August 13
As a long-time jazz mecca, New Orleans is steeped in the history of the American musical form. So instead of getting lost in the shuffle of Dixieland and other standard jazz styles, the Crescent City group All That is busy writing the next chapter of jazz history. Take trumpet, sax, and trombone, add vintage keyboards, funk guitar, and the bottom-end bass beats of hip-hop, and a clear picture of All That's unusual amalgam begins to take shape. Substitute a tuba for bass guitar and mix in some old-school rap lyrics, and the recipe for a set of groovy, brassy tunes is complete. All That cooks up its booty-shakin' sound-concoction tonight at the Back Room, 16 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. Showtime is 9 p.m., and cover is $4. Call 561-243-9110.
Friday
August 14
At this weekend's 3rd Annual South Florida International Tattoo Expo '98, judges of Saturday's tattoo contest will award trophies to the top three men and top three women in each of 15 categories, including the most unusual tattoo in the most bizarre location. "You can imagine some of the spots," says Dave Amchir, who along with his business partner, Curt "Sicko" Henning (they own Funhouse Tattoos in Fort Lauderdale), is coordinating the event. Tattoo artists from across the country will attend the expo, which includes vendors of tattoo art, jewelry, and clothing. Fifteen local bands will perform throughout the weekend, and impromptu live fetish shows will take place tonight and Saturday. And by the way, last year's "most unusual" winner in the men's contest revealed a smiley face tattooed right on his Mister Friendly. The expo takes place today through Sunday at Marriott North, 6650 N. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Admission is $15 per day or $30 for three days. Doors open daily at noon. Call 954-316-9545 for more information.
Saturday
August 15
Inspired by Obon, Japan's three-day holiday to honor ancestors, the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (4000 Morikami Park Rd., Delray Beach) will host its annual Bon Festival. The museum, however, will squeeze the celebration into one evening. On tap are taiko drum performances, Japanese folk dancing, a street fair featuring games and shop stalls, and Japanese cuisine. One of the highlights of the evening will be the customary parade of lighted lanterns, which are set adrift on Morikami Pond to guide ancestors' visiting souls back to the spirit world. Speaking of spirits, the folks at the Morikami will also practice another Japanese summertime custom: telling ghost stories. Spooky tales are told during the hot months to "send a shiver down your spine," which helps listeners keep cool, according to Tom Gregersen, the museum's senior curator. Gregersen will tell scary stories in the Morikami Theater, and a troupe of young actors will bring tales to life in the Ghost House. Bon Festival hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Admission is $3 to $7. For information call 561-495-0233.
Sunday
August 16
At the 5th Annual Hollywood Beach Latin Festival, your nose is your passport to Latin culture. When you catch the scent of frying dough, you'll know you're getting close to the Venezuelan vendor doling out arepas -- cornmeal biscuits that are stuffed with mild cheese and pan-fried. The smell of seasoned, grilled steak means you're near the Argentinean booth, where carne de pincho is for sale. And the scent of sancocho, a soup of beef, pork, and chicken stewed in a medley of vegetables, indicates you're getting close to the Dominican cart. But smell is not the only sense you'll make use of. Top Latin musical performers Lefty Perez and Roberto Torres will take the Beach Stage, along with locals Sabor Tropical, Tito Rey y Su Grupo Melao, and Kontrol. The festival, produced by a nonprofit group to raise scholarship money for Hispanic students, takes place today along the Broadwalk and at the Beach Theater, Johnson Street and N. Ocean Drive, Hollywood. Festival hours are noon to 8 p.m. Admission is free. Call 954-921-3404.
Monday
August 17
While poring over the works of 150 South Florida photographers, judges of the "Second Annual InFocus Juried Exhibition" considered composition, technical ability, print quality, and lighting to whittle the show to the 50 works on view. Most important, though, they considered artistic vision -- the photographer's ability to capture on film intriguing and compelling subjects. So it's no coincidence that "Best of Show" went to Ronira Fruhstuck's The Spectator. The Brazilian-born, self-taught photographer from Pompano Beach shot the scene on a 1997 trip to Tibet. The title subject is an old Tibetan man peering through the window of a restaurant as Chinese men play cards inside. The Chinese have controlled Tibet since 1720, and by law the old man isn't allowed into the establishment. "Considered an outcast in their own country, Tibetans like him wait hopefully and peaceably for freedom," Fruhstuck notes in accompanying text. "InFocus" remains on view through September 26 at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre, 55 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach. Admission is a suggested $3 donation. Call 561-276-9797.
Tuesday
August 18
Used to be that, when a rock concert came to town, you got together with some buds, headed for the show, and consumed enough substances of choice that, later on, you didn't remember the show at all. But in these days of tourapaloozas, environmental and human-rights groups set up booths on site and say no to drugs, yes to social-consciousness. Case in point: the H.O.R.D.E. Festival. The acronym stands for "Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere," and "everywhere" includes the workplace, because if you show up at the gate with -- get this -- your resume, you get $5 off the ticket price. When inside -- while Blues Traveler, Barenaked Ladies, and other roots-rockers kick out the jams -- the folks at the Job Direct booth will feed your resume into a database and match you with a potential employer. The message: Rock rules, but it doesn't pay the bills, you slacker. The gates open at 3 p.m. today as H.O.R.D.E. '98 pulls into the Coral Sky Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansbury's Way, West Palm Beach. Tickets cost $25. Call 561-793-0445. See "Concerts For the Week" for complete concert lineup.
Wednesday
August 19
It's like tie-dyeing without having to "tie" anything. In fact, batik, which originated in Indonesia, is a more sophisticated dyeing method than tie-dye, which allows more intricate swirls and geometric shapes to show up in the final product. The tie-dye method demands that you tie, say, a T-shirt in knots, then dip it in dye. When it dries, the folds and creases in the shirt create a pattern of sorts. But batik artists exercise more control over the process by "painting" sections of a shirt they don't want to dye with removable wax. Then, after the cloth is dipped in dye and dried, the wax is boiled off, and a detailed pattern or image is revealed. Artist Chisseko Kondowe of Kenya will demonstrate the process for kids and families and help them make their own designs today during Unique Batik. The event takes place at 1:30 p.m. at the Young at Art Children's Museum, 11584 W. State Rd. 84, Davie. Participation is free with museum admission, which is $4. Call 954-424-0085.
