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This weekend features concerts with Melvin Seals & JGB, Jazz at the Ballroom and the California Pops Orchestra; the unique multimedia piece “Bahaya” at Earthwise Productions; a celebration of Mexican music and dance with Fiesta Sonora at Stanford; a look at all things aviation with Palo Alto Airport Day; and the return of the Great Glass Pumpkin Patch to the Palo Alto Art Center.
Melvin Seals & JGB
Perhaps best known for his keyboard and organ playing during his many years with the Jerry Garcia Band, musician/producer Melvin Seals’ sound mixes rock, blues, funk, jazz, gospel and R&B. With Seals at the helm, JGB (as the band is now known, currently featuring John Kadlecik on lead guitar and vocals, John-Paul McLean on bass and Jeremy Hoenig on drums) continues to deliver funky and sometimes-psychedelic jams to audiences. Two upcoming concerts at the Guild Theatre will also include renowned and award-winning San Francisco-based violinist and composer Mads Tolling. Also on the bill on Sept. 27 will be teenage guitarist Bella Rayne out of Mendocino, who’s a rising star on the music scene. On Sept. 28, the bill includes Americana and roots singer-songwriter Jackie Greene.
Sept. 27 and 28, 8 p.m., The Guild Theatre, 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park; $66.05-$150.64; guildtheatre.com.
‘Flying High: Big Band Jazz Canaries Who Soared’
This concert pays tribute to some of the great female jazz vocalists, including Billie Holiday, Anita O’Day, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee, Jo Stafford, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald and others, who got their starts singing with big bands, then went on to major solo careers. The 90–minute concert, presented by Jazz at the Ballroom, features The Champian Fulton Trio and special guests Jane Monheit and Camille Thurman. Acclaimed jazz pianist and singer Champian Fulton has released many albums and performed worldwide.
Sept. 28, 7 p.m., Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View; $26-$47; tickets.mvcpa.com.
Great Glass Pumpkin Patch
This favorite fall event sees more than 10,000 gleaming glass gourds and other small sculptures hand-blown by local artists sprout up in what has to be the most colorful pumpkin patch around. The Great Glass Pumpkin Patch, presented by Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI) and the Palo Alto Art Center, takes place on the Art Center’s lawn and also features glass-blowing demonstrations throughout the weekend. Partial proceeds from the patch benefit BAGI and the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation. Fittingly for this artistic celebration of the harvest, a visit to the pumpkin patch also offers a chance to check out the Art Center’s recently opened garden-themed exhibition, “GROW!”
Sept. 28-29, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto. Admission is free. For more information, visit greatglasspumpkinpatch.org.
‘Bahaya’
“Bahaya,” in Indonesian, means “danger.” It’s also the title of a multimedia piece involving music and video with climate change themes, inspired by ocean-based tales from Indonesia, Greenland and 12th century poet Farid Ud-Din, according to Earthwise Productions, which is presenting “Bahaya” in Palo Alto this week. The music was composed by Richard Marriott, with libretto by Ruth Margraff and video by Clemencia Macias, Bob Pacelli and Liz Walsh. It features Gamelan Sekar Jaya musicians Carla Fabrizio and Sarah Willner, Club Foot Orchestra musicians Beth Custer and Chris Grady, and Russian Telegraph bandleader David James, with vocals by Emiko Susilo and Federico Cusigch.
Sept. 29, 8 p.m., Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto; $23.18; eventbrite.com.
Fiesta Sonora
Stanford Live marks National Hispanic Heritage Month with a special performance highlighting Mexican music and dance. The show features Ballet Folklórico Nueva Antequera and Filarmónica Maqueos Music and Mariachi Arco•Iris de Los Angeles, the world’s first LGBTQ+ mariachi band, according to the group’s website. The three groups each offer “a unique perspective on the rich tapestry of Mexican culture — where music flourishes and joy resonates within the warmth of community,” as the event description says.
Sept. 29, 2:30 p.m., at Bing Concert Hall, Stanford; $15-$72. live.stanford.edu.
Palo Alto Airport Day
Attention aviation enthusiasts: Take a tour of an air traffic control tower, see vintage aircraft, view airplane and helicopter displays and even check out a flying car at this year’s Palo Alto Airport Day, by the Palo Alto Airport Association. Food trucks, aircraft flyovers and a bounce house for kids will also be part of the festivities at this free public event, which celebrates the airport’s role in the community. The single-runway airport is operated by the City of Palo Alto.
Sept. 29, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Palo Alto Airport, 1903 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto; free; paloaltoairport.org/airport-day/.
California Pops Orchestra
The orchestra kicks off its season with a variety show, highlighting popular songs past and present with tunes by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé, big band favorites, and music from film and TV, including “The Pink Panther,” “Mission:Impossible” and James Bond movies. The show also sees the return, by audience request, of the Pops’ live radio show segments, complete with “commercials.”
Sept. 29, San Mateo Performing Arts Center, 600 N. Delaware St., San Mateo; $21-$61. calpops.org.
