this week in music

SIDI TOURÉ

Saturday, August 4, Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St., $18, 9:30
Monday, August 6, SummerStage, Marcus Garvey Park, free, 7:00
www.myspace.com/siditoure

Amadou & Mariam might be the most well known Malian musicians around the world, but there’s another guitarist from that country who is also making a much-deserved name for himself, and both will be playing in New York City on August 4. The Blind Couple from Mali, who hail from Bamako, are headlining a free SummerStage show in the afternoon in Central Park, while Sidi Touré, an extraordinary guitarist from Gao, will be at Joe’s Pub at 9:30, followed by a free show Monday night in Marcus Garvey Park with Afro-Cuban specialists the Pedrito Martinez Group and South Africa’s Wouter Kellerman. On his full-length debut, 2011’s Sahel Folk, Touré recorded duets in his sister’s Gao home, but on his follow-up, Koïma (Thrill Jockey, April 2012), which means “Go hear,” Touré has opted for a fuller sound, heading into a Bamako studio with a quintet and coming out with ten pristine tunes built around traditional Songhaï music blended with Western folk and blues, featuring Touré and Oumar Konaté on guitar, Alex Baba on calabash, Charles-Eric Charrier on bass, and Zumana Téreta on sokou. Touré, who was born into a noble Malian lineage, is joined by female vocalist Leïla Gobi for sweet harmonies and beautiful conversational back-and-forths on such standout tracks as “Maïmouna,” “Woy tiladio (Beautiful Woman, Goddess of Water),” and “Ishi tanmaha (They No Longer Hope).” Although not related to his late fellow countryman Ali Farka Touré, Sidi Touré is well on his way to establishing himself as another Malian musician making his mark on the world music scene.

SUMMERSTAGE: AMADOU & MARIAM

Amadou & Mariam will lead their own unique celebration of world music in Central Park on August 4

Rumsey Playfield, Central Park
Saturday, August 4, free, 3:00
212-360-2777
www.summerstage.org
www.amadou-mariam.com

For more than thirty years, Amadou and Mariam, the Blind Couple from Mali, have been making beautiful music together, combining the personal with the political in singing about love, compassion, freedom, social change, and good times. Both born in Bamako, guitarist Amadou Bagayoko, who lost his sight when he was sixteen, and vocalist Mariam Doumbia, who lost hers when she was five, met at the Institute for the Blind and got married in 1980. They’ve recorded seven studio albums together since 1998, displaying their intoxicating take on world music and Afro-blues while compiling a growing list of international musicians who have recorded with them. Their latest album, Folila (Nonesuch, April 2012), which means “music,” was originally going to be two very different discs, one recorded in Bamako with traditional Mali musicians, the other in New York with indie superstars, but instead it merged into one stellar collection of twelve songs featuring such special guests as Santigold, Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters, Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, members of Antibalas, Ebony Bones, Abdallah Oumbadougou, Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio, and Theophilus London, among others. They also collaborated on most of the record with controversial French musician Bertrand Cantat, the former leader of Noir Désir who killed his girlfriend, popular French actress Marie Trintignant, in 2003 and was paroled in 2007 after spending less than half of his eight-year sentence in prison. On the bluesy “Oh Amadou,” one of the three songs with prominent vocals from Cantat, they sing, “There are happy days / There are miserable days / There are moments of pleasure / There are moments of suffering.” Although they do get serious, they also know how to have plenty of fun. “We’re here to cheer people up and make them happy,” they explain on “Dougou Badia,” which features Santigold, continuing, “Life’s about having fun / It’s about joy and celebration.” It all comes together most fabulously on “C’est Pas Facile Pour Les Aigles,” with Amadou and Mariam joined by Ebony Bones for a rollicking song sung in multiple languages and taking on such topics as racism and immigration. The Mali duo will be headlining a free SummerStage show in Central Park on August 4 at 3:00, on a bill with funky Kenyan quartet Just a Band and Trinidad-born Brooklyn rapper London, who is likely to join Amadou and Mariam on their Folila collaboration, “Nebe Miri.”

HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

Twenty-second annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival takes place this weekend in Flushing Meadows Corona Park

Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Saturday, August 3, and Sunday, August 4, free, 8:30 am – 6:00 pm
718-767-1776
www.hkdbf-ny.org

More than twenty-three hundred years ago, ailing and exiled Chinese minister and master poet Qu Yuan walked into the Miluo River, intent on ending his life via ritual suicide. His followers’ race to save him, and to honor his spirit by throwing dumplings into the water, is the folklore behind the annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, taking place this weekend in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. More than 170 teams will be participating in seventy-five races over the two days, in special dragon boats that can hold as many as twenty crewmembers. The festivities also include live music and dance, martial arts demonstrations, food booths, and a family-friendly arts and crafts tent featuring calligraphy, rice doll making, kite making, origami, bead stringing, and more. The performances begin on Saturday morning at 10:30 with the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York and continue with Lion Dancers from Zhanjian at 12:45, the Bailen Brothers at 1:30, Shaolin Masters at 2:30, and Dana Leong and His Music, with MC iLLspokiNN, at 3:30. Sunday’s lineup gets under way at 10:00 with Mariachi Aguila y Plata, followed by Dance China NY at 10:30, the Lion Dancers at 11:00, Napua Davoy’s Brave New World at 12 noon, Shaolin Masters at 1:00, and Ballet Folklórico Nuevo Amanecer de Jesus Cortez at 2:00.

SUMMER STREETS

The people will occup Park Ave. for three successive Saturdays during annual Summer Streets program (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Park Ave. & 72nd St. to Foley Square
Saturday, August 4, 11, 18, free, 7:00 am – 1:00 pm
www.nyc.gov

The New York City government — or at least Mayor Michael Bloomberg — is on a mission to make its citizens healthier. While that has led to controversy over trans fats and the size of soft drinks, it has also resulted in the annual Summer Streets program, when Park Ave. is closed to vehicles from 72nd St. all the way down to Foley Sq., instead to be filled with people walking, jogging, skating, and biking between seven in the morning and one o’clock in the afternoon. On August 4, 11, and 18, the third annual Summer Streets will include activities for the mind and body throughout the route, which features several rest stops. At Fifty-first St., there will be a tai chi class taught by the Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA, bachata lessons from the Piel Canela Dance Company, a double dutch performance by the National Double Dutch League, theatrical teasers from the upcoming New York Fringe Festival, salsa lessons from Salsa New York, and an Ecuadorian dance performance courtesy of the Ayazamana Cultural Center. At Fortieth St., you’ll encounter restorative yoga and meditation by Yoga Agora, massage therapy from Pegasus Wellness, and a site-specific urban art installation. At Twenty-fifth St., you can rent bikes and rollerblades for free and learn about recycling. At Astor Pl. and Lafayette St., Crunch will host a series of public workouts, including Sunrise Salutations and Masala Bhangra, and you can find another site-specific urban art installation. At Spring and Lafayette, the REI Outdoor School will hold bicycle seminars, with free repairs from Bicycle Habitat, and you can climb a rock wall. And finally, at Foley Square, there is yoga from Shape Up NYC, a Taiwanese Temple Fair from Chio-Tian Folk Drum & Arts Group, a dance cardio workout led by Broadway Bodies, free zip-lining, more art, a mobile playground, and live performances from Still Saffire, Asphalt Green, and the National Double Dutch League. Even if that is all too much to swallow, just going for a leisurely stroll down a vehicle-free Park Ave. makes for a memorable experience.

PARKED! A FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL 2012

Get ready for some big crowds and long lines at Parked! food truck festival (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Pier 17, South Street Seaport
Saturday, August 4, free, 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
parked.meanredproductions.com

