TODAYPOP MUSICClick Five finds happy mediumThere’s a...

TODAY

POP MUSIC

Click Five finds happy medium

There’s a fine line between bubble gum and power-pop, and that’s where you’ll find the Click Five. The music on its album “Greetings From Imrie House” (a dorm at the Berklee College of Music, where the quintet formed) pounds and pulses with guitar hooks and lacework vocal harmonies, reaching out to both teeny-boppers and their older, indie-minded siblings. In the bargain they’ve managed to sell a few hundred thousand copies of the album.

The Click Five, the Roxy, 9009 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 9 tonight. $13.50. (310) 278-9457.

DANCE

Glover pays homage to Coltrane

When tap phenomenon Savion Glover performed his tribute to jazz great John Coltrane locally two years ago, a Times reviewer called the performance “a nonstop display of dazzling tap artistry.” Now “If Trane Wuz Here” is back, with Glover again working alongside poet reg e gaines and saxophonist Matana Roberts. As gaines supplies a verbal context for the event, and Roberts the instrumental links, Glover gets to do what he loves best: drum with his taps -- and the result struck our reviewer as “fast, precise and incredibly virtuosic, but also musically imaginative and rhythmically hard swinging.”

“If Trane Wuz Here,” the Knitting Factory, 7021 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. today $30. (323) 463-0204.

THEATER

Dylan meets the big top

“The Times They Are a-Changin’,” a world premiere musical conceived, directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Twyla Tharp, is the darkly comic tale of a ragtag band of clowns and performers in a low-rent traveling circus, told through the songs of iconic folk artist Bob Dylan.

“The Times They Are a-Changin’,” Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego. Opens 8 tonight. $47 to $75. (619) 234-5623. www.oldglobe.org* Runs 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays, 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Ends March 12.

DANCE

Getting clued into the cops

Instead of LAPD detectives following you, Heidi Duckler’s new “C’opera” allows you to follow them through the firing range, rock garden, gymnasium and coffee shop of the antique Spanish-style police academy building (originally an Olympic training facility) near Dodger Stadium. This site-specific dance-opera by Duckler’s locally based Collage Dance Theatre features music by Amy Knoles, texts by Merridawn Duckler and video by Austin Switser, plus LAPD guests -- including members of the K9 corps. Police Chief William J. Bratton calls it “a must-see performance that will last for years to come in the hearts of every Angeleno.” If you don’t agree, you have the right to remain silent, to speak

with a dance critic and to have a choreographer assigned to you if you cannot afford one.

Collage Dance Theatre in “C’opera.” L.A. Police Revolver and Athletic Club, 1880 N. Academy Drive, downtown L.A. 8 p.m. today. $25 (students, seniors) to $40. Feb. 9 only: $100. (818) 784-8669 or wwwcollagedancetheatre.org.

* Also 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday; 8 p.m. Feb. 16 to 18, 7 p.m. Feb. 19.

FRIDAY

MOVIES

Art imitates life in ‘Shandy’

A movie about making a movie of an 18th century British novel, “Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story” features director Michael Winterbottom playing a director named Michael Winterbottom. It also stars Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon and Gillian Anderson as actors with those same names appearing in the movie version of Laurence Sterne’s rather bawdy book. It’s all very complex, but in a whimsical sort of postmodern way.

“Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story,” rated R for language and sexual content, opens Friday at the ArcLight Cinemas, 6360 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 464-4226; and Laemmle’s Monica 4-Plex, 1332 2nd St., Santa Monica, (310) 394-9741.

SATURDAY

MUSEUMS

Ceramics master

Artist Don Reitz, who has worked with the kiln since the early 1960s, is known as “Mr. Salt” among the ceramics community for his salt-and-wood firing technique. The process gives his pieces distinct textures and surfaces that have made him a respected name in contemporary ceramics. “Don Reitz: Trial by Fire” features examples of his abstract clay works from throughout his long career.

“Don Reitz: Trial by Fire,” American Museum of Ceramic Art, 340 S. Garey Ave., Pomona. Free. (909) 865-3146. Opens Saturday.

* Hours: noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Ends April 1.

EVENTS

Progressive art, music

One may wonder what exactly is inside an exhibition titled “Curiosity Cabinet of the Collective Unconscious.” Create:Fixate’s Optical Lounge and Audio Lab is a treasure trove of progressive art and electronic music. Ellwood T. Risk’s mixed-media collages of gun-range targets are highlights, as is the free-form studio jam session from music producers Nathan Khyber and Clark Stiles. And if you need to show off your avant-garde cred, there’s a live screen-printing exhibit of artists creating original T-shirts.

Create:Fixate’s Optical Lounge and Audio Lab, Spring Arts Tower, 453 S. Spring St., L.A. 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday. $10, free before 7 p.m. (213) 840-1201.

ART

Layering for effect

Since the 1970s, light and space artist Marcia Roberts has challenged viewers’ perception of illumination and landscape. In her latest show, “Monterey,” paintings created with layer upon layer of pigment continue to explore the language of color and the phenomenon of light.

Marcia Roberts: “Monterey,” Rosamund Felsen Gallery, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., B4, Santa Monica. (310) 828-8488. Opens Saturday.

* Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Ends March. 11.

SUNDAY

BOOKS

Harrison’s spirit quest

George Harrison’s spiritual beliefs were never more controversially on display than on his first solo tour for the release of “Dark Horse” (1974). Opening each show with Ravi Shankar and a troupe of musicians playing a lengthy program of Indian classical music, Harrison strained the patience of fans hoping to hear classics such as “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” When he finally revisited his contributions to the Beatles’ repertoire, Harrison tweaked the lyrics to reflect his newfound optimism (his guitar now “gently smiled”) and urged the audience to chant Krishna. Drawing on previously unpublished transcripts and firsthand accounts, Joshua Greene discusses his new book, “Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison,” a look at the musician’s efforts to spread spirituality through his solo career.

Joshua Greene, International Society of Krishna Consciousness, 3764 Watseka Ave., L.A. 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Free. (310) 837-5283.

MUSIC

Intended to be a bit off

Young Riddle’s Nimbus Ensemble tackles Ligeti’s mind- and ear-stretching “Ramifications,” a rarely performed work for two string groups tuned a quarter-tone apart. Musicians resist the unusual tuning, says Riddle: “It puts additional stress on their instruments -- and their nerves -- because they get used to putting their finger down somewhere, such as on the violin, and hearing a particular sound come out. It can be disconcerting to hear a different pitch.” The program also includes Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, Haydn’s Symphony No. 49 (“La Passione”) and a mystery piece to be announced from the stage.

Nimbus Ensemble, Westwood United Methodist Church, 10497 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 4 p.m. Sunday. $35; students, $10. (818) 591-0232.

WORDS

On the ball with Spike

Spike Lee is one of cinema’s most divisive characters: His films are provocative, ambitious and determined to expose every crack in the fault line of race in America. But no matter where one sits with Lee’s formidable body of work, there’s no debate that this director is one of our most important and singular visionaries. In “America Through My Lens,” Lee discusses his work on films, commercials and music videos.

Spike Lee, “America Through My Lens,” Torrance Cultural Arts Center Foundation, James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance. 4 p.m. Sunday. $30. (310)781-7171.