A great bassist from Nigeria joins with the lead guitarist from Fela's band for a tour of West African music. This is a good chance to see the performers up close, dance with other audience members and thoroughly enjoy an evening of Nigerian music culture.

Born in Portugal to Cape Verdean parents, Lura blends traditional and modern music.

The Mami Wata exhibit at Fowler Museum on the UCLA campus continues their show through August, but today they celebrate mermaids. There will be a parade, food vendors and two bands playing: Viver Brasil and Balobi Bandeko. The latter is a Los Angeles based band with Congolese influence. In addition, DJ Nnamdi of 90.7 KPFK will be broadcasting his weekly Afrodicia show live from the museum. Bring the whole family and catch the museum exhibit while you are here! Free, but you need to pay $8 for parking.

The Ash Grove was a Hollywood landmark of live music. The 50th anniversary of the founding is being celebrated with a large array of excellent performers on both Friday, April 18 and Saturday, April 19. Friday includes Ry Cooder, who did "Talking Timbuktu" with Ali Farka Toure; Saturday includes Taj Mahal the purveyers of world blues which owes a large debt to African sounds, and Dwight Trible the jazz legend who is the vocal leader of the Horace Tapscott Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra.

You might be able to get in to the free concert on Sunday, April 20 from 2:15-4:45PM at Schoenberg Hall with Taj Mahal and Ashley Maher. Show up an hour early to get a ticket.

Opening at 9:30 is a local Zimbabwean-flavored marimba band. Then at 10:30 is the Sahara Desert Nomad Blues music of Etran Finatawa of Niger. I have never heard of them playing here before. The Marimba website indicates that Afrobeat Down will be playing at 11:15PM, but I suspect the desert blues have pre-empted them. Both bands for one price.

This looks like the show to attend in April!