FRIDAY, OCT. 20 

Impeachment Banner Fridays at 6:45 to 8 a.m. on the Berkeley Pedestrian bridge between Seabreeze Market and the Berkeley Aquatic Park, ongoing on Fridays until impeachment is realized. www. Impeachbush-cheney.com 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with David Brains on “Life in the Solar System” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. 526-2925.  

Sydney B. Mitchell Iris Society Annual Beardless Iris Auction and sale at 7:30 p.m. at Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. 277-4200. 

“Iraq for Sale: the War Profiteers” Part of the Conscientious Projector film series, at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St., at Bonita. Suggested donation $10, no one turned away. 528-5403. 

“Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers” A new documentary by Robert Greenwald, at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., between Broadway and Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 

Teen Read Week pizza party at 3 p.m. at the The Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. for ages 9 - 17. 524-3043 

Movies That Matter “Coach Carter” at 6:30 p.m. at 565 Bellevue St., at Perkins, Oakland. Free, discussion follows. 451-3009. 

Animal Healing Cicle, a guided meditation to send healing energy to pets at 5 p.m. at RabbitEars, 303 Arlington Ave. Suggested donation $5. 525-6155. 

Meher Baba Introductory Meeting with video and discussion at 7:30 p.m. at 6923 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. AvatarMeherBaba.org  

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

SATURDAY, OCT. 21 

Meet the Berkeley Candidates for Mayor and City Council and learn about measures A, I and J, from 9:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. at St. John’s, Sproul Conference Room, 2727 College Ave. 

Oakland/Berkeley Firestorm 15th Anniversary from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Remembrance Ceremony at noon at the Rockridge BART Station. 238-7388. www.Oaklandnet.com/WildfirePrevention 

Early Voting from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Berkeley Public's Central Library, 2090 Kittredge Street, the 3rd floor Community Meeting Room. 

Help Restore Cerrito Creek meet at 10 a.m. at Creekside Park, south end of Santa Clara St., El Cerrito, just north of Albany Hill. Wear clothes that can get dirty and shoes with good traction. Heavy rain cancels. 848-9358. www.fivecreeks.org 

Plant Parenthood Party Help transplant seedlings of native plants and prepare for fall planting into West Stege Marsh, from 9 a.m. to noon at 1327 South 46th St., Richmond. Registration requested. 665-3689. www.thewatershedproject.org 

Recycled Arts Halloween Mask-Making Learn the stories behind this ancient holiday, and turn that old junk into a new mask, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

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. 

Walking Tour of Oakland Chinatown Meet at 10 a.m. at the courtyard fountain in the Pacific Renaissance Plaza at 388 Ninth St. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

“Bay-Friendly Gardening for Wildlife” Learn how to attract birds, butterflies and beneficial insects that add color, movement and interest to your landscape, from 9 a.m. to noon at El Cerrito Community Center, 7007 Moeser, El Cerrito. 665-3546. www.thewatershedproject.org 

Fall Fruit Tasting at the Berkeley Farmer’s Market, Center St. at MLK, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cooking demonstrations at 11 a.m. 548-2220. 

“Deconstructing Tyrone” A New Look at Black Masculinity in the Hip-Hop Generation with authors Natalie Hopkinson and Natalie Y. Moore at 6:30 p.m. at Marcus Books, 3900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 652-2344. 

Bilingual Storytime Stories in English and Spanish for toddlers and preschoolers at 10:30 a.m. in the Edith Stone Room at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

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

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

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755.  

Spiritwalking: Aqua Chi(TM) at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley High Warm Pool. Also Wed. at 3:30 p.m. Cost is $5.50, $3.50 seniors & disabled. Bring your own towels. 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. 

SUNDAY, OCT. 22 

Berkeley Election Forum with candidates for Mayor and City Council, and discussion of ballot measures from 1 to 4 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. 528-5403. 

Community Celebration for the Days of the Dead with crafts, demonstrations, music, dance, ceremonia and food from noon to 4 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak, Oakland. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

8th Annual Sisters of Fire Awards Ceremony honoring editor of ColorLines magazine Tram Nguyen, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 300 Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland City Center, Oakland. Sliding scale entrance fee of $35-$75 includes brunch. Benefit for the Women of Color Resource Center. 444-2700. www.coloredgirls.org 

Dia de los Muertos with craft activities, demonstrations, music, dance, food and a Mercado from noon to 4 p.m. at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center's Markstein Cancer Education and Prevention Center, 10th and Oak St., Oakland. 869-8833. 

Holiday Gourd Crafting Learn the natural history of gourds and create a centerpiece for your holiday table, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Children 11 and older welcome. Cost is $20-$25, includes supplies. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Free Sailboat Rides from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cal Sailing Club in the Berkeley Marina. Bring change of clothes, windbreaker, sneakers. For ages 5 and up. cal-sailing.org  

Free Hands-on Bicycle Clinic Learn how to repair flats from 10 to 11 a.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Bring your bike and tools. 527-4140. 

