"Over the past two decades, a steady stream of recordings, videos, feature films, festivals, and concerts has presented the music of Balkan Roma to Western audiences, who have greeted them with exceptional enthusiasm. Yet, as the author notes, “Roma are revered as musicians and reviled as people.” In this book, Silverman introduces readers to the people and cultures who produce this music, offering a sensitive and incisive analysis of how Romani musicians address the challenges of discrimination. Focusing on southeastern Europe then moving to the diaspora, her book examines the music within Roma communities, the lives and careers of outstanding musicians, and the marketing of music in the electronic media and “world music” concert circuit."

Oxford University Press, 432 pages