest” every year between 2006 and 2011. In fact, the ensemble was banned from the festival to give other competitors a chance.

Flamenco can be traced back several centuries although the exact point in time at which it began to evolve is unknown. History shows, however, a diverse background of cultural roots and influences including Indian, Jewish, Byzantine, Arabic, and South American. At certain times throughout the history of the Iberian Peninsula, people from these various cultures have passed through and settled in Andalusia and in so doing forged their own particular characteristics upon the development of this southern region of Spain. At the fall of their last stronghold in Granada in 1492 after the occupation of southern Spain for seven hundred years, the Moors left behind a cultural heritage so strong and of such magnitude that five centuries later, the impact of their influence is still very much apparent. In this diverse cultural melting pot of so many different races, the seeds of flamenco were sown and there emerged a new form of musical expression. Flamenco has been evolving continuously and today the three principal elements of singing, dancing and guitar playing have reached a peak of unsurpassed technical virtuosity and musical sophistication. To understand and retain the purity of style and spontaneity of this art form, however, we must look into the way of life of the flamenco people whose roots were buried centuries ago deep in the soil of Andalusia. It is from this way of life that the very essence of flamenco has grown.

Tango Argentina is a beautiful collection of intimate, elegant and sensuous tangos, waltzes and milongas by some of the most glittering names in tango. All are played with style and swagger by Trio Pan tango.

Young Peruvian group Wayne Picchu is made up of three brothers who learned to play the various traditional pipes and flutes in early childhood. Their music, while being traditional, has a contemporary feel partially due to the keyboards and bass that they use in addition to the traditional instruments. The group recorded their debut album in 1996. They currently live and work in Germany, but return to Peru frequently for concerts and recording sessions.

Multiple award-winning erhu player Zhou Yu presents an album of Chinese music, played on the erhu (2-stringed Chinese fiddle) with orchestral accompaniment: pipa (lute), yangqin (dulcimer), ruan (lute), dizi, xiao (bamboo flutes), sheng (mouth-blown 'pipe organ'), guzheng (board zither) and others. A very beautiful, enjoyable album with a mystical, dreamy mood.

Best of Flamenco

This recording features beautiful haunting panpipes and flutes with all the traditional instruments of Bolivia plus bass and percussion.

Sufi songs from India and Iran' contains field recordings of traditional Sofi music made in 1955 1979 and 1999.

This is an album of some of the best and most passionate songs of Esma Redžepova, whose expressive and emotional voice has earned her the title of “Queen of Gypsy Music”. + Ms. Redžepova was born in Skopje, Macedonia. + At the age of fourteen she was discovered by bandleader Stevo Teodosievski, who furthered her talent and educated her voice. + The Stevo and Esma Ensemble soon became one of the most successful ensembles in the whole Balkan region. + Born in Shtip, a small town in eastern Macedonia, master of the Gypsy saxophone King Ferus Mustafov is one of the greats of today’s Balkan popular folk music.

Greece is the holiday destination of choice for millions of people who find themselves captivated by this beautiful Mediterranean country's landscapes, coastlines, food, culture and music. But Greek music is more than just the soundtrack to fond holiday memories. Traditional Greek music has it's roots in antiquity, and is the result of influences from the crossroads of southern Europe and Asia. Arc Music's Discover Music From Greece is a 25-track curated collection drawn from it's vast, superb catalog of authentic Greek music in all it's traditional and modern stylistic, instrumental and regional variety. Features music by renowned composers Mikis Theodorakis and Michalis Terzis, as well as a diverse line up of top performers including Glykeria and The Athenians.

This new release features over an hour of festive and authentic Hungarian gypsy tunes. Presented by Andras Farkas and the Budapest Ensemble, these songs are infectious and lively melodies, laced with classical elegance. Andras Farkas’ “singing violin” shines on these 44 well-known traditional tracks.

Classical Music

The Hugo Diaz Trio consisted of the late Hugo Diaz on bandoneon, Miguel Angel Ledesma on piano and Horacio Cabarcos on bass. This is a minimum ensemble, but their sound is full, largely due to the full and rich sound production of Diaz and the robust playing of Ledesma. Most of the pieces are fairly short and never outstay their welcome and are mostly from the 1920s - 1940s, although every piece sounds up to date in Diaz's hands. (As a special treat is a jazzy version of 'Por una Cabeza', the tango made famous in America by the movie Scent of a Woman.) Many tunes on this album are dramatic, musically interesting and just plain danceable fun. 'A Orillas del Plata' betrays a deep jazz influence that is very pleasant to listen to. 'La Racha' is a bit slower than most of the other numbers, but it swoops and pounces with the best of them. One slight caveat: The last three tracks on the disc are for solo bandoneon and that will not charm everyone. Still, this album will appeal to lovers of traditional tango as well as followers of tango outcast Astor Piazzolla.

