Here they are, nine necessary know-abouts for the week ahead. It\u2019s the Back-to-school?-Already? B9:<\/p>\n \u27a4 It\u2019s a big night on Saturday<\/a> at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. First off, the festival\u2019s director and orchestra conductor, Cristian M\u0103celaru<\/strong>, returns after one week of a guest conductor. He\u2019ll lead the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra in a bold program titled \u201cBecoming,\u201d which features at its center a tribute to the late great composer Lou<\/strong> Harrison<\/strong>. As an international figure, Harrison is an artistic pioneer in bringing non-Western influences to modern world music. But locals who\u2019ve been around a while will remember him as a friend and neighbor who changed the music world from his home in Aptos. He was also an inspiration to the LGBTQ community of his day. The festival honors him by performing Harrison\u2019s Concerto for Violin and Percussion with guest violinist Justin Bruns<\/strong>. On the same program comes a performance from composer and multi-instrumentalist Darian Donovan Thomas<\/strong>, who has been called<\/a> \u201ca giant joyous ball of pulsating purple light.\u201d Who doesn\u2019t want to see that? Taken together, the Harrison piece and the Thomas performance make for a big gesture in the direction of gratitude to honor the 50th anniversary of the first Gay Pride event in Santa Cruz County.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 They\u2019ve been entertaining local audiences with regular appearances for a few decades now, so you know there are a lot of fans in town of Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite<\/strong> Boys<\/strong>. The band brings big energy to the classic sounds of rockabilly and Western swing, with big, bold dashes of bluegrass, country, Cajun and so much more. Get out your pomade and your dancing shoes and get over to Moe\u2019s Alley next Wednesday<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 The famous Tom Scribner statue outside Bookshop Santa Cruz is a lasting reminder that, yes, some people play a saw blade like a musical instrument. It\u2019s a pity the statue doesn\u2019t make a sound, but there will be plenty of sounds in the air Sunday<\/a> for the annual International Musical Saw Festival<\/strong> on the grounds of Roaring Camp in Felton. Whether Scribner\u2019s ghost will be on hand is a subject for conjecture, but if he is present, expect him to be right there on stage when all the gathered saw players perform at the same time.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 There\u2019s a whole lot of Marley going on next week<\/a> up on the campus of UC Santa Cruz. The beautiful outdoor Quarry Amphitheater at UCSC is ready to welcome two sons of the late titan of reggae music Bob Marley. They are singer\/producer\/instrumentalist Stephen Marley<\/strong>, trained at the youngest age by his famous dad, and Damian \u201cJr. Gong\u201d Marley<\/strong>, just 2 years old when Bob died in 1981. Together they have both dedicated their careers to keeping alive their father\u2019s rootsy sound and moving reggae forward. This is a special show in a special place.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 It\u2019s one more weekend<\/a> for Cabrillo Stage\u2019s lurid and compelling \u201cSweeney Todd<\/strong>,\u201d<\/strong> the delightfully bloody musical from Stephen Sondheim. Our own critic, Jana Marcus, said the production is fueled<\/a> by a powerhouse performance by Adam J. Saucedo in the title role. The musical runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday for evening performances, and Saturday and Sunday for afternoon shows, all at the lovely Crocker Theater.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 It\u2019s tough to resist the seduction of John Pizzarelli<\/strong>\u2019s guitar work, sometimes dreamy and atmospheric, other times snappy and crisp. The second-generation New York singer and guitarist embraces both the Great American Songbook and more contemporary rock\/pop composers. It\u2019s all there for your enjoyment Monday<\/a> at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 Bluegrass fans, listen up. The four-woman group Della Mae<\/strong>, originally out of New England, brings their mountain soul and their chilling vocal harmonies into The Landing in Scotts Valley next Thursday<\/a>. Shading somewhere in between traditional bluegrass and the singer-songwriter Americana tradition, this quartet is something special for fans of quintessentially American music.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 Seven male voices weave together in astonishingly intricate ways with the a cappella group Naturally 7<\/strong>. The approach here is to simulate a full band using only the power of the human voice, including guitar, bass, drums, horns, even harmonica. The result is not only great music, but something of a magic trick. The seven-piece band is set to fill the Kuumbwa Jazz Center with instrument-less music Friday<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Cabrillo](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lookout.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/unnamed.jpg?resize=780%2C526&ssl=1\")
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