Thursday, 10th

Delbert McClinton’s Blues Cruise Pre-Cruise Show McClinton’s annual cruises typically sell out eight to 10 months in advance, but this ad hoc session at 3rd & Lindsley featuring his shipmates Al Anderson, Gary Nicholson and Jimmy Hall should offer a foretaste of the high times and loose-limbed grooves this year’s trip holds in store. Whatever you do, don’t forget your dancing shoes.

—B.F.W.

Monte Montgomery This Austin-based guitar wizard has been building a following for his incisive lyrics and prodigious gifts as an acoustic picker. His 2001 album Wishing Well emphasized the rock side of his roots-rock, branching away from blues and country to an epic balladry that’s almost British in nature, reminiscent of Mark Knopfler and Richard Thompson. Expect an exciting night of sophisticated songwriting and instrumental dexterity at 12th & Porter.

—N.M.

The Old Crow Medicine Show The Station Inn hosts a night of aggressively old-timey music with these jug band revivalists, dedicated to reproducing the sounds of yesteryear.

The Features The Boro welcomes its own, as this band of pop scientists play a set of typically cracked experiments in melodicism.

Thursday, 10th-Saturday, 12th

Alive Hospice Benefits in the Round Every January, the Bluebird Cafe turns over most of its calendar to a month-long series of benefits for Alive Hospice, the nonprofit organization that provides services and support for people with terminal illnesses. This weekend’s lineup includes Phillybilly, the comic vocal group of Rich Fagan, Joe Collins and Kacey Jones (Thursday); John Hall, Byron Hill, John Schweers and Tim Nichols (Friday); and Marc Beeson, Robert Byrne, Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin (Saturday). The series resumes Wednesday, Jan. 16, with Georgia Middleman, Dave Berg and Sam & Annie Tate.

Friday, 11th

Liz Johnson Quartet Jazz vocals have suddenly become a hot ticket, with labels rushing to sign almost anyone who can stay in tune while singing the words to any Cole Porter song. But in a milieu crowded with new faces and voices, Liz Johnson is genuinely fine singer. She’s also an outstanding saxophonist, so there’s always a question of whether vocals or instrumental solos will be featured during her live shows. Her date at Cafe 123 is being billed as a quartet session, so with any luck she’ll offer not only capable vocal interpretations, but some sterling horn work as well.

—R.W.

Jason White This Ohio-spawned Nashville transplant garnered some headlines a while back when he became one of the rare rock songwriters to cut a deal with Acuff-Rose. That should give some indication of the intelligence and catchiness of his songs, both of which are well demonstrated on his indie debut Shades of Gray, a 2000 release that draws from the draggier side of The Beatles and the verbal gymnastics of Elvis Costello. White’ll be sharing the 12th & Porter stage with top-notch song interpreter Jen Cohen.

—N.M.

Chris Knight The man behind one of the most acclaimed roots-rock records of the year (the crackling, affecting A Pretty Good Guy) heads down to The Basement.

Friday, 11th-Saturday, 12th

Nashville Symphony Orchestra with Pink Martini The Nashville Symphony embraces 2002 by showcasing Pink Martini, a young 10-piece ensemble melding pop, jazz and classical styles into their own sexy and dynamic sound. “Thrown together” in Portland, Ore., in 1994, PM have been a solar flare ever since. They’ve played with a number of symphony orchestras as well as with Al Green, Eartha Kitt, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Elton John and Ringo Starr. With a foundation of piano and female vocals, the ensemble also include trumpet, trombone, cello, bass and several virtuoso percussionists. The Nashville Symphony will be led by associate conductor Byung-Hyun Rhee in a program including a Duke Ellington medley, Nat Cole’s “Unforgettable,” Erik Satie’s witty Gymnopédie No. 3 and a suite from Kurt Weill’s Three Penny Opera. The program, in TPAC’s Jackson Hall, finishes with Fiesta Latina by veteran arranger Jerry Nowak.

—M.S.

