The Ethiopiques series is one of the best world music series out there, but at some 21 volumes, it has also become one of the more intimidating in which to invest. This two CD collection eases the burden slightly by compiling the cream of the crop from an imprint that has well chronicled a golden era of Ethiopian music that occurred in the 1960s & 70s. Of course, arguments can be made for the superiority of any number of the individual volumes, but this set is still a phenomenal introduction to music that had its ears pointed everywhere: soul, jazz, funk, African, blues, big band, past, present and future.