<\/p>\n
The \u201cYes Jesters! Cabaret\u201d takes place Monday from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. at Synapsis, 1675 Union St., Eureka. The show will be repeated Dec. 15 at the same time at Arcata Playhouse, 1251 Ninth St., Arcata.<\/p>\n
Doors open a half-hour before the show starts. Suggested admission starts at $5, though both shows are \u201cpay what you want.\u201d<\/p>\n
This show \u2013 a program of Creative Sanctuary \u2013 is a \u201cPG-13ish parade of improv antics and gleeful irreverence.\u201d James Zeller and Katie Belknap host and perform alongside artists, musicians and clowns.<\/p>\n
Purchase tickets in advance at https:\/\/www.sanctuaryarcata.org<\/a>. Rice, beans and greens will be served from 6 p.m. as long as supplies last.<\/p>\n The Cal Poly Humboldt Department of Dance, Music, and Theatre will present \u201cJazz Combos\u201d Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. at the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the Arcata campus.<\/p>\n Tickets are $15 general, $5 for children and free for Cal Poly Humboldt students with ID. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at tickets.humboldt.edu\/dance-music-and-theatre<\/a>.<\/p>\n Three combos will perform:<\/p>\n \u201cModal Citizens\u201d features Gabriel Avila, trumpet, Jazmine Busteed, guitar, Alex Hofer, bass, and Nick Howell, drums. They will perform \u201cSt. Thomas\u201d by Sonny Rollins, \u201cThis Masquerade\u201d by Leon Russell, \u201cWake Up Alone\u201d by Amy Winehouse and Paul O\u2019Duffy and \u201cYou Brought a New Kind of Love To Me\u201d by Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal.<\/p>\n \u201cSyncopation Station\u201d joins together Giovanny Martinez, piano, Alex Hofer, bass, and Conlan House, drums. They are performing \u201cWillow Weep For Me\u201d by Ann Ronell, \u201cNobody Knows You When You\u2019re Down and Out\u201d by Jimmie Cox, \u201cMojo Woman\u201d by Mose Allison, \u201cA Night in Tunisia\u201d by Dizzy Gillespie and \u201cThe Week Has Gone By Too Fast\u201d by Conlan House.<\/p>\n The final combo, \u201cTight Space,\u201d consists of True Laboissonniere, alto and soprano saxes, Silas Bohen, piano, Tyler Endsley, bass, and Gavin Kingsley, drums. They are playing \u201cBlack Coffee\u201d by Sonny Burke and Paul Francis Webster, \u201cTea for Two\u201d by Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar, \u201cInterplay\u201d by Bill Evans, \u201cJoy Spring\u201d by Clifford Brown and \u201cA Little Late\u201d by Silas Bohen.<\/p>\n All three combos will feature vocalist Ava Williams on two of their pieces.<\/p>\n The Department of Dance, Music, and Theatre at Cal Poly Humboldt will present \u201cContemporary Music for Percussion\u201d performed by the Cal Poly Humboldt Percussion Ensemble; the \u201cComplex Rhythms of the West African Ewe Tradition\u201d performed by the World Percussion Group; and the \u201cFestive Steel Drum Sounds of the Caribbean\u201d performed by the Humboldt Calypso Band.<\/p>\n The performances \u2014 directed by Howard Kaufman and Eugene Novotney \u2013 take place Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the Arcata campus.<\/p>\n Concert tickets are $15 general, $5 for children and $5 for Cal Poly Humboldt students with ID. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance at tickets.humboldt.edu\/dance-music-and-theatre<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Cal Poly Humboldt Percussion Ensemble will begin the program by featuring three exciting works. The first piece, \u201cThree Brothers,\u201d composed by Michael Colgrass, was Colgrass\u2019 first percussion ensemble work, composed nearly 75 years ago and still a staple in percussion literature. Scored for nine players, it features three prominent soloists \u2014 snare drum, bongos, and timpani (\u201cthe three brothers\u201d) \u2014 while the remaining six instruments (cowbell, maracas, tambourine, suspended cymbal, tom-toms, additional timpani) take supportive yet essential roles. It\u2019s essentially a jazz-influenced drum solo, built from the composer\u2019s own jazz \u201clicks,\u201d with interplay between soloists and supporting rhythmic textures. The title nods to the famously swinging \u201cFour Brothers\u201d arrangement by Jimmy Giuffre, suggesting Colgrass\u2019s jazz roots shaped this work.