Saturday, 12th

Party of Helicopters Party of Helicopters’ press kit drops the word “metal” more times than any indie kid could feasibly be comfortable with. If Party of Helicopters are metal, it’s not any sort of metal you’d recognize—more like just some art school kids who love their stomp boxes. Their recordings, all finely done, boast the vocal harmonies of shoegazers like Ride, the angular dynamics of the core-iest of emo-core, and super-metal guitar tones. Their tunes don’t really have traditional melodies, more like just layers of different sonic textures—and riffs, bunches of riffs. POH bring their noise to the Red Rose Coffee House in Murfreesboro.

—T.A.

Hayseed feat. Danny “Ruster” Rowland Hayseed has a big, resonant baritone and a heart to match; trouble is, Nashvillians haven’t had much chance to appreciate either of his assets since he moved back to Kentucky a couple years ago. And now he’s following his heart to Sarasota, all of which makes this show and birthday celebration at Windows on the Cumberland a can’t-miss affair. It’s also a great chance to preview the material on In Other Words, his forthcoming batch of covers of songs written by pals Tim Carroll, Duane Jarvis and Tommy Womack, among others.

—B.F.W.

The Jayhawks Since the departure of cofounder Mark Olson in the mid-’90s, The Jayhawks have traded the hard-driving twang of their formative years for increasingly formulaic power-pop. They still put on a great live show, though, and their set at the Belcourt Theatre is sure to include material that spans their career. The Cash Brothers, Canadian-bred siblings who specialize in penumbral roots rock, will open the all-ages show.

—B.F.W.

Rigby-Bowland Project This Nashville jazz quintet celebrate the fusion era in their music, but they also do their own original jam-flavored numbers, along with such soul-jazz staples as Lee Morgan’s “The Sidewinder.” They’re the featured attraction for the weekly Jazz@Bellevue Center live artists concert series, taking place at 1 p.m.

—R.W.

Dana Cooper/Joyce Woodson A double bill of two fine Nashville-based artists with large homegrown followings on the folk circuit: Cooper, who’ll perform songs from his recent Harry Truman Built a Road CD; and Woodson, whose 1997 CD Capistrano Girl was a charmer. They share the stage at The Basement on Eighth Avenue South.

Sunday, 13th

Joseph Zitt with David Maddox and Voight-Kampff Collective Vocal improviser/composer/author Joseph Zitt’s varied interests—cantorial training and formal electronic and ethnic music studies—give him an impressive vocabulary to draw upon while improvising. In his recent book, Surprise Me With Beauty: The Music of Human Systems, as well as in performance settings, Zitt explores John Cage’s concept of audience interaction as a metaphor for society. His improvisations, both structured and freeform, are largely nonverbal and text-free, using the voice purely as sound. And while you never really know what you’ll get in the spontaneous arena of improvised music, his collaboration at ruby green contemporary arts center with Voight-Kampff’s dual prepared guitars and David Maddox’s mercurial reeds should prove fruitful. Show time is 9 p.m.

—C.D.

Colin Linden A masterful guitarist and uncommonly soulful singer-songwriter, Toronto transplant Linden has a staggering musical résumé. Since he started recording in the mid-’70s, he’s worked with the likes of Bruce Cockburn, The Band, the Fairfield Four, country blues legend Sam Chatmon, and Chicago blues kingpins James Cotton and Hubert Sumlin. His latest album, Big Mouth, will put you in mind of a more blues-steeped Jesse Winchester. The record also features cameos from the likes Jonell Mosser, Lucinda Williams and Lee Roy Parnell, any or all of whom could be on hand when Linden opens for modern rocker Shannon McNally at 3rd & Lindsley.

—B.F.W.

Salsa on Sunday with Al DeLory He played keyboards on the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, produced hits for Glen Campbell, and scored John Travolta’s first film. Around here, though, Al DeLory is best known for his popular Salsa En Nashville ensemble and his Friday-night dances at the former Jody’s in Cummins Station. This weekend marks the launch of DeLory’s new weekly Sunday-afternoon salsa party at Cafe 123, featuring Willie Crespo, Jimmy Bonilla, salsa instruction by Selina Shah and a late brunch. The doors open at 4 p.m.; for more information, call 255-2233.

