TODAYMUSICStoltzman, Ax tour visits UCLAPianist Emanuel Ax...

TODAY

MUSIC

Stoltzman, Ax tour visits UCLA

Pianist Emanuel Ax and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, both Grammy Award winners, team up for a program of old and new world works they’re taking around the country this month. On tap are Brahms’ Clarinet Sonata in F minor, Debussy’s First Rhapsody and “Estampes,” Bernstein’s Clarinet Sonata, Robert Beaser’s “Souvenirs” and Lukas Foss’ “Three American Pieces.” Critics have called Ax “overwhelming” and Stoltzman “an artist of indescribable genius.” Expect fireworks.

Emanuel Ax and Richard Stoltzman, 8 tonight, Royce Hall, UCLA, Westwood. $30 to $55. (310) 825-2101. www.UCLALive.org.

CABARET

An evening with Tony winner Ebersole

Christine Ebersole’s credentials include a Tony Award for best actress in a musical in the 2001 revival of “42nd Street” and a Tony nomination for a non-musical part in “Dinner at Eight.” Her most recent Broadway credential was this year’s revival of “Steel Magnolias.” This cabaret stand features the musical side of her equation.

Christine Ebersole, Founders Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. 7:30 tonight. $49. (714) 556-2787. www.ocpac.org.

* Also 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

JAZZ

Rubalcaba leads trio

It’s been four years since Gonzalo Rubalcaba drew raves for his album “Supernova” and only a year since the release of his follow-up, “Paseo.” Both Grammy-nominated releases featured the Havana-born pianist’s technical virtuosity and his longtime associate and veteran drummer, Ignacio Berroa. Currently, Rubalcaba has joined forces with bassist extraordinaire Stanley Clarke and all-star drummer Harvey Mason to make a high-powered trio.

Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Stanley Clark and Harvey Mason, Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. 8:30 and 10:30 tonight. $20 to $35. (323) 466-2210.

* Also 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

POP MUSIC

Browne to aid ASL use

Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne is the big cheese of benefits, and the latest cause to inspire him to tune up his guitar is the funding of American Sign Language interpreters for performances of “Common Bonds,” a new play that opens Feb. 11 at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member will be joined by singers Kenny Rankin and Arnold McCuller and actor-writer Trey Nichols in an evening of music and comedy whose proceeds will help bankroll the signers.

Jackson Browne, Hollywood Bowl Cottage at the Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., L.A. 6:30 tonight. $50. (323) 260-7945.

FRIDAY

EVENTS

Marina boat show sets sail

The 43rd annual

Marina del Rey Holiday Boat Parade is slated for this weekend. Holiday decorated with colorful lights, the boats will circle the main channel as

they compete for prizes. The festivities can be viewed from Burton Chace Park, where there will

also be a seasonal music program or from any of the waterfront restaurants in Fisherman’s Village. Saturday’s parade will

feature the competition and will be preceded

by a fireworks display.

Marina del Rey Holiday Boat Parade, Marina del Rey Harbor; Burton Chace Park, 13650 Mindanao Way; Fisherman’s Village, 13755 Fiji Way. 7 to 9 p.m. Friday. (310) 670-7130. www.mdrboatparade.org.

* Also 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday; fireworks at 5:55 p.m.

MOVIES

Baring all for theater

A widow in 1937 London, Laura Henderson decides to leave little to the imagination in trying to drum up more business for her failing music hall by inaugurating a nude revue extravaganza. Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins star in “Mrs. Henderson Presents,” a grown-up comedy directed by Stephen Frears.

“Mrs. Henderson Presents,” rated R for nudity and brief language, opens Friday at Laemmle’s Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles. (310) 477-5581.

SATURDAY

ART

Art that’s inspired by nature

Using organic materials in her work, London-based artist Anya Gallaccio is often just as interested in the natural changing process as the creation of the installation itself. Past projects that examine the ephemeral aspects of nature have included a massive block of ice, a withering bed of roses and oak trunks that lined the galleries of the Tate Modern museum in London. Gallaccio’s latest exhibition, “Shadow on the Things You Know,” features bronze wild rosehips, a California pine and a bronze cast from an apple tree.

Anya Gallaccio: “Shadow on the Things You Know,” Blum & Poe, 2754 La Cienega Blvd., L.A. Opens Saturday. (310) 836-2062.

* Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Ends Jan. 14.

DANCE

Flamenco, American style

There’s no dance diva quite like a flamenco diva, and two of the most dynamic American-born specialists in this Spanish gypsy idiom will be sharing the stage during a special benefit performance titled “Viva la Fuente,” in Hollywood on Saturday. Helping to raise money for the Fountain Theatre -- which offers a year-round flamenco showcase, among its other attractions -- will be Maria Bermudez, who embodies the purity and vigor of traditional Jerez style, and Laila del Monte, who likes to experiment with the cultural components that make up flamenco. In addition, the dancing of Juan Talavera, the singing of Antonio de Jerez and the guitar artistry of Adam del Monte and Antonio Triana promise a memorable occasion.

“Viva la Fuente,” Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood. 8 p.m. Saturday. $50 and $75 (front row). (323) 663-1525 or www.fountaintheatre.com.

MUSIC

Christmas ‘Fantasia’

Drawn by the perennial beauty of Christmas hymns and carols, composer Ralph Vaughan Williams wove themes from some of the most famous ones into his imaginative “Fantasia on Christmas Carols.” Conductor Jorge Mester and the Pasadena Symphony will perform the work with the Combined Choirs of Occidental College and baritone soloist Ralph Wells. The program also includes Bruch’s First Violin Concerto, with soloist Elmar Oliveira, Liszt’s “Les Preludes” and Respighi’s “The Pines of Rome.”

Pasadena Symphony, Pasadena Civic Auditorium, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. 8 p.m. Saturday. $15 to $72. (626) 584-8833. www.pasadenasymphony.org.

BOOKS

The good humor man

According to Jay Leno’s latest book, class clowns are made, not born. Some need to be mentored, and who better than Leno, host of the Emmy-winning “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.” “How to Be the Funniest Kid in the Whole Wide World (Or Just in Your Class)” is a primer to finding your funny bone, with “knock-knock” jokes, puns and wordplay. The big-chinned comedian is donating all proceeds from the sale of the book to Concerns of Police Survivors Inc. (COPS), an organization that benefits children and families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

Jay Leno, Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. 11:30 a.m. Saturday. Free. (626) 449-5320.