Search - Various Artists :: Global Celebration

As this set's title implies, the 54 songs from nearly as many cultures all deal with happy community rituals. The four CDs are subtitled: "Dancing with the Gods: Religious Celebrations," "Earth Spirit: Cycles of Nature," "Passages: Turning Points in Life," and "Gatherings: Joyous Festivals." This music is more accessible and less rigorously authentic than "Voices of Forgotten Worlds;" it includes such "worldbeat" hybrid musics as Trinidadan soca, South African township jive, New Orleans Mardi Gras music, modern Celtic folk music, and African American gospel. --Geoffrey Himes