Saturday, November 3
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Please note: all events are subject to postponement or cancellation in the wake of recent tragedies. Calling ahead is advised. Tool These days nearly every rock band aspires to be compared to one of two bands. Tool or Radiohead ... or both. Since its inception, Tool has broken all the rules with its dynamic, orchestral brand of art metal, extremely provocative lyrics and a strict policy against having its picture taken, a rule which only recently was relaxed. Maybe ol' Maynard decided the camera wouldn't steal his soul after all. During the turn of the millennium, Tool's apocalyptic "Ænema" (from 1996's Ænima) returned to heavy rotation. Now, songs from its latest, Lateralus, are in high demand. Tricky also performs. Shoreline Amphitheatre, One Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View; 7:30pm; $35.75-$38.75; 408.998.TIXS. (SQ) Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet has chiseled a place for itself in music history as the most experimental, prolific and ubiquitous con-temporary music ensemble of our era. They have stretched the venerable institution of the string quartet like taffy on behalf of the imaginations of hundreds of living composers around the globe. In fact, Kronos has premiered more than 400 string quartets since its inception in 1973. The specific repertoire is not known at present, but I'm certain that you'll encounter at least a few surprises; astonishing ones at that. Montalvo's Carriage House, 15400 Montalvo Rd, Saratoga; 7:30pm; $34-$44; 408.961.5858. (PC) Annual Follies The City Lights Theater Company bring their annual fundraiser around again, with a performance by ComedySportz and a silent auction that includes, among other things, a dinner for 10 prepared in the winner's home by Chef Emile Mooser of Emile's (probably better than that takeout pizza you had planned). City Lights Theater Company, 529 S. Second St, San Jose; 7pm; $25-$100 donation; 408.295.4200. (DB) Cypress String Quartet Three biggies of chamber music literature highlight this SJ Chamber Music Society program with guest pianist Awadagin Pratt: Beethoven's String Quartet in C and the Piano Sonata in A-flat, Op. 110, and Dvorak's Piano Quintet in A. But the real news here is Pratt, who is winner of the 1992 Naumburg International Piano Competition (the first African to do so). Pratt's often-controversial interpretations have made him a very talked-about performer. Le Petit Trianon, 72 N. Fifth St, San Jose; 7pm; $10-$25; 408.286.5111. (PC) Peninsula Open Studios The chance to see an endangered creature in its native habitat is a true treat. Observe the artist in action: painting, sculpting, interacting with the public. Open Studios offers a superb sociological experience, in which artists open their studios and allow people to wonder in and out as they work. Peninsula Open Studios continues for three weekends, with the first weekend featuring artists in San Mateo County and northern Santa Clara County. The weekend of Nov. 10-11 throws open the doors to southern Santa Clara County; Nov. 17-18 features artists throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. One work by each artist is shown for preview at the Gallery at Mountain View City Hall (500 Castro St). Free map guides are available there, or check online at www.peninsulaopenstudios.org. various locations throughout San Mateo County and Santa Clara County; Sat-Sun 11am-6pm, also Nov 17-18; 650.988.1440 or www.peninsulaopenstudios.org. (DB) The Handkerchief Margaret Wingrove Dance Company of San Jose presents a diverse program as their season opener, including a world premiere of The Handkerchief, a modern interpretation of Shakespeare's Othello with music by Kronos Quartet. The performance features Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley dancer Willie Anderson as guest artist. Also on the program is Belle of Bohemia, based on the life of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and Nat, choreographed to the music of Nat King Cole. San Jose Stage Theater, 490 S. First St, San Jose; Sat-Sun 8pm; $15-$25; 408.993.9233. (DB) Awadagin Pratt We have seen--and heard--the future of concert pianists and it is Awadagin Pratt. A prodigy of sorts, Pratt started piano lessons at age 6, and added the violin to his list of achievements at age 9. After winning the Naumburg International Piano Competition in 1992, Pratt has landed solo spots with a long and distinguished list of symphonies. For his UCSC Arts & Lectures program, he will perform selections by Bach, Beethoven, Liszt and Gibbons. Music Recital Hall, UCSC; 8pm; $14-$25; 831.459.2159. (MSG) Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers A staple on the Bay Area's swing scene, this provocative outfit takes a classy approach to traditional big-band swing and jump blues, incorporating salsa, bebop and sultry New Orleans-styled R&B into its classic sound. Led by chanteuse Lavay Smith, with her pinup-girl curves and glamorous wardrobe, the band transports its audience to another era. Smith's rapturous vocals bring to mind Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday; her Red Hot Skillet Lickers are a horn-heavy band composed of quality musicians who have performed and recorded with the kings and queens of jazz. Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz; 9:30pm; $8-$10; 831.479.1854. (SQ) Santa Cruz Symphony Anton Dvorak's Symphony From the New World forms the core of the Santa Cruz County Symphony's second concert of the season. The piece is notable for its use of Native American musical motifs. Swiss composer Ernest Block's Schelomo, composed during World War I, expresses the suffering of the times; the soloist for this piece is cellist John Walz. The evening's opener is Bartok's Two Portraits. Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, 307 Church Street, Santa Cruz; 8pm; $18-$36. 831.420.5260. (AR) Salsa Dance for Afghans Here we have one of those stellar "only in Santa Cruz" events. Learn to salsa dance to the spicy rhythms of one of the area's longest-standing musical institutions--Orquesta Gitano--and help Afghan refugees at the same time. Local salsa instructors Aaron Lieben and partner Aleksandra Kuswik (above) are the creative masterminds behind this spirited affair, which also celebrates the release of their new interactive CD, Learn to Salsa Now. Afghan women's crafts and a silent auction round out the evening. Vets Hall, 846 Front St., Santa Cruz; lessons at 8pm, dancing at 9pm; sliding scale donation; 831.454.0478. (TM) Judy Frankel Singer/guitarist Judy Frankel has recorded and performed Sephardic music throughout the world, creating a musical narrative of such countries as Spain, Turkey, Egypt, the former Yugoslavia and Morocco. Alternately euphoric and wistful, her rendition of 15th-century Ladino, the nearly extinct language of Sephardic Jews, carries echoes of Spain's Golden Age, a time when Jews enjoyed hundreds of years of peace and prosperity living side by side with Spanish Christians and Moors. The concert is a benefit for Women's Crisis Support. Artvark Cafe House, call for location; 7:30pm; suggested donation $17; 831.688.2225. (TM) Women and the Silent Screen Two evenings of rarely seen silent-screen gems--all made by reigning female cinema artists--will be shown this weekend at UCSC. The screenings will be held in conjunction with a major international gathering of silent-film scholars on campus. Friday's screening is Germaine Dulac's La Souriante Madame Beudet, a bold bit of 1920s French feminist filmmaking. The fully restored print, on loan from Yale University, will be presented along with a new score commissioned by Bay Area composer Carolyn Yarnell and performed by the New Music Ensemble directed by Nicole Paiement. Two comic shorts, directed by Alice Guy Blaché and Lois Weber, will open the evening. Saturday's feature, Heart o' the Hills, stars Mary Pickford at the apex of her career, along with a performance of the score composed and conducted by renowned silent-film composer Maria Newman. Opening the Pickford feature is the short, Trail of the North Wind, directed by Nell Shipman. Music Recital Hall, UCSC; Fri-Sat 8pm; free; artstream.ucsc.edu/womensilentscreen/. (CW) Humane Society's Pet Trails Animal magnetism takes on a whole new meaning at the Sonoma County Humane Society's Pet Trails event. Fluffy and Bowser can take advantage of free rabies shots and $10 microchip ID implants, and humans can enjoy a tour of the shelter and pick through art objects, books, and house wares at the "barking lot" garage sale. Humane Society, 5345 Hwy. 12, Sebastopol; noon-2pm; free; 707.542.0882. Taste for Knowledge Wine Auction Upcoming Napa County events offer a chance to enjoy the best in local food and wine for good causes. Bid on some of Napa Valley's most hard-to-find wine at the Taste for Knowledge Wine Auction. Proceeds benefit the Napa Valley Unified School District. Napa Valley Expo, 575 Third St, Napa; 4-8pm; $45; 707.253.3563. Kate Clinton When you hear the name Clinton, it's natural to think politics. But forget all that intern stuff, 'cause we're talking about Kate Clinton, one of America's most outrageous political comedians. Osher Marin JCC, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael; Sat 8pm, Sun 5pm; $30; 415.444.8000. Calendar Home | Metroactive | Back | Next