World music means many things to many people.
From the point of view of this column, it makes more sense to be inclusive rather than exclusive, to spread a listening umbrella receptive to everything from the Afro-beat pop of the Paris recording studios to the unique sounds of tropical New Guinea. This three-CD boxed set offers a compelling view of the transformations that have taken place in the lives of the Bosavi people in the southern highlands of Papua New Guinea. One CD chronicles the richly expressive music of ritual and ceremony present as recently as the '60s and early '70s, before the arrival of evangelizing missionaries. Yes, there is music from south of the Rio Grande besides the norteno style. Putumayo's sampler reveals a colorful and diverse tapestry of music, reaching from Zapotec and Mixtec roots to the trova of the Yucatan.