India: Jewels of the Subcontinent
Latitudes (www.musicoftheworld.com)

The nine tracks on this CD (label notes promise ten compositions) are sections of ragas culled from the Music of the World Indian music catalogue. The effect is similar to those classical music labels that put out "Great Arias from Opera" albums. You get this stuff that serious music lovers wouldn't be caught dead admitting they like. However, given the fact that I'm always annoying my acquaintances by trying to turn them onto Indian classical music, this budget priced anthology is a good way to do it. The merit of this CD is that, like those "Great Arias" albums, it is a great exponent of the material. You can't help but want to listen to more from the likes of Tarun Bhattacharya on the santur, A. Kanyakumari or Shankar's violin or a full raga from mandolinist Snehasih Mozumder. - Aaron Howard