Here they are, nine necessary know-abouts for the week ahead. It\u2019s the gales of November B9:<\/p>\n \u27a4 Call it a homecoming, call it a touchstone to Santa Cruz\u2019s rich jazz past. Next Thursday, Nov. 13<\/a>, vocalist Sasha Dobson<\/strong> is set to perform at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, a room she knows quite well. The Dobson family name looms large in local jazz circles. Sasha is a successful jazz singer in her own right, as well as part of the trio Puss N Boots with Norah Jones and Catherine Popper. But in Santa Cruz, she might be more well-known as part of an accomplished family devoted to jazz. Sasha\u2019s mom, Gail Dobson<\/strong>, who passed away in 2024, was also a popular jazz vocalist in her day, having emerged from the rich San Francisco scene of the 1960s. Sasha\u2019s brother, Smith Dobson Jr.<\/strong>, is a busy percussionist and sideman \u2014 and, in fact, he will be part of his sister\u2019s performance next week at Kuumbwa. But local jazz fans are most likely to tell stories about Sasha\u2019s dad, Smith<\/strong> Dobson Sr.<\/strong>, a passionate and talented pianist and jazz ambassador who was consumed with the transcendent possibilities of music. Smith Sr. was killed in a South Bay car accident returning home from a gig in 2001, and the community still keenly feels that loss. His memorial service was one of the most remarkable events I\u2019ve witnessed covering the local arts community. Here\u2019s a chance to catch up with the Dobsons and let Sasha and Smith Jr. both know how much their parents meant to all of us in Santa Cruz.<\/p>\n \u27a4 It\u2019s an amazing pairing \u2014 Patterson Hood<\/strong>, founding member of the passionate Southern rock band Drive-By Truckers, and Craig Finn<\/strong>, who started the underappreciated New York band The Hold Steady. On Wednesday<\/a>, Hood and Finn will bring their considerable experience and musical perspective to the stage at Moe\u2019s Alley for a sure-to-be memorable collaboration.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 Can we really already be gearing up for \u201cA Christmas Carol\u201d<\/strong>? Yes, yes we can. On Monday<\/a>, the actors of Santa Cruz Shakespeare, which includes Mike Ryan and Julie James, come together at Bookshop Santa Cruz to present a preview of what to expect from the Dickens classic this year, because the production\u2019s opening date, Nov. 26, is coming on faster than you think.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk parking lot is not usually the place to hang out on a beautiful fall Saturday. But this Saturday<\/a>, the Boardwalk lot is the stage for its annual Hot Rods on the<\/strong> Beach<\/strong> car show, featuring classic cars, muscle cars and hot rods of all shapes, sizes and colors. Let Monterey have the fancy Concours d\u2019Elegance. This one is more Santa Cruz\u2019s style.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 They\u2019re the greasy roadside band with a finely honed sense of humor. They are Southern Culture on the Skids<\/strong>, the North Carolina trio that\u2019s made Moe\u2019s Alley a home away from home with an annual date as regular as the county fair. This year, Rick, Mary and Dave bring their fun-loving sensibility to Moe\u2019s on Saturday<\/a>. Banana puddin\u2019 for everybody!<\/p>\n \u27a4 There are some things that only a town that sits on the ocean can provide, and one of those happens this weekend<\/a> at the Boardwalk\u2019s beautiful Cocoanut Grove. It\u2019s the Santa Cruz Sea Glass and Ocean Art Festival<\/strong>, featuring the work of more than 60 artists who have done amazing things with colored glass from the ocean.<\/p>\n \u27a4 Grief, death, remembrance \u2026 and celebration? It\u2019s part of the D\u00eda de Los Muertos <\/strong>community art show on Friday<\/a> at the Tannery Arts Center. More than a dozen artists will be represented at Studio 116 at the Tannery, with food, art activities and a community altar.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lookout.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Sasha-Dobson.jpg?resize=732%2C666&ssl=1\")
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