Ethnic Music Is My Favorite

¶ … Ethnic Music Is My Favorite Type of Music

The day ends. I lie on the couch and travel through the world. I do not travel through the world physically -- in fact, I hardly move a muscle, other than to push my ear buds more securely into my ears. My traveling takes place musically, as I listen to the sounds of various songs from throughout the world on my MP3 player. I love the haunting Celtic tunes of Irish music, the pounding beat of calypso, and the cloud of blended, drumming rhythms and vocals that wraps around my brain from Africa.

Of course, I do listen to more commercial music on the radio. But I find myself noticing how some of the most popular musical acts seem to have their roots in music from different lands: consider the Latin American flavor of Shakira and how so much of contemporary rap and R&B has a similar flair to West African music. If only people took more time to discover where their favorite artists come from and what inspired these artists to create music in the first place! A whole new world might open up, a whole new source of auditory pleasure for so many people my age.

Music is constantly changing. Most people only know the cliches of music from other lands -- a bit of tango, maybe flamenco. But just as American artists are inspired by the sounds of the lands of their heritage, world artists today honor their nation of origin and take some of the best sounds of the West, to make something new. I love mestizo (fusion) of Putumayo, how new African artists are blending jazz and traditional songs of their homeland, and also how rock and traditional folk songs can become fused and give old words new power.