Going to Town

Thursday, August 18, 2005 | Upcoming music, visual arts and theater events:

MUSIC

Brazilian boss. Even among the hundreds of top-shelf, you-better-own-this jazz records, Joao Gilberto and Stan Getz’s 1963 “Getz/Gilberto” is an undisputed standout. The woody agility of Gilberto’s voice lent perfect counterpoint by the smooth, ever-economical flutterings of Getz’s tenor saxophone, arguably put jazz/bossa nova on the map. But the album’s landmark contributions, like No. 1 hit “The Girl from Ipanema” – on which Gilberto’s wife Astrud sang her first out-of-home performance – owe much of their unforgettable grace to composer Antonio Carlos Jobim, widely regarded as one of the great Brazilian composers of all time. He wrote the soundtrack to 1959 Cannes winner “Black Orpheus,” had his songs performed in the ’50s by a then-unknown Joao Gilberto, and wrote the material for the smash recording (that’s him on piano) that would ignite the 1960s bossa nova fire outside of Brazil.

Jobim, often referred to as the Gershwin of Brazil, will be the composer du jour Thursday evening at Dizzy’s San Diego, a no-frills jazz space in downtown’s East Village, near the ballpark. Getz (a decade gone) and Gilberto (still kicking) won’t be there, sadly, but a group of hot locals, including vocalist Jamie, pianist Mikan Zlatkovich and guitarist Jaime Valle will squeeze their own juice into Jobim’s essential Brazilian fare. Aug. 18, Dizzy’s San Diego, 344 Seventh Ave. 8 p.m., $12. (IP)

Other performances:

-De La Soul aren’t just another old hip-hop group cashing on their supposed “legend” status – their recent releases are acclaimed, whereas others’ are rightly panned. Hear the grind at 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 22 at House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave. (619) 299-BLUE. Tickets from $23-$25. 21+.

-Ben Folds’ catchy suburban piano pop is crisply honest at best and doggedly tuneful at least. See the light with protégé Ben Lee and vocal dynasty Rufus Wainwright on Sunday, Aug. 21 at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St. 7 p.m., $34.50. (619) 235-0804.

-Bela Fleck is almost single-handedly responsible for the osmosis of the banjo from bluegrass into jazz; his virtuosic efforts have earned him Grammy nominations in more categories than any other artist. See him with the new “Trio!,” which includes Stanley Clarke on bass and Jean-Luc Ponty on violin on Tuesday, Aug. 23. Humphrey’s by the Bay, 2241 Shelter Island Drive. (619) 220-8497. 8 p.m., $45 and up.

-As I Lay Dying aren’t quite of Faulknerian depth in their confrontational metal-hardcore, though they do share a gloomy moniker (and outlook) with a novel from the famous author. Rock with the local boys Friday, Aug. 19 at Soma, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd. (619) 226-7662. 6 p.m., $19.

VISUAL ARTS

Spiritual images. In December 1967, Canadian photographer Paul Saltzman traveled to Rishikesh, India to study meditation for several weeks with the Maharishi at his spiritual retreat center. While there, he made new friends with some pretty famous folks, including John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

Saltzman, with their permission, took photos of the Fab Four’s stay in Rishikesh, where they not only studied with the Maharishi, but also wrote approximately 48 songs, many of which would later comprise the legendary “White Album.” Upon returning home, Saltzman placed his Ektachrome images and negatives in a box and tucked them away in his basement where they remained forgotten for 33 years.

Now, twenty-five of Saltzman’s color photographs are featured in the exhibition “The Beatles in India,” on display through Sunday, Aug. 21 at the Morrison Hotel Gallery, 1230 Prospect St., in La Jolla. The gallery is open Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Info: (858) 551-0835. (CC)

More art:

-“The Art of Being Kuna: Layers of Meaning Among the Kuna of Panama.” The Kuna people, who live on the San Blas islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama, are known for their rich visual culture, including intricately woven and vibrantly colored textiles, or molas. Celebrate the exhibition’s opening Saturday, Aug. 20, with mola making demonstrations, food, music and dance. The Museum of Man is located at 1350 El Prado, in Balboa Park. Info: (619) 239-2001.