IRV Peace Meet-up and Rally at 1:30 p.m. at Splashpad Park, LakeShore and Grand Ave., Oakland. 644-1303. 

Berkeley City Club free tour from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 2315 Durant Ave. For group reservations or more information, call 848-7800 or 883-9710. 

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 

“A Theology of Hospitality” with Barbara Hamilton-Holway at 9:30 a.m at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Jack Petranker on “Learning to Be” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, OCT. 23 

Reading for Life Program providing one-on-one tutoring for incarcerated adults. A brown-bag lunch presentation by Lisa Harris at 12:30 p.m. at the Edith Stone Room of the Albany Public Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 

WriterCoach Connection seeks volunteers to help students improve their writing and critical thinking skills. Training session from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. For information call 524-2319. www.writercoachconnection.org  

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group for people aged 60 and over meets at 9:45 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Donation $3. 524-9122. 

Lead Abatement Repairs Find out about funding for lead hazard repairs for rental properties with low-income tenants or vacant units in Oakland, Berkeley or Emeryville, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 2000 Embarcadero, #300, Oakland. Sponsored by Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. 567-8280. 

TUESDAY, OCT. 24 

Tuesday is for the Birds An early morning walk for birders through Bay Area parklands. Bring water, sunscreen, binoculars and a snack. This week we will visit Wildcat Canyon. For meeting location or to borrow binoculars, call 525-2233.  

United Nations 61st Anniversary and Global Citizen Awards honoring Danny Glover and Larry Brilliant at 6 p.m. at International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Tickets are $10-$15. 643-8300. www.unausaseastbay.org 

“Election Pro and Cons” Sponsored by the League of Women Voters at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst. 981-5190. 

Berkeley High School Governance Council meets at 4:15 p.m. in the lobby of the Community Theater. Agenda items include Advisory Plan, WASC Plan, Attendance Policy and Homework Inequity. 644-4803. 

Berkeley PC Users Group meets at 7 p.m. at 25 Dartmouth Rd. email id you need directions, rits@surfbest.net 

Depression Screening Day and Address Your Stress Festival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at MLK Student Union, UC Campus. Free, public is welcome. www.uhs.berkeley.edu. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Training workshop for volunteers interested in helping the public schools, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

Volunteer at Emerson Elementary School Stop by any time from 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. or call 883-5247. 

“Canoe Expedition from the Canadian Rockies to Husdon Bay” with Michael Gregory at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140.  

East Bay Children’s Theater Auditions for male and female adult roles for “Rumplestiltskin” from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Kehilla Community Synagogue, 1300 Grand Ave, Oakland. For details call 537-9957. 

Sleep Soundly Seminar A free class on how hypnosis can help you sleep at 6:30 p.m. at 378 Jayne Ave., Oakland. To register call 465-2524. 

Albany Library Homework Center is open from 3 to 5 p.m., Tues. and Thurs. for students in third through fifth grades. Emphasis is placed on math and writing skills. No registration is required. 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720 ext 17. 

Torture Teach-in and Vigil every Tues. at 12:30 p.m. at the fountain on UC Campus, Bancroft at College. 

Handbuilding Ceramics Class from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. John’s Senior Center, 2727 College Ave. Also Mon. from noon to 4 p.m. and Wed. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, Ashby at Ellis Sts Free, except for materials and firing charges. For information call Diana Bohn, 525-5497. 

Toddler and Me Discovery Group at 10 a.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 25  

Claremont Elmwood Neighborhood Association Candidates Night with Mayoral and Disctrict 8 candidates at 7:30pm at St. John’s Church, Fireside Room, College and Garber. All welcome. www.claremontelmwood.org 

Preserve Police Accountability A rally and march to demand that citizen complaints continue to be heard. Meet at 6 p.m. at the Public Safety Building, MLK and Center St. to march to the North Berkeley Senior Center for the meeting on the future of the Police Review Commission. Sponsored by Copwatch. 548-0425. 

Tilden Explorers An after-school nature adventure program for 5-7 year olds, at 3:15 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Walking Tour of Jack London Waterfront Meet at 10 a.m. at the corner of Broadway and Embarcadero. Tour lasts 90 minutes. For reservations call 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/ 

walkingtours 

Cut Housing? You’ve Got to be Kidding? A discussion with Wanda Remmers of Housing Rights and Councilmember Linda Maio at 1:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Sponsored by the Gray Panthers. 548-9696. 

“Toxic Bust” A documentary on the relationship between breast cancer and chemical exposure at 7 p.m. at La Peña, 3105 Shattck Ave. 849-2568. 

