Happening Wednesday: Adele, ‘Joni’s Jazz’ and more

EVENTS

Third Wednesdays Downtown Culver City presents a festive evening of civic boosterism, with local businesses offering discounts and specials on food, drinks and shopping. Other diversions include live music, open galleries and giveaways. Culver and Washington boulevards between Ince Blvd. and Duquesne Ave., Culver City. 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Free. https://www.downtownculvercity.com.

BOOKS

Colossus: Hoover Dam and the Making of the American Century Hoover Dam is one of the most physically impressive utilitarian structures in the world. But there is also a darker side to the massive concrete structure’ legacy. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Hiltzik discusses the pioneering project’s political and economic backdrop, its place in engineering history, and its lessons for current society. Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. 7:30 p.m. Free. (626) 405-2100. https://www.huntington.org.

MUSIC

Adele “I’ll Be Waiting” is a neo-soul sashay, swishing with confidence and brio, and it inspires the singer to push her vocal expressions into sweet howls reminiscent of Dusty Springfield, another Brit deeply influenced by American country and soul. Overall, “21” shows that Adele, now 22, is towering in the same landscape where some of her contemporaries, beehived or not, have lost all their bearings. Hollywood Palladium, 6215 Sunset Blvd., L.A. 7:30 p.m. $34. livenation.com.

‘Joni’s Jazz’: Joni Mitchell Mitchell isn’t just a folk darling, she also made a name for herself in jazz. In the 1970s she turned to jazz musicians for new musical ideas and arrangements. To celebrate this legacy, an all-star group of musicians including Hebie Hancock, Aimee Mann, Glen Hansard and Chaka Khan will band together to play some of her most notable jazz-based recordings, including the 1975 hit, “the Hissing of Summer Lawns.” The Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., L.A. 8 p.m. Prices vary. (323) 850-2000; https://www.hollywoodbowl.com