Tucson Weekly: City Week (December 3

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Thursday 3

RHYTHMIC RETURN. Enjoy a talented blast from the past when jazz bassist and Tucson native Brian Bromberg plays the Cottonwood Club.
City Week A mainstay on the local club scene in the late '70s and early '80s, Bromberg later graduated to the Big Leagues, touring with legends like Stan Getz, and recording jazz hits like "You Know That Feeling," and "Hero." Tonight, he hits the stage with a superb quartet of premiere jazz sidemen.
The dinner performance is at 8 p.m., and tickets are $29.95. The late performance is at 10:30 p.m., and tickets are $15. For reservations and other information, call 326-6000.
MYSTERY BASH. Tucson bookstore Clues Unlimited dishes up a bit of intrigue with its Mysteries of History series.
Tonight's topic is "The Mystery of Jack the Ripper," recapping the infamous career of that nasty limey slicer who was never apprehended after murdering five London prostitutes. The police abruptly dropped their investigation for reasons that remain murky.
Countless attempts to solve the mystery have produced a wide range of culprits, from Lewis Carroll to the royal family doctors. UA History Professor Richard Cosgrove and his audience will sift through the facts of this notorious serial killer, in an evening that includes a wine and cheese reception and dinner. Proceeds will benefit UA undergraduate history students.
The evening begins at 6 p.m. in Clues Unlimited, 16 Broadway Village, at the corner of Broadway and Country Club Road. Dinner is at 7 p.m. in the Starwoods Plaza Hotel, 1900 E. Speedway. Tickets are $40 per person, and are available by calling 621-3793.
SEMESTER FINALE. The UA Dance department wraps up the fall semester with their annual winter concert, In the Season. Two programs will feature faculty and student choreography packed into two performances, with one program on Thursday and Saturday, and the other on Friday evening and a Saturday matinee.
Performances are anchored by the classical ballet "Paquita," staged by Jory Hancock and Melissa Lowe; and an excerpt from Amy Earnst's "Songs of Sanctuary."
In addition, the Thursday and Saturday night shows will feature John Wilson's "Emergence," and "Give it Away Now," by Mandy Montenez. Friday night and the Saturday matinee will premiere works by students including Desiree Kuring and Solinea Orinski.
Tonight's performance is at 8 p.m. in the UA Gittings Dance Theater, south end of the pedestrian underpass at Speedway and Park Avenue. Performances continue at 8 p.m. tomorrow, and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $8, $6 for seniors and students, and are available at the UA Fine Arts box office. Call 621-1162 for reservations and information.

Friday 4

NIGHT AT THE IMPROV. Avant-garde jazz presenter Zeitgeist dishes up a night of improvisational grooves with the five-hour Making It Up (in Real Time) benefit gig.
This musical smorgasbord runs the gamut from free guitar and percussion to '60s-era energy music, with each group contributing a 45-minute set. Lineup includes the Tom Williams/Marco Rosano Duo; Human Arts Ensemble; Matt Mitchell/Brian Harris Duo; and the Aaron Bonsall Trio.
For you neophytes, Zeitgeist is a hometown operation committed to freeing local and national jazz improv players from traditional commercial club restraints. In other words, they provide musicians--and their audiences-- with the chance to stretch a few sonic boundaries.
The experimental bash runs from 7 p.m. to midnight in the Mat Bevel Institute, 530 N. Stone Ave. Admission is $5 at the door. For details, call 621-7355.
NOCTURNAL KNOCKING. The Opera Guild of Southern Arizona and the PCC Center for the Arts present Giancarlo Menotti's classic holiday opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors.
To wit: Amahl is a crippled shepherd kid who lives with his mom in a small hovel, and the charming tike keeps their spirits up by describing the fun they'll have traveling from town to town, begging for food.
His unflagging spirit draws the attention of three kings, and sparks the age-old story of Christmas, retold here with unbeatable charm and verve. This rendition is set against a musical backdrop provided by 23 members of the Catalina Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Enrique Lasansky.
Performances are at 7 tonight and 2 p.m. Saturday in the PCC Proscenium Theatre, 2202 W. Anklam Road. Tickets are $8, $5 for seniors, and $4 for students, available at the PCC West Campus box office, at the door, or by calling 206-6988.