—J.R.

Tuesday, 15th

Fisk Jubilee Singers They’ve been an international cultural symbol and a beloved institution for over a century, but many people are still unaware of the accomplishments of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. This spectacular vocal ensemble sing traditional spirituals with a timeless power and conviction, and even today they stand almost unsurpassed among current choral groups. The singers will be featured at the brand-new Martha Rivers Ingram Center for the Performing Arts, as the opening performance for the Blair School of Music’s 2002 season. This is the first time that the distinguished aggregation has ever appeared on the Vanderbilt campus, and the concert also serves as the keynote event in the university’s Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Series (see “Events,” below). Tickets can be obtained by calling 322-7651.

—R.W.

Wednesday, 16th

An All-Star Bluegrass Celebration Featuring the Dixie Chicks, Vince Gill, Nickel Creek, Earl Scruggs, Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs, Ralph Stanley, Patty Loveless, the Del McCoury Band, Travis Tritt and Dan Tyminski & the Soggy Bottom Boys, this bluegrass blowout at the Ryman would scarcely have been imaginable before the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? blew up, setting the stage for what will likely be remembered as the great bluegrass and mountain music revival of 2001. Skaggs will host the star-studded affair, but be forewarned, it’s a TV taping for a PBS special and could have its share of fits and starts. Then again, 'grassers are a spontaneous lot, and the members of this crew have picked and sung together so often that it’s likely to show.

—B.F.W.

Ashley Jay This 18-year-old California country shouter takes her cues from gospel, blues and rock, evoking the earthiness of Janis Joplin, but without the drama. She’s already getting heavily hyped here in Music City, but don’t let the bluster steer you away from the sounds. The kid’s clearly got talent. Lend an ear at the Exit/In.

—N.M.

Film

Sunset Boulevard Gloria Swanson, unforgettable as silent-screen star Norma Desmond, prepares for her final close-up in Billy Wilder’s corrosive 1950 study of faded celebrity and Hollywood grotesquerie. William Holden is the screenwriter-turned-gigolo who narrates from his watery grave; Erich von Stroheim is Norma’s forbidding butler Max. The still shocI>The Royal Tenenbaums/Gosford Park Last weekend, Wes Anderson’s ensemble comedy sold out so many shows at the Hollywood 27 that it had to be moved to one of the megaplex’s biggest screens. So if you couldn’t get in last weekend, keep trying—the movie’s worth it, as evidenced in our coverage of 2001’s best films (see p. 29). Also topping our critics’ lists is Robert Altman’s all-star period piece Gosford Park, which opens Friday at Green Hills; see the review in our Film Listings on p. 61.

—J.R.

Va Savoir Part screwball comedy, part drama, part meditation on the interconnection of theater and life, the new film by Nouvelle Vague director Jacques Rivette (Celine and Julie Go Boating, La Belle Noiseuse) won honors at Cannes last year for its portrait of six characters linked by romantic entanglements, a rare manuscript and a Pirandello production. The movie opens Friday at Green Hills.

—J.R.

Orange County Bent on getting into Stanford, an overachieving high-schooler (Colin Hanks) has his plans derailed when his guidance counselor (Lily Tomlin) accidentally sends the transcripts of his couch-potato brother (Jack Black). This teen comedy has more promise than most—if nothing else, because it reunites the Freaks and Geeks team of director Jake Kasdan and writer Mike White. The movie opens Friday, along with Lasse Hallström’s adaptation of the E. Annie Proulx novel The Shipping News.

—J.R.

DVD/Video

Films by Werner Herzog For many years, Herzog was better known for his obsessive reputation than for his hallucinatory, frequently remarkable films. Anchor Bay Entertainment has just released several key works on DVD from the German director’s prodigious '70s output, including The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser and Heart of Glass (famous as the film for which Herzog placed his cast under hypnosis). Also offered are his more recent documentaries Lessons of Darkness and Little Dieter Needs to Fly; all are presented with commentary by the director. Given the movies, it’s hard to see how Herzog’s comments could be less than fascinating.

