September 11, 2011|By Siddhartha Mitter
MAGOS HERRERA Her latest album, “Mexico Azul,’’ is a tribute to the cultural mix of her homeland from this fine, jazzy singer who has also mined the Brazilian and Spanish repertoires with equal success. Sept. 14, 8 p.m. Tickets: $20. Scullers. 617-562-4111. www.scullersjazz.com
ANDA UNION From Inner Mongolia on the far north fringes of China, this 10-member group works with Mongolian instruments (including throat singing) to both revive and expand on roots music from the steppes. Sept. 24, 8 p.m. Tickets: $28. Somerville Theatre. 617-876-4275. www.worldmusic.org
ATLAS SOUL This hard-working local act with members from France and North Africa plays a crisp, multilingual soul that’s laced with Moroccan and Algerian rhythms. Sept. 24, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $15. Regattabar. 617-395-7757. www.regattabarjazz.com
STAFF BENDA BILILI Its core members are paraplegics who became virtuosos on hand-made instruments, but this Congolese group would be a joy to hear (and dance to) even without that moving back story. Sept. 30, 8 p.m. Tickets: $40. Somerville Theatre. 617-876-4275. www.worldmusic.org
ABHISHEK RAGHURAM A onetime child prodigy, the vocalist is now an emerging master of Carnatic music, the classical music of Southern India. Sept. 30, 7 p.m. Tickets: $30. Stata Center Auditorium, MIT. 617-258-7971. www.mithas.org
BOUBACAR TRAORÉ Unjustly obscure, Traoré has been a pillar of Malian music from his 1960s rock ’n’ roll days to the deep, soulful Sahel blues he offers today. Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $28. First Church in Cambridge Congregational. 617-876-4275. www.worldmusic.org
LATIN ROCK FEST Local acts with roots in Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, and Dominican Republic gather under the aegis of Boston’s Latin-rock dance party Clandestino. Sept. 30, 9 p.m. Tickets: $25, $20 in advance. Middle East Downstairs. 617-864-3278. www.mideastclub.com
ELIANE ELIAS It’s always a classy, candlelight-ready evening with Brazilian pianist-vocalist Elias, whose repertoire undulates among bossa nova, samba, and American jazz and soul standards. Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 8 and 10 p.m. Tickets: $30. Scullers. 617-562-4111. www.scullersjazz.com
BAABA MAAL The great Senegalese singer serves up insight along with music in this combination concert and in-depth public interview. Oct. 13, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $40, $35 members. Institute of Contemporary Art. 617-876-4275. www.worldmusic.org
INDIA.ARIE AND IDAN RAICHEL Ultra-popular back in Israel for his trancey mix of electronica and global roots, Raichel teams up here with the neo-soul singer India.Arie. Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $40-$60. Berklee Performance Center. 617-876-4275.
BALKAN TALES Accomplished New York-based Bulgarian singer Vlada Tomova leads this ensemble of Balkan-inspired music, from those haunting women’s choir vocals to a smooth, melodic pop. Oct. 21, 8 p.m. Tickets: $22. Johnny D’s. 617-776-2004. www.johnnyds.com
SAMULNORI Korean percussion master Kim Duk-Soo and his group play exhilarating large-ensemble percussion music from a millennia-old tradition, delivered with theatrical fire. Nov. 11, 8 p.m. Tickets: $28-$40. Sanders Theatre. 617-876-4275. www.worldmusic.org
SHUJAAT KHAN A Hindustani (North Indian) recital by a top-flight sitar player and son of late maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan - great lineage in an art where that matters a lot. Nov. 13, 4 p.m. Tickets: $30. Wong Auditorium, MIT. 617-258-7971. www.mithas.org
TINARIWEN The long-running Tuareg ensemble from deep in the Sahara desert never fails to thrill in performance; Tinariwen’s latest album is its most achingly bluesy and deep. Nov. 18, 9 p.m. Tickets: $20. Paradise Rock Club. 617-876-4275. www.worldmusic.org
WATER IS RISING Music and dance from three of the world’s smallest countries - Kiribati, Tokelau, and Tuvalu - against an ominous theme: In the coming decades, all three could be submerged because of global climate change. Nov. 19, 8 p.m. Tickets: $28-$40. Sanders Theatre. 617-876-4275. www.worldmusic.org
