TODAYJAZZAnchoring another gigOne of the most prolific...

TODAY

JAZZ

Anchoring another gig

One of the most prolific and acclaimed jazz bassists of the last 40 years, Ron Carter has performed on more than 2,500 albums during his long career. From 1963 to 1968, he was the harmonic anchor of the celebrated Miles Davis Quintet that included Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams. Over the years, he’s performed with Gil Evans, Bill Evans, Dexter Gordon, Wes Montgomery and many others, as well as leading his own ensembles, teaching, composing and producing.

Ron Carter, Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. today. $20 to $35. (323) 466-2210.

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

MUSEUMS

A fusion

of cultures

Although Lee Mullican founded the Dynaton movement -- a California brand of Surrealism that blended Asian and Native American art -- in the 1950s, he didn’t receive much international recognition until the 1980s. “Lee Mullican: An Abundant Harvest of Sun” is the first retrospective of his work in more than 20 years, featuring a collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings Mullican made over 50 years.

“Lee Mullican: An Abundant Harvest of Sun,” Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Opens today. (323) 857-6000.

* Noon to 8 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays; noon to 9 p.m. Fridays; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Ends Feb. 20.

FRIDAY

ART

California: politically engaged

The exhibition “Art of Engagement” looks at modern and contemporary works of art that respond to a variety of political and social issues and includes paintings, sculptures and drawings by such artists as Pablo Picasso, David Hockney, Richard Serra and Andy Warhol. The show coincides with the launch of art historian Peter Selz’s book of the same title, which discusses California’s role in fostering politically charged art.

“Art of Engagement,” Jack Rutberg Fine Arts, 357 N. La Brea Ave., L.A. Opens Friday.

* Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Ends Jan. 31.

POP MUSIC

Cab ready for big ride

You can’t call them indie rockers anymore, now that they’re with big-label Atlantic Records, but Death Cab for Cutie hasn’t drastically changed course with its new album, “Plans,” which gives a more polished form to its world-weary romanticism. The new alliance, not to mention song placement on “The O.C.” and the success of singer Ben Gibbard’s side project the Postal Service, has brought the Bellingham, Wash., band to its biggest set of L.A. shows to date.

Death Cab for Cutie, Wiltern LG, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 8 p.m. Friday, with Stars. $25. (213) 380-5005.

* Also 8 p.m. Saturday.

EVENTS

Combined talents

Olympic gold medal ice skater Dorothy Hamill and musical theater star Davis Gaines headline a new

edition of “Broadway on Ice,” opening its national tour this weekend in

Cerritos. Hamill, Gaines, comic-pianist Dale Gonyea and an ensemble of 20 world-class skaters will glide through 40 songs from such Broadway classics as “Camelot,” “Hello, Dolly!” and “Phantom of the Opera.” Also Hamill and Gaines will perform in a special Gershwin medley.

“Broadway on Ice,” Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. 8 p.m. Friday. $20 to $50. (800) 300-4345.

* Also 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday.

MOVIES

In search

of oblivion

Ever since they became poetically linked at the Sundance Film Festival in January, “Thumbsucker” and “The Chumscrubber” have driven people crazy with their similar-sounding titles. Now that “Thumbsucker” has completed its local run, it’s time for “The Chumscrubber” to have its moment in the sun. A tale of the

self-medicated youth of the town of Hillside and their parents -- who are even more messed up

than their progeny -- the film mixes comedy and drama to explore the generational disconnect. Jamie Bell, Glenn Close, Ralph Fiennes, John Heard and Rita Wilson head the ensemble cast. Written by Zac Stanford. Directed by Arie Posin.

“The Chumscrubber,” rated R for language, violent content, drug material and some sexuality, opens Friday in selected theaters.

SATURDAY

MUSIC

Forward and Bach

Want your Bach straight or with a twist? How about both? Jeffrey Kahane, music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, will play Bach’s famous “Goldberg Variations” on piano. His performance will be followed by Uri Caine’s separate, re-imaging of the work for jazz ensemble. Caine’s version, released on a 2000 Telarc CD, incorporates a variety of postwar musical styles. Caine is the orchestra’s composer in residence.

Jeffrey Kahane and Uri Caine, “Goldberg Variations,” Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave., Culver City. 7:30 and 9:15 p.m. Saturday. $25 for each performance; $40 for both. (310) 271-9039.

* Also 7:30 and 9:50 p.m. Sunday.

EVENTS

Let me tell you a story

An art form as old as humankind itself will be featured and celebrated Saturday at the Los Angeles Storytelling Festival at USC. Stories from around the world will be shared by such yarn spinners as Milbre Burch, Leslie Perry, Nobuko Miyamoto, Zoot, Charles Freericks, Nobuko Miyamoto, Antonio Sacre, Barbara Clark and Nadia Hava-Robbins. There will also be children’s programming as well as workshops and coaching for novice tale tellers.

Los Angeles Storytelling Festival, Davidson Conference Center, USC, Jefferson and Figueroa Avenues, L.A. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. $10 to $40, 5 and younger, free; additional individual sessions $10 to $35. (310) 457-2385.

POP MUSIC

A message of peace

Maybe we’ll get a twangy take on “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love and Understanding.” The Imagine Festival aims to harness the spirit of alt-country and Americana in the service of the peace movement, with a lineup of Jim Lauderdale, James Intveld, Mike Stinson, Anne McCue, Jon Langford and Rico Bell, and others raising funds and awareness for a variety of organizations.

Imagine Festival, Libbey Bowl and Park, Ojai. 2 p.m. Saturday. $20 in advance, $25, day of show. (866) 468-3399 or www.ticketweb.com.

SUNDAY

DANCE

Traditions on the move

Click your heels and slap your thighs: Here comes “Csardas: The Tango of the East,” direct from Budapest, with 35 dancers and musicians bringing to the Alex Theatre a sampling of cultural traditions shared by Hungarians, Romanians, Poles, Croatians and Slovaks. Composers such as Brahms and Liszt brought the music into the concert hall, but this performance focuses on the bravura folkloric czardas. The Cleveland Plain Dealer called the result “earthy, raw and at times so spontaneous that the dancers seem to be making up the steps on the spot.” The Chicago Sun-Times reported that “the audience, grown giddy from all the sleek mustaches, boot-slapping and gypsy rhythms, followed the dancers and musicians of “Csardas” up the aisles and out into the lobby.”

“Csardas: The Tango of the East,” Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. $30 to $40. (818) 243-2539. www.alextheatre.org.