KHALED AND FRIENDS Khaled, the reigning male singer in the Algerian pop style rai, has international ambitions for music that was once so blunt and bawdy that it was sung only at private parties. Khaled Brahim became one of rai's first recording stars as a teenager in the 1970's, when the music spread via underground cassette tapes and picked up Western elements like cheap keyboards and drum-machine beats. Singing about the problems and pleasures of everyday life in clear, catchy songs, rai singers were considered rebels, and while the music reached Algerian radio in the mid-1980's, its official acceptance was short-lived. Fundamentalist groups in Algeria brutally suppressed it in the 1990's. By then, Khaled had become an expatriate in Paris, where he continued to broaden the music, drawing on funk, reggae, rock and Latin pop, as rai's audience spread worldwide. Khaled's new album, "Ya-Rayi" (Wrasse/Universal), includes a song in English, "Love to the People," that features Carlos Santana on guitar, while other songs reconnect to roots with accordion, flutes and hand drumming. For his concert at Summerstage, Khaled, above, is being joined by some of his international collaborators, including the producer Don Was, the producer and D .J. Cheb i Sabbah, the Latin-pop producer K C Porter, the reggae singer Elan and the percussionists Luis Conte and Walfredo Reyes Jr. Yet at the center of all the hybrids is Khaled's voice, gutsy and immediate, using Arabic inflections to convey direct passions. (Sunday at 3 p.m., Central Park Summerstage, mid-park at 69th Street, Manhattan, (212) 360-2777. Admission is free, with donations requested.) JON PARELES

Pop

Full reviews of recent concerts: nytimes.com/music.

* AVENTURA (Sunday) This appealing Latino boy-band makes hits in a variety of genres, from bachata to R & B to reggaeton. 9 p.m., the Copacabana, 560 West 34th Street, at 11th Avenue, (212) 239-2672, $30, $40 at the door.

(Kelefa Sanneh)

BILAL (Tonight) The Philadelphia neo-soul singer Bilal has been doing his jazz-inflected thing under the pop radar for a while now, and though he never enjoyed the attention conferred on contemporaries like D'Angleo, his music will be a groovy soundtrack for a picnic-blanket chill-out.7:30 p.m., Celebrate Brooklyn, Prospect Park Bandshell, Ninth Street and Prospect Park West, Park Slope, Brooklyn, $3 suggested donation.

(Laura Sinagra)

TRACY BONHAM (Sunday) Back in 1966 when girls with guitars were actually played on pop radio, Ms. Bonham, a classically trained violinist, had a rock hit with "Mother, Mother." Followup albums showed she wasn't just a PJ Harvey copycat, but radio had moved on. 8 p.m., Southpaw, 125 Fifth Avenue, near Sterling Place, Park Slope, Brooklyn, (718) 230-0236, $10. (Sinagra)

JIMMY BOSCH (Tomorrow) Jimmy Bosch is a trombonist who savors the Latin jazz tradition of the descarga, a jam session everyone can dance to. This "hard salsa" takes musical chances but never lets go of the beat. 10 p.m., Satalla, 37 West 26th Street, Chelsea, (212) 576-1155, $15. (Jon Pareles)

CLEM SNIDE (Thursday) Though Clem Snide's nasal wiseacre frontman Eef Barzelay increasingly shows his soft side with pretty tunes influenced by love and fatherhood, the Brooklyn indie rocker hasn't lost his trademark snark. 7 p.m., Castle Clinton National Monument, Battery Park, Manhattan, (212) 835-2789. Two tickets per person distributed at 5 p.m. on the day of the show. (Sinagra)

KEVIN DEVINE (Tonight) This singer-songwriter has been the opening act of choice for brainy acts from Liz Phair to Bright Eyes. Now he needs to transcend the fashionably dark but wispy tunes that merely highlight the edginess of his headliner. 9 p.m., Maxwell's, 1039 Washington Street, Hoboken, N.J., (201) 653-1703, $7. (Sinagra)

DIGABLE PLANETS, J LIVE (Thursday) Digable Planets , the groovy mid-90's "hip-hop bebop" group, couldn't weather the changes wrought by the decade's dominant rap styles. But now that the Roots and others have reclaimed ground for bohemian types, they've decided to revive their sassy, spacey poetry. The witty former teacher J Live opens. 9 p.m., Irving Plaza, Union Square, (212) 777-6800, $27.50, $30 at the door. (Sinagra)

EARTH, WIND & FIRE, CHICAGO (Tonight, tomorrow and Sunday) During the 1970's, Earth Wind and Fire was the glossy, horn-powered hit machine that covered all bases, from idealism ("Shining Star") to dance tunes ("Boogie Wonderland") to lover's pleas ("Reasons"). Rarely has a band so rapidly dumped its initial radicalism as the radio hit-maker Chicago, which held on to its horn section but traded early jazz-rock experiments for simpering pop. Tonight at 7:30 p.m., PNC Bank Arts Center, Exit 116 Garden State Parkway, Holmdel, N.J., (732) 335-0400, $20 to $85. 7:30 p.m., Jones Beach Theater, 1000 Ocean Pkwy, Wantagh, N.Y., (516) 221-1000, $35 to $85. (Pareles)

