PICK OF THE DAY
Guitar heroes One is a farmer, the other hails from a royal family. Both know their way around a guitar. ‘‘Masters of Mali’’ features a double bill with West African music heavies Boubacar Traoré and Sidi Touré. Traoré (or ‘‘Kar Kar’’ as he’s known in his homeland), an African blues player extraordinaire, tours internationally then returns to his sheep and vegetable plot in Mali. Touré bucked the expectations of his prominent family to pursue his successful career as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and bluesman. Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m. $28. First Church in Cambridge Congregational, 11 Garden St., Cambridge. Free lecture-demonstration with Traoré Oct. 5, 1-2:30 p.m. at New England Conservatory, Pierce Hall, 241 St. Botolph St., Boston. 617-876-4275, www.worldmusic.org
TODAY
Music renewed When declining stocks make a short-lived temporary comeback, they call that a dead cat bounce. To the musicians in the band Dead Cat Bounce, the words stand for an artistic vision of rebirth and renewal in the face of evolving traditions. The jazz ensemble features a quartet of sax players (Matt Steckler, Charlie Kohlhase, Terry Goss, and Jared Sims) and a rhythm section (drummer Bill Carbone and bassist Dave Ambrosio). They’re touring in support of their new release, “Chance Episodes.’’ Oct. 4, 8 p.m. $7. Ryles Jazz Club, 212 Hampshire St., Cambridge. 617-876-9330, www.rylesjazz.com
Go west Anna Solomon wrote her debut novel, “The Little Bride,’’ about Minna, a Jewish mail-order bride living in the 1880s American West. Singer-songwriter Clare Burson read her friend’s book and got inspired. The two collaborated on “A Little Suite for the Little Bride,’’ a song cycle they perform together. Oct. 4, 7 p.m. $20, $12 young adults. Middlesex Lounge, 315 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 617-531-4610, www.newcenterboston.org
TOMORROW
Art for the movies Your participation in Art House, the eighth annual silent art auction to benefit the Brattle Film Foundation, helps keep those classics, foreign movies, and art films coming at the Brattle Theatre. Nosh at the
Lure of France In “The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris’’ David McCullough, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, turns his attention to Americans in Paris during the 19th century. McCullough talks about the book in the new Boston Speakers Series, which in the coming months also features Michelle Rhee, Valerie Plame Wilson and Joe Wilson, Michael Pollan, Azar Nafisi, Frank Abagnale, and Tom Brokaw. Oct. 5, 8 p.m. Tickets subscription only, $245 and up. Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston. 617-266-1200, www.bostonspeakersseries.org
Seeing violet Husband and wife photographers Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb generally work on separate projects, but trips to Cuba and Mexico changed that. They combine their very different styles in “Violet Isle,’’ an exhibition of vibrant photographs taken south of the border. Through Oct. 22. Tue-Fri 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sat 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Robert Klein Gallery, 38 Newbury St., Boston.617-267-7997, www.robertkleingallery.com 
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