TUESDAY, MARCH 14 

Empty Bowls Dinner Benefit for Alameda County Community Food Bank. Enjoy a bowl of soup and a handmade soup bowl to take home at 5:30 p.m. at at LOCATION. Tickets are $15, or $30 for a family of four. 653-3663, ext. 328. 

“The Invaded Estuary: Exotic Species in San Francisco Bay” with Andrew Cohen of the San Francisco Estuary Institute at 5:30 p.m. at the Goldman School of Public Policy, Room 250, corner of Hearst and LeRoy, UC Campus. 642-2666. 

“A Forgotten Resistance: The Mosque of Paris” A documentary by Derri Berkani at 7:30 p.m. in the Homeroom, International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Dr. Annette Herskovits, who survived the holocaust as a child in France thanks to a clandestine rescue network, will present the film. 

“Guatemala: The Struggle to End Impunity” with Aisha Brown of NISGUA’s Guatemala Accompaniment Project at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. Donation $5-$10, no one turned away. 415-924-3227. 

“Mental Training for the Endurance Athlete” with former professional triathlete Terri Schneider at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Design and Print T-Shirts Workshop with Alliance Graphics in conjunction with the Berkeley Youth Arts Festival from 3 to 5 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Also on Wed. Registration required. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

American Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at Tau Beta Pi, Leroy St., next to Soda Hall, UC Campus. To schedule an appointment call 1-800-GIVELIFE. www.BeADonor.com 

Berkeley School Volunteers Training workshop for volunteers interested in helping the public schools, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

Spring Decluttering Organize your mind, home, office and life at 7:30 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

Family Story Time at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Branch Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Free, all ages welcome. 524-3043. 

Free Handbuilding Ceramics Class 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. John’s Senior Center, 2727 College Ave. Also, Mon. noon to 4 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Materials and firing charges not included. 525-5497. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll learn about the water cycle, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Bird Walk on Mt. Wanda led by Park Ranger Cheryl Able. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Park and Ride lot at the corner of Alhabra Ave. and Franklin Canyon Rd., Martinez. Wear sturdy shoes and bring water and binoculars. Rain cancels. 925-228-8860. 

Great Decisions Foreign Policy Association Lecture “Energy” with Prof. Daniel Kammen, UCB, at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Cost is $40 for the eight lecture series. 526-2925. 

Sugar Bowl Casino Public Hearing on the Draft EIS for the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indian Casino at Richmond Parkway at 6 p.m. at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium, 403 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond. This is a chance for all East Bay residents concerned about the impact of the casino to be heard. 271-0640, ext. 103.  

“Ommissions and Distortions in the 9/11 Commission Report” Films by David Ray Griffin at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation of $5. 

“Lead-Safe Painting & Remodeling” Free introductory class to learn about lead safe renovations for your older home, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Berkeley Tool Lending Library 1901 Russell St. Presented by Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. 567-8280. www.ACLPPP.org 

“Top Ten Healing Foods” a lecture, cooking demonstration and meal from 2 to 5 p.m. at Bauman College, 901 Grayson St., Ste. 201. Cost is $15. Registration required. 540-7041. 

American Red Cross Blood Drive from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Mills College Student Union, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. To schedule an appointment call 1-800-GIVELIFE. www.BeADonor.com 

Parents and Providers Childcare discussion at 6:30 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave. To register call 658-7853. www.bananasinc.org  

Basic Balkan Singing Workshop led by Juliana Graffagna, Wed. evenings in March at 7:30 p.m. at KITKA/Children’s Advocates, 1201 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, at 12th, Oakland. Cost for the series is $60. Registration encouraged. 444-0323. 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters welcomes curious guests and new members at 7:15 a.m. at Au Coquelet Cafe, 2000 University Ave. at Milvia. 435-5863.  

Entrepreneurs Networking at 8 a.m. at A’Cuppa Tea, 3202 College Ave. at Alcatraz. Cost is $5. For more information contact JB, 562-9431.  

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Heavy rain cancels. 548-9840. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley BART. www.geocities. 

com/vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, MARCH 16 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll learn about the water cycle, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

“The Making of a Wildlife Refuge” Leora Feeney will describe the current efforts on the site of the former US Navy Air Station at the western end of Alameda. At 7:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Sponsored by the Golden Gate Audubon Society. www.goldengateaudubon.org 

“Reflections Ten Years After the Vision Fire” at Point Reyes, with Jennifer Chapman of the National Park Service, at 12 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

“Women’s Rights, Warlords and the US Occupation of Afghanistan” with 27-year old Afghan Parliamentarian, Malalai Joya at 4 p.m. in Room 270, Dwinelle Hall, UC Campus. www. 

afghanwomensmission.org 

“China-Silenced” a KQED/ 

Frontline documentary on the Uighurs at 7:30 p.m. at International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Cost is $5. 642-9460. 

Corporate Accountability International Tap Water Challenge Taste the difference between expensive between bottled water and tap water at 11 a.m. at Sproul Plaza, UC Campus. 310-562-5017. 

Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, will speak to the striking workers at 5 p.m. at Berkeley Honda, Parker and Shattuck. 548-9334. 

LeConte Neighborhood Association meets at 7:30 p.m. in the LeConte School cafeteria. Agenda items include recent crime patterns and the new Community Crime View web site, Black & White Liquor restrictions and Neighborhood Watch. KarlReeh@aol.com 

Living with Ones and Twos at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave. Donation of $4 suggested. To register call 658-7853. www.bananasinc.org  

“Benevolence, Compassion, Joyousness and Equanimity” with Mudagamuwe Maithri- 

murthi, Visiting Lecturer of Buddhist Studies, at 5 p.m. in the IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton St., 6th Floor. Sponsored by the Center for Buddhist Studies. http://ieas.berkeley.edu/ 

Berkeley Public Library’s Teen Services invite teen readers to come and discuss classic and contemporary science fiction and fantasy titles, at 4 p.m. at the Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue. 981-6133. 

“Spice it Nice: Culinary Secrets” at 5:30 p.m. at Parmaca Integrative Pharmacy, 1744 Solano Ave. 527-8929. 

Historical & Current Times Book Group meets on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1249 Marin Ave. 548-4517. 

FRIDAY, MARCH 17 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Pierre Miege on “Social Pressures in China.” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. 665-9020.  

“Transparency in Government” A workshop for citizens on the Brown Act and the California Public Records Act from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at San Lorenzo Community Hall, 377 Paseo Grande, San Lorenzo. Sponsored by the Leagues of Women Voters of Alameda County. Cost is $20-$25. For reservations call 538-9678. lwvsun@comcast.net 

“Darfur Diaries” Film and discussion with filmmaker Adam Shapiro at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship, 1924 Cedar St., at Bonita. Part of the Conscientious Projector film series. Donation $5 and up, no one turned away. 528-5403. 

Berkeley Chess School classes for students in grades 1-8 from 5 to 7 p.m. at 1581 LeRoy Ave., room 17. 843-0150. 

Berkeley Chess Club at 8 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. Players at all levels are welcome. 845-1041. 

Women in Black Vigi noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. 845-1143. 

SATURDAY, MARCH 18 

Kid’s Garden Club for ages 7-12 to explore the world of gardening, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 636-1684. 

Restore Rare Coastal Prarie in Richmond Volunteers are needed to assist in this on-going effort to restore a portion of West Stege marsh, its surrounding uplands, and adjacent grassland, on the University of California’s Richmond Field Station. To register and far directions call 665-3689. www.thewatershedproject.org 

Bay-Friendly Gardening Basics This workshop provides an overview of design and maintenance considerations to help you make smart choices in the nursery. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. Free, registration required. 444-7645. www.BayFriendly.org  

Berkeley Elementary School Resource Fair for parents at 10 a.m. at LeConte Elementary School, 2241 Russell St. Fair includes information about Berkeley summer camps, children’s sports leagues and financial aid, free consultations with lawyers and healthcare experts and information about Berkeley Special Education services. Spanish translation and refreshments provided. 883-5244. 

Shamrock Day at Habitot Children’s Museum Green art activities and a hunt for hidden pots of gold from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with music at 3:30 p.m. at 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111. www.habitot.org 

March and Rally “Stop the War on Iraq!” on the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq at 11 a.m. at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza. 415-821-6545. www.actionsf.org 

“Tibet in Pictures” An educational presentation by Tamdin Wangdu of the Tibetan Village Project, at 3 p.m. at Tibet Books and Design, 1201C Solano Ave., Albany. Please RSVP as seating is limited. 525-1989. 

Lead-Safety for Remodeling, repair and painting of older homes. AHUD & EPA approved class held in Oakland from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To register, call Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program 567-8280. www.ACLPPP.org 

Vegetarian Cooking Class Journey to India from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. at Castro. Cost is $45. Register in advance online at www.compassionatecooks.com 531-COOK.  

East Bay Atheists meets to discuss “Fundamentalism and Communication” at 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St., 3rd floor meeting room. 222-7580. 

“Breastapalooza” A Breast Health Fair for young women from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Alta Bates Summit Health Education Center, 400 Hawthorne Rd., Oakland. To register call 1-800-870-8705. 

Berkeley Alliance of Neighborhood Associations meets at 9:15 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Sproul Conference Room, 1st Floor, 2727 College Ave. www.berkeleycna.com 

“Real Estate Investing” A free seminar from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Berkeley Association of Relators, 1553 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

Berkeley Rep’s Teen Theater Conference from 1 to 5:45 p.m. at Berkeley Rep School of Theater, 2071 Addison St. 647-2971. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Spirit Walking Aqua Chi (TM) A gentle water exercise class at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley High Warm Pool. Cost is $3.50 per session. 526-0312. 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Lama Palznag and Pema Gellek on “Cutting Off Negative Thoughts” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812.  

