Putumayo is a marvelous company that compiles music from all over the world, and then exquisitely creates a marvelous gumbo with the result. On Putumayo Presents Afro-Cubano, the company looks at a specific style of music that grew from the African diaspora.

During the diaspora from the African continent, people who were forced to leave their countries to grow sugarcane, tobacco and other products carried with them a blend of musical traditions and styles. It was a very hard life but, just as in the United States, their music survived. On this wonderful CD, Putumayo shares a travelogue of sorts with music from Cuba as well as African countries such as Cameroon, Congo, Angola, Senegal and more. If the listener has little knowledge of Afro-Cuban music and the combination that leads to this melange of music, then this album is for you.

This CD starts with a "Bessoka (Version Courte)" by a master, Manu DiBango, who played a number of instruments and was a well-known figure in African music for half a century. As was often the case with many young men of his time, DiBango was sent to a French boarding school as a teenager, learned about music and began playing on the local jazz scene. He eventually joined a band and, as is said, the rest is his-story. Rich in a blend of Afro-Cubano sounds and music, as well as DiBango's unique voice, this is an excellent song with which to start.

Many of the songs and artists featured on this album may already be familiar to you. In Jesus Alejandro, we hear the music of an exceptionally talented and underrated performer on many instruments. Alejandro goes by the nickname of El Nino, which translates to "The Boy" and may be a sly joke at his many talents. His song "Adios Guajara/Goodbye Country Girl" is a lament for a lost love that needs no translation.

Other songs and artists here include "Dur Di Kutubel" by Eneida Marta, "Sociedade Parasita" by Uziel Sanca, "Femme Noire" by Meissa, Paraiso Guajiro by Rey Cabrera, "Boracho" by Sonora Paramarera, "Requiem de l'Amour" by Mel Malonga, "Santomense" by Neto Amado and "N'dona Ponte" by Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca.

I have listened to the music on this fine CD many times, and I find it enchanting, unique, mysterious and full of universal themes to which many of us can relate. Putumayo Presents Afro-Cubano opens another world to so many of us, and I look forward to their next foray into music of the world.