World Festival 2001 Has Goals as Diverse as the Sounds on Tap

World music is about to return to the Hollywood Bowl. The six periodic Sunday-night programs of World Festival 2001, running July 1 to Sept. 9, will encompass sounds and rhythms from Brazil, Cuba, Africa, Ireland and a variety of stops in between. And what better place to display the rich diversity of global sounds than at the summer entertainment center of multicultural Los Angeles?

The primary problem facing the Bowl’s world-music program director, Tom Schnabel, is how to fill the venue’s 18,000 seats. In fact, it’s the rare program of any genre that actually sells out the vast amphitheater.

Nonetheless, the World Festival series, in part because of its relatively low overhead, has been running at a profit, Schnabel says. A good part of that success can be attributed to the generally excellent, well-thought-out thematic programming created by Schnabel and Laura Connolly, program manager of world music.

That programming has been based on the need to reach out in several directions.

“Our goal is first of all to try to attract the local communities who are interested in certain genres but who aren’t necessarily familiar with coming to the Bowl,” Schnabel says. “Next, of course, is to make sure that we secure our base, the regular subscribers. And then, since KCRW is an important sponsor, to bring in their audience as well.”

That’s not an easy trifecta to bring off. But Schnabel, whose lengthy tenure on KCRW-FM’s (89.9) “Morning Becomes Eclectic” provided many Angelenos with their first real exposure to world music, has the experience and knowledge to find the right combination.

“I’d like to think that’s true,” he says with a laugh, “but it’s a challenge to find performers that can touch all those constituencies, as opposed to just picking artists that maybe Tom Schnabel might think are magnificent but that no one else has heard of.”

Not much chance of that with this summer’s lineup. The July 1 opening, “Global Divas,” features the irrepressible Cape Verde morna singer Cesaria Evora and rapidly emerging nova bossa nova star Bebel Gilberto (daughter of the legendary bossa nova original Joa~o Gilberto).

“A Night in Old Havana” follows on July 15, featuring members of the Buena Vista Social Club, with Ibrahim Ferrer and special guests Ruben Gonzalez and Chucho Valdes.

“We knew we wanted to do a Cuban night, but it’s tricky since so many other people are doing them, and doing them so well,” Schnabel says. “But when the Buena Vista Social Club program became available, it was a no-brainer.”

Schnabel had a similar reaction when singer Sade became available for “French Twists” on July 22 (see below for other Francophone programming in July), altering his original program plans, choosing instead to pair her sensual sounds with the remarkable voice and complex rhythms of Senegalese favorite Youssou N’Dour.

No world-music season would be complete without Celtic music, and “Celtic Journeys II” brings the highly regarded group Altan back to the Bowl, along with former “Riverdance” fiddler Eileen Ivers, the traditional Irish band Danu and the Claddagh Irish Dancers.

“We also have a special treat on that program,” Schnabel says. “Singer-songwriter-guitarist Paul Brady--a folk musician from the ‘70s whom Bob Dylan named as one of his five favorite performers--is going to perform a couple of numbers during Altan’s set.”

“African Funk” on Aug. 12 showcases West Africa pop artists Baaba Maal and Angelique Kidjo with the groove-driven music of Ex-Centric Sound System. “They’re new, they’re exciting, and they’re a truly international group,” says Schnabel of the last, “with musicians from Ghana and Israel. I love the vitality and the fun of the music.”

The World Festival season closes Sept. 9 with “The Beat of Brazil,” starring Sergio Mendes, Chico Cesar and Virginia Rodrigues.

“I always want to bring back Brazilian music,” Schnabel says. “In part because it’s a really magnificent music with so many different elements, and in part because it’s had a long tradition. We picked Sergio because he was such an important part of the early bossa nova scene. I like Chico Cesar’s energy, and I think Virginia has an amazing presence. So the program’s a nice sort of triangulation of energies, from the lightness of Sergio to the somewhat deeper work of Virginia to the theatricality of Chico.”

Schnabel doesn’t hesitate to describe World Festival 2001 as “the most solid season of programs that we’ve had in the Bowl’s world music series.”

But he also recognizes the magnitude of trying to please so many different tastes.

“We’ve gotten all sorts of reactions,” he says. “From people who love everything we do to those who complain about having favored one particular type of music over another. But that’s OK because we’ll get around to everything sooner or later. I’m not sure there’s much we can do, though, about the guy who told me, ‘Sure, I go to the Bowl. But only when they’re showing Bugs Bunny.’ ”

* Information: (323) 850-2000 or https://www.hollywoodbowl.com.

Vive La France (and Brazil): Several of the Bowl’s World Festival programs in a monthlong celebration of French music and culture revolve around Bastille Day on July 14. “Embrace Le Monde” (Embrace the World) is the first event of its kind, with performances scheduled at the Mayan Theatre, the California Plaza and McCabe’s. Among the more intriguing performances: the textured soundscapes of the group Air at the Mayan, July 11 and 12; California Plaza appearances by the vocally intense Corsican group I Muvrini on July 14, the great rai singer Cheb Mami on July 20, multilingual Tunisian vocalist Amina and the eclectic ensemble Ekova on July 21, Algerian rocker Rachid Taha and French Gypsies Les Yeux Noirs on July 22 and Mali’s Super Rail Band on July 26. Mali singer-guitarist Boubacar Traore closes the “Embrace Le Monde” celebration July 27 at McCabe’s.

A good way to kick off the summer world-music experience takes place even earlier: next week, in fact, when Brazilian Summer Festival 2001 at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre presents the spectacular, 23-member Bahian percussion ensemble Olodum. Always entertaining, certain to get the crowd on its feet with its stimulating, African-tinged street sounds, Olodum headlines a program that also includes drummer Ze Bruno with his group Big Circle and the high-intensity samba funk of the Tropidanza Dancers. (Information: [818] 566-1111 or on the Web at https://www.BrazilianNites.com).

Accordions, Accordions, Everywhere: Well, actually they’re called “free reed” instruments, a friendly way of describing the category of sound-producing devices more technically described as aerophone instruments. In addition to accordions, the category includes instruments the concertina, harmonica, harmonium, reed organ, Chinese sheng, Indian shruti box and Argentine bandoneon.

Who cares? After all, how many ways are there to play “Lady of Spain” on an accordion? Well, actually a lot of people care, and there is no limit to the range of music that can be played, not just on the accordion, but on all the other colorful free reed instruments. And this month the Web site Rootsworld.com is once again providing an opportunity to hear it all in the fourth annual Free Reed Festival.

The event, which takes place on the Web and on some radio stations, runs throughout June. In addition to the monthlong musical treats, there will be opportunities to learn about free reed instruments and their players via interviews, articles and reviews. The festival is available at https://www.RootsWorld.com.