SUNDAY, MARCH 19 

Brooks Island Boating Voyage Paddle the rising tides across the Richmond Harbor Channel to Brooks Island. For experienced boaters who can provide their own canoe or kayak, and safety gear. Parent participation required. Ages 14 and up. Cost is $20-$22. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Spring in the Garden Celebrate the season by preparing the garden for warmer weather and learn about local butterflies, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Richmond Museum of History inaugurates a new museum on board the Red Oak Victory Ship at 2 p.m. at the end of Canal Blvd, Richmond. Reception and tour of the ship included. Coast is $5. 222-9200. 

Berkeley Cyber Salon with bloggers and podcasters, moderated by Andrew Keen, founder of the AfterTV.com podcast, at 5 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Donation of $10 requested. 559-9774. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Call to confirm. 841-8732.  

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

“Illustrating Nature” A family workshop on biological illustrattions from the exhibition “The Art of Seeing: Nature Revealed Through Illustration” from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

“Phenomenal Photography” A family workshop on creating a photo transfer inspired by the exhibition of Edward Weston’s photography from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Parent First Aid & Emergency Care for Babies at 4 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave. Cost is $30, $50 for couples. To register call 658-7853. www.bananasinc.org 

“Spinoza, Maria and Excommunication” a reading of Rabbi Milton Matz’s play at Kol Hadash Sunday Brunch at 10 a.m. at Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. Donation of $5 requested. 

Alexander Technique for Pain Free Necks at 11:30 a.m. at 7:30 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Yoga and Meditation Every Sun. in March from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

MONDAY, MARCH 20 

Gold Star Mother Celeste Zappala from Philadelphia will speak at an Interfaith Service “Remembrance and Resistance: The Third Anniversary of the Iraq War” at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. 848-3696, ext 20. 

Spring Equinox Gathering at 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. at the Interim Solar Calendar, Cesar Chavez Park, Berkeley Marina. 

American Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at MLK Student Union, 5th Floor Tilden Room, UC Campus. To schedule an appointment call 1-800-GIVELIFE.  

“How to Expand Your Mind- Body Connection” Bring your grocery receipts and learn how to phase in new eating habits at 5:30 pm. in the Rose Room at Mercy Retirement Center, 3431 Foothill Blvd., Oakland. Cos tis $30 or $120 for the entire series. 534-8547, ext. 666. 

World Affairs Discussion Group for seniors at 10:15 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center. Cost is $2.50.  

McGee Avenue Toastmasters meets at 7:30 p.m. at McGee Ave Baptist Church, 1640 Stuart St. 501-7005. 

Free Business Loan and Business Plan Writing Boot Camp Mon. and Fri. from 9 a.m. to noon at 519 17th St., 2nd Floor, Ste. 200, Oakland, through March 31. 395-6003. 

ONGOING 

Free Tax Help—United Way’s Earn it! Keep It! Save It! program provides free filing assistance to households that earned less than $38,000 in 2005. To find a free tax site near you, call 800-358-8832 or visit www.EarnitKeepitSaveit.org 

CITY MEETINGS 

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., Mar. 15, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Katherine O’Connor, 981-6601.  

Commission on Aging meets Wed., Mar. 15, at 1:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. William Rogers, 981-5344.  

Commission on Labor meets Wed., Mar. 15 at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Delfina M. Geiken, 981-7550.  

Downtown Area Plan Advisory Commission meets Wed. Mar. 15 at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7487. 

Human Welfare and Community Action Commission meets Wed. Mar. 15, at 7 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Kristen Lee, 981-5427.  

Library Board of Trustees meets Wed. March 15, at 7 p.m. at South Berkeley Senior Center., Jackie Y. Griffin, 981-6195.  

School Board meets Wed., March 15, at 7:30 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. 644-6320. 

Design Review Committee meets Thurs., Mar. 16, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7415.  

Disaster Council meets Wed., Mar. 16, at 7 p.m., at the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. 981-5502.  

Fair Campaign Practices Commission meets Thurs., Mar. 16, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Prasanna Rasaih, 981-6950.  

Transportation Commission meets Thurs., Mar. 16, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7000. ª

TUESDAY, MARCH 14 

FILM 

Vantage Points: New Documentaries by Women “States of UnBelonging” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“The Issue of Icons Once Again” with Prof. Constantine Scouteris, University of Athens, at 7:30 p.m. at Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute, 2311 Hearst Ave. 649-3450. 

Lola Vollen talks about “Surviving Justice: America’s Wrongly Convicted and Exonerated” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Orpheus Supertones with Walt Koken, Claire Milliner, Pete Peterson, and Kellie Allen at 8 p.m. in Berkeley near College and Ashby. Donation to performers $10-$20 sliding scale. For reservations and directions, please send an email to Cleoma@aol.com 

Creole Belles with Andrew Carriere at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Singer’s Open Mic with Ellen Hoffman at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Debbie Poryes & Friends at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of up-and-coming ensembles from Berkeley Jazz- 

school at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 

FILM 

Latino Film Festival “Habana, Havana” at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $6. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Film 50: History of Cinema “East of Eden” at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Edward Rutherford continues his history of Ireland in “The Rebels of Ireland” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Café Poetry hosted by Paradise at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $2. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Joshua Beckman and Matthew Rohrer, poets, at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Music for the Spirit with the Rimsky-Korsakov String Quartet at 12:15 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Boradway. 444-3555. 

