Femi Kuti & Positive Force @ Metro (Chicago)
The Afrobeat star and son of Nigerian genre pioneer Fela Kuti had to postpone his US tour due to illness. Femi’s new album, Day by Day, is another step forward in a storied career, but we’ll have to wait until he’s better to catch him live again.
Femi dished out one of the best performances of Lollapalooza 2007; read our Day 1 recap, with photos by Tanya van Kampen, for a little nostalgia.
Also, you can find a fabulous cover story on Seun Kuti, Fela’s youngest son, written by New York Public Radio staff writer Siddhartha Mitter in our newest issue, ALARM 33.
Doppler Shift, Family Order @ Beat Kitchen (Chicago)
Drawing tangential comparisons to Squarepusher and John Zorn’s Naked City, heavy jazz-rock quartet Doppler Shift headlines this late show at Chicago’s Beat Kitchen. Influenced by IDM, funk, and dropped-D riffs a lá mid-’90s Helmet, Doppler Shift creates a powerful, beat-driven jazz intersection that shows no mercy.
The quartet leans on electric trumpet and distorted bass for its dirty sound, but the style is equally sophisticated, employing its share of acrobatic duels between trumpet and saxophone. With a quality opener in the form of jam/groove four-piece Family Order, this show is a bargain for $6.
Bustle in Your Hedgerow @ Abbey Pub (Chicago)
Led Zeppelin cover bands are a dime a dozen, but not when one includes keyboardist Marco Benevento and drummer Joe Russo (who, together, make up the Benevento/Russo Duo). Watch the group lay down jam-rock renditions of Zep classics as Benevento tones up for the release of his great, new, covers-laden album Me Not Me, out February 3.