“Timor-Leste: A Candidate for State Failure?” with James Cotton, Professor of Politics, University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy at 4 p.m. at the IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton St., 6th Floor. 642-2809. ttp://ieas.berkeley.edu/events 

Bayswater Book Club meets to discuss “Bubble Man: Alan Greenspan & the Missing 7 Trillion Dollars” by Peter Hartcher at 6:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, El Cerrito. 433-2911. 

Lead-Safe Painting and Remodeling A free introductory class to learn how to do safe renovations in you rolder home, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Emeryville Recreation Dept., 4300 San Pablo Ave., Emeryville. 567-8280. www.aclppp.org 

New to DVD “Thank You For Smoking” Film and discussion at 7 p.m. at the JCC, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes and a warm hat. 548-9840. 

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.org 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/ 

vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, OCT. 26 

The Oakland Bird Club with Alan Kaplan, naturalist, retired from 33 years in the Interpretive Services division of the East Bay Regional Park District, on The History of Birding Field Guides, at 7:30 p.m. at the Oakland Public Library, Rockridge Branch, 5366 College Ave. 444-0355. 

“What are Americans Voting For?” Panel discussion with Joan Blades, George Lakoff, Markos Moulitsas, and Robert Reich, moderated by Bruce Cain at 7:30 p.m., Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Free. 643-4487. 

“Talking About Macdonald” performances based on community recollections of Richmond’s downtown at 6:30 p.m. at East Bay Center for the Performing Arts Winters Building, 339 11th St., corner of 11th and Macdonald, Richmond. 540-6809. www.ci.richmond.ca.us 

“Cancer in Your Cosmetics?” Discussion at noon at Alta Bates Summit, Peralta Pavilion, 450 30th St., Oakland. Bring products to examine. Free but registration required. 869-8833. 

Environmental Film Series “Bum’s Paradise” and “Up Close & Toxic” on the Albany landfill, at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Easy Does It Disability Assistance Board of Directors Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at 1744A University Ave., behind the Lutheran Church between Grant and McGee. All welcome. 845-5513. www.easyland.org 

Traveling with Children with Lonely Planet traveling mother, Robin Goldberg at 6 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, 125 14th St. 238-3136 

American Red Cross Blood Donations from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Metro Center Auditorium, 101 Eighth St., Oakland. Call to schedule and appointment. 464-7712. 

Managing Type 2 Diabetes at 6 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

El Cerrito Toastmasters “Fright Night” Open House at 7:30 p.m. at the El Cerrito Community Center, 7007 Moser Lane. 860-7906.  

CITY MEETINGS 

Parks and Recreation Commission meets Mon., Oct. 23, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5158. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/parksandrecreation 

Zero Waste Commission Mon., Oct. 23, at 7 p.m., at 1201 Second St. Tania Levy, 981-6368. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/solidwaste 

City Council meets Tues., Oct. 24, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Civic Arts Commission meets Wed., Oct. 25, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Mary Ann Merker, 981-7533. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/civicarts 

Disaster and Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Oct. 25, at 7 p.m., at the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. Gil Dong, 981-5502. www.ci.berkeley.ca. us/commissions/disaster 

Energy Commission meets Wed., Oct. 25, at 6:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Neal De Snoo, 981-5434. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/energy 

Planning Commission meets Wed., Oct. 25, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Janet Homrighausen, 981-7484. www.ci.berkeley. ca.us/commissions/planning 

Police Review Commission meets Wed. Oct. 25, at 6 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-4960. 

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., Oct. 26, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. Mark Rhoades, 981-7410. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/zoning

FRIDAY, OCT. 20 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “Hedda Gabler” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. through Nov. 18 at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. at Berryman. Tickets are $12. 525-1620. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Altarena Playhouse “Merrily We Roll Along” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 1409 High St, Alameda, through Nov. 12. Tickets are $15-$18. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Antenna Theater, “High School” An interactive theatrical walking tour of Berkeley High, 1980 Allston Way. One audience member enters the show every minute. Walk lasts about 45 minutes. Tickets are $20 adults, $8 students. Reservations required. Runs through Oct. 29. 415-332-9454. www.antenna-theater.org/highschool.htm 

Berkeley Rep “Mother Courage” at 8 p.m. at the Roda Theater, 2025 Addison St., through Oct. 22. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Central Works “Andromache” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. through Nov. 19. Tickets are $9-$25. 558-1381. 

Contra Costa Civic Theater, “The Orchid Sandwich” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through Oct. 21. at 951 Pomona Ave. El Cerrito. Tickets are $11-$18. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Fusion Theater “Beauty and the Beast” Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at Laney College Theater, 900 Fallon St., Oakland. Tickets are $3-$10. 464-3544. 

