The City is one of the best places in the US of A to hear live music in all its glorious permutations. Here’s a batch of CDs that should whet your appetite for artists soon visiting the Bay Area.

Zimbabwe’s Oliver Mtukudzi (Moo-too-kud-zee) is Zimbabwe’s top pop star, although his music isn’t “pop” in the American sense. In Zimbabwe pop and traditional music inform each other rhythmically and stylistically. His style is called ‘tsava,’ which is related to South African jive. It’ll be familiar to anyone who loved Paul Simon’s Graceland. Mtukudzi’s latest, Tsimba Itsoka (Heads Up), is full of the propulsive grooves that have made him an international favorite. Percolating guitar lines, gently swinging saxophones, thumping bass lines and soulful female backing vocalists support Mtukudzi’s warm, honeyed tones on a dozen tunes brimming over with charm and good humor. Mtukudzi and The Black Spirits play Friday through Sunday, October 26 to 28 at Yoshi’s in Jack London Square, Oakland at 8 and 10 pm. www.yoshis.com.

By: J. Poet