Five Arts And Culture Events In Northeast Ohio In February

There’s more to February than just Valentine’s Day.  Here’s just a few of the many arts and culture happenings around the area.

Skatch Anderssen Orchestra/ Ralph Lalama [Skatch Anderssen Orchestra]

Tribute To Thad Jones

Bop Stop at The Music Settlement

2920 Detroit Ave., Cleveland

Thursday, February 6, 8:00 p.m-10:30 p.m

Since the 1990s, the 17-piece Skatch Anderssen Orchestra has played swinging jazz orchestra charts drawn from the books of Count Basie, Woody Herman and Duke Ellington as well as new music from Northeast Ohio composers and arrangers.  For this special concert at the Bop Stop,  the orchestra celebrates the music of Thad Jones. Jones wrote some of the most critically-acclaimed compositions for big band, which were featured in the large ensemble he co-led with drummer Mel Lewis as well as his own orchestra. For this performance, the Skatch Anderssen Orchestra is joined by special guest tenor saxophonist Ralph Lalama, a veteran of the Herman, Buddy Rich and Vanguard Jazz Orchestras. The Bay Village High School Jazz Ensemble will also perform.

Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers' Michele Rudolph [Vince Robinson]

Black History Month Storytellers Celebration

The Breen Center for the Performing Arts

St. Ignatius High School

1911 West 30^th St., Cleveland

Friday, February 21, 7:00 p.m.

Join the Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers for “And Still I Rise.”  This non-profit group is dedicated to preserving and sharing stories through the African Oral Tradition.

Cleveland's Brite Winter Music Festival [Daniel Segal/Brite Winter]

Brite Winter

West Bank of the Flats

1231 Main Ave., Cleveland

Saturday, February 22,  3:00 p.m-11:59 p.m.

Now in its 11 ^th year, Brite Winter is a festival featuring over 40 bands, including Ra Ra Riot, The Vindys, Uptowne Buddha, and Red Rose Panic. There will also be food trucks, art and other activities. The event is free, but a ticket is required.

 [Cleveland History Center]

Black History on Tap: The Living Legacy of Leo’s Casino

Cleveland History Center

10825 East Blvd., Cleveland

Friday, February 22, 5:00 p.m-9:00 p.m.

Leo’s Casinowas one of Cleveland’s most famous clubs, hosting national jazz and R&B acts in the 1960s.  Travel back to the era for an evening of live music and images of many of the great performers who played Leo’s, beverages and more.

Dr. Jonathan Metzl [University of Akron]

A Rethinking Race Keynote: Dr. Jonathan Metzl

University of Akron’s Quaker Station

135 South Broadway St., Akron

Monday, February 24, 6:30 p.m-8:30 p.m

Dr. Jonathan Metzl will discuss his latest book, "Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment is Killing America's Heartland,"  at this free event. The book explores the question of why so many working-class white Americans support politicians whose positions, Metzl argues, are actually detrimental to them.