Jazz
One of the more festive occasions on the Chicago jazz calendar returns this week, when Jazz Fair 2001 swings into the Chicago Cultural Center. Though for many years a one-night affair, the event has expanded into a three-day event, organized by the Jazz Institute of Chicago. On Thursday, the schedule will feature poet Sonia Sanchez with flutist Niki Mitchell, bassist Harrison Bankhead and percussionist Michael Zerang, at 6 p.m.; and Dave Douglas’ Charms of the Night Sky band, at 7:30 p.m. On Friday, the performances will begin at 6:30 p.m., the lineup including Ensemble Stop-Time with vocalist Maggie Brown; Bebop Brass; Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Manodharma Trio; and Kurt Elling with Von Freeman. And on Saturday, jazz films will be screened from 1 to 6:30 p.m.
Jazz Fair 2001 takes place Thursday through Saturday at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.; 312-427-1676.
— Howard Reich
Rock
Everlast: He’s putting some much-needed soul in rap-rock; Thursday at House of Blues, 312-923-2000.
North Mississippi Allstars: Blues-rock steeped in Mississippi hill-country boogie; Friday at Metro; 773-549-0203.
Marcia Ball: The queen of Texas piano blues helps her home away from home celebrate its 20th anniversary; Friday and Saturday at FitzGerald’s; 708-788-2118.
— Greg Kot
Dance
NEXT Dance Festival: In the first of its two weekends, the fest of contemporary choreography will feature seven Chicago-area troupes. Performances are 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday in the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave.; 312-902-1500.
— Richard Christiansen
Classical music
“Chants Mystiques”: Surveying 3,000 years of Jewish chant and music will be Hazzan Alberto Mizrahi, noted Chicago tenor and cantor of Anshe Emet synagogue, with vocal ensemble under Matthew Lazar; 3 p.m. Sunday at Symphony Center; 312-294-3000.
Winter Chamber Music Festival: Eight string players from the Chicago Symphony will perform rarely heard octets by Shostakovich and Enescu along with the Sextet from Strauss’ “Capriccio”; 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Evanston; 847-467-4000.
MusicNOW: Intriguing contemporary music series continues with musicians from the CSO performing works by Shulamit Ran and George Benjamin (both of whom will attend); 8 p.m. Wednesday in Buntrock Hall, Symphony Center; 312-294-3000.
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Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center: The nation’s foremost repertory chamber music company presents a new work by bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer along with Brahms’ Violin Sonata No. 2 and Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet; 8 p.m. Friday in Mandel Hall, University of Chicago; 773-702-8068.
— John von Rhein
Film
“It All Starts Today” and “Taboo”: Two of the world’s finest filmmakers have excellent new films premiering this weekend. Bertrand Tavernier’s inspiring “It All Starts Today” ((star)(star)(star)(star)), a realistic look at a modern schoolteacher, is at Facets Multimedia (1517 W. Fullerton Ave.; 773-281-4114). Nagisa Oshima’s “Taboo” ((star)(star)(star)1/2), a stunning martial arts drama about gay samurai, is at The Music Box (3373 N. Southport Ave.; 773-871-6604).
— Michael Wilmington
Jazz
Corky Siegel’s “Chamber Blues”: The protean Chicago composer and harmonica player offers his long-evolving project, a merger of blues and classical idioms; Thursday through Sunday at the Jazz Showcase, 59 W. Grand Ave.; 312-670-2473.
Astral Project: New Orleans’ most enduring contemporary jazz band returns to the club that has become its second home; 9 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday at the Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway; 773-878-5552.
Ramsey Lewis Trio: The veteran pianist has been returning to his acoustic-jazz roots; 8 p.m. Saturday in the Hemmens Center, 150 Dexter Ct., Elgin; 847-931-5900.
— Howard Reich
Art
“Markus Raetz”: Selections from 20 years of work by the unclassifiable contemporary Swiss artist opens Thursday at the Arts Club, 201 E. Ontario St.; 312-787-3997.
“Landscapes of Introspection: The Magoon Collection of British Drawings and Prints, 1739-1854”: The first traveling exhibition of British works on paper from Vassar College opens Thursday at the David and Alfred Smart Museum, 5550 S. Greenwood Ave. 773-702-0200.
“AA Bronson and General Idea”: Works by the last surviving member of a collaborative that created projects on the theme of AIDS; Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave.; 312-280-2660.
— Alan G. Artner
Theater
“Early and Often”: Tom Wolfe’s and Barbara Wallace’s riotously funny, shrewdly insightful comedy is at once cyncial and sentimental about Chicago-style politics in the crucial election year of 1960; it’s peopled by Famous Door Theatre with marvelously brash, tough, rude characters; through Jan. 28 at the Theatre Building, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.; 773-327-5252.
“The School for Scandal”: Star/director Brian Bedford’s staging of Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s 1777 English comedy of manners is perfectly pitched and delightfully performed in every stylistic detail; through Jan. 21 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave; 312-595-5600.
— Richard Christiansen