East OF West 40

So much of our historical knowledge is rooted in Western civilization, from the stories of ancient Greece and Rome to the intellectual developments of the Renaissance. But this history tells only part of the story of our global world. Eastern civilization has its own fascinating story, with consequences that matter deeply to our lives today.

Far and away the most comprehensive compilation of African music ever achieved, Africa - 50 Years of Music collects 185 classic recordings by 183 important artists from 39 countries in North, South, East and West Africa. The artists include universal stars such as Miriam Makeba, Fela Kuti, Youssou N'Dour, Franco, Cheb Khaled, Cesaria Evora, Mulatu Astatke, Salif Keita, Manu Dibango and Oum Kalsoum. The tracks, licensed from some of the world's most respected record companies, are all original studio recordings or, in a few cases, famous concert performances. Most of them were made in the 50 years from 1960 to 2010 - the era of African independence - but several date from the 1940s and '50s. Many of these songs are known and loved worldwide: Pata Pata, Soul Makossa, Yeke Yeke, Mario, Shakara, Jive Soweto. Others will be revelations to even the most dedicated record collectors.

Haunting, exotic, and mercilessly passionate, Voices of the Empire enables you to craft the perfect vocal performance for your next epic film, TV, or game soundtrack. Featuring the raw, primal vocals of Uyanga Bold, it's the ideal solo complement to the large-scale Hollywood Choirs library. Her voice will give your music a distinctive quality in virtually any genre, whether hybrid orchestral, industrial, EDM and a wide range of others limited only by how adventurous you are.

The saga of Blind Joe Death is an extremely confusing one, for those listeners who haven't been following Fahey's career from the beginning. In short: Fahey originally recorded Blind Joe Death in 1959, in an extremely rare, self-released edition of less than 100 copies. Though few heard it, his debut album was a groundbreaker on the acoustic folk scene in its unusually experimental approach to blues and folk styles, though its innovations sound relatively tame when compared to the best of Fahey's subsequent work. Fahey reissued the album in 1964 on Takoma, re-recording some of the cuts, and dropping one selection ("West Coast Blues"). In 1967, when the album was issued for the stereo market, Fahey re-recorded the entire album from scratch, resulting in performances of the exact same new material, but with improved fidelity and technique.

Among Modern Jazz greats, Paul Desmond (1924 - 1977) had one of the most characteristic sounds on the alto saxophone. His clear, radiant, yet warm tone paired with a pronounced melodic lyricism led Desmond himself to compare it to a dry Martini. Born as Paul Emil Breitenfeld in San Francisco, California, he became world famous as a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, whose biggest hit "Take Five" he composed. The Californian sound of the Brubeck Quartet, catchy in all its quality compared to the more aggressive East Coast Jazz, exactly matched the taste of the predominantly white college crowd of the '50s, and the quartet soon reached cult status through its Campus Concerts.