—J.R.

Boycott Jeffrey Wright, one of the best young actors around, has been receiving awards and nominations left and right for his performance as Martin Luther King Jr. in this HBO docudrama about the Montgomery bus boycott. One of the other best young actors around, Terence Howard, plays colleague Ralph Abernathy, and the production was helmed by Clark Johnson, former actor and director for the edgy crime series Homicide: Life on the Streets. The DVD features commentary by Johnson.

—N.M.

M♦A♦S♦H: Five Star Collection/M♦A♦S♦H—The TV Series: Season One Robert Altman’s comedy hits DVD in a two-disc set featuring the director’s commentary, the AMC mini-doc about the film’s production, and three other featurettes (including a cast reunion). The movie is pretty spotty, but its highs are deliriously high, and for better or worse, Altman is usually blunt in his commentaries. Simultaneous to the release of the film, Fox is issuing the complete first season of the acclaimed and beloved TV series in a three-disc set with no substantial extras, but a ridiculously low price that amounts to little more than a dollar an episode.

—N.M.

Ocean’s Eleven When this DVD edition of the original Ocean’s Eleven was announced several months ago, there was supposed to be a commentary by the director of the remake, Steven Soderbergh. That’s no longer on the spec sheet, but the disc does include commentary by Frank Sinatra Jr. and Angie Dickinson, as well as a Tonight Show excerpt with Dickinson and Sinatra Sr., plus an interactive map of Vegas (in the '60s and the '00s). As for the movie itself, well, it’s still fun to see the original Rat Pack standing around Vegas hotel rooms, even if that’s all they seem to do. UnliI>Seconds Perhaps the weirdest Hollywood film of the mid-’60s, this John Frankenheimer-directed psychological thriller stars Rock Hudson as the new persona given to a successful but rickety elder businessman who wants to taste the newly blooming decadence of bohemian youth culture. Strikingly shot and thematically daring, Seconds starts strange and gets stranger. The DVD features a commentary by Frankenheimer, who generally offers useful insights and behind-the-scenes info when he talks over his movies.

—N.M.

Television

CMT Crossroads A great idea: Pair an esteemed country singer with a rock performer, let them guest on each other’s tunes, and let the collaboration zing. That’s the premise of this promising new hour-long show, which premieres 7 p.m. Sunday on CMT. Most exciting is the lineup for the debut: Lucinda Williams and Elvis Costello, who reportedly duet on his “Poisoned Rose” and tear into the Stones’ “Wild Horses.” It’s repeated that night at 11 p.m.

—J.R.

Comedy

THE SKELETON CREW After spending 2001 getting themselves established and honing their act at Zanies Comedy Showplace, this motley crew of funnymen (and ladies) are setting up shop at The Sutler on Franklin Road for regular weekly appearances. They make their debut at the new venue Tuesday Jan. 8, offering improv comedy that takes the Who’s Line Is It Anyway? formula into edgier, more adult areas. The fun begins at 8 p.m. You can checI>THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) The Nashville Shakespeare Festival is currently remounting this show, which was a big success last year at the Belcourt Theatre. This time it’s being presented at the Darkhorse Theater, where three talented actors—Matt Chiorini, Josh Childs and Brian Niece—wax whimsical in a smart-alecky lampoon of the Bard’s collected works. Comedies, romances, tragedies, histories—all of Shakespeare’s plays get the royal funny treatment. Director Denice Hicks promises a few new comic wrinI>GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN The first production of the new year at Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre is an original script by Lydia Bushfield-Yeats, one of Chaffin’s best-loved regular actresses. Conjuring a bit of the spirit of filmmaker Frank Capra, Bushfield-Yeats tells the story of a successful businessman who, with some assistance from a heartwarming cast of misfits, comes to rediscover the most important things in his life. The show opens Jan. 15 for a run through Feb. 16.

—M.B.

