Wu Man

This is not your grandmother's pipa. Virtuoso musician Wu Man steps beyond fusion cliches to true dialogue between her traditional Chinese instrument and the song styles and techniques of the world. Opener "Nandare" sparks with polyrhythm brought in from Ugandan endongo. Elsewhere she sounds like a banjo player, a bandurist or, even better, (as on "Dance of the Yi People") the firebrand pipa Paganini that she is.