The music described here is all broadly similar in form. It is the solo (and small ensemble) performances which most interest me, so I have eschewed the other forms. However, there is still a wide variety of sonority and melodic material to be found in this region.
The reader will notice that this section is generally quite sparse, especially on the Arabic side, considering the number of major cultures it purports to cover. The simple fact is that there are relatively few fully satisfying recordings available.
Also, it's important to note that the strongest traditions do not generally respect national boundaries.
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Todd M. McComb