Hot Picks 08.24.23

Thursday, Aug. 24

Raise a Flute

Over a career spanning five decades, Ali Ryerson has established herself as one of America’s most accomplished and highly regarded jazz flutists – releasing over two dozen albums, collaborating with numerous greats and performing at major festivals around the world (she’s no stranger to Monterey Jazz Festival regulars). This week, Ryerson hits the stage at Carmel Valley’s Hidden Valley Theatre, where she’ll be joined by Steve Rudolph on piano, John Wiitala on bass, and Akira Tana on percussion. [RM]

7:30pm Thursday, Aug. 24. Hidden Valley Music Seminars, 104 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. $25. 659-3115, hiddenvalleymusic.org.

Friday, Aug. 25

Jazzed Up

Rancho Cielo is launching a brand-new concert series titled Jazz at the Ranch – and you can be there for the kickoff on Friday, Aug. 25. The seven-concert series features Grammy Award winners, Grammy nominees and West Coast jazz legends, as well as talented young musicians. All proceeds benefit the nonprofit’s mental health and arts programing. First up, see Tony Lindsay & the Soul Soldiers perform – Lindsay is the longest-tenured lead vocalist for Santana, and a winner of no fewer than 11 Grammys. That’s some serious star power. Tickets also include heavy appetizers, local wines and beers. Sounds like a great night out for a good cause. [TCL]

7:30pm (happy hour at 6pm) Friday, Aug. 25. Rancho Cielo, 710 Old Stage Road, Salinas. $100/single concert; $500/series pass. 444-3533, ranchocieloyc.org.

Saturday, Aug. 26

Puzzle Pass

After spending weeks contemplating and putting pieces together, what do you do with your completed puzzles? If you have no plans to seal and frame them on your wall you might consider giving it to someone else to try. The Monterey Public Library is hosting a puzzle exchange for strategizing-enthusiasts to swap with one another and bring home a new puzzle to try. Bring your gently used puzzles and exchange them with another. What’s old to you will be new to someone else. [KH]

10am Saturday, Aug. 26. Monterey Public Library, 625 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. 646-3933, monterey.org/library.

Up Staged

Everything can be competitive, even theater. In the case of Playfest, Soapbox Stageworks went big with its first 10-minute playwriting competition. More than 200 short plays were submitted, and only eight were selected as finalists. Now the four winning dramas and four winning comedies go on stage, and audience members will decide which plays win first and second place. You can expect a big range in these eight 10-minute plays, from Speed Dating and Budget Airlines (the titles appear to be self-evident) to the plight of a science teacher (Inherit the Dumb) to a family struggle with loss and divorce (Light). Whichever plays win, this is a chance to see words on a page come to life in the theater and the potency live performance can give to playwriting. Let the game – and Scene 1, of course – begin. [SR]

7-9pm Saturday, Aug. 26; doors open at 6:30pm for a reception with wine and light bites. Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, 4th and Guadalupe, Carmel. $35. 664-6587, carlcherrycenter.org.

Funny Bones

What makes something funny? Philosophers as far back as Plato have had their theories (people are laughing at an earlier version of themselves and the misfortunes of others to feel superior), as well as psychiatrists (Sigmund Freud thought it might be to relieve nervous energy). Beginning in the 20th century scientists have tested several theories but none has been able to exactly capture why. We as laypeople don’t need to ask why, we just need to sit back and laugh. Oakland-based comedian Tammy TeaLove, winner of the 2023 NW Black Comedy Festival Funniest Comedian Award, is bringing the funny with friends Shannon Battle, Terrell Big-T Butler and Josef Anolin to Monterey. They’ll be sharing laugh-out-loud stories and observations about the human condition for us to enjoy. No need to ask why we’re laughing. The better question is, why not? [PM]

6:30pm Saturday, Aug. 26. Paper Wing Theatre and Supper Club, 711 Cannery Row, Suite i, Monterey. $20. 905-5684, paperwing.com.

Barrel Roll

The folks at Rustiqué Wines want to make one thing real clear: Their standup show, Comedy in the Vines, is for mature audiences. That means those who listen in respectful silence, who know it’s not polite to mock the differences of others, who never court controversial subjects in public and who… yeah, who are we kidding? With the likes of host Max Eddy, headliner Zack Chapaloni, Marcus Howard and Noah Copfer – all comedy club favorites – taking the stage, there will be raucously funny zingers tossed at dysfunctional families, queer life in San Francisco, the political divide and anything else they find humorous. Try as you might, there’s no way to hold on to that mature, respectful silence for more than a few seconds. Besides, mature simply means age 21 and over. Behavior is not part of this definition. [DF]

7-9pm Saturday, Aug. 26. Rustiqué Wines, 1010 River Road, Salinas. $30. 320-8174, rustiquewines.com.

Sunday, Aug. 27

Progress Brunch

Salinas Valley Pride Celebrations and the Building Business Back program invite LGBTQIA+ business owners and their allies to a brunch presentation and conversation on progress for the queer community. The goal: to grow the network of safe spaces in Monterey County. The Salinas Valley Pride Celebrations Safe Space program allows business owners to register their establishment an official safe space that welcomes and respect people in the LGBTQIA+ community. A ticket includes: a brunch entree, a mimosa (additional drinks available for purchase), coffee service, a live drag performance and a complimentary SVPC coffee mug. Meet local business owners who represent or support queer communities. Donations support SVPC’s scholarship program. [AP]

2-4pm Sunday, Aug. 27. Toro Place Cafe, 665 Monterey-Salinas Highway, Salinas. $50. 633-5883, bit.ly/3OZC8MB.

New Sounds

This is a chance to hear the newest of new compositions. The Monterey County Composers’ Forum presents “Crossing Lines,” a concert of new music by local composers and songwriters. Composers presenting new works include Steve Ettinger, Alejandro Gatica, Paula Kaiser and Julie Roseman, Edward Moncrief, Karl Schmidt, Dale Victorine and Rick Yramategui. The composers’ forum is a nonprofit that produces three concerts per year at Hidden Valley Music Seminars, featuring new music. One of the composers, Carleton Macy, is a professor emeritus of Music at Macalester College. “In addition to teaching theory and composition courses I have an active interest in non-Western music,” he wrote on his website. Having served as artistic director, conductor and sheng – a free-reed wind instrument – performer with the Minnesota Chinese Music Ensemble, he presently lives in Pacific Grove and plays French horn, alto recorder and bass drum. [AP]

3pm Sunday, Aug. 27. Hidden Valley Music Seminars, 104 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. $15; Covid vaccinations are required to attend and masks are optional. mccomposers.org.

Monday, Aug. 28

Let it Flow

If you work a traditional 9-5, Mondays can be tough. The to-do list is long and the email inbox is full when you emerge from a weekend of fun or hibernation – we get it. So here’s an opportunity to unwind a little after a long day at the office: Head to Folktale in Carmel Valley for a show by King Calaway, a country music group with “organic harmonious California Country sound” that’s been named one of the top new country acts to watch by Billboard. And if all that doesn’t take the edge off, remember that there’s wine. The rest of the week is sure to flow from there. [TCL]

5-8pm Monday, Aug. 28. Folktale Winery & Vineyards, 8940 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel. $20-$40. 293-7500, folktalewinery.com.

HOT PICKS by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier, Dave Faries, Kyarra Harris, Celia Jiménez, Pam Marino, Rey Mashayekhi, Agata Popęda, Sara Rubin and David Schmalz.