7 THU • MUSIC Steve Jarosz and Rod Hicks — Anyone who is taller than 6-feet-4-inches really has no need for a big pompadour, but there’s just something about jazz guitarist Steve Jarosz that makes it work. This long drink of water, known best for his
work with swing/rock favorites, the Twistin’ Tarantulas and his London-based rockabilly trio, Blue Voodoo, has evolved into a bona fide jazzhead. And with the help of bassist Rod Hicks, the standards and Latin jazz, augmented by some seriously rousing blues, are a weekly show worth catching. At Gizzmo’s (3225 Biddle Ave., Wyandotte). Call 734-284-3459 for further information.
8 FRI • FUN FOR ALL Caribbean International Festival — Detroit may not have Mardi Gras street parades to mark the onset of Lent, but for the last 10 years, a couple thousand guys and lasses in elaborate island costumes of Carnival have been sashaying down Woodward to island riddims as part of the Caribbean International Festival. The extravaganza leaves from Mack at Woodward at 11 a.m. Saturday and arrives at Hart Plaza an hour and a half later. That’s just one part of the weekend festivities that run from noon to 11:30 Friday and until 11 on Saturday and Sunday. Detroit DJs and Caribbean-rooted bands share the bill with headlining hit-makers Partners in Kryme (Dominica) and Leon Coldero and Code 868 (Trinidad) — both on Saturday — and Jamaica’s Wayne Wonder on Sunday. Not to mention island dances, food and a Friday evening (7:45-10 p.m.) beauty pageant. Free at Hart Plaza. Call 313-255-2226 for more information.
8 FRI • MUSIC Curtis Eller’s American Circus — The amount of fun one can have at this show is in direct proportion to the bizarreness it exudes. Billed as “New York’s angriest yodeling banjo player,” we’ll let you decide if this is something you’d like to check out, but one thing we can promise you, it’ll be different. Grotesque waltzes, cracked carnival music and songs about snake handling are guaranteed. At Xhedos (240 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale). Call 248-399-3946.
8-10
FRI-SUN •
THEATER The Tempest — Shakespeare’s classic The Tempest was a tale about an enchanted island. And just as Shakespeare’s fascination with the “brave new world” translated into one of the literary canon’s most famous plays, so did the ridiculous foibles of one of pop culture’s most hilarious ensembles, “Gilligan’s Island.” What is the relationship, you ask? The association sounds absurd? It is supposed to. Check out the Ridgedale Players light-hearted take on The Tempest done as the silly and iconic characters we all knew and loved from “Gilligan’s Island.” At Ridgedale Playhouse (205 W. Long Lake, Troy). Call 248-988-7049 for tickets. Skiiiii-pper!
9 SAT • DANCE Salsa Dance Lessons — Hot. Caliente. Chaud. Whatever language you speak, the universal language of rhythm is spoken at the Parabox. Don’t dance? No matter. Come check out their free dance lessons from 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. every Saturday night — men and women welcome. At the Parabox Café (1927 Michigan Ave., Detroit). Call 313 268-2325 for more details. Proper attire required — no sneakers, baseball hats or jeans.
12 TUE • MUSIC Barbara Ware — Here’s a chance to make three discoveries at once. First, there’s the superb Detroit jazz vocalist Barbara Ware, whose way with a jazz standard recalls the greats. Second, the location for her 7 p.m. concert is the little-known Mt. Elliott Park on the street of that name on the Detroit riverfront. Finally, there’s the city’s free concert series which presents music several nights a week through the summer. Other examples: Marion Hayden of Straight Ahead performs 2-4 p.m. Aug. 8 at Brennan Pool (Plymouth and Burt Road) and former Blackbyrd Allan Barnes performs 2-4 p.m. Aug. 12 at Stone Pool (Lodge and Forest). For more information, call 313-843-6940.
