21
SATURDAY
Super Rail Band may have spent 25-plus years performing at a bar in a train station, but it’s not just a lounge act. Led by guitarist Djelimady Tounkara, these pioneers electrified traditional Malian stringed-instrument rhythms, then merged that sound with Congolese and Cuban grooves to create their own brand of swinging dance pop. The groupwhich was influential throughout the ’70s but less successful in the ’80shas updated its sound: Its most recent disc, Mansa, features octave-climbing vocals from a trio of singers, insistent percussive beats, soulful horn blasts, and masterful guitar work. The ensemble plays with Boubacar Traore at 8 p.m. at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna. $15-$27. (703) 218-6500. (Steve Kiviat)