‘Jazz Is Art’ at Crenshaw Plaza; the Blues at Afro-American Museum; Trio at LeCafe

Trumpeter Miles Davis, ex-bassist John Heard and pianist Les McCann are but three of the jazz musicians who double as artists, and/or artists who depict jazz images, whose works are part of “Jazz Is Art/Art Is Jazz,” a sparkling exhibition showing at Museum of African American Art at the Crenshaw Plaza through April 8. Also included in the enterprising showing are remarkable photographs from Bob Douglas, who documented the Los Angeles jazz scene in the ‘40s and ‘50s; bassist Milt Hinton, whose pictures go back to the late ‘30s; and noted jazz shooter Charles Stewart. A series of free Sunday concerts, held in conjunction with the exhibit, begin Sunday, 3 p.m., on the mall level of the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 4005 Crenshaw Blvd. McCann kicks off the series, followed by sorely underrated saxman Wilbur Brown’s quartet, Feb. 18, and Billy Childs’ trio, Feb. 25. Information: (213) 294-7071.

Singer Ernie Andrews and violinist Papa John Creach join forces with pianist Floyd Dixon, guitarist Lowell Fulson and others in “Bring the Blues Back Home,” two free concerts to be held at the California Afro-American Museum (600 State Drive, Exposition Park), Saturday, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are required for the evening performance and are available at the museum. The concerts, sponsored by the Ford Dealers of Southern California, help celebrate the exhibit, “Blues Aesthetic: Black Culture and Modernism,” which continues at the museum through March 4. Information: (213) 744-7432.

Saxophonist Ernie Watts, who teams up with bassist Charlie Haden and keyboardist Peter Manning Robinson to debut their trio at LeCafe in Sherman Oaks Friday and Saturday, says the three will offer a distinctive musical take on things, particularly since there is no drummer.

“We’re playing all original material in a style that I call ‘contemporary improvisation.’ The music’s sort of compositionally oriented, giving the trio a chamber group aspect,” says Watts, a regular on the “Tonight Show” orchestra and a member of Haden’s Quartet West. “And I thought the lack of drums would keep the group clear, take it into another area.”

Watts, who is currently rehearsing with the Meeting--a band that includes bassist Alphonso Johnson, drummer Ndugu Chancler and keyboardist Patrice Rushen--for an upcoming MCA LP session in April, has been active of late, traveling to Japan as a soloist, teaching clinics at colleges and working on a project with long-time collaborator, guitarist Lee Ritenour. Still, Watts says, he’d like to spend more time leading his own band.

“I need to keep doing that,” he says, adding that a new GRP project for his group, which plays “acoustic contemporary music,” is in the works.

High school and full-time college music students between the ages of 15 and 25 are eligible to apply for the 1990 Jazz Scholarships, offered by the Charles (Dolo) Coker Scholarship Foundation. The awards--named in honor of the late pianist, one of the finest of Los Angeles-based jazzmen--assist students whose field of study is jazz. The application deadline is March 7. Applicants must be prepared to play an audition performance at the Musicians’ Union, 817 Vine St., Hollywood, on March 24. The top three applicants, in addition to a scholarship award, will perform on the foundation’s seventh scholarship benefit concert at the union April 29. Information: (213) 666-3700, 666-5109.

Applications are now being accepted from both professional and amateur jazz musicians for the sixth annual Hennessy Cognac Jazz Search, a competition where the grand-prize winner collects $2,000 and earns a spot as opening act at the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, June 17. Musicians who play any style of jazz may apply by sending audio cassette tapes, no more than 20 minutes in length and postmarked by March 1, to Hennessy Jazz Search, 3435 Ocean Park Blvd., Suite JAZZ, Santa Monica 90405. A panel of experts, including trumpeter Doc Severinsen, will judge the tapes on the basis of originality, technique and creative style.

Guitarist Allan Holdsworth--joined by drummer Chad Wackerman and bassist Jimmy Johnson--offers his innovative jazz/fusion style in a concert in the Performance Arts Center of Los Alamitos High School, 3591 E. Cerritos Ave., Los Alamitos, Sunday, 7 and 9 p.m. The concert also features the Los Alamitos High School and McAuliffe Middle School jazz bands, and proceeds benefit both schools’ jazz band programs. Tickets ($10) and information: (213) 480-3232, 596-4115.

In another benefit, a gaggle of Swing Era jazz stars--clarinetist Kenny Davern, pianist Ralph Sutton, bassist Bob Haggart and drummer Jake Hanna, among them--play “Jazz Night in Redlands,” to be held at the University of Redlands Memorial chapel, 1200 E. Colton Ave., Redlands on Thursday, 8 p.m. Tickets for the concert, which benefits the organization Redlands Against Drugs, are $5, $15, $50. Information: (714) 798-2513, 793-2121.