Things to see, do and hear in the Olympia area this week
March 13
Saxy jazz sounds
Seattle-based sax and flute player Mark Lewis, whose playing has taken him from Seattle and San Francisco to Rotterdam and Paris, brings his compositions to Olympia for a Friday concert. Lewis has been called “a Northwest treasure,” and his latest album, “The New York Session,” picked up a couple of 2017 Jazz Station Awards. At the show, part of The Washington Center for the Performing Arts’ Black Box Jazz series, he’ll play with pianist Randy Halberstadt, bassist Steve Luceno and drummer Bob Merrihew. The music begins at 8 p.m. in the Black Box Theater at the center, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $30. Find out more at washingtoncenter.org, or call 360-753-8586.
March 14
Sweet Harmony on stage
Fans of a cappella singing — an art form that has spawned TV shows, films and countless viral videos — can hear the tuneful tones of some of the Northwest’s top ensembles Saturday in Olympia. Seven groups — including such numerically named combos as Fourcast (a quartet), Fifth Street (a quintet) and 20/20 (a sextet) — will compete to win the Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival’s Northwest Regionals, presented by Masterworks Choral Ensemble. Seattle’s Baudboys, last year’s Northwest winner and the third-place finisher in the national contest, will host and perform, too. Made up of Microsoft employees and alumni, the Baudboys play up their high-tech cred and have gone so far as to record a videogame medley that includes the lyric “girls have cooties.” (Check it out at youtu.be/Tc_H4Fbmb5s.) The competition begins at 7:30 p.m. at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets are $10-$26. Find out more at washingtoncenter.org, or call 360-753-8586.
March 14
‘Genius’ with the blues
It’s not hyperbole to describe bluesman Corey Harris, playing Saturday in Olympia, as a musical genius. In 2007, Harris received a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship, a prize commonly though unofficially known as a “genius grant.” The MacArthur Foundation website describes the singer-guitarist as a leader in reviving Mississippi Delta blues, noting that he “forges an adventurous path marked by deliberate eclecticism.” If that’s not enough to spark your interest, how about the fact that Harris — who makes the blues his own by respecting tradition while infusing it with jazz, West African music, reggae and more — has played with the likes of Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Taj Mahal and Wilco? His Olympia show will be an intimate one, happening at 7:30 p.m. at New Traditions Café, 300 Fifth Ave. SW, Olympia. Tickets are $12-$16.50. Get details at newtraditionsfairtrade.com, or call 360-705-2819. (Can’t wait? Start listening right now at youtu.be/nFQ0Toat6_A.)
March 17
Sexy stories
“Sex” is the theme for this month’s edition of StoryOly, where experienced storytellers and everyday people share true stories in front of a crowd. You never know what — or whom — you’re going to hear, since tellers’ names are pulled out of a hat during the slam, which happens on the third Tuesday of every month at Rhythm & Rye, 311 Capitol Way N., Olympia. The tales begin at 7 p.m. A $5-$10 donation is suggested, and half of this month’s proceeds will be donated to Stonewall Youth, a nonprofit that aims to empower LGBTQ+ youth. Find out more at storyoly.com, or call 360-705-0760.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 5:45 AM.