Gheorghe Zamfir is a Romanian pan flute musician who has received 90 golden and platinum disc awards, released over 200 albums and sold over 40 million recordings. Thanks to countless TV ads hawking collections of his music, Zamfir is almost universally recognized as the "Master of the Pan Flute." While that title may be cause for smirking in some quarters -- whether because of its overexposure or a general distaste for easy listening music -- it's true that Gheorghe Zamfir was single-handedly responsible for popularizing an ancient, traditional Eastern European instrument that was in danger of dying out for lack of interest.

This is an excellent collection for someone who is interested in the genre. The mix of songs have a bit of flavor from almost every other music style, and yet taken as a whole, is a very cohesive ensemble. You definitely get an idea of the range of possibilities as well as some guideposts for seeking out specific artists or sub-styles.

The best and most popular French rapper, MC Solaar found success in America among fans of acid jazz and jazz-rap (if not the larger hip-hop community) after guesting on Guru's acclaimed Jazzmatazz project. French rapper MC Solaar spends his self-titled album showcasing exactly why he was instantly championed by the hip-hop community as an international talent. From the jazzy, trip-hop-like beats courtesy of producers Zdar, Boom Bass, and Evil D to Solaar's lucid flow, this is quality hip-hop.

This is an excellent collection for someone who is interested in the genre. The mix of songs have a bit of flavor from almost every other music style, and yet taken as a whole, is a very cohesive ensemble. You definitely get an idea of the range of possibilities as well as some guideposts for seeking out specific artists or sub-styles.

Finding a perfectly hallowed ground between Pink Floyd, Mad Professor and classic soul, Massive Attack have always had the extra burden of being true trailblazers. In their wake has come everything from the Mo’Wax record label to the "Bristol Invasion" of the mid-’90s (Portishead, Tricky). Their last album, the dark and subversive Mezzanine, however, was a black celebration, as the band — Daddy G, Mushroom and 3-D — fractured beyond repair making it. That brings us to 100th Window, with 3-D the last man standing. What he comes up with is epic, elaborate and well worthy of the sacred Massive Attack moniker.

Lee Perry has been developing the sound of reggae since the 1960s, and though others have achieved similar results, no one has created music with the same zest and eccentricity. Artists like Max Romeo, Junior Murvin, Dr. Alimintado and Bob Marley have made some of their finest work thriving under Perry's production in the famed Black Ark studios.

Violator is the seventh studio album by the English electronic group Depeche Mode, released by Mute Records on March 19, 1990. Preceded by the hit singles "Personal Jesus" and "Enjoy the Silence" (a Top 10 hit on both sides of the Atlantic), Violator propelled the band into international stardom. The most successful song from the album, Personal Jesus, was ranked number 368 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It is also on Q's 1001 Best Songs Ever.

Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in 1991 in Albany, California, by Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong, both of whom previously played in ska punk band Operation Ivy. The band is credited with helping to revive mainstream popular interest in punk rock in the United States during the mid-1990s.This is a compilation of their greatest hits from the early and middle period of the band.

Linton Kwesi Johnson (aka LKJ) (born 24 August 1952, Chapelton, Jamaica) is a British-based dub poet. He became the second living poet, and the only black poet, to be published in the Penguin Classics series. His poetry involves the recitation of his own verse in Jamaican Patois over dub-reggae, usually written in collaboration with renowned British reggae producer/artist Dennis Bovell.

Like the Velvet Underground, their most obvious influence, the chart success of the Jesus and Mary Chain was virtually nonexistent, but their artistic impact was incalculable; quite simply, the British group made the world safe for white noise, orchestrating a sound dense in squalling feedback which served as an inspiration to everyone from My Bloody Valentine to Dinosaur Jr. This is a CD with B-sides and rarities. Enjoy!

This collection of nu-jazz swing and martini music represents the sound and feel of a popular coffeehouse, in this case the Café De Flore in Paris’ Saint-Germain district.

The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England.Their music combined a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups. The group was formed by songwriter/keyboardist Jerry Dammers, with Terry Hall (vocals), Lynval Golding (guitar, vocals) and a rhythm section. The band wore mod-style "1960s period rude-boy outfits (porkpie hats, tonic and mohair suits, and loafers).

In the seventh installment of the groundbreaking compilation album from Island Records, Patrick Forge and Trevor Wyatt has once again brought together some of the best artistes from the avant-garde music scene and put them in one handy briefcase of both danceable and relaxing songs.

Author, singer, songwriter, playwright and lifelong jazz fan, Boris Vian was a legendary figure in Paris in the post-war years. Vian, who died at the age of 39, left an indelible mark on France's intellectual and artistic life and his avant-garde music, novels and comic sketches continue to inspire a whole generation of fans more than 50 years after his death.

Trombone master Don Drummond was among the seminal figures behind the evolution of ska — a founding member of the legendary Skatalites, he was the genre's most prolific composer, with well over 300 songs to his name before his brief career ended in tragedy. Even prior to the birth of ska, Drummond was already regarded as something of a Jamaican legend for his jazz prowess; as a teacher at West Kingston's Alpha Boys School, he also mentored up-and-comers including Tommy McCook, Rico Rodriguez, Vernon Muller, Joe Harriott and Vincent Gordon.