Photograph: Erin Patrice O'BrienRed Baraat is one of the bands playing at World Music Festival.

8 acts to see at Chicago World Music Festival 2015

Not sure what shows to see during this year's World Music Festival? Plan your schedule with our guide to the best acts

Written by

Wednesday September 9 2015

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email WhatsApp

Advertising

You can hear plenty of great groups in local rock venues, but it's important to remember that there's an entire world of music to explore. The 17th annual World Music Festival brings bands from all over the globe to Chicago for 11 days of free concerts. Not sure where to start? We've gathered a list of the best groups, ranging from desert blues guitarists to Finnish folk singers. Embark on a musical journey (without leaving the city) with the help of our World Music Festival guide.

An email you’ll actually love

Get into a relationship with our newsletter. Discover the best of the city, first.

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed!

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!

Photograph: Ferny Chung

Red Baraat

Music
Latin and world

Brooklyn-based drummer and bandleader Sunny Jain heads Red Baraat, said to be the first Indian marching band in the United States. The live-wire group fuses the exuberant Punjabi wedding-band tradition with Bollywood classics and New Orleans brass.

Also playing: September 12 at Pritzker Pavilion, 3pm

Photograph: Eleonora Alberto

Cyro Baptista's Banquet of the Spirits

Music
Jazz

Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista, an exuberant performer and bandleader comfortable with everything from minutely detailed free improv to explosive party-band revelry, brings his Banquet of the Spirits quartet to the Old Town School of Folk Music. Drawing on everything from bossa nova to Captain Beefheart, Baptista and company create endearingly strange music with boundless influences.

Also playing: September 11 at Martyrs', 8pm

Advertising

Terakaft

Music
Latin and world

A Saharan group formed in 2001 by ex-members of Tinariwen, Terakaft is certain to snare anyone hooked on the dusty desert-blues grooves of that feted outfit. The group's latest record, Alone, was inspired by the political and social unrest in Mali, adding a defiant tone to the band's conscientious songs.

Photograph: David Norton

We Banjo 3

Music
Folk, country and blues

Don't be fooled: We Banjo 3 may look like an Irish version of pre-leather jacket Mumford & Sons, but the suspenders-sporting quartet prefers bluegrass riffs over foot-stomping anthems. Blending Celtic melodies with Americana trappings, this quartet is a truly global act.

Also playing: September 17 at Chicago Cultural Center, Preston Bradley Hall, 6:30pm

Advertising

Amir ElSaffar

Music
Jazz

Trumpeter and composer Amir ElSaffar brings his Two Rivers ensemble to Constellation, presenting an evening of Middle Eastern jazz fusion. The group's latest record, Crisis, reflects on the turmoil in Iraq, where ElSaffar studied after earning a degree in classical trumpet performance at DePaul University.

Also playing: September 20 at Claudia Cassidy Theater, 1:30pm

Orlando Julius & the AfroSoundz

Music
Latin and world

Legendary Nigerian saxophonist Orlando Julius was one of the first artists to fuse African rhythms with American pop instrumentation in the '60s, developing the foundations of Afro-pop. Joined by his band the Afrosoundz, Julius will play his way through an extensive catalog of highly influential Afrobeat compositions. The cascading electric guitar rhythms of Niger's Tal National kick off the afternoon.

Also playing: September 18 at Mayne Stage, 9pm

Advertising

Photograph: Jimmy Traskelin

Kardemimmit

Music
Latin and world

Finnish folk quartet Kardemimmit plays its songs on the kantele, a 38-stringed instrument that sounds like a cross between a harp and dulcimer. The quartet met while attending music school and lends a delicate touch to traditional songs and original compositions.

Also playing: September 20 at Claudia Cassidy Theater, 3:45pm

Photograph: Philippe Sawicki

Boogat

Music
Rap, hip-hop and R&B

Quebec-based emcee Boogat headlines Chicago's World Music Festival celebration of United Nations International Day of Peace at the Humboldt Park Boathouse. He'll be sampling Spanish-language hip-hop from his latest record Neo-Reconquista.

Also playing: September 18 at Mayne Stage, 9pm

An email you’ll actually love

Get into a relationship with our newsletter. Discover the best of the city, first.

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed!

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!

An email you’ll actually love

Get into a relationship with our newsletter. Discover the best of the city, first.

Déjà vu! We already have this email. Try another?

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed!

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!