The Oalkand Public Conservatory of Music's "National Treasures Series" presents a master class and clinic 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday with the Latin giants of jazz trombonist Sam Burtis and pianist Sonny Bravo. 
 Open to all instrumentalists. Adults: $20-$50 (sliding scale)
Students (with ID):  $10
Youth up to 15: No Charge
Advance registration Options:
1. Bring or send  a check or money order to Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, 1616 Franklin St., Oakland, CA  94612.
2. Pay online at: www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/318373.
They're cool over there. You want to play bad enough they'll make sure you get the chance. Only requirement is love of music.  

Here's another e-mail from a reader to share a tip:

Dear Ms. Woodall;
As a long time Oakland resident, I enjoyed your recent piece about the FOX Oakland theatre restoration, along with other interesting Oakland theater information. Via my interests in Oakland's history and preservation, I attended the FOX auction in 1978; my kitchen clock (large neon advertisement for '4 Wheel Brake Oakland') came from my winning bid at the
late T & D Theatre's auction circa 1976.
(The T&D was a super swank place that opened in 1916 on 429 11th St. with a Pompeian Room and ladies' tea parlor where tipping the help was forbidden, according to Theatres of Oakland. Originally the initials stood for the owners, Turner and Dahnken. Later T&D was short for "Tough and Dirty," a nickname that should tell you something about the theaters fate.)

I'm currently engaged in a personal project documenting and researching
small town movie theaters throughout the US. I'm combining my professional
past in the local film industry with a passion for photography: http://www.rushcreekgallery.com/lfop/index.html

I spent Saturday inside — out of the rain — writing about the Fox Theatre for a story that will be in Friday's Trib. Read all about it folks. Part I in the ongoing drama of Oakland's rebirth as "the New San Francisco."

I popped into the Stork Club last night on the last stop of my Night Owl-First Friday roundup. The place was packed like I've never seen and things were positively hopping for the Friday Night Follies — a new attraction on the ever-expanding Art Murmur tour. That's what can happen when you put near-naked girls on stage, especially if they can sing and dance and otherwise entertain a la burlesque (va va voom!). I nearly headed out bc it was so packed until I saw an old college friend of mine in the front row appreciating the talent. She looked pretty happy.  Folks said Uni and her Ukelele was a big hit. A school teacher in town from the Central Valley was more partial to Ophelia Coeur de Noir. The Stork Club's owner, Tom Chittock, looked pretty pleased and tired as the crowd surged to the bar in search of refreshments. He was standing in front of a wall of Barbies still in their packaging that belonged to his mother. "I call it my inheritance," said Tom, who also inherited the bar — Micki and Wes' Stork Club — from his folks and has set about turning it into a hot spot. Originally, way back in the day, the club opened as a country and western bar. Instead, as Tom put it, "This place was founded on punk rock."  
And I finally met someone I introduced you all to a while back here on the blog: "Constant Dancer," so named by my daughter who created a comicbook character based on him. His real name is Corey it turns out and he danced the whole time. Everyone was loving Roger That on his electric ukelele, too, especially when he took off his shirt between acts to reveal a canvas of tattoos worthy of a sailor. "Apparently I get to kill some more time so I'm going to ROCK," he told folks after a fiery rendition of "I'm going to walk right out your door" (how many times have you seen the words fiery and ukelele together?).  Then came the highlight, the Belles du Jour. "Make way for tap-dancing titties," the MC announced. It's too cool that the Belles are back after a hiatus of some months, especially (as I found out last night), their leader "Honey Lawless" fought down cancer. She looked great and seemed surprised and delighted at the turnout. She said later that it was the first show where the venue had to hold the line at the door. The mood made up for missing the band of merry pranksters over at the Linden Street Brewery, where I had begun my rounds. The tale is that they set out in a double-decker bus from the brewery on First Fridays to hit the Art Murmur venues, which now also include the Stork and the Uptown and who knows how many others. Roger That said it best: "We need more shows like this," meaning the Stork's Friday Night Follies. "Typically I'd have had to go to San Francisco. Not any more."
(Photo by pbo31)

So I decided to swing by the Uptown since the new owners took it over and reopened in November.  The place is lookin' good. And the vibe is much less dark and doomy than it used to be. Going out was a sort of celebration on my second day without crutches and first day wearing something besides flat shoes in five months (Yes I am healed, people! I can walk!). I ended up staying until late, really late. I just couldn't leave after Los High Tops took the stage, followed by Deke Dickerson and the Ecco-Fonics, who totally rocked the place. The crowd was way too small but made up for it in O-town-style enthusiasm. Things are bubbling over there by the Uptown and the (soon-to-reopen) Fox Theatre. I had just finished a call outside when who should stop by but co-founder of the soon-to-open Awaken Cafe, Cortt Dunlap avec wife. They were just peeking in the door to see the place on their way home from the new IT restaurant, Flora. The One review said the Mexicali restaurant was "not yet blooming" (keyword YET).  Dunlap and his wife said they really liked it.  Tim, who runs the Easy Lounge over on Lakeshore and co-owns Radio and the Ruby Room, showed up at the Uptown a while later with a Radio bartender. They put the dancefloor to use and I think they shut the place down. Last I saw they were standing outside with Dickerson and his band mates Jimmy Sutton and Jason Smay. Night Owl or not, I had to head home, but decided to stop by the Stork Club on the way. It was too late (did I think I was in New York?) and the swarm of kiddy grunge punks on the sidewalk just didn't appeal. But it was good to just walk right up and turn around on my own two legs! Cheers.

Just in from the folks over at The Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse: The longest-established full-time folk and traditional music venue west of the Mississippi River, has started renovation of a 70-year-old building at 2020 Addison Street in Berkeley's Downtown Arts District, transforming it into its new, 18,000-square-foot green performing arts and teaching facility.
The nonprofit organization's new home, slated to open in early 2009, will have a 440-seat listening room, double the capacity of its existing venue. The plans also include an additional performance space seating 60-70 people, a state-of-the-art sound system, a café, and six classrooms. The all-ages, family-friendly operation plans to expand its music education program, offering workshops, lessons, and master classes.
You'll surely be hearing more about this in The Trib.

Night Owl reader and all around cool chick Laura Casey chimed in about her visit to The Trappist, the Belgian beer temple that opened in December.  For more about the hot spot, read The Night Owl's Friday column in your friendly neighborhood Oakland Tribune (also online). And feel free to add your own review of The Trappist (or any other night spot). 
And keep an eye out this weekend for The Night Owl downtown story. Read all about the changes in store for the no man's land that is 14th Street west of City Hall.