Pencil This In: World Music Festival 2014

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 12, 2014 5:30PM

Those of us not heading to Riot Fest this weekend can entertain ourselves with the arrival of World Music Festival 2014. The free, citywide event features acts from Chicago and around the world and is one of the few city-produced festivals in town to spread the wealth into the outlying neighborhoods.

Some of the highlights of this year's festival include a performance by Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 at Millennium Park's Jay Pritzker Pavilon 3 p.m. Sept. 13, with Honduran guitarist Aurelio Martinez opening. Kuti sticks to the letter, and spirit, of his legendary father Fela Kuti's groundbreaking Afrobeat style, and inherited much of his father's captivating stage presence.

Tonight's highlight is "Ragamala," a 12-hour, all-night slate of Indian classical music concerts at the Chicago Cultural Center's Preston Bradley Hall starting at 9 p.m. Not only will both the music of the north (Hindustani) and the south (Carnatic) be represented, but listeners will also get the rare chance to hear ragas performed at the time of day they were originally composed for—a facet of the tradition lost in the west.

World Music Festival 2014 runs through Sept. 21. Check out the full schedule here.

If you have an event for inclusion in "Pencil This In," please contact Tankboy (for A&E-related listings), Melissa McEwen (for tastings, dinners and food and drink-related events) or tips[at]chicagoist[dot]com.