ERIK FRIEDLANDER (Tuesday) This popular avant-garde cellist is bent on showing his instrument's range and applicability to diverse musical missions, veering easily from familiar deep, resonant tones to underworld shrieks and brutally sawed scrapes. 8 p.m., Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard Street, TriBeCa, (212) 219-3006, $10. (Sinagra)

JOHN HAMMOND (Thursday) The rural blues tradition of polyrhythmic fingerpicking and casually revealing vocals is being upheld by revivalists like John Hammond, who has been playing country blues since the 1960's, is a virtuoso whose songs, mostly classic blues, are feats of down-home intricacy. 7 p.m., Robert F Wagner Jr. Park, Battery Park City, free. (Pareles)

ILL EASE (Tomorrow) The low-key Elizabeth Sharp tops her rattletrap drum grooves with whispery, intentionally in-the-cracks singing that mimics the loop of a grudge mantra in a jealous brain. Her bandmate's distorted guitar provides the sonic equivalent of groggy indignance. 10 p.m., the Hook, 18 Commerce Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn, (718) 797-3007, $10. (Sinagra)

WANDA JACKSON, ROSIE FLORES (Tuesday and Wednesday) Wild boys weren't the whole story of 1950's rockabilly. Wanda Jackson, from Oklahoma, was out on the road too, belting songs like "Fujiyama Mama" (a big hit in Japan) and "Mean Mean Man." In the 1970's, she became a Christian and turned to church music. But in 1996 one of her fans, the honky-tonk singer Rosie Flores, sought her out for duets, and Ms. Jackson reclaimed her crown as rockabilly queen. Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., Lincoln Center's Josie Robertson Plaza, 62nd to 65th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, (212) 721-650, $15; Wednesday at 7 p.m., Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard Street, TriBeCa, (212) 219-3006, $15, $17 at the door. (Pareles)

* DAMIAN LAZARUS (Wednesday) He's the British D.J. behind the forthcoming mix CD "Suck My Deck" (Resist), which ranges from blippy to bleary, ending with Superpitcher's lovely remix of "Don't Save Us From the Flames," by M83.

8 p.m., Canal Room, 285 West Broadway, at Canal Street, TriBeCa, (212) 941-8100, $10 , $15 at the door. (Sanneh) MTV2 SUCKER-FREE CONCERT: MEMPHIS BLEEK, YOUNG GUNZ, JUELZ SANTANA, LIL SCRAPPY, SLIM THUG, DOUG E. FRESH, BLACK SHEEP (Tomorrow) This banging hip-hop lineup's biggest draws are Houston's Slim Thug, the Uptown favorite Juelz Santana and the crunker Lil Scrappy. Jay-Z's sidekick Memphis Bleek, the raw Young Gunz and the old school stars Doug E. Fresh and the Black Sheep fill out the bill. 9 p.m. B. B. King's Blues Club and Grill, 243 West 42nd Street, Manhattan, (212) 997-4144, free admission with the purchase of tickets to select shows.; limit: four tickets per customer. (Sinagra)

THE MUSIC OF NICK DRAKE (Tomorrow) This curious tribute features the oneiric songs of the depressive British dreamy genius Drake being interpreted by a local male-female duo who usually play a kind of operatic Broadway-ized rockabilly. 7 p.m., Central Park Summerstage, Rumsey Field, 72nd Street, (212) 360-2777, free. (Sinagra)

THE NEIN (Thursday) The experimental art-punks the Nein use their noir new wave to push into the political fray with sounds that benefit greatly from the addition of the Steelpole Bathtub's sample scientist Dale Flattum. 7:30 p.m., the Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard Street, TriBeCa, (212) 219-3006, $8. (Sinagra)

PAUL OAKENFOLD (Sunday) He's a hugely popular D.J., and a generally reliable one: expect muscular rhythms and jagged melodies and wooshing synthesizer lines, plus a fistful of his remixes for mainstream acts. 10 p.m., Crobar, 530 West 28th Street, near 10th Avenue, Chelsea, (212) 629-9000, $40. (Sanneh)

OMAR (Tuesday) This British neo-soul singer showed up on the scene a little early, in the mid-90's when teen pop ruled the radio. Nowadays, times are better for his romantic old school crooning and jazzed-up Motown homages. 7 p.m., Fort Greene Park, Myrtle Avenue at Cumberland Street and Dekalb Avenue, Brooklyn, free. (Sinagra)

PANTHERS, IMMORTAL LEE COUNTY KILLERS (Thursday) The Brooklyn punkers in the Panthers make incendiary music conscious of both the avant-garde art landscape and grass-roots politics. Their live show encourages a kind of boogie abandon. The punk blues band Immortal Lee County Killers open. 9 p.m., Northsix, 66 North Sixth Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, (718) 599-5103, $10. (Sinagra)

PROTO-KAW (Tuesday) A couple of years ago, members of the 70's rock band Kansas, including the founder and "Dust in the Wind" writer Kerry Livgren, mined the band's early demos to create a new, jazzier prog rock identity as Proto-Kaw. 8 p.m., B. B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 West 42nd Street, (212) 997-4144, $20. (Sinagra)

