New York based ellipsis arts… has rapidly earned a formidable reputation for its stunning series of mostly world music boxed sets and lavish CD/books. Venturing far afield from commercial recordings, its collections provide surprisingly deep panoramic overviews of their subjects. Resembling how I would imagine National Geographic recordings would appear, collections from ellipsis arts… consist mostly of original recordings. Assembled by those expert in the subjects, their text grounds the music in the cultures which produced it. Tibet: The Heart of Dharma (4050) informs farm more about Tibetan Bhuddism and history than the "music they inspired."

The latest ellipsis arts… big production, China: time to listen (3591-3), attempts no less than to provide an encyclopedia of Chinese music in three CD’s and makes a fine run at accomplishing it. Producer Jeff Bomback includes in forty-four selections a range from ethnic minority music to pop music to chamber music and fifty-eight pages of rich liner notes.

Although Huun-Huur-Tu has generated some popularity in the USA for the exotic Tuvan throat singing, no American release better captures the Asian culture – from postage stamps to techniques to cuisine – of the remote Russian republic than Deep in the Heart of Tuva (4050). The set offers a deep sampling of captivating Tuvan ensembles (even those based here) and throat singing styles otherwise unavailable in American.

Angels in the Mirror: Vodou Music of Haiti (4120) defines the music, religion, and culture that underlies the international popularity of Boukman Eksperyans. The disc and 64 page book visit both the traditional rural music associated with the religion, but the urban Vodou sounds that presage Boukman’s fusion. The text presents Vodou not as "black magic," but as a form of daily life informed by intimate relations with the spirit world.

The ellipsis arts… releases do project a certain 1990s tendency toward politically correct assumptions of the greater worth of third world cultures and perhaps a bit too much fondness for the obscure. On balance, however, no better introductions to the music and the people who create it are available.

-30-