Jazz Happening

BRAUTIGAN TO JAZZ There''s something about the prose and poetry of Richard Brautigan, the proto-hippie author of Trout Fishing in America, that defies easy pigeonholing--his works are at once sidesplittingly funny and edged with bittersweetness. Brautigan, who committed suicide in 1984 at the age of 49, left behind a legacy of dark beauty that has inspired countless other counterculture poets and writers. Tonight, local actor/director Conrad Selvig and jazz pianist Biff Smith pay tribute to Brautigan with a program of readings from Brautigan''s work coupled with music. "It''s going to just be kind of loose," says Selvig. "He''ll play music and I''ll pick some fun stuff." A regular performer with the band Along Came Betty, Smith has done a similar collaboration with local poet John Schatz. Selvig says he''ll be choosing short works of prose and poetry from Brautigan works, including Pill vs. Springhill Mine Disaster, Loading Mercury With a Pitchfork, Revenge of the Lawn and Rommel Drives On Deep into Egypt. Although Selvig saw Brautigan do a reading years ago at UC Davis, he won''t be doing an impersonation--this will be an entirely original interpretation of Brautigan''s work.

7:30pm. Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Guadalupe and Fourth, Carmel. $12. 624-7491.

Metal Zone

LEGION VICTORIOUS & LIQUID 8 Tonight heavy metal denizens Legion Victorious and Liquid 8 light a fire under the tight black jeans of local rockers with a searing show at Doc''s. Legion Victorious, which includes a growling singer Gator Collier and drum-wiz Matt Omera, will most likely belt out some of the heaviest music heard in the area for some time. Paul Hastey, singer for Liquid 8, will have his chops aligned as well, hoping to snare the crowd with some straight-ahead music. Opening up for these two heavy bands will be Darvon Complex and a newer group, Me vs. Everybody, featuring Matt Christ on vocals. All in all the evening should be safe, but filled with driving music to release those fall demons upon.

9pm. Doc''s, 180 E. Franklin, Monterey. Free. 649-4241.

friday 11|16

Mènage a Trio

PEABODY TRIO It''s hard to compete with glowing reviews from The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. But we''ll try. One of the leading piano trios in the world, The Peabody Trio, comes to town tonight riding the crest of such flowery descriptors as "breathtaking gusto," "shimmering beauty," and "lush sound." Violinist Violaine Melancon, cellist Natasha Brofsky and pianist Seth Knopp "play with the romantic fervor of the early 20th century greats," sighs The Washington Post. The Weekly says they rock. But don''t take our word for it, or that of countless other media critics--audio clips are online at www.chambermusicmontereybay.org. Tonight''s program will feature works by another trio, one comprised of tempestuous Teutonic composers Schumann, Schnittke and Brahms.

8pm. United Methodist Church of Pacific Grove, Sunset and 17 Mile Drive, Pacific Grove. $20/Adults, $15/Students under 22 with ID. 625-2212.

Lulu of a Luau

EVENING IN PARADISE Ah, life in the islands--where it''s warm, relaxed, warm, friendly, fragrant and warm. If all they do is crank the heat up at tonight''s Luau and Polynesian Show, we''ll be transported. But they''re going to do much more than that. They''re going to trot out the mesmerizing hula and drummers of the Na Pua Olena Dancers. The irrepressibly upbeat Olena Blend Hawaiian Band will play its contented mix of tropical pop and country. There will be crafts and displays featuring gold heirloom jewelry, distinctive fabrics and tables loaded with musical offerings from the home of slack key guitar and steel pedal mastery. There will be mountains of island foods, from tender, smoky kahlua pig to creamy, coconutty haupi''a pudding. And we''re guessing there will be something else present, too: that indescribable feeling of aloha that can warm the chilliest California night.

5:30pm. Steinbeck Hall, Hartnell College, 156 Homestead, Salinas. $20/$15. 755-6924.

saturday 11|17

Hard Time Hero

STEINBECK AND CLASS One of the great things John Steinbeck did for American literature, and for American people, was to make literary heroes out of the drunks, bums and migrants that formed the nation''s untouchable class. Today, as part of the Steinbeck Centennial Monthly Series, Steinbeck scholar Glenna Matthews discusses the author''s astute assessment of class conflict in Depression-era California. Following her lecture, a panel of Dust Bowl migrants shares stories from their first days in a hostile and suspicious land of milk and honey, and the Western Stage will perform dramatic readings from The Grapes of Wrath.

