The Old Town School of Folk Music has just announced the main-stage lineup for this summer's annual Chicago Folk & Roots Festival, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, July 10 and 11, in Welles Park. Last year the Old Town School lost a major sponsor, which hurt the event's budget, and the star power of the bookings fell off sharply. There aren't any big stars lined up for the 2010 installment either, but the organizers seem to be learning quickly how to do more with less—the variety and quality of the acts are dramatically improved.

A nasty cold prevented me from making it out to Schubas on Saturday, and I missed the Occidental Brothers Dance Band International with African legend Samba Mapangala, who at least for now is their new singer—I wrote about their collaboration in this week's paper. So I'm happy to see I'll have another chance to catch them this summer; they play the festival on Saturday, July 10. Other highlights include peerless bluegrass singer James King, high-octane bhangra 'n' brass band Red Baraat, Niger's Saharan rockers Etran Finatawa, blues singer Shemekia Copeland, and New York's funky Budos Band (part of the mighty Daptone family). A large complement of local talent will fill five other stages over the weekend, including the Nuestra Musica stage, which showcases the Latin and South American traditions that are alive and well in Chicago.

Today's playlist:

Kees Hazevoet & Han Bennink, Calling Down the Flevo Spirit (Unheard Music Series)
Raekwon, Only Built for Cuban Linx . . . Pt. II (Ice H2O)
Nestor Figueras, David Toop, and Paul Burwell, Cholagogues (Schoolmap)
The Original Imperial Wonders, Collector's Edition 1967-1973 (DYOB)
The Rolf and Joachim Kuhn Quartet, Impressions of New York (MPS/Impulse)