Here they are, nine necessary know-abouts for the week ahead. It’s the Black Friday B9:
➤ We all know the story, and most of us want to believe that its brand of redemption is possible. That story is “A Christmas Carol,” by Charles Dickens, an eternal tale deeply woven into the contemporary experience of Christmas. Santa Cruz Shakespeare believes in both the message behind the story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s U-turn from selfish skinflint to joyous mensch, and the need to hear it told afresh every December. This weekend marks the theater company’s second production of “A Christmas Carol,” like last year’s, also at the Veterans Memorial Building in Santa Cruz. There isn’t much new in this year’s show, but that’s beside the point. Like a meaningful song or an uplifting movie, SCS is banking on the power of “A Christmas Carol” to return to the same message again and again. You could even catch the play early on in its run — it officially opens on Sunday — and then drop in again on Christmas Eve, which is, after all, the magic moment in which the story is set. How cool would that be?
➤ The theme of the latest exhibition “Mi Casa Es Tu Casa: Rooted in Remembrance” at Pajaro Valley Arts is goodbye. The show is not only dedicated to the memory of those who have passed on, all through the cultural lens of Día de Los Muertos. But the event is also goodbye to PVA’s longtime gallery in the old Victorian on Sudden Street before moving into its new digs at the Porter Building. Closed during the week of Thanksgiving, the exhibit opens for its final week Monday.
➤ Jamaican artist Keron Salmon is known professionally as Kabaka Pyramid, and under that moniker, he exploded into public consciousness a decade ago with his compelling blend of reggae and hip-hop and a message of hope and spiritual power. In fact, his star power is so strong, one night’s performance couldn’t contain him. Kabaka Pyramid plays back-to-back nights at Moe’s Alley on Friday and Saturday.
➤ They are the San Lorenzo Valley’s own. Brothers Kellen and Jamie Coffis came out of a musical family in the Santa Cruz Mountains and with their band, The Coffis Brothers, have created a quintessential SLV country/rock sound. And there is no better venue to catch their act than Felton Music Hall, where they do their thing Saturday night.
➤ Here’s your chance to get a sense of breadth and depth of poetry from the Monterey Bay. “The Power of Her Voice” gathers together many of the finest women poets in the area, including Ellen Bass, Patrice Vecchione, Dion O’Reilly and many others who will read from the new volume “Women in a Golden State: California Poets at 60 and Beyond,” all to support Santa Cruz Community Health. It takes place next Thursday, Dec. 4, at Temple Beth El in Aptos.
➤ Born behind the Iron Curtain, native Serbian blues guitarist and vocalist Ana Popovic has built a career that proves the blues isn’t just an American thing. A guitar prodigy since her teens, Popovic eventually made the jump from Belgrade to Memphis. Now a veteran of the scene, she’s got a new album and embarks on a new tour, bringing her to the Rio Theatre in a show presented by Moe’s Alley and KPIG next Wednesday, Dec. 3.
➤ Jazz pianist Jacky Terrasson arrives at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center on Dec. 4, a week after turning 60. But it might be a bit tacky to scream “Happy Birthday” mid set. Terrasson is one of the jazz world’s most supple and pillowy piano players and his compositions are sublime in their intricate detail and lush vibe.
➤ The Beatles are the gift that keeps on giving in the pop-culture universe. And their eternal appeal is fueled by tribute acts like The Fab Four, which re-creates the group’s beloved mop-top “mod” style on stage as well as their later psychedelic looks. The ersatz John, Paul, George & Ringo pay a visit to the Rio Theatre on Friday to play the songs you already know by heart.
➤ Yes, it’s a musical form that has an architectural style named after it. But you don’t have to go to an opera house to enjoy operatic performances. Sometimes, you can catch them in a brewpub. At least that’s the case Saturday and Sunday afternoon, when professional vocalists from the Santa Cruz Opera Project present “Opera On Tap” at Woodhouse Blending and Brewing, featuring arias and solos based on your favorite brews, for a “pairing” experience of a different kind.
