WEEKEND FORECAST

TODAY

JAZZ

Sun, surf and solos

For four days in February, you can count Newport Beach alongside Harlem, New Orleans and Montreal as the jazz hotspots of North America. The Sixth Annual Newport Beach Jazz Party hosts a wide swath of styles, from Scott Hamilton’s throwback swing to trombonist Wycliffe Gordon’s manic gospel-tinged glissandos. This year’s program includes all-star tributes to Count Basie, David Abell and Horace Silver, along with a program spotlighting female jazz musicians. A set from ‘50s vocal-group pinups the Four Freshmen caps the weekend, making this the Coachella for hepcats who dig both Coltrane and a good Cabernet.

Newport Beach Jazz Party, Newport Beach Marriott, 900 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. 7 tonight. Daily tickets $25 to $65, with four-day passes $300 to $325. (949) 759-5003. For full lineup, visit www.newportbeachjazzparty.com.

* Also noon and 7 p.m. Friday; 9:15 a.m. (brunch), noon and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Nightcap session, 11:15 p.m. Sunday.

FRIDAY

MOVIES

Kidnapping gone awry

The driver for a Mexican general unravels after he and his wife’s kidnapping of a child ends tragically in Carlos Reygadas’ drama “Battle in Heaven.” Marcos (Marcos Hernandez) is wracked by guilt, and the general’s daughter, Ana (Anapola Mushkadiz), offers sex to soothe his tortured humanity. With Berta Ruiz. Reygadas wrote and directed the critically acclaimed “Japon” in 2002.

“Battle in Heaven,” unrated, opens Friday at Laemmle’s Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. (323) 848-3500.

SATURDAY

MUSIC

Ginastera remembered

Jacaranda, the adventurous music series created by Mark Alan Hilt and Patrick Scott, celebrates what would have been the 90th birthday of Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera with a program titled “Pampas Tangos Dreams and Prayers.” Ginastera, who died in 1983, will be represented by music he wrote in the 1930s (Danzas Argentinas and Dos Canciones) and the ‘50s (Pampeana #2 and Piano Sonata No. 1).

Jacaranda, First Presbyterian Church, 1220 2nd St., Santa Monica, 8 p.m. Saturday. $20; students, $10. (310) 451-1303; www.jacarandamusic.org.

JAZZ

Grooving, swinging

There’s a bit of Thelonius Monk in pianist Eddie Palmieri’s bustling, discordant solos, but the Latin jazz legend is at his best when he’s complementing a band full of big ideas. On his latest album, “Listen Here!,” Palmieri coaxes raucous performances from violinist Regina Carter (an unexpected addition to his trademark hard salsa) and bassist Christian McBride while never losing sight of the Cuban grooves and Spanish Harlem swing that’s driven his 50-year career. Fiery percussionist Alex Acuna kicks off the night with his Los Angeles-based combo Tolu.

Eddie Palmieri and Tolu, Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Cal State L.A., 5151 State University Drive, L.A. 8 p.m. Saturday. $40 to $50. (323) 343-6600.

MUSEUMS

Roman villa artifacts

The ancient port town of Stabiae was the site of sea-view villas for Roman aristocrats. Located about three miles from Pompeii, the area was buried alongside Pompeii after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79. “In Stabiano: Exploring the Ancient Seaside Villas of the Roman Elite” features artifacts including frescoes, stucco fragments and decorative objects from four partially excavated Roman villas. The exhibition includes an entire frescoed triclinium, a three-walled dining room.

“In Stabiano: Exploring the Ancient Seaside Villas of the Roman Elite,” San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Opens Saturday. $4 to $10; 5 and younger, free. (619) 232-7931.

* Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, except 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays. Ends May 14.

FAMILY

Whoops and hoops

Now less than a year away from the 80th anniversary of their first game, the Harlem Globetrotters continue to exude flair and charisma as they entertain fans with their family-friendly formula of hoops and mayhem. Their current “Unstoppable” tour brings them to Anaheim for a double-header on Saturday before a matinee tilt on Presidents Day at Staples Center.

Harlem Globetrotters, Arrowhead Pond, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim. 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. $16 to $130. (714) 704-2500. www.ticketmaster.com

* Also 1 p.m. Monday at Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa Ave., L.A. $15 to $130. (213) 742-7340.

ART

With some eroticism

Moche ceramics from northern Peru are renowned for their obsessive portrayal of erotic themes. Nathan Mabry, a featured artist at last year’s acclaimed “Thing” exhibition at the Hammer Museum, presents a set of sculptures that are inspired by both the formal and bawdy aspects of the pre-Columbian artisans in his solo show “A Very Touching Moment.”

Nathan Mabry at Cherry and Martin, 12611 Venice Blvd., L.A. (310) 398-7404. Opens Saturday.

* Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Ends March 25.

TUESDAY

THEATER

Tune’s ‘Dolittle’

Multiple Tony winner Tommy Tune directs and plays the title role in “Dr. Dolittle,” a newly adapted stage musical based on Leslie Bricusse’s 1967 Oscar-winning movie and “The Doctor Dolittle Stories” by Hugh Lofting.

“Dr. Dolittle,” Pantages Theatre. Opens 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. $25 to $68. (213) 365-3500, (714) 740-7878. www.BroadwayLA.org* Runs 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. Ends March 5.

* Also runs March 7-12, San Diego Civic Theatre; March 21-April 2, Orange County Performing Arts Center.

THEATER

Bollywood musical

A handsome young boy from the slums of India seeks fame and romance in “Bombay Dreams,” the internationally touring musical set in the Bollywood film industry. The show, making its Southern California premiere, is based on an idea by Shekhar Kapur and Andrew Lloyd Webber and features music by A.R. Rahman, lyrics by Don Black and book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan.

“Bombay Dreams,” Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Opens 8 p.m. Tuesday. $20 to $65. (714) 556-2787. www.ocpac.org.

* Runs 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Sundays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Ends March 5.

BOOKS

9/11 as a catalyst

It was somewhat

perplexing when the French novelist Frederic Beigbeder wrote about Sept. 11, 2001, last year in his “Windows on the World,” but it makes perfect sense that Jay McInerney, Manhattan’s poster boy for club-prowling excess turned surveyor of yuppie privilege, uses the date and especially the aftermath as an axis and catalyst in his latest book, “The Good Life.” McInerney, who saw the buildings fall from the roof of his Chelsea loft, opens his book on Sept. 10, 2001, and then jumps immediately to Sept.12. He avoids describing what has been forever ingrained in our minds as a series of TV images for the majority of us and instead uses the rubble and sorrow of post-9/11 New York to draw his affable but somewhat empty characters closer.

Jay McInerney, Dutton’s Books, 447 N. Canon Drive, Beverly

Hills. 7 p.m. Tuesday. (310) 281-0997.