FROM OUTCAST TO WORLD CHARTS: Salif Keita was born albino in Mali, West Africa, where that skin is a sin. As a result, Keita and his mother were banished from the home. Luckily, they were allowed back when his father was told by the village Imam (spiritual leader) that his son would become famous. The road to fame was difficult for Keita. He attended a teacher's training school as a teenager, but was unable to finish due to his weak eyes. When he turned to music as a refuge, his outraged parents kicked him out, forcing him to sleep in the streets of Mali's capitol, Bamako. Soon after, Keita became the singer of the Rail Band, a government-sponsored big band that played at stops along the railroad. He then joined Les Ambassadeurs, taking with him the brilliant guitarist, Kante Manfila. Combining African and Cuban influences with an awareness of French pop, they created a new national pop in a newly independent country. Intent on becoming an international artist, Keita has spent the last decade based in Paris, but touring extensively in America and Europe. He has come a long way from being an outcast. His family, who once thought of him as a disgrace, is proud of the fact he's now recognized as a national hero. On Keita's current release, Folon...The Past, he pays homage to his native country. He celebrates Mali's recent transition to democracy after years under a repressive regime. Unlike previous albums, Keita recorded this album in the studio with his touring band. He also reunited with the highly acclaimed blind keyboard player and arranger Jean-Phillippe Rykiel, who worked on Keita's 1987 album Soro. Rykiel was instrumental in Keita's obtaining worldwide notoriety. Much of the material on Folon was inspired by Keita's recent coast-to-coast tour of Africa. While in South Africa, he heard mbaquanga and was inspired to write "Mandela" in French which was translated into Zulu for the album. On "Africa," Keita accentuates the groove with his lilting guitar in this love letter to his homeland. His whimsical side is evident in "Sumun," a moral tale involving the animals of the jungle set to a hardcore Nigerian Afrobeat, complete with organ. Salif Keita & his Large Band will perform at the Rialto Theater, 318 E. Congress St., at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 30. Tickets are $15 in advance, $14 for KXCI and TFTM members and students with I.D., available at Hear's Music, Antigone Books and all Zia locations. Charge by phone at 881-3947 ($1.50 fee per ticket). Door tickets will be $2 more. Call 795-5685 for information. LAST NOTES: Greyhound Soul headlines at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., on Friday, April 26. Lovelash and Little Sisters of the Poor open the show at 9 p.m. Tickets are $4. Call 622-8848 for more information. Shallow, June and Spiral Fix appear at Café Luna Loca, 546 N. Stone Ave., on Saturday, April 27. This all-ages show begins at 8:30 p.m. Call 882-4488 for ticket information. Tucson favorite Queen Ida & the Bon Temps Zydeco Band performs with special guests Hal Jackson & Bass Culture at St. Philips Plaza, 4300 N. Campbell Ave., on Saturday, April 27. Advance tickets are $20, $15 for KXCI members; or charge by phone at 623-1000. Tickets are $3 more day of show. Gate opens at 7 p.m. Club Congress hosts a variety show/Wooden Ball CD listening party on Sunday, April 28, for the new Wood For Rainer CD. 35 Summers and Lovelash will perform a few sets between spins of the new record. Epiphany Records, Club Congress and local musicians will forward the profits along to Rainer. One buck gets you through the door and festivities begin at 9 p.m. Rich Hopkins and the Luminarios scorch the stage at the Empire Cafe & Lounge, 61 E. Congress St., on Sunday, April 28. Newcomers Grayle Kaye open. Doors open at 9 p.m. and the show begins at 10 p.m. Tickets are $3. Call 622-1751 for more information. Dare to check out Blackalicious featuring Lateef The Truth Speaker at Club Congress on Tuesday, April 30, at 9 p.m. Tickets are only $3. Arnold/Klingenfus celebrate the release of their new CD at the Southwest Center for Music, 2175 N. Sixth Ave., at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 30. Blues master Denis Offret opens the show. Tickets are $5 at the door. Call 622-3660 for more information. Bay-area mutants Primus appear in concert with Weapon Of Choice at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, at the TCC Exhibition Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets are $21 in advance, available at Dillard's and the TCC box office. Price jumps to $22 day of show. Call 791-4101 for information. --Jennifer Murphy

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