By Dennis Polkow

“Modern Africa is a story that is hard for people to grasp because the single story told about Africa is misery, poverty, people with scars and tattoos,” says African singer Angélique Kidjo during a very animated phone interview from her Paris home. “People in the West have more tattoos than in Africa! We Africans do not help our story to be told differently because we are stuck in it and are afraid to take risks.”

Kidjo herself, however, has always been a risk-taker. The most popular and successful African female vocalist to have emerged since late South African singer Miriam Makeba’s heyday in the 1960s, the Benin-born Kidjo has managed to successfully create her own unique style of Afro-pop that is characterized by funky, African-based dance rhythms topped off by contagious Western pop-inspired melodic hooks sung with a rich, contralto voice so evocative and beautiful that Dave Matthews has described it as the “voice of God.”

“Any risk that you may think that I am taking in my music has already existed in Africa,” says Kidjo, “even music from here. Music from Africa has inspired the music from the Americas, all of it. Why can’t I, as a modern African artist, live within my own time and do the music that I love and that speaks to me?” Read the rest of this entry »

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The last few years have seen an abundance of never-commercially-successful-but-musically-significant acts come out of the past generation’s woodwork to organize reunion tours whereby young truth seekers and fond nostalgists can convene to express gratitude for said acts’ profound impact on the musical landscape. And often this impact is overblown. Some might mistakenly believe that Michael Rother, the former guitarist and surviving member of Krautrock pioneers NEU!, performing their music under the name ‘Hallogallo’ with the help of Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth on drums and Aaron Mullan, falls into this category. But to understand the significance of NEU!’s legacy, it’s important to know that their 1972 eponymous debut—all driving motorik rhythm, pulsing bass lines, and proto-ambient noise—influenced art-rock overlords like Joy Division, Brian Eno and David Bowie. The band split up in 1975, and Rother went on to make more influential work as a solo artist and with Harmonia, but the band’s influence has stretched nearly a full four decades at this point. (Todd Hieggelke)

September 8 at Lincoln Hall, 2424 NorthLincoln, (773)525-2501, 9pm. $20.

The Chemical Brothers

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You’re thinking: What a shock, Chicago’s getting another music festival. And yes, while the novelty of the local music fest may have worn off by now, there’s something to be said about pushing yourself to make time for one more, for the sake of rounding out the summer.

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the first-ever North Coast Music Festival is taking over Pitchfork’s usual stomping grounds in Union Park with a surprisingly diverse mix of artists. Which makes sense, since the lineup was put together by the North Coast Music Group (React, Silver Wrapper, Metronome Chicago, etc), a collaboration of independent promoters in the area who stretch across genres.

For a relatively cheap $65, you’ll get pretty impressive headliners (The Chemical Brothers, Moby, Lupe Fiasco and Umphrey’s McGee) and solid sets from Michigan’s best soul singer/rapper Mayer Hawthorne (Sunday), Pretty Lights’ downtempo funk (Friday) and Grace Potter & The Nocturnals (Saturday). Read the rest of this entry »

Larry Gray, Ramsey Lewis, Leon Joyce

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Legendary jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and broadcaster Ramsey Lewis has become a familiar presence at Ravinia in recent years, where he serves as jazz advisor to the North Shore summer music festival and is also the founder of its year-round Jazz Mentor Program. Performances within Chicago city limits have become far fewer for the Chicago native, however, and in fact, Lewis has not played at a downtown venue in over a decade, and last appeared at the Chicago Jazz Festival over a quarter of a century ago, back in 1984.

Performing with longtime collaborators Larry Gray on bass and drummer Leon Joyce as part of this year’s 32nd annual festival to celebrate Lewis’ seventy-fifth birthday—which was May 27—this unusual downtown concert marks Lewis’ Millennium Park debut and is the Ramsey Lewis Trio’s first-ever free Chicago concert. “This concert is a gift to my hometown—the city that has nurtured me and inspired me my entire life,” says Lewis in a press statement. “We are thrilled to perform at the Pritzker Pavilion surrounded by the vibrancy and awe-inspiring grandeur of the most beautiful city in the world.” Read the rest of this entry »

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It is ironic that Ahmad Jamal is closing out this season’s “Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz” series on the eve of the opening of this year’s Chicago Jazz Festival, for this single concert could well upstage this year’s entire festival lineup.