Impact Theatre “Colorado” A dark comedy about celebrity worship, Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. Tickets are $10-$15. Runs through Oct. 28. 464-4468. www.impacttheatre.com 

Shotgun Players “Love is a Dream House in Lorin” by Marcus Gardley, inspired by true stories of Berkeley’s historic Lorin District, Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Nov. 5. Sliding scale $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

UC Dept. of Theater “Suburban Motel” six plays by George Walker at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus, through Nov. 19. Tickets are $8-$14. For schedule see http://theater.berkeley.edu 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Beyond the Ribbons” Art by people with life-threatening ilness. Reception fo rthe artists at 7 p.m. at WCRC GAllery, 5741 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 601-4040, ext. 111. www.wcrc.org 

FILM 

Ousmane Sembene “Emitai” and 6:30 p.m. and “Moolaade” and at 8:35 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Robert Grudin reads from “American Vulgar: The Politics of Manipulation Versus the Culture of Awareness” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Harvey Pekar and Anne Moore introduce “The Best American Comics 2006” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

Miss Marjorie’s Mysteries Join three local mystery writers, Kirk Russell, Cornelia Read, Tony Broadbent and our host, Miss Marjorie, for a night of scary stories, at 7 p.m. at Pegasus Books, 1855 Solano Ave. 525-6888. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland Opera “Les Enfants Terribles” Fri. - Sun. at 8 p.m. at Oakland Metro Opera House, 201 Broadway, through Oct. 22. Tickets are $32-$36. www.oaklandopera.org 

Savage Jazz Dance Company “Everything's Everything” Fri.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland. Tickets are $14-$20. 415-256-8499. savagejazz.org 

Berkeley Music Coop Players perform works of Falla, Beethoven, Scriabin at 8 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Tickets are $12-$15. 848-1228. giorgigallery.com 

Free Jazz Fridays with Howard Wiley and Laurie Buenafe Krsmanovic at 8 p.m. at 1510 8th St., Oakland. sfjazzmusic@yahoo.com 

Ojala & Melanie de More, African American folk music, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568.  

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan ”Wild Cursive” at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $26-$46. 642-9988.  

Linda Kosut and Max Perkoff, songs of Oscar Brown, Jr., at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ.  

JGB with Melvin Seals and Grapefruit Ed at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $17-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Chris Smither at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $20.50-$21.50. 548-1761.  

Ned Boynton Quintet with Jules Broussard 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.  

Tempest, Avalon Rising at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $12. 841-2082.  

Life Long Tragedy, Silence Kills the Revolution, Robot Eyes at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Grease Traps, Raw Deluxxe, funk, fusion, soul, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5. 548-1159.  

Parallel 23, electro Cuban funk, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Earl Klugh at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, OCT. 21 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Rafael Manríquez, children’s songs in Spanish, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Laura Numeroff talks about “When Sheep Sleep” at 3 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

THEATER 

“Astarte’s Scream” improvisational theater and performance to build understanding about Middle Eastern cultures at 8 p.m. at The Epic Arts Tea Room, 1923 Ashby Ave at MLK. Tickets are $5-$10 at the door. 704-1404. 

FILM 

Ousmane Sembene “Guelwaar” at 6:30 p.m. and “Faat-Kline” at 8:45 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Filipino Author Celebration with Evangeline Canonizado Buell, Peter Jamero, and Pati Navalta Poblete at 1 p.m. at Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350. 

Natalie Hopkinson and Natalie Y. Moore discuss “Deconstructing Tyrone” at black masculinity in the Hip-Hop Generation at 6:30 p.m. at Marcus Books, 3900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. 652-2344. 

Elana Dykewomon, Linda Zeiser, Jan Steckel, Trena Machado, Janell Moon and Maria Kaylib read from the new anthology “What I Want From You: Voices of East Bay Lesbian Poets” at 7:30 p.m. at Laurel Bookstore, 4100 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. 531-2073. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“A Hideous Ghost” Johann Sebastian Bach and the Violin performed by John Holloway, solo violin, at 8 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber. Tickets are $10-$25. 528-1725.  

Trinity Chamber Concerts Ted Brinkley’s Electric Florid-ians at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864. www.trinitychamberconcerts.com 

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan ”Wild Cursive” at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $26-$46. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Cascada de Flores, son and song of Mexico and Cuba at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $13-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Robin Gregory & Bill “Jazz Professor” Bell at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Kotoja, Afrobeat, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. African dance lesson with Comfort Mensah at 9 p.m. Cost is $13-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Damond Moodie and Jamie Jenkins at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

David Jeffrey’s Fourtet, featuring Kasey Knudsen, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

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

Rebeca Mauleon Quartet at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Pete Yellin Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Caroline Chung Jazz Trio at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Mark Twang & Suzanne Fox, acoustic folk, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7-$10. 558-0881. 