Dave Brubeck Quartet & Ramsey Lewis Trio at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $36-$72. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

“Beyond Words: An Interfaith Ritual for Peace” A dance performance that transcends the barriers of words and dogma at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth El, 1301 Oxford St. 540-7227. 

Calvin Keys Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Ned Boynton Trio at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Whiskey Brothers, old time and bluegrass, at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Balkan Folkdance at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $7. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Blue Roots at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Girlyman at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

THURSDAY, MARCH 16 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Lost and Found” Wearable art made from found or recycled materials, by NIAD and Piedmont High students. Reception at 5:30 p.m. at the NIAD Art Center, 551 23rd St., Richmond. www.niadart.org 

FILM 

Film and Video Makers at Cal at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Nahid Rachlin, Iranian-born writer, reads from her works at 5:30 p.m. at Mills Hall, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. Part of the Contemporary Writers Series. 430-2236. 

Nomad Spoken Word Night at 7 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Greg Mortenson describes “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations One School at a Time” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Word Beat Reading Series with Jamey Genna and Jeffrey Grossman at 7 p.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave., near Dwight Way. 526-5985. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Jewish Music Festival with Paul Dresher, Daniel David Feinsmith, Sarah Cahill and John Schott at 7:30 p.m. at the Thrust Stage, Berkeley Rep. Tickets are $22-$26. 415-276-1511. 

The Black Brothers at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Cathy Felter Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

With River, Philip Rodriguez at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Glen Washington, reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $20-$22. 548-1159.  

Jonathan Alford Duo at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

FRIDAY, MARCH 17 

THEATER 

Central Works “Shadow Crossing” Thurs. - Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., through March 26. Tickets are $9-$25. 558-1381. www.centralworks.org 

Impact Theatre, “Hamlet” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., through March 18. Tickets are $10-$15. 464-4468. www.impacttheatre.com 

FILM 

Asian American Film Festival “Letter from an Unknown Woman” at 7 p.m. and “Linda Linda Linda” at 9 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Tony Kushner in Conversation with Michael Krasney on Arthur Miller at 6:30 p.m. at Berkeley Repertory Theater, 2025 Addison St. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble and Combos Spring Jazz Concert at 7 p.m. at Florence Schwimley Little Theater, on the Berkeley High School campus. Tickets are $10, BHS students, teachers and staff free. 527-8245. 

Frederica Von Stade, mezzo soprano, with jazz pianist Taylor Eigsti at 8 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $125. Benefit for the Jazzschool. 845-5373. 

Junior Bach Festival at 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $7-$12. 843-2224. 

Saoco, dance band mixture of reggae and ricos ritmos cubanos at 9:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568.  

Blind Duck, traditonal Irish music at 7:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $4. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Hal Stein Quartet CD Release Party at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Stomp the Stumps Benefit for Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters with Gary Gates Band, Funky Nixons, Day Late Fool’s Band at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Blame Sally at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Darryl Henriques at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

George Cotsirilos Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Mariospeedwagon and Lemon Juju at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Instant Asshole, Skinned Alive, Dog Assassin at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Glen Washington, reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $20-$22. 548-1159.  

Loretta Lynch, Oaktown country, Bob Wiseman & Leah Abramson at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 644-2204.  

The San Pablo Project at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

SATURDAY, MARCH 18 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Orange Sherbert, songs for children, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

East Bay Children’s Theater, “Cinderella’s Glass Slipper” at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m at James Moore Theatre, Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St. Tickets are $7. 655-7285. 

“Strega Nona Festival” and ice cream social presented by Stagebridge Senior Theatre Company, based on characters from Tomie dePaola’s books, at 3 p.m. Sat. and Sun. at Arts First Oakland, 2501 Harrison, at 27th St. Oakland. Tickets are $10 general, $5 children. www.stagebridge.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

New Works by Ben Belknap, Mike Simpson & Derek Weisberg. New expressions of the figure in ceramics, wood sculpture, and pen. Reception at 7 p.m. at M.C. Artworks Gallery, 10344 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 703- 6621. 