Saturday 5

PHOTO FEST. Join Tucson legend Lalo Guerrero and Ballet Folklorico Arizona in a benefit for the Downtown Street Photographs Book Project. The photos in question were contributed for Steve Farley's "Downtown Broadway Travel Interchange" mural project. Eight teenagers are now interviewing those shooters to create an oral history of downtown Tucson in the mid-20th century.
The action will include a folklorico performance of the "Zoot Suit Dance," and tons of tunes from the 1930s through '50s. Wear your vintage clothes. There will also be chow and drinks.
The party runs from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Heart-Five club, 61 E. Congress St. Advance tickets are $15, $25 for couples, and available by calling 327-4485. Tickets are $5 more at the door.
WEAVING HISTORY. More than 200 Indian crafters travel to Tucson from around the state today for the Celebration of Basket Weaving.
This ancient art will be displayed full-force, with weavers selling their wares, providing cultural presentations such as traditional basket dances and storytelling, and offering demonstrations of basketry techniques used by various tribes. There will also be a display on basket-weaving traditions among native peoples of the Sonoran desert.
Event hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road. Admission is free with regular museum admission, which is $8.95 for adults ages 13 and over, $1.75 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for children under age 6. For information, call 883-2702.
FM FIESTA. KXCI-FM, community radio 91.3, celebrates 15 years of turning Tucson on to great tunes with a concert by Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum. This stellar evening of folk, acoustic country and bluegrass kicks off with a set by local hard-pickin' heroes, the Titan Valley Trio.
Lewis is a heavyweight in bluegrass and traditional country, a top singer/songwriter and champion fiddle player. Her Rounder Records album, The Oak and the Laurel (recorded with Rozum on mandolin), was a 1996 Grammy nominee. She was first joined by Rozum on mandolin in the '70s, in the seminal Grant Street Band.
Show time is 8 p.m. in the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway. Advance tickets are $16 and $18, with $2 discounts for TFTM, DBA, TKMA and KXCI members. Get them in advance at the Folk Shop, Piney Hollow and KXCI. Tickets are $2 more at the door. Call 623-1000 for information.

Sunday 6

DARK DANES. Scandinavian winters are notoriously dark, brooding affairs. The sun lies low in the southern horizon, giving the feeling of perpetual sunset, and twilight usually arrives by 3:30 p.m. It's little wonder, then, that the Danes are known as a melancholy bunch.
But to counteract this seasonal gloom, they're also known for raising some well-chilled heck around the holidays. The Tucson Danish Club celebrates that other side of the cultural psyche with Julefest, a big Christmas party spotlighting everything from traditional storytelling and food, to music and dancing.
Join them from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Copenhagen Imports, 3660 E. Fort Lowell Road. Admission is free. Call 297-3384 for details.
INTERIOR GLIMPSES. Tucson bed-and-breakfasts throw wide their doors for the 10th-annual Holiday Open House Tour, with proceeds benefiting the Casa de Los Niños Crisis Nursery.
Eleven B&Bs in the northeast, central and southeast parts of town will participate, offering complimentary refreshments and the rare chance to view a variety of hospitality styles and properties.
Today's event runs from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are $5, available at Casa de los Niños, or the first inn on the tour. Brochures and maps are also available at any participating inn, and the Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. For information, call 622-4306.
MUSICAL GALE. The top-shelf Arizona Symphonic Winds, with director Lászlo Veres, pick up their instruments for their first Christmas concert of the season.
Along with timeless faves like "Sleigh Ride," they'll tackle Frescobaldi's "Toccata," the "Fugue in D Minor" by Tchaikovsky, and Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus." The Winds will also perform "Broadway Show-Stoppers Overture," Jerome Kern's "Highlight from Show Boat," and "Three Moods of Hanukkah."
Show time is 3 p.m. in the Saddlebrook Mountain View Clubhouse, 38691 S. Mountain View Blvd. Admission is $7. Call 531-9836 for details.

