Malian guitarist Oumar Konate and his band are generally marketed here to Malian émigrés and world music fans, but based on his most recent album Addoh, Guitar Player Magazine subscribers should also pay attention. On cuts like “Maydeni (Hey, Beautiful)” and “Ma Cherie (Baby Don’t Do Me Wrong),” Konate lets loose mid-song with fast-fingered, high-pitched solos that should wow metal and Hendrix fans alike. He smartly balances the flash with his stirring, melodic vocals, and funky grooves from his bassist and drummer. Once a sideman with celebrated Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Toure, Konate also knows how to lay back, slow things down, or add uniquely Malian polyrhythms. While it might help to speak various Malian languages and French to appreciate his vocals, his emotional passion and range are noticeable to this English-only speaker on both a song about the destruction of his country and another that translates to “shake that thing.” At this show, the latter will apply. Oct. 5 at Tropicalia. $10.
Oumar Konate
Oct. 5 at Tropicalia