Grand 58, Howdy, Seconds on End at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Arnocorps, Smogtown, Reagan SS, Rock ‘N’ Roll Adventure Kids 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. 

SUNDAY, OCT. 22 

CHILDREN 

Asheba at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Body Language” Paintings and sculpture opens at the Addison Street Windows, and runs through Nov. 29. 981-7533. 

FILM 

The Mechanical Age “2001: A Space Odyssey” at 3 p.m. and “Crash” at 6 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Joyce Maynard reads from “Internal Combustion: The Story of a Marriage and a Murder in the Motor City” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

“Ideas From the Past About Keyboard Instruction” A workshop with Sandra Soderlund at 2 p.m. at A Cheerfull Noyse, 1228 Solano Ave. Free, but RSVP requested. 523-0411. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Alaine Rodin, soprano, at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $20-$32. 925-798-1300. 

Donna Lerew, violinist, performs works of Bach, Wienawski, Shostakovich at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Cost is $9-$10. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Emanuel Ax, piano, with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at 3 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$58. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Chamber Music Sundaes with Scott Pingel, bassist, at 3 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$22 at the door. 415-753-2792. 

“Sacred Harp Suite” Premier of new work by Rod McKean at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland. Suggested donation $10. 444-3555. 

Celebration and Benefit for Chiori Santiago, with music by Jane de Cuir, Unity Nugyen, Keenan Webster and the Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble at 5 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$20 sliding scale. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Peter Alsop at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Ben Stolerow Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $9. 841-JAZZ.  

Americana Unplugged: Jeanie and Chuck’s Country Roundup at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 655-5715. 

Frederick Hodges, solo piano, at 4:30 at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. 

Hal Dinsratz at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Ceremony, The First Step, The Helm, Bad Reaction at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

Earl Klugh at 7 and 9 p.m., at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200.  

MONDAY, OCT. 23 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein disccuss “The Broken Branch: How Congress is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Anatol Lieven and John Hulsman discuss “Ethical Realism: A New Vision for America’s Role in the World” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

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

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin” at 5:30 p.m. at Chern Hall’s Simons Auditorium, at MSRI, 17 Gauss Way near the intersection of Centennial Drive and Grizzly Peak Blvd. Part of the “Mathematics and Music Series” 642-0448. 

West Coast Singer’s Open Mike at 7:30 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $5.50. 548-1761.  

Khalil Shaheed, all ages jam, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

Nguyen Le, Tiger’s Tail Quartet with Art Lande, Paul McCandless and Patrice Heral at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$18. 238-9200.  

TUESDAY, OCT. 24 

CHILDREN 

“Three Witches of the Oakland Public Library” scary stories and songs for ages six and up at 7 p.m. at the Rockridge Branch, 5366 College Ave. 597-5017. 

FILM 

Alternative Visions China’s Cutting Edge: New Video From Shanghai at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Donald Rothberg describes “The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Jeff Biggers introduces his new book, “In the Sierra Madre” about Mexico’s Copper Canyon, indigenous Mexico and environmental concerns, at 7 p.m. at 118 Barrows Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by Dept. of Ethnic Studies/Chicano Studies. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Tom Rigney & Flambeau at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054.  

Ellen Hoffman and Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

Glass Half Full in a benefit for Breast Cancer Fund and SHARE, featuring Laurie Lewis, Jennifer Berezan, Barbara Higbie and others, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761.  

NoMeansNo, The Freak Accident at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082.  

Michele Rosewoman and Quintessense at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$18. 238-9200.  

Jazzschool Tuesdays at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 25 

CHILDREN 

“Three Witches of the Oakland Public Library” scary stories and songs for ages six and up at 4 and 7 p.m. in the Chilrens Room, of the Main Library, 125 14th St. 238-3615. 

THEATER 

Berkeley Rep “Passing Strange” opens at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. and runs through Dec. 3. Tickets are $45-$61. 645-2949.  

FILM 

“Freedom’s Fury” and “Journey Home” films about the 1956 Hungarian Revolution at 6 p.m. at 22 Warren Hall, UC Campus. http://hungarianuprising.org  

Pirates and Piracy “Pirated Copy” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Henry Chang reads from “Chinatown Beat” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Bill Scher on “Wait! Dont’t Move to Canada: A Stay and Fight Strategy to Win Back America” at 6 p.m. at 2221 Broadway at Grand Ave., Oakland. 

Writing Teachers Write with Marty Williams and Chuck Forester at 5 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. 

William Kittredge introduces his novel,”The Willow Field” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, 20th century music for the flute, at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864.  

Wynton Marsalis at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$68. 642-9988.  

UC Jazz Ensembles at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

D.O.A., 5 Days Dirty, Freex at 8 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. All ages show. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886.  

