I agree completely: The ignorance of the average American (and, sadly, the average Italian-American) never ceases to amaze me, either. In a world where the Internet is supposed to make everyone more intelligent and open-minded, where the myriad of books on every conceivable topic in the world that are printed everyday are supposed to make people more sophisticated, why is it that we are more prejudiced, superficial, and close-minded than ever?

This is especially true regarding anything Italian.

The average person out there will have a hell of a time listening to and digesting this collection of authentic Italian folk music (as well as anything else Alan Lomax put out about Italy) because it's not superficial like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Frankie Valli, stuff that reminds the ignorant of the mafia or the Sopranos, or similar garbage.

Nah, you won't hear this stuff in The Olive Garden or Bertucci's ... not by a long shot.

Like the reviewer from Portland pointed out, Alan Lomax was a musical anthropologist, an ethnomusicologist. He was interested in preserving timeless music - sung by generations of Italians for hundreds, possibly thousands, of years - and that was in danger of being lost forever due to the after-effects of World War II, when ethnic things were shunned and Italy was made to suffer ungodly for siding with Germany during the war.

When Lomax made these field recordings, in the 1950's, the Americanization bug really bit Italians and he was lucky to get the music that he got where he got them from. This is a great "sampler" CD in that it covers just about every region from Sicilia to Sardinia.

My personal favorites are the two songs from Lungro, Cosenza, Calabria, "La Serenata" and "La Strina." I'm sorry I never got the chance to email Mr. Lomax when he was alive to tell him how much it touched me to hear music from the village of my great-great-grandmother.

I also love "Saltarella" from the region of Lazio, not too far from Rome. Everytime I listen to it, I can imagine the people he recorded this with leaping to it and thoroughly enjoying themselves. It was also interesting to hear "Lipa Ma Marica" (from the province of Friuli Venezia Giulia) and the fact that it sounds more Slavic than my Frankie Yankovic CD of Polish folk songs.

Even though I can't read music, I deeply appreciate the cultural notes and the depth of the musical knowledge of these songs that Lomax included in the liner notes.

Alan Lomax's contribution to the world of ethnic music can and never will be matched. He did so many people a favor by preserving timeless folks songs - from the Deep South of America, to true rhythm and blues, to jazz, to world music (Italy, the former Yugoslavia, Romania, France, etc.) - music that was around for hundreds of years and in danger of fading away forever.

His collections are for the serious of ethnic music lovers - amateur and professional.

Well, I don't know what I was expecting when I bought this; something along the lines of "classic Italian tunes," I believe. Well, if you're in search of something to listen to while sharing a bowl of pasta with friends, this isn't it! You'd loose your stomach! The singers are not professionals, the sound quality is very good - so you hear every straining note from the "artists." This would be a good album for an Italian language teacher, to explore dialectical differences within Italy, but beyond educational pursuits, I wouldn't reccommend this album.

i come from italy and i must say it is very authentic. i love it. it sounds just like home. i do not knoww why anybody does not like it. if you want great italian music, i suggest this. it is very lively and happy. i love this cd. it remind me of home.