SATURDAY: JUST FRETFULWhen asked why she plays...

SATURDAY: JUST FRETFUL

When asked why she plays an eight-string guitar, classical guitarist Alison Bert quips, “It was the same price as the six-string.” Bert, who is the head of the classical guitar program at Syracuse University in New York, will perform Saturday in the Recital Hall at Cal State Northridge.

All kidding aside, Bert says she likes the sound from the eight-string guitar better.

“It has extra bass strings, it gives more depth to the sound,” she says. “It doesn’t change the sound of the guitar, it just adds the extra bass notes.”

Bert has performed throughout Europe and North America. She performed in a 1986 master class with Andres Segovia and was praised by the maestro for her phrasing and expressivity. She was a Fulbright scholar in Spain, where she studied Spanish music inspired by regional song and dance. She holds a doctorate in performance and musicology from the University of Arizona and a master’s in music from Florida State University.

Her program Saturday will include traditional works by Bach and others, as well as pieces by contemporary composers such as Liu Zhuang, formerly of China but now also at Syracuse, and Dan Locklair of North Carolina.

This concert is the first in the 1996 American Guitar Society concert series. The society, founded in 1923, meets the first Saturday of each month at the CSUN music department.

* Classical guitarist Alison Bert performs at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Recital Hall, Cal State Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St. Tickets are $12. Call (818) 885-2488.

WEEKEND

LOVE SONGS

Valentine’s Day has passed, and you’ve blown it again. Well, maybe it’s not too late.

The Universal Amphitheatre is offering the “Valentines Super Love Jam” concert, starring the ‘70s R & B vocal group the Manhattans, and the Duke of Earl himself, Gene Chandler, Friday and Saturday nights.

Chandler had a No. 1 hit back in 1962 with “Duke of Earl.” The doo-wop-style single sold a million copies within a month of its release date in late 1961 and has become a modern classic. It has also been used in movies and commercials. Other hits by Chandler include “Daddy’s Home” and “Groovy Situation.”

The Manhattans had a string of romantic soul hits during the 1970s, most notably “Kiss and Say Goodbye,” which hit No. 1 on both the pop and R & B lists in 1976. Other hits by the Manhattans include “Shining Star,” “I Wanna Be (Your Everything),” and “It Feels So Good (to Be Loved So Bad).”

Other acts in the lineup are the Intruders, the Persuaders, Bloodstone, Floaters, Sly Slick & Wicked, the Temprees and Barbara Lynn.

* “Valentines Super Love Jam” concert starts at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza. Tickets are $17-$25. Call (213) 480-3232.

DRESSED TO IMPRESS

Illusionist Jim Bailey will perform as Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand this weekend at the University Student Union Performing Arts Center at CSUN.

Bailey has performed all over the world, including the London Palladium 20 times, New York’s Carnegie Hall nine times and the “Tonight Show” 16 times. His current Barbra Streisand show will include new songs from several Broadway shows, including “West Side Story,” “Phantom of the Opera,” and “Sunset Boulevard.”

The Huber Marionettes will open all the shows.

* Jim Bailey will perform Judy Garland at 7 p.m. Saturday and Barbra Streisand at 3 and 7 p.m. Sunday at the University Student Union Performing Arts Center, CSUN, 18111 Nordhoff St. Tickets are $26.50. If tickets to both concerts are purchased, a $5 discount will be applied to both tickets for a total of $43. Call (818) 785-8885.