THEATER 

“Oracles From the Living Tarot” at 2 and 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2501 Harrison St., Oakland. Tickets are $20-$30. Benefit for Magical Arts Ritual Theater. 523-7754. www.ticketweb.com 

FILM 

Asian American Film Festival “Memories in the Mist” at 4:40 p.m., “Punching at the Sun” at 7 p.m. and “Citizen Dog” at 9:15 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Buddhism at Dunhuang” Panel discussions on the manuscripts and artifacts found at the cave site, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Toll Room, Alumni House, UC Campus. 642-2809. http://ieas.berkeley.edu/events/dunhuang 

Poetry Flash with Andrew Zawacki, Andrew Joron, Maxine Chernoff and Gelorge Albon and others at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Parlor Tango, Argentine Tango music composed between 1910 and 1950, at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. bet. Durant and Bancroft. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864. http://trinity 

chamberconcerts.com 

Bach Collegium Japan at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. TIckets are $42. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Jillian Khuner, soprano, in a benefit recital for the Berkeley Community Chorus, at 8 p.m. at the Crowden School, 1475 Rose St. Tickets are $30, includes reception. 601-1718, 549-1336.  

Noitada Brasileira “The Carnivals of Brazil” with Dandara, Beto Guimaraes, and Bateria Lucha at 8 p.m. at The Beat, Eddie Brown Center for the Arts, 2560 9th St. Tickets are $15-$20. 548-5348. 

Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu at 2 and 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $20-$32. 642-4864.  

“Jazz at the Chimes” with Vince Wallace at 2 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Donation of $15 requested. 228-3207. 

Annie Sprinkle in “A Public Cervix Announcement” with drummers, dancers and singers at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $20-$35. 925-798-1300. 

Robin Gregory and her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

Aux Cajunals at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Jesu Diaz y su QBA, Cuban Timba music at 9:30 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Pillows, She Mob and David Enos at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 644-2204.  

The Ravines and Dave Lionelli at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Melanie O’Reilly & Aising Ghear at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Sol Bebelz, The Attik, Ill Adapted at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $10. 848-0886.  

Kudisan Kai at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Eric Muhler Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Steve Smulian at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

Sonando Quintet An Afro-Caribbean Tribute to Stevie Wonder at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

SUNDAY, MARCH 19 

CHILDREN 

Charity Kahn & The Jamband at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054.  

“Illustrating Nature” A family workshop on biological illustrattions from the exhibition “The Art of Seeing: Nature Revealed Through Illustration” from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

“Phenomenal Photogaphy” A family workshop on creating a photo transfer inspired by the exhibition of Edward Weston’s photography from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

THEATER 

Culture Clash’s “Zorro in Hell” A Benefit for KPFA and the Middle East Children’s Alliance at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addison St., followed by reception. Tickets are $75. 548-0542. www.mecaforpeace.org 

FILM 

“China’s Contemporary Documentary Films” from 11:15 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $5 per screening. 643-6321. www.ticketweb.com 

Asian American Film Festival “Grain in Ear” at 4:45 p.m., “Walk Like a Dragon” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Java and Bali: Art, Religion, and Folk Tradition” A lecture with Joseph Fischer at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge. 981-6151. 

Poetry Flash with Kurt Brown and Geoffrey Brock at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852.  

Island Literary Series, jazz and poetry at 3 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $2-$4. 841-JAZZ. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Mozart and the Search for the Missing Children” a concert at 4 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Road, Kensington. Tickets are $15-$20. Benefit for Pro Busqueda, a non-governmental organization in El Salvador whose mission is to locate children who had been abducted by the Salvadoran military during the war, from 1980 - 1992. 650-579-5568.  

Junior Bach Festival at 3:30 p.m. at the Crowden Music Center and at 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $7-$12. 843-2224. 

San Francisco Chamber Orchestra “Bernstein Bash” at 3 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way.  

Cantible Chorale “Mass Transit” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $6-$25. www.cantabile.org  

University Chorus and Chamber Chorus “St. Matthew Passion” at 5 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $$5-$15. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Organ Music with David Hunsberger at 4 p.m. at St. Johns, 2727 College Ave. Donation of $15 requested. Reception follows. 845-6830. 

Marvin Sanders, flute, Lena Lubotsky, piano at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Tickets are $10. 644- 6893. 

Dick Hindman, jazz pianist, at 5 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 201 Martina Ave., at W. Richmond Ave., Point Richmond. $10 suggested donation. 236-0527. www.pointrichmond.com/methodist 

Jewish Music Festival with Yahudice at 7:30 p.m. at the Thrust Stage, Berkeley Rep. Tickets are $22-$26. 415-276-1511. 

Jon Fromer at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $10-$20. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Tina Marzell and her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Four Schillings Short at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Bay Area Middle School Jazz Showcase at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $5-$15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Bob Marley Student Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. at the Jazz- 

school. Free. 845-5373.  

April Verch at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Look Back and Laugh, The Pedestrians at 2 p.m. and Park and Amity at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, MARCH 20 

THEATER 

Woman’s Will’s 24-Hour Playfest at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$25. 420-0813. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“China’s Contemporary Documentary Films” Panel discussion at 4 p.m. at IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton St., 6th Flr. 643-6321.  

Story Tells, a storytelling swap, at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, Jack London Square, Oakland.  

