American Clave has been a label at the forefront of the explosion previously known as worldbeat and currently as world music. They issued progressive salsa from
Kip Hanrahan, ambitious free music by
Don Pullen, the lush, sensual tango of
Astor Piazzolla and even hard-hitting poetry by Ishmael Reed aided by gritty Southern soul from
Bobby Womack. This two-disc sampler captures the label's eclectic, multi-cultural, international flavor with 28 selections featuring their roster of stars. This is one of the few samplers better than some feature albums. ~ Ron Wynn