World music is an acquired taste that many people never come to acquire. It sits outside the major corporate music machine, and although it can be appreciated in the United States, it seldom achieves much more than cult success without the backing of an established major artist such as a Paul Simon to champion its cause. There are many different kinds of world beat music, since, well, it encompasses the whole world, but when most people think world beat, they think afro-pop. If you are open to African music you know that at its best it can be powerful, improvisational, funky Jazz, fueled by anger and political allegation. There
