West Africa meets the West

Sometimes inheritance can be a good thing. Take the talented Mali-born Mamadou Diabate, son of legendary kora player Djelimory Diabate. Like his father, he has mastered the art of the kora, a 21-stringed West African harp. Mamadou’s latest release, Behmanka, on the tiny World Village boutique label, is as much a homage to traditional 19th-century music as it is a storybook for the present. His delivery is highlighted by his awkward tunings—he prefers to play in the key of D major—and his stellar musicianship. His current West Coast tour brings him to Grass Valley, Chico and, thankfully, Winters. He is accompanied by Walter Strauss, a gifted guitarist from Wyoming who is supporting his new album, Pulling Shadows. The Palms Playhouse schedule seems to be all over the map these days, but that may be the venue’s greatest attribute. Mamadou and Strauss play the Palms, located at 13 Main Street in Winters, on Thursday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15. Visit www.palmsplayhouse.com for more information.