Travel the World With Putumayo

The title is Travel the World with Putumayo, and they’re not kidding. The fine folks at Putumayo traveled far and wide to put together this compilation of world-music videos, the first in a proposed series. A couple of the nations represented include Congo, via Los Angeles-based Ricardo Lemvo’s “Mamba Yo Yo” (filmed in his beloved Cuba), and Brazil, via local favorite Chico César with the award-winning “Mama Africa.” And when is the last time you heard anything from Guinea-Bissau? (Flamenco-influenced singer-songwriter Bidinte does the honors.) Highlights include the Gotan Project’s black-and-white tango fantasia for “Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre)” and Hisham Abbas’ Bollywood-flavored “Nari Nari.” The DVD also features clips of Oliver Mtukudzi and Habib Koité live in concert, along with short, but informative biographies of each artist. And, unlike the experiencing of listening to this music on CD, all the videos are subtitled (even the liner notes are in several languages). –Kathleen C. Fennessy