A seminal pianist and composer of immense imagination and innovation who has had a monumental influence on musicians as diverse as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Jay Z and Kanye West, Jamal has had strong Chicago ties from the beginning of his career back in the late 1940s when he arrived in the Windy City from his native Pittsburgh as part of the Four Strings, soon to be reorganized as the Three Strings. Read the rest of this entry »

The summer is a time for spending time with friends and having fun. Maybe that’s what inspired the members of Chicago pop-rock band Spitalfield. “I think the timing felt right to put together a concert,” says vocalist and guitarist Mark Rose. “We had kicked around the idea of doing something for a while, and the end of this summer seemed to be the right time for everyone to make it happen.”

The band of Glen Ellyn natives began playing in 1998, forming out of high-school friendships. “We relocated to the city post-high school to start college and try to take the group to the next level,” says Rose. Shortly thereafter, they got noticed by local hardcore label Victory Records. After producing three albums for the label and touring in support, they decided to disband, playing farewell shows in late 2007. Since then, Rose has played solo shows as a singer/songwriter under his name. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Foundation Room at the House of Blues and Chicago’s Soul Foundation DJ collective seem a logical match, and not merely in name. The crew kicks off their new monthly party at the riverside venue with Ron Trent, Jevon Jackson and Brian Gardner this weekend. Trent’s blend of soulful house, disco grooves and funky percussion is apparent in his DJ sets and production efforts, and has served him well in his tenure as a Chicago icon. His presence on the decks guarantees a slow, seductive burn able to consume any dancefloor. Jevon Jackson and Brian Gardner are two Soul Foundation alums who watched Trent’s career with great interest, inspiring their own approaches to dancefloor management. Witness the first session and be sure to remember that proper attired is required. (John Alex Colón)

August 28 at House of Blues Foundation Room, 329 N. Dearborn, (312)923-7050. 10pm. Free.

Drumcell

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The driving basslines and menacing synths on the “Analog God EP” were only hinting at the tough techno mayhem inherent in a Dustin Zahn and Drumcell pairing. Released on Drumcell’s Droid imprint, the EP was hailed as an introduction to techno’s new breed. In the two years that followed, Drumcell and Droid supported the LA techno movement with innovative releases and massive events. He regularly takes the Droid sound on the road and provided one of the highlight performances at this year’s Movement festival in Detroit. Zahn helmed the Abiotic label and channeled its success into his current imprint, Enemy, which just released an acclaimed project with Joel Mull. His three-turntable DJ sets and highly-regarded live performances provide him with an incessant touring schedule. While both are capable of aggressive techno sets, they tend to incorporate funky, minimal tunes and house elements to keep the crowd on the dancefloor. (John Alex Colón)

August 27 at Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, (773)549-0203, 10pm. $10-$12.

Todd Mariana

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Fueled by techno and a solid sound system, dB [deciBel] Thursdays continue to satisfy the late-night crowd and close August with two local juggernauts: Todd Mariana and Funk Shui. Mariana spins with the venerable Soul Foundation and co-founded bodElectric, which has presented Chicago with incredible underground events this summer. His blend of deep house and techno complements the sultry tech-house sounds of Funk Shui, whose innovative sets as Wavelength (with Kyle Szmurlo) never disappoint. Other DJs on the bill include Renan and Droopy, who help kick off a monthly collaboration between the dB crew and droopzilla that promises to “get the weekend into your system.” (John Alex Colón)

August 26 at Martini Ranch, 311 West Chicago, (312)335-9500, 10pm. Free.

That little four-stringed instrument associated with whimsical island music seems to be in its renaissance. It could be its non-intimidating size or perhaps its pleasing ease to pick up and pick out a tune. The Chicago Ukulele Cabaret is taking its bi-monthly cabaret to new levels this weekend with the first Great Midwest Ukefest, promising “traditional to extreme and everything in-between.”

“My co-founder, Mike Simons, was inspired by a show he saw in New York called the Ukulele Cabaret, a very free-wheeling open mic that went for hours and hours,” Tony Bianchi, co-founder of the Chicago Ukulele Cabaret says.

The Ukefest is expanding this cabaret, honoring the regular acts at the open mics with a full set. Each curated act will play about ten songs, a 35-40 minute set.

“For some people that will be no problem, but for some that’s the longest they’ve ever played,” Bianchi says. “We want to encourage people to go as far as they want to go.”

There will be eight hours of live music which begins with a two-hour open-mic slot, barbecue and raffles, with proceeds going to the Intonation Music Workshop, a nonprofit that empowers children through innovative music education.

“It’s a very easy instrument to pick up, as a gateway string instrument,” Bianchi says. “It’s great for people who want to play and want to perform but are intimidated by the guitar.” (Lindsey Kratochwill)

August 22, 2pm-10pm, Chief O’Neill’s Pub and Restaurant, 3471 North Elston. $10.