The island of Timor is one of a group of 12 island forming the Indonesian Nusa Tenggara Timur province. On the island, 18 distinct languages or dialects are spoken. This CD presents the music of four districts from West Timor (the music of East Timor being presented on another CD). The music of each of these ethnic groups, although showing influences from each other, shows particularities and differences in their music, relative to their ethnic origins and historical experience. The musical ensemble accompanying many of the songs heard is called a "sasando-gong," comprising a set of gong and a sasando, an instrument which is a 10- or 11-string tube zither attached to a boat-shaped palm-tree leaf resonating shell. There exists also a 24, 32, or 40-string version, called the sasando-biola. They also have a local violin called a biola, few guitar-like instruments, and drums. Although the Timorese music shows Polynesian and East Asian characters, it has particularities that makes it unique. A discovery!