Thursday 4
LATIN ACE. Guitar ace Paco de Lucía and his septet bring their steamy brand of flamenco to the Old Pueblo tonight.
The Spanish master has spent decades interweaving brilliant classical guitar with high-energy jazz and pop riffs. Such stylings have subsequently made him an international superstar. "Often called the greatest living flamenco guitarist, Paco de Lucía has an effortless hold on the drama of music," says the Boston Herald.
This season he returns with a likewise exceptional ensemble to perform music from his latest recording, Luzia. A salute to the ancient, passionate spirit of flamenco through the ages, it's dedicated to his late mother, Lucía Gomez. The group features Ramon de Algeciras and Jose Banderas on guitar; Carlos Benavent on electric bass; Jorge Pardo on saxophone and flute; Duquende on vocals; Rubem Dantes on percussion; and fiery flamenco dance soloist Joaquin Grilo.
Show time is 7:30 p.m. in UA Centennial Hall, inside the main gate east of Park Avenue. Tickets range from $26 to $38, and are available at the Centennial Hall box office, or by calling 621-3341.
ANTIQUE ACTION. A local art gallery and an antique dealer collaborate to present Tucson's version of The Antiques Roadshow.
The Covington Gallery joins Darlene Morris Antiques for Appraisal and Discovery Days. That means it's time to dig through those dusty boxes Granny stashed in the cellar, and round up Uncle Bob's vintage girlie calendars. Remember, yesterday's kitsch could finance tomorrow's Caribbean getaway.
Find out whatcha got at Appraisal and Discovery Days, running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Saturday in the Covington Gallery, 6536 E. Tanque Verde Road, suite 160. For details, call 298-7878.
Friday 5
GONE FISHIN'. Reel in some big yuks with "Here's Your Sign," a night of comedy featuring Bill Engvall.
Ranked among the country's top-selling humorists, Engvall landed in the big leagues after his collaboration with Travis Tritt for the single Here's Your Sign. The recording spent 10 weeks atop Billboard's Country Singles chart, and another 15 weeks on the Comedy Album Chart.
Engvall followed up with Dorkfish. The album promises repeat success for an ornery guy who nearly followed a different career path: he could have been "teaching your kids right now," he says. But today, Engvall's classroom is more likely to be filled by stories of "prehistoric porpoises with huge overbites, caught by cavemen with corn dogs on a hook."
"I believe it was the Discovery Channel," he says, describing the inspiration for his latest album. "They were talking about this fossilized fish they had found whose upper jaw sticks out over his bottom one, and I started laughing. I thought, 'Oh my God, it's a dorkfish!'"
Catch the fun at 8 p.m. in the TCC Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets are $20.50, and available at the TCC box office, Dillard's, or by calling 791-4266.
SIBLINGS SALE. Get your hands on great stuff and help Big Brothers and Sisters of Tucson at The Southwest Flair-A-Fair.
This fine arts-and-crafts gala will feature unique little goodies from more than 130 of the region's best artisans. That's in addition to great chow dished up by Fuego and the Olive Tree restaurants, all benefiting a great program that provides a steady hand for needy youths.
The Southwest Flair-A-Fair runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Sante Fe Square, on the corner of Tanque Verde and Sabino Canyon roads. Call 624-2447 for details.
Saturday 6
BEAUTIFUL BARGAINS. Help keep the Old Pueblo in tip-top shape -- and land some swell bargains -- at Tucson Clean and Beautiful's Second Time Around sale.
Billed as "the ultimate in recycling," the huge rummage sale has darn-near everything you and yours could covet, from furniture and artwork to sporting goods and housewares. You can also play both sides of the fence by donating your own goods to the cause. Raffle prizes include hotel stays, rental car gift certificates, and weekend condo getaways.
The Second Time Around sale runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Rillito Raceway Park, on the southeast corner of First Avenue and River Road. Admission is free. For details, call 791-3109.
CHENILLE APPEAL. There are few acts that qualify as good, clean fun, but the hilarious, non-sibling Chenille Sisters are the genuine article. This trio of Ann Arbor musicians got their big break in 1986 as musical guests
on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion radio show, and they've had a busy touring and recording schedule ever since. Armed with acoustic guitar, a parade of thrift-store costume changes, and impeccable three-part harmonies, this comedy troupe of serious musicians has won over audiences from coast to coast -- including those dour critics at The Washington Post, who say their political and social commentary will give you "plenty of reason to both listen and laugh."
You'll hear plenty of influences, from the Andrews Sisters to Aretha; and their repertoire of pop covers and original ballads embraces American music from the '20s onward. Tonight the Chenille's give their first solo concert in the Old Pueblo at 8 p.m. in the ideally suited Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway Blvd. All seating is reserved, with tickets available at the door or in advance for $17 at Hear's Music (2508 N. Campbell Ave.) and Antigone Books (411 N. Fourth Ave.). For tickets and information, call 327-4809. KXCI and In Concert! members receive a $2 discount.
HONOR GUARD. Tom Hanks did 'em proud in Saving Private Ryan. But now's the chance to pay tribute to the real McCoy at the 12th annual Veterans Day Parade.
Hosted by American Legion Post 109, the day-long celebration starts with a 7 p.m. breakfast at the post. The parade follows at 10 p.m., leaving from the Corona de Tucson First Baptist Church, 16540 S. Houghton Road. This year's approximately 500 entrants include the Davis Monthan Elite Honor Guard, Hot Flashes, the Arizona Governor's Horse Guard, the Sheriff's Mounted Posse and kids from 4H and the Girl and Boy Scouts. The event continues with entertainment by Mr. Music and chow throughout the day.
