What links chile to music? Singer Lila Downs can tell you

Food has always figured prominently in the music of Oaxacan-American vocalist, songwriter and activist Lila Downs. Her upcoming album “Al Chile,” due out Friday, uses the spicy fruit as a symbol for the pain and pleasure afforded by contemporary life in Mexico. “The chile is something exciting, beautiful and warm that can also bring tears,” says Downs, who performs Wednesday at Bing Concert Hall and then returns to the Bay Area the following week for a four-night run at SFJazz. “It stimulates your senses, and music does that as well.” With her powerful voice and commanding stage presence, Downs has earned recognition as a Grammy Award-winning global diva bearing a sound steeped in Mexican folklore, jazz and a rich array of Latin American styles. Her music often explores the travails of immigrants, and on “Al Chile,” she covers French singer Manu Chao’s anthem “Clandestino” in response to the separation of families seeking asylum in the United States. She’s touring with a potent eight-piece combo featuring three horns, accordion, two guitarists and two drummers, “a combination between jazz and banda and mariachi,” she says. While tackling the most serious topics, Downs makes celebratory music designed for dancing. In revisiting the Mexican folk song “La Llarona,” she transforms the haunting tune with a brassy Zapotec banda arrangement. Details: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University; $32-$70; 650-724-2464, live.stanford.edu; 7:30 p.m. May 16-18, 8 p.m. May 19, Miner Auditorium, SFJazz Center, San Francisco; $30-$95; 866920-5299, www.sfjazz.org.