Boston Globe daily event picks from Sidekick

PICKS FOR MARCH 24, 2007

Music

Her sad songs say so much

A Sydney Morning Herald reviewer had this to say about fado artist Mariza earlier this month: "Sometimes the weight of sadness was so great she seemed the widow of a ghost mooning across the stage." Mariza brings her timeless, sultry Portuguese blues, and maybe some mooning, to the Berklee Performance Center tonight at 8. Tickets: $28-$44.

Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave., 617-876-4275. worldmusic.org [Meredith Goldstein]

MUSIC

Voice of a different era

As a child, singer/guitarist Miss Tess fell asleep to the sounds of her dad's big band rehearsing in the basement. Perhaps it was her big-band-infused dreams that gave her the voice of a different era. The Berklee-trained performer plays jazz, blues, and swing-influenced originals with occasional covers by Bessie Smith and Tom Waits. In May, she celebrates a new CD with her band, the Bon Ton Parade, at the Lizard Lounge, but you can hear her tomorrow night at 10 (and every Sunday through April) at Toad. Free.

Toad, 1912 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-497-4950. toadcambridge.com [Charan Devereaux]

Tour

History channel

Social reformer Dorothea Dix, civil rights activist Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin , abolitionist Harriet Jacobs, and poet Julia Ward Howe have more in common than their gender and their accomplishments during the 19th century. They also share a final resting place: Mount Auburn Cemetery. Today at 2 p.m., as part of a celebration of the cemetery's 175th anniversary, guides will take you to the graves of some of our country's most distinguished women during a walking tour called "Generations of Women Moving History Forward: Some Remarkable Women at Mount Auburn." There's information about registration and where to meet online. Tickets: $10.

Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge, 617-607-1981. mountauburn.org [M.G.]

Basketball

Silliness is a slam dunk

The Harlem Globetrotters have lost 345 games, but they've won more than 22,000 in their 80-year history. These guys clearly take their winning reputation seriously: They don't start messing around on the court until they're ahead by 10 or 15 points. (Maybe our Celtics have a similar philosophy, which would explain why we don't see them doing much Globetrotter-style ball-handling.) The team will show off its dexterous comedy routine against the New York Nationals when the "Nothing Like It" world tour stops at the TD Banknorth Garden tonight at 7:30 and tomorrow at 2 p.m. An autograph session follows each game. Tickets: $16.50-$147.50.

TD Banknorth Garden, North Station, 617-931-2000. ticketmaster.com [J.W.]

Perfomance

Animal instincts

We hope the cast of "Critters Celebrate Spring" doesn't get upset when the audience snacks on animal crackers. After all, frogs, worms, bugs, and spiders are the stars of this interactive performance by Boston Children's Theatre. The afternoon begins with a hat-making activity and is followed by a musical revue -- with stories, poems, songs, and dance -- that takes place around the audience members, who are seated at tables and treated to snacks. Shows by the cast, ages 9 to 16, are today and March 31 at 1 p.m. Recommended for ages 3 to 10. Tickets: $10, $8 for kids 3 to 12.

Grand Lodge of Masons, 186 Tremont St., 617-424-6634. theatermania.com [J.W.]

Theater

Race to the finish

"If a black man had to be honest, what would you ask him?" That's the intriguing question posed by Corey Manning in his new one-man show, "Confessions of a Black Man." Stretching a bit from his gig cohosting Big Funny Sundays at Dorchester's Emerald Isle with Chris Tabb, Manning will explore questions of race and relationships through stand - up, song, dramatic monologue, and even poetry and dance at Roxbury's Hibernian Hall tonight at 8. Tickets: $15.

Hibernian Hall, 184 Dudley St., Suite 100, Roxbury, 617-541-3900 x324. rcahh.org [Nick A. Zaino III]

Free
Art
Pore over portraits and an eclectic mix of art while listening to jazz and noshing on appetizers at the Open Studios Preview Party this evening.7 p.m., Brookline Arts Center, 86 Monmouth St., Brookline, 617-566-5715. brooklineartscenter.com

QUICK PICKS

By Meredith Goldstein

Music
Boston folk-rock band Angeline hosts CD- release parties for "Powdered Pearls" tonight and tomorrow night at the Lizard Lounge. The disc features bluesy, 1960s-inspired tracks sung in soothing tones by Emily Grogan and Linda Viens. Grogan, who also performs with HRT, a group of rocking suburban moms, adds banjo and harmonica to the mix. Both shows start at 9. Tickets: $10, $8 in advance.

Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Ave., 617-547-0759. lizardloungeclub.com

Event
At the moment, you're enjoying a mainstream media product, but there's plenty more to read in the world of the underground. You can check out indie magazines and alternative periodicals (and learn how to make your own) at the Boston Zine Fair, which runs today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It's like a big party for wordsmiths, small press types, and artists. Free.

Massachusetts College of Art Pozen Center, 621 Huntington Ave., bostonzinefair.org

Music
Straight out of East Weymouth comes A.W.O.L., a group of young rappers who aren't afraid to say they're not from the inner city. "I'm coming from the 'burbs," they shout on "Suburbulis." Tonight at 9, A.W.O.L. is at the Middle East Upstairs to perform energetic songs from its new album, "Shot Heard Round the World." The CD-release party starts at 9 with hosts Van Stylez and Problem Child. Tickets: $10.

Middle East Upstairs, 472 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-864-3278. mideastclub.com

Music
Veteran Aussie quartet You Am I plays rock with a pop edge and a sexy swagger, and the group will no doubt be airing plenty of fist-pumping anthems from the newly issued "Convicts" tonight at the Middle East. Fellow seasoned Aussie rockers Dallas Crane opens the show, and Boston spitfires the Bon Savants headline. Show starts at 9:30; 18-plus; $12.

Middle East Downstairs, 480 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. 617-864-3278. mideastclub.com.

HEADS UP
Sunday

Big man LaVell Crawford has run the gauntlet of comedy clip shows, from Comedy Central's "Premium Blend" to BET's "Comic View." Also a regular at Jamie Foxx's Laffapalooza festival, Crawford headlines in Boston for the first time tomorrow with two shows at the Comedy Connection at 7 and 9:15 p.m. Tickets: $22.

Comedy Connection, 2d floor, Quincy Market Building, 617-248-9700. ComedyConnectionBoston.com [Nick A. Zaino III]

When Miles Davis died in 1991, Dr. Peggy Brown couldn't understand why no one in Boston was playing his music in remembrance. So she started the "Celebration of These Three Kings," an annual jazz showcase that pays homage to the late, great trumpeters Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Louis Armstrong. Tomorrow's celebration, featuring trumpeter Jon Faddis, starts at 4 p.m. (Stick around for the James Brown tribute at 5:30 p.m.) Tickets: $20; $50 for premium seats.

Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave., 617-620-5773. [James Reed]