George Clinton, Taj Mahal

For the past several years, the Minnesota Zoo’s outdoor amphitheater has been one of the most reliable venues in town, with a roster of solid locals and national touring acts from John Prine to Ween. This summer’s series winds up well, with two cornerstones of African-American music. George Clinton, of course, is the grandmaster of funk, rainbow-dreaded ringleader of Parliament-Funkadelic. Clinton hasn’t released a new album since 1998’s Dope Dogs , though a Funkadelic collection that had been due out in May is still on hold. Live, he and his crew still tear the roof off with undiminished fervor. Taj Mahal began his career in the 1960s as a roots-blues purist of the first order. That’s still the backbone of his sound, but the man born Henry St. Clair Fredericks quickly became a musicologist of a much wider scope, incorporating black music traditions from all over the world into his sound. That approach didn’t always sit well with critics or audiences, but the rising interest in world music in the 90s made it apparent that Taj had it all figured out way back. Minnesota Zoo, 952-431-9500, mnzoo.org