Orquestra Sensual at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Deep Hello at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Kurt Rosenwinkle, Toninho Horta Group at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200.  

THURSDAY, OCT. 26 

EXHIBITIONS 

“At Thadeus Lake” by Sherri Martin, winner of the 2006 Kala Board Prize. Reception at 6 p.m. at Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave. Exhibition runs to Nov. 25. 549-2977. www.kala.org 

“Educate to Liberate: A Retrospective of the Black Panther Community News Service” Exhibition in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party, on display in the Oakland History Room at the Oakland Main Library, 125 14th St. 238-3222.  

“The Face of Poetry” Photographs by Margaretta Mitchell on display at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St., through Oct. 30. 981-6100. 

“Looking for Hope” Photograhs by Matt O’Brien with text by students in the Oakland Public Schools opens at the Peralta Hacienda Historical Park Museum Gallery, 2465 34th Ave. Gallery open Thurs.-Fri. 4 to 6 p.m. and Sun. noon to 4 p.m. to March 31. 532-9142. www.peraltahacienda.org 

“Geographic Premonitions” Group show of fifteen emerging artists, at the Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Ave., Richmond. Exhibition runs through Nov. 11. 620-6772. www.therichmondartcenter.org 

FILM 

Ousmane Sembene “The Camp at Thiaroye” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

California Tiles: Arts & Crafts Principles Revive the Golden Era, with Riley Doty and Joe Taylor, at 8 p.m. at The Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Cost is $10. 

Annie Leibovitz describes “A Photographer’s Life, 1990-2005” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Michael Sternberg and Larry Rothe describe “For the Love of Music: Invitations to Listening” music at 7 p.m., reading at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Talking About Macdonald” performances based on community recollections of Richmond’s downtown at 6:30 p.m. at East Bay Center for the Performing Arts Winters Building, 339 11th St., corner of 11th and Macdonald, Richmond. 540-6809. www.ci.richmond.ca.us 

World Without End, Bob Frank & John Murry at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Juke Joint Jazzers at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Oogog, The Brass Menagerie at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

Jazz Mine at 6:30 p.m. at King Tsin Chinese Restaurant, 1699 Solano Ave. 525-9890. 

Kurt Rosenwinkle, Toninho Horta Group at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Three Piece Combo, Mirkthon, Biran Kenney Fresno, progressive rock, at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Showtime @ 11 Hip Hop at 10 p.m. at the Golden Bull, 412 14th St. at Broadway, Oakland. 893-0803. 

A veiled woman enters a long chamber by the near door, kneels in a patch of light, tosses back her veil and mutters some kind of devotional, eyes heavenward. Another veiled woman hurries in and spirits the first away through the far door. A robed man enters, goes to the far door, but falls to the floor in tears, crying out “Andromache!” A sword-bearing man enters, whispers to the prostrate man, and they leave. A young man in a tattered robe enters. 

The entrances and exits—and quick, occasional glances—through the three doors into (and out of) the salon in the Berkeley City Club where Central Works is playing a revival of cofounder Gary Graves’ “radical adaptation” of Racine’s Andromache are accorded the status of events, as befits theater derived from the great poet and classicist, whose works combine closely interlocked dialogues as allies, antagonists and lovers meet. 

But the combinations of movement in and out are never so silent as at the start. The story begins to flow, weaving a web of complications, ever-changing in its fascinating complexity. It seems to reach deeper and deeper, the further the figures of the play are torn from their original positions. The contradictory relations of each character to the others are made up of what R. D. Laing called double-binds, but these bonds are tied to the axis of a greater world beyond the relationships within the chamber, around which revolve the greatest moral, social and metaphysical issues.  

Pylades (Sean Williford), the young man in the tattered robe, meets another entrant, his old friend Orestes (Paul Rodrigues), son of Agamemnon. They had been separated by shipwreck, Pylades beached on Lemnos, now a servant in the palace. 

Orestes, revenged upon his mother, who murdered Agamemnon on his return from Troy, has come on a mission from Argos. He comes to witness the marriage of dead Achilles’ son, Pyrrhus (Alex Klein) to Menelaus’ daughter, Ermione (Meera Rohit Kumbhani). He also demands the young son of Hector, who Achilles slew, and Andromache (Leontyne Mbele-Mbong), given to Pyrrhus as a war prize. 

But Orestes loves Ermione. Ermione tries to forget her passion for the blood-soaked Orestes and loves Pyrrhus, who in turn wants only Andromache, bound to the dead Hector by an oath of lifelong fidelity and cold to her captor. 

