The Kusun Ensemble performs in Rogers Park Saturday as part of the Chicago World Music Festival.
Step out of your musical comfort zone and try a new beat.
Summer music festival season isn’t quite over — there’s still the 11th annual Chicago World Music Festival, tomorrow through Thursday. The fest features traditional and contemporary music from diverse cultures across the world, with some 55 global concerts at 21 venues.
Many events are free, and all of them are less than $15.
Highlights of the free concerts include:
- France’s Watcha Clan, 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at Navy Pier, followed by the World Music Festival fireworks display.
- Ghana’s Kusun Ensemble, 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at Gale Community Park in Rogers Park.
- Chicago’s Steve Gibons Gypsy Rhythm Project, noon, Monday, Sept. 20 at Millennium Park in the Loop.
- New York City’s Electric Junkyard Gamelan, noon Monday, Sept. 21, at Daley Plaza in the Loop.
- Turkey’s Mehter Ottoman Turkish Military Band, 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21 at Millennium Park in the Loop.
- Poland’s Mikrokolektyw, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Streeterville.
- Columbia’s Maria Gomez Quintet, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, at Columbia College in the South Loop.
- Venezuela’s Dame Pa’Matala, Chile and Puerto Rico’s Rebel Diaz, and Palestine’s Muhammed P.R., 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, at Martyr’s in North Center.
- India’s Rhythm of Rajasthan, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Lincoln Square.
- One World Under One Roof, global concerts on three stages, 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Chicago Cultural Center in the Loop.
For the complete lineup, descriptions and sound clips, see the World Music Festival Web site. The Reader also has a nice guide.
