The Jewish/African Diaspora

It's black history month and we're ashamed to admit that all we've done is buy James Baldwin stamps and curse Condoleezza Rice. So we were glad to receive a tip from a reader about what looks like a fascinating world music concert. The Abayudaya Jewish tribe of Uganda has a rich choral tradition of African religious songs, sung in both Hebrew and Luganda (a local Ugandan dialect), and their most recent album was nominated for a Grammy this year. (They were beaten by Maroon 5. Kidding, kidding -- Ladysmith Black Mambazo took home the Best Traditional World Music title this year.)

As part of their Be-chol Lashon (In Every Voice) Think Tank to promote Jewish racial and ethnic diversity, the Institute for Jewish and Community Research is sponsoring a concert with the Abayudaya Jewish singing group and the Temple Bethel Choir, an African-American Jewish group from Philadelphia. The Temple Bethel Choir is known for their "foot-stomping celebration" of Jewish music, so this should be a slightly different world music experience than, say, a "Putomayo presents: The Beauty of the Didgeridoo" concert.

The concert is on Sunday at 7 p.m. in the Venetian Room at the Fairmont Hotel, and tickets are $10.