As mentioned last time in this column, a new restaurant/venue, Tribute to the Love Generation, will open in Odaiba on Tokyo Bay next month. It is not, as you may expect, a hangout for "Dead-heads," or ex-flower power hippies hiding out in Tokyo, but in fact will host mainly "world music" concerts. With the rising popularity of acoustic and roots-based music in Japan, a new venue is certainly most welcome. However, I do have my reservations about TLG (let's just call it that).

TLG is operated by Sony Urban Development Inc. and is part of the new Mediage entertainment center. The venue will be run along the lines of Blue Note, with artists performing two sets over residences of varying lengths from two days to a week. Likewise, the ticket prices are high, typically it seems in the 8,000 yen to 9,000 yen bracket. The idea is to serve the food of the country of the performer. However, they don't seem to have taken note of what has made Blue Note a success.

Blue Note has a constantly impressive line-up of the cream of jazz (although they sometimes come back a bit too soon), but the opening schedule of "Special Lives" at TLG is mostly disappointing. With an apparently above-average budget, it's unfortunate the promoter responsible for booking the world music acts has seemingly chosen the easy option, booking artists they already work with regularly, instead of being more creative.

Senegalese master drummer Doudou N'diaye Rose and his 18-strong Percussion Orchestra have performed throughout Japan playing concerts, festivals and workshops. While their drumming is exciting to watch, Senegal and the African continent is full of many wonderful and bigger name musicians who have never been given the opportunity to perform here. The troupe will perform a total of eight sets, which seems rather ambitious, considering that for most Tokyoites who might have already seen N'diaye Rose, this will mean traveling twice as far and paying twice as much to see half as much music.

While jazz might be a perfect accompaniment to a meal for couples out on a date, I'm not sure that what should be a vibrant, living music will wash down as well. "World music" is often simply the pop music of a country and is designed to be danced to, not used as BGM and wondered over as "exotic" between courses.

The laid-back, acoustic and somewhat unchallenging music of Hawaiian duo Hapa might well suit the diners more. However, Hapa were only here last August. Hapa (meaning "half-half") consists of New Yorker Irish American Barry Flannagan and Hawaiian Keli'i Ho'omalu Kaneali'i. They are known for their strong melodies, harmonized vocals and fluid acoustic guitars. While Hapa is a name act, with a following in Japan, this might have been a chance to hear some real Hawaiian slack key guitar by one of the greats, instead of in its diluted form.

TLG has fortunately got at least one of its opening specials spectacularly right, albeit at an equally spectacular price. Carlinhos Brown is a superstar at home in Brazil, and a perfect choice. Until now, probably too expensive for a small promoter, but an artist that a big rock promoter wouldn't necessarily know how to handle.

Brown is fit to rank alongside such greats as Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil for his radicalism and for changing the face of Brazilian music. A percussionist, singer and composer, he took his name from James Brown, one of his main influences. He grew up in the northeastern state of Bahia as did Gil, Veloso, Gal Costa and many other legendary Brazilian musicians. The capital, Salvador, is like no other city in Brazil, with a large black population and all aspects of culture and food coming with strong African influences.

Brown takes Afro-Brazilian percussion, and weaves it around samba-reggae, pop, electric guitars and brass to produce one of the world's most potent musical recipes. He first formed the group Timbalada primarily to perform at carnivals, which subsequently developed into a revered school of percussion players. Timbalada cut a few albums and toured Japan about five years ago, although Brown now releases albums and tours primarily under his own name. Aside from the quintessential carnival sound, he is also capable of writing haunting ballads, and incorporating just about any other genre into his music with an uncanny sense. His lyrics jump with ease between Portuguese and English. Always an innovator, he is known for taking his music in different directions. An enigmatic figure, he likes to keep his fans guessing as to what new concoction he might come up with next.

His songs have been covered by many Brazilian and other singers from around the world, and his name appears in the credits on scores of Brazilian albums including those by Daniela Mercury, Sergio Mendes and even rock group Sepultura. He has been instrumental in the rise of Marisa Monte (who also contributed vocals to Brown's latest album "Omelette Man") to the top of the Brazilian charts. He has Japanese connections too, playing on the Boom's Kazufumi Miyazawa's solo project "Afrosick."

After seeing him perform in Europe a few years back, I can vouch that he is a passionate and exciting performer. Fortunately, there will also be cheaper standing tickets.

Another promoter is booking local acts for TLG, of Japanese "world music." This schedule is also disappointing, apart from the appearance of former Orquesta da la Luz singer Nora with Cuban flute player Orlanda "Maraca" Valle together with other Japanese musicians. Close your eyes and you would never know they weren't Cuban.