Alexie appearing on ‘Colbert’

Author Sherman Alexie drew a large and appreciative crowd at the Spokane Masonic Center for a reading last week – and he mentioned an intriguing bit of news.

He’s booked onto Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report” on Tuesday night at 11:30 p.m. (rebroadcast on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m.).

Alexie will be talking about his bestselling book, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.”

Yet if we know Sherman, he won’t be shy about engaging in some political sparring with host Stephen Colbert.

So here’s hoping for some classic Sherman-esque verbal riffing.

Clarion moves Fox-ward

Clarion’s Christmas concert, a holiday staple in Spokane, will have a new location this year.

The Clarion Brass Choir will be holding forth at the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m. Vocalist Ann Fennessy will be the special guest. Tickets are available at The Fox box office, (509) 624-1200 or through TicketsWest outlets (509-325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).

Past Clarion concerts have been held at St. John’s Cathedral, First Presbyterian Church and other area venues.

Roberts raves

Here’s Spotlight’s mini review of the Marcus Roberts Trio concert at the Fox on Oct. 18: Roberts is in a class by himself when it comes to piano jazz.

His improvisations on tunes such as “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” were inspired and endlessly creative. Jason Marsalis on drums and bassist Roland Guerin were equally inventive.

The result: 90 minutes of improv without a single dull moment.

‘Acoustic Storm’

If you’re reading this early enough on Sunday morning, there’s still time to switch on KKZX-FM (98.9 Classic Rock) and catch the 10th anniversary show of the syndicated “Acoustic Storm.”

This show, based in Phoenix, is dedicated to the unplugged side of rock. It airs every Sunday from 8 to 10 a.m.

Holy Names Performathon

If you’re at River Park Square on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and you hear some lilting melodies echoing through the mall, you might want to follow them to: “Musical Harvest – Performathon 2008.”

It’s a fundraiser for Holy Names Music Center. All donations go directly toward student financial aid at Holy Names.

Spokane Symphony at Ferris

The Spokane Symphony will team up with Ferris High School’s Orchestra and Wind Ensemble for a giant-sized musical performance on Wednesday, 7 p.m., in the Ferris auditorium.

They’ll perform excerpts from Bernstein’s “West Side Story,” as well as Sibelius’ “Andante Festivo” and Parry’s “Lady Radnor Suite.”

Tickets are $5 at the door.

A top fiddle prize

Kimber Ludiker of Spokane finished third in the Grand Master Fiddler Championship held this month at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Fan Fest in Nashville.

It’s one of the top fiddling competitions in the country.

Kimber is part of Spokane’s fiddling Ludiker family. Various members routinely place high in national competitions.

At this point, we might as well declare the Ludikers to be a fiddling dynasty.

‘Gospels in Nez Perce’

Gonzaga University has launched a new exhibition in its Foley Center Library, “The Gospels in Nez Perce: The Evangelizing Work of Fr. Joseph Cataldo, S.J.”

It features translations of the Bible, hymns and other religious texts into the Nez Perce language by Cataldo more than a century ago.

The exhibit is free and open to the public in the Cowles Rare Books Library in the Foley Center Library, Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. (excluding holidays) through the end of the year.

Father Cataldo, by the way, is the priest who founded Gonzaga University.

Young jazz lions

The Whitworth Jazz Ensemble will host what it calls “New York City’s Young Jazz Lions” in a concert Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. in Whitworth University’s Cowles Auditorium.

Trombonist Ryan Keberle and flautist Erica vonKleist will be the guest artists. VonKleist is a member of the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra and has performed with Wynton Marsalis’ sextet; Keberle is a Spokane native who has also performed with Marsalis, as well as with Alicia Keys.

Tickets are available now through TicketsWest.

Jazz Dialogue

Also coming up on the region’s jazz calendar is Eastern Washington University’s Jazz Dialogue Festival 2008, Nov. 14 and 15, featuring the U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors and the Bob Curnow Big Band and over 40 visiting groups. It will also feature the EWU Alumni Jazz Reunion.

The late Virginia Jones, a longtime area musician, will be honored with the presentation of the newly named Virginia Jones Outstanding Musicianship Award.

For tickets and information, call (509) 359-7073.

Fall Folk alert

Early warning: The 13th Annual Fall Folk Festival will take place Nov. 8 and 9 at Spokane Community College’s Lair Auditorium.

This is always the biggest event on the region’s folk calendar, drawing thousands of folk fans.

And, yes, it’s still free. Look for more details as the event approaches.