The first mention of calypso comes from a dance described by Abbe Masse in 1882. Otherwise, most scholars who have tried to trace the story of calypso agree that the word itself is not connected with the deity who lured Homer’s Odysseus to her island. The origins of the word are unclear and scholars debate this with no definitive answer. Quick wit, knowing observation of human behavior and comment on its absurd aspects are the bill of fare offered in calypso, which probably prompted the American periodical Time to label calypso “The Living Newspaper” in 1944. For eloquence and topical diversity, no other genre can approach the calypso of Trinidad and Tobago, for the calypsonian assumes a stance between reporter, editorialist, moralist and satirist as scandal, disaster, politics, self-praise, sexual indiscretion and everything from local to international events all prove as grist for the mill. The Mighty Duke asked in a song, “What is Calypso?” Well to start to get an idea, one has to merely listen to a song on this compilation. Let your schooling start here.

The guqin zither and pipa lute are the two oldest and most celebrated traditional Chinese stringed instruments, both with over two thousand years’ history. Their musical tradition is closely liked with the self-cultivation of literati and scholars, and the four arts of the Chinese gentleman- guqin, Chinese chess, calligraphy and painting. The strings were made of silk and plucked with the fingers. This album features not only traditional pieces, but also many spontaneous improvisations and contemplations that were inspired by the musicians’ contemporary thoughts, current socio-cultural context and surroundings. It is largely a reflection of 21st century Chinese literati’s musicianship and sentiments. The album was recorded in the context of the London International Guqin Festival in August 2018, organized by the London Youlan Qin Society in collaboration with SOAS, University of London with funding by Arts Council England.

Classical Music

The Japanese tradition of the taiko drum dates back to as early as the 6th century. This new release from Arc explores the rich history of this ancient instrument. The tracks on this release feature powerful rolling beats and multi-layered rhythms from taiko drums in all shapes and sizes. Multiple styles of taiko drumming are explored here, from traditional ‘pure’ taiko to contemporary pieces. Varieties of other world percussion instruments are included in some of these pieces, played by some of the best experts in the genre.

• Los Angeles, CA based group of musicians at the forefront of establishing fresh interpretations of traditional Klezmer music. • Averaging 30 years of age, the group is led by Buenos Aires native Gustavo Bulgach. • Have experienced great success in the Los Angeles area."

This release contains lively and romantic Mariachi songs sung with pride and passion, telling stories of love, won and lost, about patriotic pride, about various customs at festivals and about singing beneath the balcony of the beloved. Fer Gonzalez is a singer of Mexican boleros, rancheras, hupangos, and more. His dream has always been to take Mexican music all over the world. Through his voice, music, and songs, he takes a message of joy from Mexico to the world, and presents his culture, tradition, and roots proving that music is a universal language of humankind that can break down barriers always and anywhere. Fer was born in Aguascalientes, Mexico. He inherited his love of music from his parents, especially his mother who loved Mexican music and had an extraordinary voice. His career as a professional singer did not begin until his adult life, but took off right away with radio and television appearances, stellar reviews, and appearances at international festivals.

Classical Music

In celebration of their 30th anniversary Black Umfolosi present a collection of their most beautiful and inspiring traditional songs from their native southern Africa. They perform in the popular Imbube gospel style and regularly tour the world with a success rivaled only by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who popularized the style.

Percussion wizard Pejman Hadadi is joined here by Imamyar Hasanov and Hamid Motebassem on kamancha and setar. Together the trio weaves a sumptuous tapestry of Persian and Azerbaijani music to relax and inspire the listener. This contemplative disc is full of innovative improvisation by masterful, musicians, but Hadadi often shines as the true star as he coaxes an astonishing array of sounds from his instruments with unerring sensitivity and fire.

Though music is a universal thing, Indian classical music has a very distinctive feature of its own. The very origin of Indian classical music is in the praise of the Supreme Power of the Almighty. Thus, Indian classical music has a spiritual value, rather than an entertainment value. A performance is almost like a symphony being played, with the difference that the Indian “symphony” is not written. The artist creates it during the course of his recital, always keeping within the framework of the raga. The music is essentially an extension of a prayer but the artist is morally bound to offer his music as a gift of peace and joy to all who hear the music. The insight of the musician is thus conveyed to the listeners. On this album Rash Behari Datta plays the raga “Koushiki.” On the sitar this raga is very close to the popular raga “Kounsi-Kanhra.” During the Mughal period of India many new ragas were created and many new combinations were tried. Out of these the Kanhras type of raga became very popular. The Kounsi-Kanhra is also a combination of two ragas: the Malkouns and the Kanhra.