Elizabeth Kolbert describes “Field Notes From a Catastrophe: Man, Nature and Climate Change” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

Poetry Express with Tom Odegard at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Sista Kee aka Kito Gamble CD release concert at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s. Tickets are $10-$15. 238-9200.  

Zilber-Muscarella Quartet & Invitational at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

Trovatore, traditional Italian music, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198. ª

You can buy a toy helicopter at the Dollar Store, but Ten Red Hen Productions has beaten that price and delivered the goods in the form of The 99-cent Miss Saigon at the Willard Middle School Metalshop Theater, with much, much more (although the program c over displays a tiny ‘copter propelled by big chopsticks into a wide-open mouth as its proud logo). 

“99-cent” refers to the stripped-down look of this splendid on-the-cheap production, not the suggested donation (a sliding scale that starts at movie rates but “no one turned away”). It has the feel, the real value of a rich, glitz-free show. “As a director of mostly experimental and community based theater, I wanted to see what would happen if I took a big musical and did it without even the pretense of production values,” writes Ten Red Hen’s Maya Gurantz in the program notes, “to do the Broadway musical without the Broadway.” To make it doubly problematic, Gurantz and her able cohorts have taken what’s “essentially, a splashy rockin’ musical about sexual exploitation during the Vietnam War,” and turned it into a running series of pointed, if unvoiced, questions about the spectacle of it all, without losing a penny of entertainment value. It’s great, heady fun, a showcase of talent and exuberance. 

The dozen-member cast troops through the sometimes cynical, sometimes maudlin Madame Butterfly story, which “veers from white male colonialist fantasy to fairly accurate social critiques and back again.” Some double as musicians in the on-the-floor “pit.” M usical Director and pianist Dave Malloy plays Chris, the male lead (a Marine from the American Embassy, who finds love—where else?—in a brothel), at one point playing the keyboard with one hand while pantomiming a phonecall to his buddy John (George Michael, an excellent vocalist.) He confesses to being bit by the lovebug, only to be told to hustle back to the Embassy as the capital falls to the North Viets. 

Brittany Bexton, a recent Pacific Conservatory graduate, ups the ante as a triple threat: a fine-singing Ellen (Chris’s stateside wife, clueless at first about Chris’s ‘Dalliance En Nam’), a clarinetist and a tap-dancing cheerleader during a fantasy song by The Engineer, a pimp played with gusto by Mark Romyn: “I’m too good for small-time hustles/Wha t’s that smell in the air?/The American Dream!” A brassy blonde, Fred Astaire and The Statue of Liberty on roller skates fill out this chorus extolling what The States holds in trust for the wretched of the earth. 

In the midst of a plethora of 99-cent ef fects, the lid of Malloy’s upright piano plays multiple roles. It serves as an elevated playing area, and then is slammed down for the sound of gunshots: the first when the heroine shoots, with pointed finger, her menacing cousin Thuy, played by Erick Ca sanova, who both sings and moves well as this pathetic villain who comes back to haunt in dreams. Finally, it’s the top to a cradle for the balloon-headed bundle that somehow perfectly signifies the love-child of Marine and bargirl. Later, there’s a rus h of balloons for all the children dashing hopefully to safety as the—yes—toy helicopter takes off with the Embassy’s charges.  

The biggest ovation by rights goes to lead Jane Chen, as Kim, the young woman fleeing her devastated village, lost in the ste ws of the big city, later transformed into a courtesan with an almost hieroglyphic leer, as she waits for word of Chris in Bangkok, caring for their son. A very talented comedienne, trained in physical theater, Chen toured the country with her brilliant o ne-woman show, The Chinese Clown Cabaret, also directed by Gurantz, her friend from Yale. In The 99-Cent Miss Saigon, she extends the deft touch she showed in comic vaudeville to an exceptional dramatic portrayal, singing and acting out a role that’s obse ssed her since seventh grade.  

“Jane found there was a difference between singing Kim’s songs, and having to play Kim, who is written so often as a stereotype,” comments Gurantz. “And yet...the possibilities of magic contained in the show kept me enthralled—I didn’t want to make it a satire. That would be too easy.” Chen ends the notes with, “What you see tonight is a combination of what we have found in the musical, and what we decided to make our own.” 

All this is staged with brio—very much their own—in the industrial multi-purpose room that was once Willard School’s Metalshop, which Ten Red Hen is helping to convert into a black box theater for school and community use: the Metalshop Theater Project (for info, contact drama teacher George_Rose@berkel ey.k12.ca.us). The program itself is worth at least 99 cents; the plot is clearly and helpfully laid out, followed by a cost breakdown: “How Much Does A 99-Cent Show Cost, Anyway?” 

“A lot, surprisingly,” is the answer (though special effects, “including, variously, beet juice and balloons,” came in at $100.) The conclusion: “it is more expensive to make a show ‘look’ cheap ... than to just have a mish-mash of some nice and some poor things ... brought in from cast and crew closets ...” As at least one R ed Hen from the fairy tale could tell you, sometimes the nicest gifts come in the plainest packages. 

