From Dianne Reeves to Summerslam, our critics choose their top events.
1. Dianne Reeves
After creating an imaginative and rich digital season, Da Camera returns to putting on jazz and chamber music shows for a live audience. Its SummerJazz 2021 series brings the virtuosic jazz singer Dianne Reeves, who has been working her mix of progressive and classic magic for more than 40 years. Reeves can ably sing just about any song and style, but she’s most at home with the jazz she grew up immersed in as a kid in Detroit. Some time has passed since her last studio album, but Reeves has a boundless songbook at her fingertips.
When: 8 p.m. Aug. 20
Where: Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas
Details: $42.50-$72.50; 713524-5050, dacamera.com
Andrew Dansby
2. ‘The Road So Far’
Two great artists with Louisiana ties have their work lovingly placed together in “The Road So Far.” Jesse Lott, a native of Simmesport, grew up in Houston’s Fifth Ward, where he began a career in art. “The Road So Far” includes scores of pen-and-ink works as well as a number of breathtaking metal sculpture pieces. Travis Whitfield assembled a shotgun shack in the Station Museum of Contemporary Art’s space, filling it with audio and visual pieces that tell a story of a country store porch in Keachi, La. The exhibition endured a pretty cold open early in the pandemic, but will be available for another month. When: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, exhibition will close in mid-September Where: Station Museum of Contemporary Art, 1502 Alabama
Details: free; stationmuseum.com
Andrew Dansby
3. Dafnis Prieto Big Band
Da Camera’s jazz program was so pent up after a months without live music that it returns with a pair of top-shelf shows. One day after vocalist Dianne Reeves sings for SummerJazz, the Dafnis Prieto Big Band arrives, all 17 of them. The Cuban drummer is, at 47, a vital force in contemporary jazz, having been leading sessions for 15 years, including last year’s lively “Transparency.”
When: 8 p.m. Aug. 21
Where: Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas
Details: $37.50-$67.50; 713524-5050, dacamera.com
Andrew Dansby
4. Peter Max Retrospective
Off the Wall Gallery is showcasing a retrospective of the work of ’60s-era pop artist Peter Max. Known for his use of bright colors, Max became a rock star in the art world during the counterculture era. He continued to create well into the decades that followed. Over 100 works will be on view, and three receptions are planned for Aug. 27, Aug. 28 and Aug. 29.
When: Aug. 20-Sept. 6
Where: Off the Wall Gallery, 5015 Westheimer, No. 2208
Details: free; 713-871-0940; offthewallgallery.com
Cary Darling
5. ‘Faraway, So Close’
Ishida Dance Company sweeps into town this weekend, bringing with it a string of thoughtprovoking world premieres. Each evening’s 80-minute program includes an introduction by the new works’ respective choreographers: Brett Ishida, Bret Easterling, Danielle Rowe and Kristian Lever.
When: Aug. 19-Aug. 21
Where: Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston, 3400 Main
Details: tickets start at $30; Ishidadance.org
Amber Elliott
6. ‘No Rules in Life’
Thierry Guetta, the pop artist widely known as “Mr. Brainwash,” returns to Houston with a new exhibition, “No Rules in Life.” The collection of 30 grandiose, mixed-media pieces feature a number of never been seen artworks ranging from screen prints and stencil to sculpture and spray paint on canvas.
When: Through Oct. 31
Where: Art of the World Gallery, 2201 Westheimer
Details: free; 713-526-1201; artoftheworldgallery.com
Amber Elliott
1. Jason Eady
Jason Eady is a Mississippi native who has made a career in Texas as a singer-songwriter who often steers away from rabble-rousing anthems in favor of smarter emotional fare that informs brilliant story songs and emotionally raw ballads. To wit, his latest is titled “To the Passage of Time,” and fittingly, it deals with big thematic gristle.
When: 7 and 9:30 p.m. Aug. 26
Details: McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk
Details: $120 for a table of four, $30 for livestream; 713-5285999, mcgonigels.com
Andrew Dansby
2. Blaggards
Houston’s beloved Blaggards has been living up to its tagline — “stout Irish rock” — for more than 15 years. Singer, songwriter, guitarist and Dublin native Patrick Devlin made some noise here with On the Dole before he and bassist/singer Chad Smalley got together to start that stout ensemble. Frequent drummer Eric C. Hughes became a full-time Blaggard a year ago, and the three set about making “Blagmatic,” which will be released this week.
When: 9 p.m. Aug. 21
Where: Continental Club, 3700 Main
Details: $10-$20; continentalclub.com
Andrew Dansby
3. Classic Albums Live
Classic Albums Live does as its name promises. The Canadian concert series organization recruits top-tier talent to play note-for-note versions of beloved albums by artists like the Beatles, Prince and Led Zeppelin. For this visit to Houston, CAL will perform “Rumours,” Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 masterpiece of relationship drama in the form of perfect pop.
When: 8:30 p.m. Aug. 21
Where: Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park Drive
Details: Free, reserved seating and other details at milleroutdoortheater.com
Andrew Dansby
4. WWE Summerslam
There are a couple of ways of watch WWE’s annual payper-view Summerslam, this year in Las Vegas, featuring a big match between John Cena and Roman Reigns.You can get a premium-tier subscription to Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, or head to a ShowBiz Cinema location in Kingwood or Baytown, where the event will be simulcast.
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Peacock pay-perview; ShowBiz Cinemas in Kingwood and Baytown
Details: peacocktv.com; showbizcinemas.com
Cary Darling
5. Park Hye Jin
If you need proof that there’s far more to the South Korean music scene than K-pop, look no further than Park Hye Jin. In advance of her anticipated debut album on Ninja Tune coming next month, the producer/rapper/allaround-cool-person has dropped a couple of new tracks — the trap-influenced “Whatchu Doin’ Later” (with lyrics in English and Korean) and the house-inspired “Let’s Sing Let’s Dance” — that embody a moody, jazzy funkiness that’s immediately arresting.
Details: Available on streaming services
Cary Darling