HANSEL AND GRETEL Nashville Opera gears up for the debut of its latest production, Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, running Jan. 25-Feb. 2 at TPAC’s Polk Theater. As part of its ongoing efforts to attract new audience members, the opera will present Hansel and Gretel cast members in a mini-performance at Borders Books, 2501 West End Ave., 7 p.m. Saturday Jan. 12. The next day, at 2 p.m. on Sunday, the popular “Opera Clips” series, featuring live discussion and a film presentation, continues at the Belcourt Theatre. Admission is free to both events. For more information, visit www.nashvilleopera.org, or phone 832-5242.

—M.B.

JANET’S PLANET Beginning Saturday, Jan. 12, Franklin’s Boiler Room Theatre kicks off four successive weekend performances of this live, musical, interactive variety show for children. Dancing, singing and comic sketches—featuring the participation of kids in the audience—reinforce a nonthreatening atmosphere for the exploration of young people’s thoughts and feelings. The show also offers entertaining, value-based lessons on integrity, commitment and friendship. Shows are Jan. 12, 19, 26 and Feb. 2 at The Factory at Franklin.

—M.B.

ART

Finer Things Rusty Wolfe, Nashville artist and co-owner of this Nolensville Road gallery, steps into the spotlight with his own one-person show, Jan. 12-Feb. 24. Wolfe develops several different series of works at once, as this show featuring four new series of paintings and sculptures illustrates. Tying all the works together, though, is Wolfe’s preferred medium—lacquer paint, a difficult-to-control material from which the artist creates intricate abstract designs of vibrantly colored threads and tiny bubbles that dance Lava Lamp-like before the eye. Join the artist for the opening reception 6-8 p.m. Jan. 12.

—A.W.

Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery Each year a graduating Vanderbilt University senior receives The Hamblet Award, an honor bestowed through an open invitational competition. The award carries a cash grant of $16,500 to be used by the winner for travel and study during the year following graduation. After that year, the winner also receives a one-person show at the Fine Arts Gallery featuring works inspired by his or her travels. Which brings us to the 2000 Hamblet winner, Jenny Gill, and her show of ceramic works this month. Gill used her award money to travel to Western Europe and Japan, where she studied traditional wood-firing ceramic techniques at an international workshop. Her works in the show reflect the influence of her far-flung travels, especially the tea ceremony traditions of Japanese pottery. The show opens with a free reception 5-7 p.m. Jan. 10.

—A.W.

On view in the lobby of the Belcourt Theatre are prints by local artist Craig Brabson, whose work was part of an international art exchange last year that showcased works by Tennessee and Irish artists at the Nashville International Airport and Belfast City Airport. Meet the artist at the free opening reception 6-8 p.m. Jan. 11.

—A.W.

Reading & Writing

Sallie Bissell The author of the highly acclaimed debut thriller In the Forest of Harm will be at Davis Kidd 6:30 p.m. Jan. 14 to read from her new book, A Darker Justice. In the tradition of Southern writers from Faulkner to Fanny Flagg, Bissell creates strong female characters who are complemented less by men, it sometimes seems, than by each other and by landscape. A Darker Justice explores hatred and murder as they echo in those very chambers of the heart that Southern manners attempt to deny, but the book also celebrates resilience and intelligence and compassion and justice, especially via the compelling figure of Atlanta prosecutor Mary Crow, who gives Marcia Clark more than a run for her money.

—D.B.

Events

The Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Series With a drum roll from The Blair School of Music African Drum Ensemble on Jan. 14, Vanderbilt University kicks off a two-week salute to the life and accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr. Highlights include the Jan. 15 performance by the Fisk Jubilee Singers in the stunning new Ingram hall at the Blair School of Music, and the Jan. 16 lecture by Kevin Lavender on the difficult pursuit of King’s dream in a time of violence at home and abroad. Events and performances are scheduled Jan. 14-29 on the Vanderbilt campus. To find out more, visit http://www.vanderbilt.edu/mlI

Picks written by Todd Anderson, Martin Brady, Chris Davis, Bill Friskics-Warren, Noel Murray, Jim Ridley, Angela Wibking and Ron Wynn.