THE DUKE ROBILLARD BAND (Tonight) Duke Robillard is a guitarist and a suave singer whose blues lore goes back to the swing and jump-band blues he used to play with Roomful of Blues. Lately he has backed Bob Dylan in the studio. 6:30 p.m., Midsummer Night Swing, Lincoln Center, Josie Robertson Plaza, $15. (Pareles)

THE RUB (Tomorrow) Continuing its hip mix of hip-hop, favela funk, reggaeton, dancehall, alt-rock, classic rock, kiddie-movie soundtracks and pretty much anything else these sound-crazed smart-alleck D.J.'s can think of, this Brooklyn party celebrates its third anniversary. The point is to get the crowd chuckling and dancing at once. And it works. 10 p.m., Southpaw, 125 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, (718) 230-0236, $10. (Sinagra)

SEK LOSO (Tuesday) This popular Thai ax-shredder patterns himself after Jimi Hendrix and sells scads of records at home. He's been working in Britain with former members of Oasis. 7:30 p.m., Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette Street, East Village, (212) 539-8770, $20. (Sinagra)

SHADOW (Tomorrow) The ebullient dance beat of Trinidadian soca often carries lyrics that take on tough problems with a sense of humor. Shadow is one of soca's major stars, dancing through songs that address everything from AIDS to infidelity. 7:30 p.m., Celebrate Brooklyn, Prospect Park Bandshell, Prospect Park West and Ninth Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn, $3 suggested donation. (Pareles)

BETTIE SERVEERT (Thursday) These Dutch bohemians' combination of bright, twisty guitar work and the breathy yet plucky voice of Carol Van Dyk have made them a college-rock mainstay. They remain resolutely quirky, continuing to deliver honest grownup pop dispatches. 9 p.m., Maxwell's, 1039 Washington Street, Hoboken, N.J., (201) 798-0406, $15. (Sinagra)

SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES (Tuesday) This Swedish band, fronted by the husky singer Ebbot Lundberg and the guitarist Bjorn Olsson, gives psychedelic American classic rock a self-aware twist while retaining the sing-along melodies and big riffs that keep those arena cigarette lighters in the air. 9 p.m., Maxwell's, 1039 Washington Street, Hoboken, N.J., (201) 798-0406, $13. (Sinagra)

* SPRAGGA BENZ (Sunday) One of dancehall reggae's most furious rhyme-spitters comes to town for a holiday-weekend performance. 10 p.m., Club Deep, 10 South Division Street, New Rochelle, N.Y., (914) 576-2222, $20. (Sanneh)

RACHID TAHA, THE EXIT (Wednesday) In this double bill of Algerian-French music, cosmopolitanism reigns. Rachid Taha dips into rai, the pop now banned in Algeria, and picks up songs from across the Arab world, singing in a ardent voice that shades into a growl. Local band the Exit opens. 9 p.m., Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey Street, Lower East Side, (212) 533-2111, $25. (Pareles)

TEAM SLEEP (Tomorrow and Sunday) Though his band, the Deftones, got famous on the frat-friendly nu-metal circuit, Chino Moreno has a reputation as a thoughtful lyricist and eclectic music fan. He's been taking things in a dreamier direction, and with Team Sleep he calls on alt-rock pals to help him move beyond hard-rock bash. Tomorrow at 9 p.m., Northsix, 66 North Sixth Street, Williamburg, Brooklyn, (718) 599-5103. $15. Sunday at 9 p.m., Maxwell's, 1039 Washington Street, Hoboken, N.J., (201) 798-0406. $15. (Sinagra)

TRACHTENBURG FAMILY SLIDESHOW PLAYERS (Wednesday and Thursday) In this familial performance art project, Jason Trachtenburg plays lo-fi pop tunes inspired by slides found at yard sales and flea markets while his wife, Tina, runs the projector. Their 11-year-old daughter, Rachel, who has become something of a girl-power poster kid, plays drums. 9:30 p.m., Lambs Theater, 130 West 44th Street, (212) 239-6200, $15. (Sinagra)

THE VON BONDIES (Thursday) This Detroit garage band aims for a little more hip-shake than its local rivals the White Stripes. The Von Bondies' boy-girl guitar attack and shouty background vocals make them poppier too. And the lead singer Jason Stollsteimer can croon like an 80's Brit balladeer when he wants to. 7 p.m., Pier 54, Hudson River Park, 13th Street, free. (Sinagra)

YO LA TENGO, STEPHEN MALKMUS, LAURA CANTRELL (Monday) The Hoboken indie-rockers Yo La Tengo poignantly render the quiet spaces and explosive pathos of committed love. They can also get political. Their cover of Sun Ra's "Nuclear War" is a sonic flare of frustration. Sharing the Independence Day stage is the cult favorite Mr. Malkmus, whose angular lyrics and guitar squalls helped his band Pavement make the best slacker poet rock of its generation. The local alt-country singer-songwriter Laura Cantrell opens. 3:30 p.m., Castle Clinton National Monument, Battery Park, Manhattan, (212) 835-2789, free. (Sinagra)