BEST BET

The jazz fusion sounds of the Richard Sherman Band will fill the Norris Theatre for the Performing Arts this afternoon as the five-member combo plays a 2 p.m. benefit concert for the Seaside Community Church of Torrance. Sherman, a veteran nightclub and hotel pianist, writes most of the group’s music, but a few standards are also woven into the program. “We don’t play far out (music) but are communicative and make them laugh and tell them stories,” the Torrance musician said.

The band, which includes drums, bass, saxophone, flute, conga and percussion in addition to Sherman’s piano, plays only benefits. This is the fifth program for the church, and the group has also performed on behalf of the American Cancer Society, the Assn. for Retarded Citizens and the Twenty/Thirty Club of Torrance, which helps children. “I always write a new tune (for each show) and let the audience give it a title,” Sherman said.

Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the Norris box office before the concert. The theater is at Crossfield Drive and Indian Peak Road in Rolling Hills Estates. Information is available at 378-5813.