These principals are attended on and in some ways doubled by their confidants. Besides Pylades for Orestes, there’s Andromache’s maidservant Sephissa (Karuna Tanahashi), Ermione’s nursemaid, Kleone (Susan Allen) and Pyrrhus’ captain of the guard, formerly Achilles’ bodyguard Phoenix (Ken Ingram), who begins as a kind of gray eminence, keeping the distraught Pyrrhus in line with his obligations as a Greek conqueror, to marry Ermione and secure the ties with the homeland, but whom Pyrrhus countermands as his truer intentions strengthen into resolve. 

But Orestes, following what he takes to be Ermione’s nudge towards Greek honor (and her love), strikes out, seeming to rashly cut out the heart of the joint dilemma in a new effusion of blood, but paradoxically freeing its most passive cypher to take command. 

Roland Barthes, whose On Racine is the great post-war (World War II, not Troy) exposé of the dark tangle of passions behind the rhetoric of the dramatist’s pure Alexandrine couplets, calls Andromache a drama of transition between old and new orders: an older, jealous dispensation, and a newer, consentual one. The older order rules by sacred vows and bonds, by contract and by enclosure, a perfect set-up for a tightly wound chamber drama, in which Pyrrhus experiences a kind of conversion. 

The cast is an exceptional ensemble, each cutting a fine figure. Graves’ adaptation (he also directs the play) retains the story structure, but concentrates an impressionistic reworking of the dialogue into often witty contemporary prose. It gives a sense of the nuclear density of Racine’s tragic spirit, writing it down into a more human, psychological drama without losing its sense of myth and the desire to escape the myth. 

ANDROMACHE 

8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 5 p.m. Sundays through Nov.19. $9-$25. Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 558-1382.

So-called “indie” cinema is supposed to break away from the tired formulas of Hollywood filmmaking. Yet indie films themselves have lapsed into their own formulas, generating just as many clichés as the Hollywood blockbusters at which they so haughtily sneer. Unfortunately, Michael Kang’s The Motel embraces far too many of them.  

A certain style has developed in the past few years, one that was used to great effect recently in Little Miss Sunshine but that is probably best exemplified by the films of Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic, etc.): quiet, understated acting, dry humor, and a certain brand of self-conscious quirkiness, a facet underscored by the prominent use of off-beat pop songs in the soundtrack.  

The Motel has all these hallmarks and revels in this low-budget, less-is-more aesthetic. The film was produced by the same folks who brought us solid independent features like Chuck and Buck and Me, You and Everyone We Know, films which contain many of the same characteristics as The Motel but manage to pull it off, due to the sure hands of their directors. The Motel is instead an imitation, one that hints at the ability to examine interesting and rich themes but unfortunately does not.  

We’ve seen countless coming-of-age, puberty-sucks stories, but this one sheds little light on the topic, instead merely setting the tale in a new location. The film is at its best when it delves into its very Asianness, a mantle it does not want but should reconsider, for the problems of a chubby, pubescent Chinese kid living in an hourly-rate motel on the fringes of small-town America could have and should have been a deep well to draw from. But unfortunately Kang is content to simply imitate the stylistic concerns of other directors, eschewing the stronger elements of his story in favor of lighter, more predictable fare in an effort to replicate the formula that has become indie cinema’s surest path to a sleeper hit. 

THE MOTEL 

Directed by Michael Kang. Starring Jeffrey Chyau, Samantha Futerman, Sung Kang. Playing at Shattuck Cinemas. 

Kang will be on hand to take questions after the 5:20 showing on Saturday,  

Oct. 21. 76 minutes. Not rated.

One film that did not make it on the fall film festival circuit this year is The Life and Times of John Sinclair. A documentary with plenty of smoke that mirrors the protest movement, it’s the story of the man who jump started John Lennon’s political career, John Sinclair.  

One of the problems with promoting his new movie is “a scene near the end where people in Amsterdam are laughing and smoking one ounce joints. This isn’t what they are looking for. They like films about people who are f.....up. They don’t want people who are unrepentant. I don’t think the movie will be a success. The grandfather of recreational drugs is not what they are looking for today.”  

A father figure in the ’60s underground press movement, founder of the Detroit Artists Workshop, the Rainbow People’s Party and the White Panther Party, he also managed rock groups like the MC-5 and led the movement to legalize marijuana. Sinclair received a 9 1/2 to 10 sentence in 1969 for giving two joints to an undercover agent. 

John Lennon, who had also been set up on a marijuana bust in England, agreed to headline the Free John Now Rally that packed Ann Arbor’s Crisler arena with a crowd of 15,000 in December 1971. His song “It Ain’t Fair, John Sinclair” was the highlight of a knockout show that included Stevie Wonder, Allen Ginsberg, Phil Ochs, Jerry Rubin and Bob Seger.  

Among the rock critics on hand were a matched pair of FBI agents who wrote in a confidential memo to J. Edgar Hoover that Yoko Ono “can’t even remain on key.” They suggested that the song “probably will become a million seller... but it is lacking Lennon’s usual standards.” 

