An excerpt from the autobiography of Emperor Haile Selassie, in exile in England following the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1935, describing His family's life in England and the difficulty of practicing their religion.

Beres Hammond's Music Is Life, Morgan Heritage siblings LMS, the prolific Glen Washington and guitar god Tony Chin's solo effort are just the tip of the reggae iceberg.

Dusty the Congo African Grey parrot gets ruffled feathers from electronic music while Bob heads east to listen to the Istanbul Oriental Ensemble, Gypsy Caravan and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan; south to enjoy Los Super Seven and Septeto Nacional, and over the top with Hevia, the heaviest bagpiper on the planet.

From London, Mr. Music discusses two recent books on anarchy in the Congo, Sandrow Birk's art exhibit depicting anarchy in California, new music from Cuba and Tony Allen's latest Afrobeat experiments.

Michael Kuelker discusses the seminal career of Jamaican music pioneer Prince Buster.

Jazz icon Ron Carter surmounts personal tragedy with a groundbreaking Latin jazz album, When Skies Are Grey; Peret, the Elvis of Catalan rumba, is back in the building; music from the African communities of Peru and Ecuador from Pepe Vasquez and Carmen Gonzalez; plus Manny Oquendo and an all-star parade of mambistas on Mas Mambo Mania.

Tributes to two African jazz pioneers: Congolese music historian Gary Stewart eulogizes Roger Izeidi, King of the Maracas in Kabasele's African Jazz orchestra; and Edmund Ntemi Piliso, saxophonist and bandleader of South Africa's African Jazz Pioneers, by Graeme Ewens.

The visionary Paul Bowles, renaissance man of Morocco, is laid to rest in Glenora, NY. Mohammed Hamri's book, Tales of Joujouka, Hamid El Gnawi's Saha Koyo recording reviewed.

Carnaval is celebrated with dancing in the streets in Brazil as well as on a new compilation of carnival music from other Mardi Gras hot spots. Marisa Monte talks to Marty Lipp about her album, Memories, Chronicles and Declarations of Love.

Roger Steffens' exhibit of his Reggae Archives at the Queen Mary open to great acclaim in a whirlwind of events celebrating Bob Marley.

Zouk progenitors Kassav' return to the source with Nou La; new releases from Haiti and Trinidad include the unusual combination of East Indian sitar and tabla and West Indian chutney soca by Mungal Patasar.

Mr. Marlon's "Musical Murder" names I Roy's Touting I Self as Album of the Month, and Danian "Junior Gong" Marley's It Was Written as Jam of the Month, plus a roundup of dancehall compilations and singles. Reviews: 10 Ft. Ganja Plant, Hillside Airstrip; and Raz Mesinai, The Unspeakable, by Robert Nelson; book review of Thomas Turino's Nationalists, Cosmopolitans and Popular Music in Zimbabwe by Ron Sakolsky.