Monday 7

SEASONAL SING-ALONG. Join the melodic seasonal fray at the annual Community Messiah Sing-In. This year, Allan Schultz will conduct a 24-piece orchestra, and the more than 1,200 folks who'll come to sing the choruses of George Frederic Handel's Messiah.
Soloists will include soprano Betty Allen, tenor Jeffry Jahn, contralto Korby Myrick and bass John Weiss. The chorus is made up of amateur and professional audience members, shower singers, and countless representatives from local choirs. This is a true community gig, and singers can bring their own scores, or rent them for $5 (plus $5 deposit).
Caroling warm-up begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Grace Chapel, 6180 E. Pima St. Admission is free. For information, call 745-6054.

Tuesday 8

HEAVY HOWDY-DO. Come across as a heavy-hitter right off the bat with Powerful Self-Introductions, a workshop presented by Resources for Women.
Participants will learn how to make their first impressions count, creating a 15-minute self-introduction that informs people, creates interest and leaves an impact.
The workshop runs from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the RFW Center, 5210 E. Pima St., Suite 130. Admission is $10, free for RFW members. For reservations, call 388-8810.
TIMELESS TOT. Little Timmy makes his triumphant return--and teaches that old geezer Ebeneezer a lesson or two--in the Tucson Parks and Recreation Community Teen Theatre presentation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
Tonight's performance is at 7 p.m. in the Tucson Center for the Performing Arts, 408 S. Sixth Ave. Production continues at 7 p.m. weekdays, and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through December 13. Admission is free. For details, call 791-4663.

Wednesday 9

CUT ABOVE. Central Arts Collective continues along the cutting edge with Rough Cut, an exhibit of new works in painting, sculpture and mixed media by Kristin Decker, Keiko Imaoka and Catherine Sohn.
Decker's paintings and mixed-media pieces explore issues of vulnerability and insecurity using toy animal motifs, stylistically rendered with underlying textures and bold colors.
Imaoka's figurative clay sculptures are made using a variety of hand-building techniques, influenced by ancient Chinese philosophy, Jungian psychology, Buddhist teachings, and this region's geologic history.
The dualities of existence comprise Sohn's subject matter. Her self-portraits in oils are reflections which transmit into a broader world scope; realistic pieces with thin layers of paint suggesting the search for truth and reality.
Rough Cut runs through December 23 in the Central Arts Collective, 188 E. Broadway. Hours are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and during downtown Saturday Nights. Call 323-0979 for details.
TERRITORIAL TRIMMINGS. The Arizona Historical Society really digs up the ghosts of Christmas past--in a dusty, charming way--with Christmas in Arizona Territory.
This annual holiday exhibit features antique Christmas presents, trees decorated with antique ornaments, and historic toys that are a far cry from Nintendo, Beanie Babies and Power Rangers.
The exhibit runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday in the Sosa-Carillo-Frémont House, 151 S. Granada Ave. Call 622-0956 for details.
FASTBALL. They're best known for their hit single "The Way," and the recently released "Fire Escape." Now fast-track Fastball (whose sweeping rock is a reigning fave in Texas clubs) makes its way to Tucson for one show on the UA campus. See this week's Music feature for details.
Performance is 8 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom, north of the main mall. Tickets are $12, $11 for students, available in advance at CD Depot, Zip's Music, Student Union Room 102, or at the door. For information, call 621-5779.

City Week includes events selected by Calendar Editor Tim Vanderpool. Event information is accurate as of press time. The Weekly recommends calling event organizers to check for last-minute changes in location, time, price, etc. To have material considered, please send complete information at least 11 days prior to the Thursday issue date to: Tucson Weekly, P.O. Box 2429, Tucson, Arizona 85702, or fax information to 792-2096, or email us at listings@tucsonweekly.com.

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