Pakistan

Because of the country's history and geographical realities, the musical traditions of Pakistan are inextricably tied to its neighbors: on the one side, northern India; on the other, Afghanistan and Iran. Those musical links bear testament to Pakistan's place for centuries as a cultural crossroads.

Having said that, it's impossible to speak of Pakistani music without acknowledging the tremendous emotional force and widespread impact that the qawwali genre—and, more specifically, the gravitational pull that one artist above all else, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan—has had on audiences around the world. Whether heard in its most traditional quarters (a Sufi saint's shrine), or in the highly intimate setting of an aficionado's home during a mehfil gathering, or on the concert stage of a Western auditorium, qawwali is Pakistani music par excellence.

However, Pakistan is also home to some fascinating folk traditions, including fierce Pashtun music from the city of Peshawar in Northwest Frontier Province (documented on the release Chants Pashtous du Pakistan on the French label Long Distance); Sindhi music from the southern province of Sindh (try Sindhi Soul Session on Shanachie); and the sounds of the Baluchi people, who are fanned across Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran (again on Shanachie: Love Songs and Trance Hymns, performed by the Baluchi Ensemble of Karachi).

In addition, vocal fans should be on the lookout for recordings by Pakistani film playback singing queen Noor Jehan as well as recordings by outstanding Pakistani practitioners of Hindustani classical music like Salamat Ali Khan. For a taste of Noor Jehan's work, plus a sampling of qawwali, ghazal and other styles, check out The Rough Guide to the Music of Pakistan (World Music Network). —Anastasia Tsioulcas