The American Legion Post 109 is at 15921 S. Houghton Road. For information, call 762-5852.
HIGHLAND REVERIE. Kick up your kilt at the 13th annual Tucson Celtic Festival and Scottish Highland Games.
This ethnic blowout celebrates all things Scottish, from the Grand March of Clans and bagpipe competitions to highland dance, with special performances by Men of Worth. And that's just the beginning. The day will also include traditional Irish step dancing, sheep dog demonstrations, children's games and Scottish grub with exotic names like bangers, mince and tatties.
Proceeds support scholarships in Celtic dance, piping, language development and youth travel, with a portion going to the Casa de los Niños child crisis center.
The Tucson Celtic Festival and Scottish Highland Games runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Green Fields Country Day School, 6000 N. Camino de la Tierra. Admission is $8, free for children under age 12. Call 888-1058 for details.
Sunday 7
ARTISTIC BALANCE. The acclaimed Childsplay theater presents A Perfect Balance.
Inspired by the life and work of American artist Alexander Calder, the multi-media adventure brings together "a piece of poetry that dances with the joy of life."
Calder combined engineering and art to create "mobile" performances. In turn, this on-the-move piece is meant to be understood by children, and challenging to adults. It playfully explores the creative process, examines the subtle differences between inventing and creating, and looks at the age-old question "What is Art?" During the show, a mobile will be constructed from pieces of the set, and ultimately revolve above the audience.
Show time is 2 p.m. in the Tucson Center for the Performing Arts, 408 S. Sixth Ave. Performances continue at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, through November 21. Tickets are $15, $10 for seniors and students, with discounts for TMA and UA Art Museum members, and available at the ATC box office, or by calling 622-2823.
ACTION AFOOT. Quick action will be afoot at the Cactus Classic III Marathon skate races.
Hosted by the Tucson In-Line Sk8 Club, the professional races draw competitors from across the globe, thousands of spectators, and the most cardiovascular action since man invented the wheel. Blasting off beneath lovely November skies, the event also includes "lots of fun, food and prizes," with proceeds benefiting the PCC Scholarship Fund.
Race time is 7 a.m. in the Park Corporation parking lot, 18550 S. La Canada Drive in Sahuarita. For information, call 747-2903.
Monday 8
MONSTROUS REFLECTIONS. Tough inward journeys take center stage in a reading of Bodies and Hearts in the Face of The Monster (A Comedy), by Toni Press-Coffman.
Raymond Sparks is a poet by vocation, a construction worker by profession. His sister Lillian is mayor of a mid-sized Midwestern city. Ray is deeply involved -- perhaps in love -- with two people at the same time, while Lillian is robbing the cradle with a man 30 years her junior. The drama traces their respective pilgrimage towards their true hearts, while examining the endless facets of love -- between friends, between lovers and between people unable to categorize their relationships so precisely. The result is a revelation on the complexity of the human heart, and its resistance towards reducing animal lust "to a crude, simple-minded common denominator of human behavior."
Reading is 7:30 p.m. at the Tucson-Pima Arts Council, 240 N. Stone Ave. A $3 donation is requested. For details, call 882-5502.
BACK FROM THE BRINK. On Easter Sunday, 1987, the last wild California condor was captured in a desperate effort to save the species from extinction. For the first time since the late Pleistocene Age, the big birds no longer graced the skies of North America. Faced with rapidly declining numbers, scientists collected wild-laid eggs and captured free-flying condors to breed them in captivity.
The result is a stunning population rebirth, discussed tonight by Robert Mesta, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mesta's appearance is hosted by the Tucson Audubon Society.
Mesta has devoted his entire career to the study, conservation and management of endangered birds of prey. He's currently vice president of Sovereign Wings, a Native American foundation devoted to raptor conservation and preservation. The free discussion is 7 p.m. in the UMC DuVal Auditorium, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. Call 629-0510 for information.
Tuesday 9
FISK AND ÖÇAL. Those are two names fans of classical music wouldn't expect to see on the marquee at downtown's Scottish Rite Cathedral, but that's just one of many surprises UApresents has up its sleeve (their various classical music series are among the city's most lamentably kept secrets; see this week's Arts section for details).
Flamenco guitar legend Andrés Segovia has called virtuoso Eliot Fisk "one of the most brilliant, intelligent and gifted young musical artists of our time." He's also been voted Best Classical Guitarist by Guitar Player Magazine's Readers' Poll -- a body of readers who take those six strings pretty seriously, and don't waste their time with slouches.
Burhan Öçal is a legend in his own right in his native Turkey -- a multi-instrumentalist who's mastered a variety of traditional percussive and string instruments, his influences include the Turkish serail, folk and neo-classical styles as well as Western jazz.
These are rare musicians for a Tucson stage, in a venue that sees few concerts throughout the year. The ethereal show begins at 7:30 p.m. at the cathedral, 110 S. Scott Ave. Tickets are $20, half-price for students and children 18 and under, and are available at the Centennial Hall box office. UA employees and UApresents subscribers also receive a discount. Call 621-3341 for tickets and information.
Wednesday 10
PORTER RECALLED. The UMC Center Stage recalls a magic era with You're The Top! The Music of Cole Porter.
The fond remembrance will feature such toe-tapping faves as "It's Dlovely," "Friendship," "In the Still of the Night," "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "From This Moment On," all performed by the UA Theater Arts student ensemble, Encore!
The free show runs from noon to 1 p.m. in the UMC DuVal Auditorium, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. For details, call 626-4828.
