AID Portland was featured on the website of the Oregonian on April 22, 2007 with reference to its annual fundraiser Shruti, to take place on May 5, 2007. The full-text of the article is appended below. 

You can date the birth of the world music movement from Portland-born Lou Harrison's marriages of Asian and Western classical music in the 1960s and '70s, or from The Beatles' use of a sitar on 1965's "Norwegian Wood," or from the pop-fusion experiments of Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon and David Byrne in the '80s. Wherever you begin, world music in the U.S. has been on the rise for at least two decades.

Portland's fervent world-music scene has taken a hit with the recent news that unless efforts to save it are successful, the 20-year-old Indian performance presenter Kalakendra will shut down after an April 28 concert.

That's bad news: This spring alone, Kalakendra and another Indian presenter, Rasika, have separately sponsored some of the most ravishingly beautiful music heard in the city this season: the venerable bamboo flute master G.S. Sachdev, the charismatic young Carnatic singer Nithyasree Mahadevan, the colorfully virtuosic percussion ensemble Sankara, the extraordinary violin duo Kumarsh and Ganesh.

But plenty of outstanding world music still is headed for Portland this spring. Some highlights:

Quartet San Francisco: Joel Cohen's old group, Turtle Island String Quartet, pioneered jazzy music for a hitherto "classical" ensemble. His current band, Quartet San Francisco, specializes in jazzy Argentine tangos (traditional and contemporary), plus tango-fied arrangements of music by composers from Dave Brubeck to Stevie Wonder. Presented by Friends of Chamber Music. 3 p.m. today, Kaul Auditorium, Reed College; 503-224-9842.

Konono: As the Belgian colonizers fled newly independent Congo in the 1960s, they left behind their cars. Local musicians turned the parts into percussion instruments (cymbals, ikdembe thumb pianos) and amps. For years, Mawangu Mingiedi's band Konono No. 1 used those instruments to make a raspy, zingy sound in Kinshasa clubs. A French engineer heard a Konono track on an obscure CD and spent the better part of two decades seeking the band that made them, which had, meanwhile, moved back to its members' home along the Angolan border. A few years ago he tracked them down, and their driving, danceable songs have become a worldwide sensation. Konono's mesmerizing music has won fans from Beck to Bjork, and they appear on the latter's upcoming album. 8 p.m. Thursday, Aladdin Theater; 503-233-1994.

Luca Mundaca: She's the latest transglobal diva to be discovered by the enterprising Putumayo record label. The Chilean-born singer/guitarist grew up in Brazil, and her music mixes that country's bossa nova influences with the edgy folk sounds of her new home, the U.S. 6 p.m. Friday, Global Exchange Fair Trade Craft Center, 3508 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.; 503-234-4049.

Kalakendra: Kalakendra closes its season -- and perhaps its 20-year existence -- by bringing back the artists who performed at its inaugural concert. The great tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain learned his chops from his father, the revered Alla Rakha, and gained an enthusiastic following in the West via his many tours with Ravi Shankar, participation in John McLaughlin's Shakti and work with Mickey Hart's Planet Drum project, along with other neo-hippie jam bands. Shivkumar Sharma has almost single-handedly (make that double-handedly) elevated the santoor, a 100-string hammered dulcimer from Persia/Iran, to Indian classical respectability. Bringing a pair of the planet's finest musicians to Portland makes a fitting farewell for an organization that has given the city so much great music. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, First Congregational Church, 1126 S.W. Park Ave.; 503-233-8838.

Shruti: The Portland chapter of Association for India's Development is bringing the 14-member Seattle Indo-pop band to perform Bollywood tunes (the wonderfully outlandish film music from the world's largest movie industry) at the association's annual fundraiser. 5:30 p.m. May 5, St. Mary's Academy, 1615 S.W. Fifth Ave.; 503-648-8467.

Angelique Kidjo: One of the biggest stars in world music, multiple Grammy nominee Kidjo is also one of the most controversial: Some people criticize her evolution toward funk/R&B as a sellout, others praise her crossover appeal. Her new album (featuring guest shots from Peter Gabriel, Alicia Keys, Joss Stone, Santana, Branford Marsalis and even Josh Groban) veers back toward the sound of her native Benin but also covers Ravel, Sade and the Stones. 8 p.m., May 8, Aladdin Theater; 503-233-1994.

Rasika: P. Unnikrishnan is another in the line of outstanding Carnatic singers Rasika has brought to town. Now 40, he's toured the world and won awards for his many recordings as well as songs from Indian movies. His sinuous vocal embellishments will be accompanied by violinist Vittal Ramamurthy and K. Arun Prakash on the mridangam drum. 8 p.m. May 18, First Unitarian Church, 1211 S.W. Main St., $18- $25; 503-531-7266.