African Music Concerts Week of Jun 11 - Jun 17

Andre is one of the great Cameroonian bass players living in LA. He has a little world jazz band that plays some of his older music and some newer stuff. Lately he has been joined by violinist Karen Briggs to bring a new twist to his sound.

Put some Congolese Rumba and Latin Salsa together in a bottle, add a dash of pepper and a pinch of spice, shake and serve hot. That is the formula for Ricardo's brand of music. This is one of the outdoor summer series concerts, so take the family and have a picnic while you aren't dancing.

Baaba Maal made the Afropop sound recognized around the world. He continues as ambassador of Senegalese popular music by touring annually. This year you won't have to use your binoculars. You can be right on the edge of the stage an arms length away. This is a decent venue to see him, but it gets packed so tight that you can't move. Look to escape upstairs and wear a short sleeve shirt or layers that you can take off as the body heat rises.

You might get lucky and score tickets to the Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. He should be performing there during the day along with countless other jazz stars.

If you are looking for a cheaper show to see, try "Knockout Ned" from City of God, the fantastic film about the teenage drug lords in Brazil. He has a new CD and the songs were part of the soundtrack for The Life Aquatic.