11am-3pm. Steinbeck Center, 1 Main, Salinas. $10/$15. 755-4737.

Image Consciousness

ANN SIMONTON AT MPC Ann Simonton of Media Watch, an activist group and newsletter that fights racism, sexism and the objectification of violence, knows all about discriminatory images in the media. Simonton is a top model-turned-activist whose inspiring and eye-opening presentations have been known to cause strong reactions both for and against her ideals, and whose protests are well-known for being non-violent and occasionally humorous. She has appeared on television shows such as "Oprah" and "Larry King Live" and has spoken at colleges all over the country and the world. As some images contain nudity, adults are asked to accompany minors. If you dug Subliminal Seduction, you''ll want to attend this forum.

2pm. MPC Lecture Forum #103, Monterey Peninsula College, 980 Fremont, Monterey. Free, but donations encouraged. 646-4276.

High Wattage

ERNIE WATTS & JON MAYER QUARTET Tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts is known now as an expressive and innovative player, mostly pushing the envelope of mainstream jazz with the likes of Charlie Haden and Kenny Barron. For 20 years he labored in the jazz-pop crossover world in a nightly gig as a featured soloist with Doc Severinson and the the Tonight Show orchestra. On the weekends, he worked in the studios with everyone from the Rolling Stones to Barbara Streisand to Frank Zappa. Recently, he has released a series of introspective works on JVC, but for this show he appears with the be-bop pianist Jon Mayer. It promises to be an exciting evening with an unheralded all-star.

7:30pm. Jazz and Blues Co., 236 Crossroads, Carmel. $35. 624-6431.

Arc du Trumpet

ENSEMBLE MONTEREY Two presentation venues will echo with the resonant trumpet solos of Brian Neal as he leads Ensemble Monterey in a performance of Andre Jolivet''s Trumpet Concerto No. 2. Neal, the trumpet soloist for the celebrated Dallas Brass sextet, assays Jolivet''s 1954 work, which the composer described as "my ballet for trumpet." In this work, Jolivet reveals the inspiration he found in works by Debussy and Ravel, delivering a score that moves from an almost atonal opening through a bluesy interlude before resolving itself in a jazzy grand finale. Also in tonight''s presentation, local pianist Melinda Coffey will be featured in Jean Francaix''s Hommage a l''Ami Papageno.

Saturday: 8pm. Church of Religious Science, 400 W. Franklin, Monterey. Sunday: 3pm. Fox Theater, 239 Main, Salinas. $18/general; $15/seniors. 372-4523.

wednesday 11|21

Two-Planker Wankers and Knuckle Draggers Rejoice!

WARREN MILLER''S COLD FUSION For dedicated skiers and snowboarders, Warren Miller needs no introduction. Every year for the last 52 years, filmmaker Warren Miller has been getting the skiers of America fired up in the fall to tear up the slopes in winter. His films on downhill culture and sport are guaranteed to thrill and always pack a few laughs. Besides vignettes from no less than 10 ski spots--including Iran, Kenya and Switzerland--two highlights from the 2001 installment, Cold Fusion feature death-defying ski stunts. One captures a free-style jumper''s successful "quad-quad," otherwise known as four back flips with four twists. It might make you spill your popcorn. The other is a truly dream-inspiring feat by a BASE jumper (the name stands for Building, Antennae, Span, Earth--the stuff they jump off of) who skis off a mountain and glides across a valley for nearly a minute with the aid of a flying-squirrel style jumpsuit. This year''s Warren Miller film tour has already been wowing crowds, despite some blatant huckstering by the old dog.

6pm and 9pm. Monterey Conference Center, 1 Portola Plaza, Monterey. Tickets are $14 at On the Beach Surf Shop in Monterey or through Ticketmaster. 646-3770.

This week''s Hot Picks were shuffled and dealt by Aaron S. Birk, Kate Folsom, Alex Gilrane, Traci Hukill, Jessica Lyons, Andrew Scutro and Chuck Thurman.