Here’s a great way to help the people of Haiti and learn about their musical heritage in the process. World Music Network is donating 100% of the proceeds from the sale of The Rough Guide to the Music of Haiti to Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders). Click here to visit World Music Network—you can listen to clips of the CD before you buy it and learn more about MSF.

Travel guide publisher Rough Guides has partnered with World Music Network to offer music collections, and they’re a great way to preview the sounds of your next destination or recall your last adventure. Currently on deck is Turkish Café, a compilation that offers an interesting mix of traditional and modern songs.

“Mesk Havasi” features Selim Sesler’s intoxicating gypsy clarinet. There’s excitement and a sense of adventure on this track—it will make you want to join up with the nearest caravan. Same goes for “Nihavent Oyun Havasi” from Ensemble Huseyin Turkmenler. It starts slow, sneaking up on the listener, and then bursts into sensuous strings and hip-shimmying tabla.

Sezen Aksu, the so-called Queen of Turkish Pop, lends her rich, throaty voice to several tracks. “Oh Oh” is playful pop, while “O Sensin” feels like a tango, with a dramatic but understated push-pull between the instrumentation and the vocals.

“Tulum Roman Havasi” from Ahmet Kusgov Ve Arkandaslari is a traditional piece that sounds like Eastern-flavored jazz. The horn on the track is reminiscent of a saxophone, and it moves freeform over the notes scale. For the bellydancers out there, Muslum Gurses’ “Kendimi Kaybettim” is a straight-up performance piece that sounds more Arabian than Turkish.

“Deniz Dalgasiz Olmaz” from Cengiz Ozkan is an undeniably happy tune—it’s light-heartedness calls the music of the Caribbean to mind. “Aynur Dogan” from Kece Kurdan is quick-stepping and builds on itself—the audio equivalent of an action film.

The last track, “Kusu Kalkmaz,” will stick with you. It’s Turkish rap from Sultana. Check out the video—a racy blend of Madonna and Salt-n-Pepa. Gotta love it.

Bonus: Pop this CD into your computer to read travel content from Rough Guides. Great music and help planning your next trip? Sounds like the perfect wanderluster combination.

If you enjoy this collection, check out Turkish Groove from Putumayo—tons of great tracks there, too.