The fifth annual Parked! food truck festival rolls into the South Street Seaport on Saturday, featuring an international collection of gastronomic delights on wheels in addition to live music and other activities. Among this year’s mobile eateries are the Jam Stand, Taim, Bongo Bros., Schnitzel & Things, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Chinese Mirch, Valducci’s Pizza, Takumi Taco, and Green Pirate Juice. We highly recommend starting with the fried mac and cheese bites from Gorilla Cheese, teriyaki balls from Mimi & Coco, and tantalizing spicy rice cakes from Kimchi Taco before moving on to the excellent burger from Frites n Meats and a side of yucca fries from Big D’s Grub Truck. We’re hoping for more dessert choices than just the ubiquitous Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, but that’ll still do in a pinch. The musical lineup focuses on the blues with John Hammond, the Juggs, the Loom, Ulysses Cannon, the Liza Colby Sound, and Johnnie Lee Jordan & the Boys taking the stage on Pier 17; there will also be beer and champagne gardens as well as such children’s activities as face painting, the David Rockwell-designed Imagination Playground, and magicians. More than twenty thousand gourmands took part in last year’s Parked! festival, so be prepared for long lines, especially between five and seven o’clock, when all the people who bought the Parked Pass show up to eat their $65 worth.

CELEBRATE BROOKLYN! WILD FLAG, MISSION OF BURMA, TED LEO

Wild Flag will headline one of the best free shows of the summer season August 3 in Prospect Park with Ted Leo and Mission of Burma

Prospect Park Bandshell
Prospect Park West & Ninth St.
Friday, August 3, free (suggested donation $3), 7:00
www.bricartsmedia.org

“Hey, hey, can you feel it? The way it sways you, the hum in your chest?” indie supergroup Wild Flag asks on “Romance,” the lead song of their debut, eponymously titled 2011 record, continuing, “You make my feet move, you turn my head loose. That’s why I love you best.” Fans and critics alike have been feeling it, moving their feet and showing their love for singer-guitarist Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney, Portlandia), keyboardist Rebecca Cole (the Minders, the Shadow Mortons), guitarist Mary Timony (Helium, Autoclave), and drummer Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks), who play thrilling beach-ready riot grrrl pop with groovy harmonies and exuberant beats on such spirit-lifting tunes as “Glass Tambourine,” “Boom,” “Future Crimes,” and the galloping “Racehorse.” Wild Flag will be headlining one of the best free shows of the season on August 3 at the Prospect Park Bandshell as part of the Celebrate Brooklyn! series. The night begins with local outdoor favorite Ted Leo, who will be performing a solo set, but there’s no reason to fear that he turns into a treacly singer-songwriter without the Pharmacists. Leo will be followed by Boston-based postpunk legends Mission of Burma, who earned their well-deserved reputation during their brief run in the early 1980s but have come back with a vengeance after reuniting in 2002, currently out on the road behind their kickass new disc, Unsound, a hard-driving, propulsive collection of fiery songs that never let up, with guitarist Roger Miller, bassist Clint Conley, drummer Peter Prescott, and tape manipulator and engineer Bob Weston tearing through such relentless tracks as “Dust Devil,” “Semi-Pseudo-Sort-of-Plan,” “Fell –> H2O,” and “ADD in Unison.” Get there early, because this one should be packed.

FIRST SATURDAYS: CARIBBEAN RHYTHMS

Zing Experience will help celebrate Haitian culture at Brooklyn Museum on Saturday night

Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway at Washington St.
Saturday, Augsut 4, free, 5:00 – 10:00 (some events require free tickets distributed in advance at the Visitor Center)
212-864-5400
www.brooklynmuseum.org

The Brooklyn Museum is getting into its annual Caribbean groove with its August First Saturdays program, celebrating the cultural heritage of Haiti. The free evening begins at 5:00 with Val Jeanty, Buyu Ambroise, and Zing Experience showcasing a mix of Haitian music and also includes dance performances by Makeda Thomas (FreshWater), NICODA (How We Are Connected), and League of Unreal Dancing and a dance workshop taught by Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy. There will be a screening of Reina de mi misma, Queen of Myself: Las Krudas d’ Cuba, Celiany Rivera-Velázquez’s 2010 documentary about the lesbian hip-hop group Las Krudas, as well as a book talk with Elizabeth Nunez, who will discuss her 2011 novel, Boundaries, which deals with a Caribbean immigrant in New York. There will also be gallery talks and a hands-on art workshop, along with time to see such exhibitions as “Raw Cooked: Ulrike Müller,” “Aesthetic Ambitions: Edward Lycett and Brooklyn’s Faience Manufacturing Company,” “Playing House,” “Rachel Kneebone: Regarding Rodin,” “Newspaper Fiction: The New York Journalism of Djuna Barnes, 1913–1919,” and others.