Fri. March 12

It's been 55 years since jazz great Charlie "Bird" Parker left this mortal coil. To the day. Has his groundbreaking reputation diminished? We'd say not. What wouldn't we give for a chance to see him live? Jeff Robinson - playwrite, actor and saxophonist - no doubt thought about these things when he wrote "Live Bird," a one-man play about Parker. It's at The Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, one night only, Friday March 12 at 8.

The play is set in a bar in Harlem where Bird reminisces about his life and music and plays some of his own tunes.  Robinson researched the play in Parker's old neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri. In Jazzis magazine Ed Hazell wrote: "Everyone's agreed on what Charlie Parker did for jazz.  The arguments start when anyone talks about who he was.  But there's a remarkable consensus - even among people who knew the alto saxophonist - that Live Bird, Boston-based Jeff Robinson's one man play about Parker gets him right."

Fri. March 12 -Wed. March 17

It's a St. Paddy's Day tradition: The Dropkick Murphys play to packed houses on Lansdowne Street.  Maybe a dozen or so years ago, there was some skepticism about Dropkick Murphys. Ok, hometown Celtic/punk modeled on the Pogues, but concerning issues not of England or Ireland, but the local environs. Could work. But, derivative, you know. Well, any thoughts like that have been blown away partially because the Murphys have become huge locally and internationally and they so credit the Pogues. For their part, the Pogues return the favor by saying the Murphys constant name-dropping helped revive their band and helped them develop a new audience. Also: the Murphys are more of a punk band with a Celtic flavor and the Pogues tip the scales the other way. Plus the Pogues Shane MacGowan has sung with the Murphys on a record.

The Murphys are back on Lansdowne Street Fri. March 12 - Wed. March 17 - seven shows in six days at the House of Blues. I did an interview with Ken Casey ffor the Boston Phoenix on last year's skein and amended and added to it here. I also reviewed one of the shows and have an edited version of that, too.

 Review:  If Dennis Lehane has a rock ‘n’ roll equivalent, it’s Dropkick Murphys. And just as Lehane, author of “Mystic River” and “The Given Day.” deserves his props, so do the Murphys, the 14-year-old Celtic punk band. Has there ever been a more parochial rock entity? And we don’t just mean the Red Sox-and Bruins-identified anthems, “Tessie” and “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” – although those were obvious highlights of their hour-and-45 minute set.

Fri. March 12 & Fri. March 26

It's my theory that no female solo singer has a last name anymore. Or if it's a last name it's, like, Gaga. So bothersome. It is that universe that French-born, Berklee-schooled singer-songwriter Violette appears. She's mixes jazz, funk and soul; her heroes include Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald. She also sings, mostly,in English. Violtte - who plays the Stork Club Fridays March 12 and 26, has just released her second album, "Joie de Vivre." We'll turn further informing over Michael Diamond, a San Francisco based musician and writer: "The title of this, Violette’s second CD, is most appropriate and harkens back to her first 'official' commendation – the 'Joie de Vivre' award she won in kindergarten while still living in her native country of France. Translated as “Joy of Living”, a quality that is reflected in her music to this day. The title song opens with the sound of children’s laughter as it moves into a jazzy vibe and Violette’s buoyant voice scarcely able to contain the “joie” within. Multi-tracked vocals on the chorus lift the song up to another level altogether...

 ongoing - April 2

The Boston Wine Festival, kicked off with a whiz-bang party Friday Jan. 8.  It was a wonderful party. Great food, great wine. No surprises there. Yum.  But, as grand as the night was, Daniel Bruce’s 21st annual festival is not just a weekend spurt. It goes on three to four nights a week through April 2 (we're going March 12) and features a different winery and menu each night. Dinners are capped at 78 people, seated at tables up to eight. Their website, www.bostonwinefestival.net will give you particulars of the myriad dinner-wine nights, but we talked to Bruce – who orchestrates the pairings and is cooking every night – about the heart and soul of it all.

“The ‘wine festival’ name may be a misnomer,” says Bruce, “because you think of tables and wine poured at multiple levels. We do have the opening reception [where that happens]. But the essence of what the festival is is winemaker-and-owner joining us at dinner. It’s an intimate setting, a round table, which allows for conversation to take. You may buy a ticket with two or four people and sit with people you don’t know.”

ongoing

Martin Scorsese’s "Shutter Island" is a well-crafted mystery – though likely not a film that will be remembered as one of his very best.  Some critics seem eager to blow the whistle when a master takes a step to the left or right, incorrectly dubbing it a step backwards. This film is not a giant leap forward, but it is hardly a significant regression of any kind.

One of the strengths of the movie is that Scorsese allows the developments to occur very deliberately. There are no rushed conclusions, and events unfold at a tantalizing yet satisfying rate. Too often psychological thrillers make leaps in assumptions that detract from the story by forcing the audience to simply accept what they are told, logic and reason be damned.