-“Carnival.” This one-night only event on Saturday, Aug. 20 won’t have a parade of floats, dancers or musicians. But there will be plenty of carnival-themed artworks by more than 30 artists. The free event lasts from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Aubergine, 500 Fourth St., in downtown. Info: (619) 232-8100.

-“Underexposed.” Drinking isn’t usually allowed in art galleries, but it is when the art is hung on the walls of a bar. Enjoy a pint or sip a cocktail while taking in the work of six local photographers showcasing their black-and-white and color images through Wednesday, Aug. 24 at the Whistle Stop Bar, 2236 Fern St., in South Park. Info: (619) 284-6784.

-“No Stress.” The gallery may be small, but the walls and floors are littered (tastefully) with dozens of new works of varying shapes, sizes and media by fifteen up-and-coming artists, including Ben Horton, Jay Howell, Lisa Romero and Aaron Winters. On display now through Friday, Aug. 26 at Voice 1156 Gallery, 1156 Seventh Ave., in downtown. Info: (619) 235-6922 or www.voice1156.com.

THEATER

Patent this. Last month one of San Diego’s many modest neighborhood theaters floored play-goers with their sophisticated production of the Tennessee William’s well-loved drama, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” It can only be hoped that the same crew that handled the dynamics of a Southern family’s dysfunction with ease will bring similar finesse to a complex script about love and scholarship in Victorian England.

Tom Stoppard’s play, “The Invention of Love” opens the Cygnet Theatre’s third season with rich material from the life of A.E. Housman, one of England’s great, tragic and nearly forgotten 19th-century writers. On the verge of death, the elderly Housman confronts a naïve younger self as a student at Oxford, where unrequited love, suppressed homosexuality and poetic fame had yet to seal his fate. Their candid interactions, peppered with the words of history’s great philosophers and classicists, explore the ways in which an era was defined by moral oppression and the pursuit of (selective) knowledge.

A visit from Oscar Wilde juxtaposes the silence and repression of Housman’s life with the flamboyant martyrdom of his fellow scholar, whose challenge to the moral and artistic norms of the times ensured that history would keep the dust from his name.

Cygnet’s production of “The Invention of Love” runs at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays, now through Sept. 20. The theater is located at 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Suite N. Info: (619) 337-1525 or www.cygnettheatre.com. (JH)

Also playing:

-“The Sound of Music” hasn’t lost its charm since it opened on Broadway in 1959. Last showings are at 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. At the Starlight Theatre in Balboa Park, 2005 Pan American Plaza. Info: (619) 544 7827 or www.starlighttheatre.org.

-“Confessions of a Mormon Boy,” the one-man autobiographical play about being gay and Mormon, was so popular that it has been extended to Aug. 21. Last-chance showings are at 8 p.m., Thursday through Saturday and 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., Sunday. At the Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Blvd., Suite 101, in University Heights. Info: (619) 220-0097 or www.diversionary.org.

-“Fritz Blitz,” a festival featuring new works by California playwrights, continues in its third week. The line-up at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday is as follows: “Turtle Shopping” by Scott McMorrow (San Francisco), “Intrusion” by Eli Hans (San Diego), “Free Lunch” by Lionel Kranitz (San Francisco) and “The Tropic Of” by Jillian Frost (San Diego). All shows are at the Lyceum Theatre, located in Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego. For more information, call (619) 233-7505 or visit www.fritztheatre.com.

-“As You Like It.” The Theatre School at the North County Repertory Theatre presents classic Shakespeare comedy for four days only. Runs 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Located at 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Suite D., in Solana Beach. Info: (858) 481-2155 or www.northcoastrep.org.

-VOICE STAFF