The live scene for world and roots music in Japan, especially for those living in Tokyo, has never been so healthy. This year, many top artists from Cuba, Eastern Europe, the Celtic countries, Northern Europe, Brazil and Africa have already visited or will be visiting Japan -- a situation almost unthinkable even one year ago.

It's not quite as happy a situation in the CD market here, however. With the exception of a few specialist shops, it is still left to the major international retail chains to import most of the lesser-known products.

The record companies are prone to jump on any bandwagon, flooding the market and eventually killing it. At the moment scores of record companies are trying to cash in on the Buena Vista Social Club, and although, thankfully, the quality of Cuban releases is generally high, it is at the expense of other types of music. In general, it's very difficult to break new music and artists, so for the most part we are left with the established names, both on CD and in concert.

One of the first African artists to benefit internationally from the coining of the term "world music" and subsequent media interest was Mali's Salif Keita. In Tower Records U.K.'s recently published World Music guide, number one in the Best 100 World Music Albums was Keita's "Soro." Recorded in Paris in 1987, the album marked the first time the Mande music of Mali and Guinea was mixed with rock and pop, as opposed to jazz or Latin music.

The album featured almost entirely non-Malian musicians, including French keyboard player Jean-Philippe Rykiel, and was produced by the Senegalese expat Ibrahim Sylla. Its hard, crisp sound set new standards and not only launched Keita's international career but provided the blueprint for others to follow.

Keita, however, was no newcomer to the music scene in Mali. His extraordinary vocals, searing and soulful, darkness tinged with sweetness, had already fronted Mali's two leading groups, the Rail Band and Les Ambassadeurs.

That voice triumphed over several obstacles set against him ever becoming a singer. He was born an albino, which made him a social outcast and an object of superstition. He was also born into the Keita, an aristocratic group which traces its lineage back to Sunjata Keita, who founded the Mande Empire in the savannah region of present-day Mali and Guinea in the early 13th century. Being a singer was considered too lowly an occupation for someone of his position. He became a dropout, sleeping in the market area, and playing guitar and singing in bars at night, before being asked to join the Rail Band.

Since "Soro," his international career has continued to blossom. His recorded output has fluctuated in quality, although his last two albums, 1995's "Folon: The Past," with its funky Mande feel, and last year's "Papa," a high-tech production recorded in Paris, New York and Mali, have both been a return to form.

Salif Keita will perform in Tokyo as part of the Roots Music Festival 2000 at Blue Note Tokyo, Aug. 7-12, two sets starting at 7 and 9:30 p.m., tickets 7,000 yen. For reservations and information, call Blue Note Tokyo at (03) 5485-0088.

Sometimes, lesser-known artists do strike it lucky and get invited to Japan, usually by a large organization or a government-sponsored body, not strictly as a commercial venture. Fortunately, this has happened to the excellent Chicano group, Quetzal. They will perform next month at Ocean Dome in Miyazaki, part of the Seagaia complex, but will also be taking the opportunity to come to Tokyo.

Quetzal, from Los Angeles, blends its Mexican heritage with American rock, blues, funk, ska and Caribbean music. The nine-piece band is one of a number of groups currently being touted as leaders of the new "Chicano Groove" underground movement in Los Angeles. They sing in both English and Spanish, seamlessly mixing influences and styles into joyous, upbeat, rocking and funky numbers, with a smattering of laid-back and mellow tunes.

Underpinning much of their music is some searing fiddle, backed by a dynamic rhythm section. Female vocalist Martha Gonzalez is a powerful singer who writes much of the group's material with their leader, guitarist and cuatro player Quetzal Flores. Refreshing as their first and only CD may be, live they are likely to reveal an even more dynamic side.

Not since the heyday of Los Lobos has the East L.A. Chicano scene had a group to take on a gamut of stylistic influences with such verve and spirit.