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This year’s SFJAZZ Spring Season 2006, which jumps the gun on spring this Friday, March 17 and continues through June 17, offers nearly 50 imaginatively conceived programs in venues all over San Francisco. The events take place at beautiful locations like the Palace of the Legion of Honor’s Florence Gould Theatre where admission to the museum is included in the ticket price, Grace Cathedral, the War Memorial Opera House, the Masonic Center, the Great American Music Hall, the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, and Herbst Theatre with its magnificent autumnal (thus Herbst) murals by Sir Frank Brangwyn. Besides straight ahead musical performances that range through mainstream, New Orleans, avant-garde, Latin, African and Bulgarian music, there are also classes, pre-concert talks, jam sessions, films and cartoons that can broaden and enhance the experience of the music. The following eight shows are just the cream of a consistently great festival: 

Saturday, March 18, 8 p.m., Masonic Center: Eartha Kitt, a five-foot four-inch giant, was an illegitimate child from South Carolina who transformed herself into an international singing and dancing star. She made films, was friends with Orson Welles and James Dean, had hit records including “Santa Baby,” sang in a dozen languages, was the second Catwoman on television’s Batman, wrote three autobiographies with no ghost, and was twice nominated for Tony’s, most recently for her powerful performance in 2000 in The Wild Party based on the brutal poetic masterpiece by Joseph Moncure March. Never chary of offering her opinion, she found herself blacklisted in 1968 because of anti-war statements she made at a White House luncheon hosted by Lady Bird Johnson. Although she seemed to be going down in flames, she fooled everyone and persisted until she was reborn phoenix-like from those very flames. Still going strong at 79, she is a living legend. 

Saturday, April 1, 8 p.m., Palace of Fine Arts Theatre: Alto saxophonist, flutist and composer Henry Threadgill is the last survivor of the classic free jazz trio Air. His current group Zooid mixes jazz, blues, gospel, funk, marching band, Middle Eastern, classical and tango elements to address the mythic themes that inspire Threadgill to create his freely improvised but intricately structured pieces. This acoustic band includes guitar, cello, oud, tuba and drums plus Henry’s horns. Although his composition and playing is eccentric, it proceeds from a particularly interesting mind, one that can play at the edges of freedom and come back with something deliriously lyrical and timeless.  

Friday, April 28, 8 p.m., Herbst Theatre: Randy Weston studied with Thelonious Monk at Monk’s apartment in the late 1940s. He plays closer to Monk’s manner than any other jazz pianist, but with his own personal rhythmic and harmonic take on that style. For the last 45 years he has applied it to his study and work with African musicians following a long residence in Morocco in the ‘60s and early ‘70s. To celebrate his 80th birthday, he brings the Gnawa Master Musicians of Morocco with him to this year’s festival to combine the power of Islamic Sufi mysticism with the jazz musicians’ voodoo mysticism.  

Sunday, April 30, 7 p.m., Herbst Theatre: Dewey Redman brings his quartet to town to help celebrate his 75th birthday. The big-toned Oklahoma tenor saxophonist became well-known as a sidekick of Ornette Coleman’s and solidified his position as a major player with his group Old and New Dreams. He also has a claim to fame as the father of tenor saxophonist Josh Redman. Like his old friends Charlie Haden and Don Cherry, he loves to bring together funky blues, muscular bebop and free-form jazz with innovative sounds from world music. 

Saturday, May 6, 8 p.m., Herbst Theatre: Kenny Barron and Danilo Pérez offer up dueling jazz piano trios. In this corner, Danilo Pérez, 40-year old Panamanian piano wizard wearing maroon trunks; and in this corner, Kenny Barron, one of the greatest living jazz musicians who has spent the last half century playing with everyone from Lionel Hampton, Benny Carter, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmy Scott, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy and Tootie Heath, John Lewis, Milt Jackson, James Moody, Benny Golson, Abbey Lincoln, Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris, Roy Haynes, Johnny Griffin, Elvin Jones, Ornette Coleman, Charlie Haden, Marion Brown, John Hicks and Chico Freeman to Teresa Brewer, Maria Muldaur, Manhattan Transfer, Larry Coryell, Jane Monheit, Regina Carter, Paquito D’Rivera and Danilo Perez. The reason they all want to work with him is because he is remarkable. 

Sunday, May 14, 7 p.m., Herbst Theatre: Jimmy Scott has an intuitive mastery of phrasing the likes of which has not been heard since Billie Holiday or Mabel Mercer. The timbre of his unique voice drips with smoke, romance, heartbreak and androgyny. A perfect fit for Mother’s Day.  

Saturday, June 10, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Herbst Theatre: Savion Glover is the greatest living tap dancer because he is the most innovative and contemporary. The last time he was in the area, at the Marin Center Veterans Memorial Auditorium in November, he presented a program of tapping to the classics. This could easily have been effete, but Savion had me convinced during Mozart’s Divertimento in D major, K.136, that he was right and everyone else had missed Mozart’s rhythmic and percussive genius. His remarkable grace, energy and improvisational genius are not to be missed. 

