Raleigh
Tolstoy and Shakespeare: Masterworks in Motion
Memorial Auditorium, Progress Energy CenterFor some, the thought of a combination of Tolstoy, Shakespeare and ballet perfectly coincides with their vision of hell. Those with a more cultured sensibility will find plenty to enjoy in the ballet’s productions of Tempest Fantasy and The Kreutzer Sonata. The show features live accompaniment from the Ciompi Quartet that includes Beethoven, Pulitzer Prize-winner Paul Moravec, Leoš Janácek and the Carolina Ballet’s own J. Mark Scearce. Also, this production has Charles Keating from the soap Another World, who has one of those great dry British accents. For more information, visit www.carolinaballet.com/masterworks.html. Zack Smith
Chapel Hill
Carolina Jazz Festival
UNC campus and other venuesThe Neville Brothers and Dr. John jumpstarted the 32nd Carolina Jazz Festival on Tuesday with funky New Orleans jazz and voodoo soul power. The festival continues through Saturday, Feb. 28, with various bands, combos, clinics and talks. On Wednesday, New Yorkers Joel Frahm (saxophone) and Joe Magnarelli (trumpet) take their place as artists-in-residence for the festival, leading a jam session with UNC’s jazz faculty. Nimble on the sax’s keys, Frahm is most satisfying whispering sweet promises with his playing. Magnarelli bends blue notes into long runs with a naturally flowing hard bop. The two participate in most festival performances this year. Tonight, for instance, they join the N.C. Jazz Repertory Orchestra for a program called The Jazz Sound! Sounds like a proper introduction, no?On Friday, The Branford Marsalis Trio takes the stage of Memorial Hall for the week’s other big show, but with tickets long sold out for the Durham resident’s return to a local stage, consider one of the many other shows. High school bands and combos from throughout North Carolina, the Repertory Orchestra, UNC jazz combos and the UNC Jazz Band perform across campus. See www.unc.edu/music/jazzfest for the full schedule. Recommended highlight: Catch the jams held at West End Wine Bar on Friday and Saturday nights around 11 p.m. Those sets are free; other events throughout the week run to $20. Andrew Ritchey