Apparently this view was not shared on the Michigan Supreme Court bench in Lansing. Three days after Sinclair’s super rally, the justices struck down the state’s “unconstitutional” marijuana laws, reversed the conviction and ordered his release. 

The Ann Arbor rally opens the U.S. vs. John Lennon and forms the centerpiece of the film’s political story. It was here that leaders of the anti Vietnam war movement formatted their plan for a series of protest concerts that would culminate in three day event at the 1972 Republican political convention. The FBI’s presence documents the White House’s anxiety over Lennon’s star power and the ability of musicians to become political Pied Pipers for the left. 

Now in post production, The Life and Times of John Sinclair is produced by Steve Gebhardt known for his documentaries on the Rolling Stones and John Lennon). It is a cultural overview of the ‘60s and the decades most famous marijuana bust.  

An earlier Gebhardt project, Ten for Two, focused on the 1971 Free John Now Rally in Ann Arbor. Although that film was briefly released in Britain, it was never shown in America because of legal worries over the INS effort to deport Lennon. After raising $50,000 in completion funding, the producers are busy marketing The John Sinclair Story for a 2007 release.  

Sinclair is arguably the hardest working man in show business He is on the road six months of year at clubs, concert halls, bar and college venues reading poetry backed up The Blues Scholars: “I’ve spent ten years trying to figure out how to do it.”  

The result is a considerable distance from rap music which he dismisses as “third grade Mother Goose rhymes done with a machine gun. Walt Whitman got rid of rhymes a hundred and 50 years ago.” 

Although he left America for Amsterdam following the 2000 election, Sinclair returns home frequently to perform and visit family. 

During a recent American tour that included Berkeley, Sinclair, a tall man with a stylish white goatee, was eager to reconnect with old friends. An important whistle stop was his hometown, Davison, Michigan, which has given the world two other media superstars, Sheryl Leach, the creator of Barney, and Michael Moore.  

In town for the I Chews The Blues Festival, Sinclair spoke enthusiastically about his life as an expatriate blues scholar. In Amsterdam he has broadcast online radio shows from local cannabis clubs. The poet has also found a welcoming audience for his work across Europe in clubs and art galleries. And in his eyes, permissive Dutch drug laws are the bomb. 

Although he has been ahead of his times in many ways, Sinclair has never been a slave to popular culture. The former president of the University of Michigan Flint’s film society seldom sees movies. “They aren’t making the old kind of Fellini, Goddard films, interesting movies about life.” The last feature film he took in was Clint Eastwood’s Bird, the 1988 Oscar-winning story on the life of jazz legend Charles Parker. 

Turning to the crowd, a lively mix of kids, teens, college students, families and friends, Moore feels at home in his hometown:  

“This is my idea of a great festival. People who you never heard of playing and having fun. This isn’t about business, it’s about playing music for your friends. No one is making a million. I don’t give a ..... about someone who has a million because they are different. They worry about their taxes. I am still focused on how I get dinner just like the average person in America.”  

Roger Rapoport’s new book Citizen Moore: The Making of An American Iconoclast will be published in December. 

Editor’s note: The preview for the 24th Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival which ran in the Oct. 17 issue of the Berkeley Daily Planet gave the wrong lineup. It repeated the list of last year’s festival performers. Below is the corrected information about the kick-off of this year’s festival. The preview of the rest of the festival will run next week. 

The 24th annual SF Jazz Festival begins tonight (Friday) with tenor saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins and continues for another 31 events through the Nov. 12 concert of Latin percussion great John Santos and the Machete Ensemble. This will be the most concentrated amount of great jazz available in the Bay Area all year. 

Without a doubt, the hottest ticket of the festival has got to be the Sonny Rollins kick-off concert at 8 p.m. at the Masonic Center. 

While still a teenager, Rollins was playing in New York with bop pioneers Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell and Miles Davis. By the early ‘50s, in a group with Max Roach, Clifford Brown and Richie Powell, he was ushering in the hard bop era. From 1959-61 he retired from music spending a large part of that time woodshedding on the Williamsburg Bridge. 

Since then, he has recorded an enormous amount of great music, yet often seems stymied in studio settings. In live concert performances, though, his ability to allow free reign to his improvisatory skills really shines. At 76, his physical and imaginative strength are undiminished. Whether he plays a standard like Dietz and Schwartz’ “I See Your Face before Me,” one of his classic hard bop originals like Oleo or one of his infectious calypsos like “Don’t Stop the Carnival,” he delights everyone with his swinging ability to vary tunes through subtle accentual shifts, harmonic genius and romantic lyricism. 

For more information on the SF Jazz Festival call (415) 788-7353 or visit their website at www.sfjazz.org.