<\/p>\n The second piece on the program, and a Cal Poly Humboldt premiere, \u201cSix\u201d by Ivan Trevino, is a mallet sextet that celebrates memory, resonance and ensemble sound. \u201cSix\u201d is scored for two five-octave marimbas, two vibraphones and two glockenspiels, creating a rich, layered tapestry of mallet colors and textures. The work carries a deeply personal narrative for the composer: it reflects the six years Trevino spent as a student at Eastman and the special memories made there. Musically, \u201cSix\u201d draws inspiration from the atmospheric, expansive soundscapes of the Icelandic rock band Sigur R\u00f3s \u2014 melding minimalist pulse, shimmering timbre and introspective lyricism into a chamber-percussion setting.<\/p>\n The third and final featured work for the contemporary ensemble is \u201cPiru Bole\u201d by John Bergamo, a striking drum composition that fuses rich rhythmic tradition with contemporary ensemble writing. Originally published in 1974, the work has gained prominence for its imaginative blending of East-Indian tabla concepts with Western percussion ensemble idioms. It features open instrumentation, giving performers flexibility in configuration. Though firmly rooted in hand-drum technique inspired by Indian tabla, the piece is explicitly non-traditional \u2014 Bergamo employs tabla-like approaches as points of departure rather than replication. The piece dances between intricate rhythmic groupings, call-and-response textures and both group and solo improvisation.<\/p>\n The World Percussion Group will perform \u201cKinka,\u201d a vibrant recreational music and dance tradition of the Anlo-Ewe people of southeastern Ghana, characterized by interlocking drum patterns, call-and-response singing and intricate bell and rattle figures. Originally performed in community settings for social gatherings and celebrations, \u201cKinka\u201d combines polyrhythmic drumming with energetic movement and song, emphasizing communal participation and rhythmic dialogue.<\/p>\n The second half of the program will feature the festive dance music of one of Humboldt County\u2019s favorite and most enduring musical ensembles, the Humboldt Calypso Band. The Calypso Band will celebrate its 40-year anniversary at Cal Poly Humboldt this spring, and this concert will be the kick-off to the band\u2019s year-long celebration. The Calypso Band, over 50-members strong, will feature several high-energy compositions from the Caribbean in its set, including the modern Panorama classics \u201cBirthday Party\u201d by steelpan legend Len \u201cBoogsie\u201d Sharpe, \u201cThe Hammer\u201d by noted Calypsonian David Rudder and \u201cPanoramic\u201d by steelpan virtuoso Liam Teague, who will be featured as one of the guest artists on the Calypso Band\u2019s spring 2026 anniversary show.<\/p>\n In addition, the band will perform a new arrangement of Bob Marley\u2019s iconic tune, \u201cWaiting in Vain\u201d arranged by Antiguan Khan Cordice, who will also be performing at Cal Poly Humboldt as a guest with the Calypso Band this spring.<\/p>\n The Calypso Band will showcase many of its members performing improvised solos in several of the bands\u2019 compositions, highlighting the vast talent and artistry of its membership.<\/p>\n The Cal Poly Humboldt Department of Dance, Music, and Theatre will present the Mad River Transit Singers performing \u201cI\u2019m Walkin\u2019,\u201d an eclectic program featuring a variety of musical styles \u2014 from jazz standards to more modern tunes. The program is scheduled for Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. at Fulkerson Recital Hall on the Arcata campus.<\/p>\nJazz Combos<\/h4>\n
Percussion tunes<\/h4>\n
Singers perform<\/h4>\n