Sunday, June 11, 7 p.m., Herbst Theatre: Alto saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera, a child prodigy in his native Cuba, went on to be a founding member of Irakere. After defecting in 1980, he moved to New York and was soon playing with Dizzy Gillespie, a musician who adored Cuban music and was adored in Cuba. Paquito, who brings his quintet to the festival, is certainly the greatest Latin alto player of all time, combining Cuban roots, bebop and his own personal lyricism.  

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A passion for beauty impels Changming Meng to create his ink paintings on paper, 20 of which are on view in the public areas of UC’s Institute of East Asian Studies through March 24. The overall effects of these expressive reductive works—in the artist’s 51st solo exhibition!—are twofold. They free viewers of their preconceptions, cleansing their eyes and spirits, and they nourish them with a fresh energy, not just for confronting art, but life, as well.  

Born in 1961, Meng began at the age of five to study traditional Chinese calligraphy. Later he simultaneously studied the disciplines of socialist realism and traditional Chinese painting at the Nanjing Art School. The curriculum, as a matter of course, also included calligraphy and martial arts.  

The profound spirituality that Meng experienced during a sojourn of six months in Tibet awakened in him a sense that here was the authentic source of Chinese culture. It also awakened him to the limitations of socialist realism, influencing him to abandon it as a mode of expression for himself while he painted two hundred abstractions. Of this period Meng comments that his response to Tibet was what he imagines Paul Gauguin must have felt when he visited Tahiti, feelings that the French artist conveys in Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? During the following years Meng traveled intermittently throughout China. “Your culture,” he learned, “runs in your blood.”  

The artist then spent two years (1987-1989) reading the works of weste rn philosophers and novelists, favoring, in particular, German philosophy and French literature. He waxes enthusiastic about philosophers Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Nietzsche and novelists James Joyce and Marcel Proust, as much for the challenges they po se to his own attitudes as for the insights they offer to the human condition. 

In 1990, Meng, having only three phrases in English and 80 dollars in his pocket, moved to the United States. Commercial success gave him the means to travel. Everywhere he we nt—Greece, Egypt, Russia, France, Israel, the United States, Kenya, Sudan, etc.—he visited art museums, adding to his personal visual encyclopedia. In America he was particularly drawn to the works of Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol.  

From 1996 to 20 00 he painted his Heaven and Earth series, which was characterized by eclecticism in materials, imagery and forms. He paused to reflect, concluding that the Heaven and Earth series was too philosophical. Simply put, “Art is not philosophy.” Its proper con cern is beauty and he wants to make art that is original with himself and organic in spirit. “There is too much mechanical stuff in contemporary art,” he says. 

He turned to the traditional materials, imagery and forms of his Chinese heritage. A solo exhi bition at the National Museum of China in Nanjing in 2001 at the age of 41 made him the youngest artist as yet so honored  

Upon entering the exhibition space, a visitor sees two vertical panels whose abstract forms, in black, gray and red on white repres ent lotuses and goldfish in a pond. An essential lesson, when looking at this art, is to recognize that white space is not empty. In these panels, as elsewhere, it is essential to the overall composition—as much as the white space on a printed page of a p oem by Stéphane Mallarmé. Symbolically, Meng uses red to represent human life, black to represent earth, and white to represent the sky.  

Happy Fish, for all the ostensible naïeveté of its title, is a compositional tour de force with vertical red strokes ascending the right-hand side of the panel—Meng painted them intuitively to suggest an infinite number of fish—and one black stroke in a broad band of white on the left-hand side. Painting it was “like writing a poem,” he says. As with his other works, i t told him “when it was finished.”  

In Lotus No. 4 fish appear to be channeling themselves between two black forms. The composition was not so important to Meng in painting this work as was the spirit of play. This spirit predominates in other works usin g abstracted fish imagery, as well. Two mostly black Ink Works, dating from 2004, though non-referential abstractions convey muscular tension, bringing to mind some of the works of Abstract Expressionist Willem de Kooning. Expressionism also characterizes Fish, a very complexly composed work in red, black, gray and white that looks like reductive music made visible. (Music of Mozart, in fact, accompanies Meng as he works in his studio.) In four works on view, Meng has appropriated images from Henri Matisse: an odalisque, of course; a woman in puffy sleeves; two women in a patio with a guitar; and a still life of fish bowls. The artist explains: “I want ordinary people to be able to enjoy what is in museums and private collections.” Other vertical panels, with the addition of green ink, suggest gourds and vines. The most mirthful painting exhibited is Crane No. 1 crowded with solid black images of long-necked waterfowl. Their startling red eyes are essential to the synesthetic experience of their squaking. It is no coincidence that the artist, his wife and two sons live near Oakland’s Lake Merritt. Thus the incidents of everyday life, unique and organic, nourish the inspiration of Changming Meng. ªt