FRIDAY
VISUAL ARTS
The Work of the Work
Big art surveys often leave you with that disjointed feeling you get after channel-surfing cable TV for too long. But this ambitious show, held jointly at the Henry Art Gallery and Western Bridge, will offer a huge selection of contemporary art organized under the idiosyncratic vision of the Henry’s chief curator, Elizabeth Brown, ostensibly exploring how art interacts with the viewer. Brown taps into local collections, but the show is decidedly anti-provincial. Video installations will be a big part of it: South African–born Candice Breitz’s work (including “Diorama,” pictured) playfully samples TV and film; local genius Gary Hill’s “Tall Ships” interacts with spectators as they pass through it; and Briton Steve McQueen and Korean Kim Sooja offer widely divergent approaches to video. Henry Art Gallery opening: 7–10 p.m. Fri., Nov. 5. 11 a.m–5 p.m. Tues.–Sun; 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Thurs. $8. University of Washington campus, 206- 543-2280. Western Bridge opening: noon Sat., Nov. 6. Noon–6 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. Free. 3412 Fourth Avenue S., 206-838-7444. ANDREW ENGELSON
THURSDAY
BOOKS
David Boies
Let’s hear it for the lawyers! Seriously. As recounted in his legal memoir, Courting Justice (Miramax, $25.95), David Boies, the high-profile veteran trial attorney, walks us through Florida’s 2000 electoral debacle, in which he represented Al Gore all the way up to the Supreme Court. He remains bitter about the verdict and will, no doubt, have much of note to say about this year’s election. He also delves into Bill Gates’ and Microsoft’s hubris when he represented the U.S. government in its antitrust suit against the software giant. Can it be a coincidence that Dubya has looked to Redmond for campaign donations? 7 p.m. Thurs., Nov. 4. Free. UW School of Law, Room 138, 206-634-3400. BRIAN MILLER
FRIDAY
FILMS
Earshot Jazz Films
Lest we be overawed by Jamie Foxx’s performance in Ray, let’s not forget the genuine article in the 1964 Blues for Lovers, shown as part of this weeklong fest. Ray Charles (pictured) plays himself in this melodramatic oddity, which finds him leading a classroom full of blind kids in a sing-along of “Hit the Road, Jack.” Fortunately, he also performs standards like “Unchain My Heart” with his crackerjack band. Avant-garde saxman John Zorn is featured in two titles; and look for the return of the popular 1976 concert doc Nina Simone: Love Sorceress, which shows the chanteuse and pianist at her sultry, feisty best. The Harlem Blues and Jazz band is also profiled among the half-dozen movies screened. Fri., Nov. 5–Thurs., Nov. 11. Call for prices. Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., 206- 267-5830. BRIAN MILLER
SATURDAY
DANCE
Spectrum Dance Theater
Like a true postmodernist, choreographer Donald Byrd is mixing a boxful of elements in his latest, Bhangra Fever. Starting with a score from East Indian dance clubs that mixes traditional instrumentation with contemporary beats, he adds references to ballet and ritual behaviors to the aggressive athleticism of his usual high-octane style. Underneath all the quotations and allusions, though, there’s an unbroken thread of tension, so that the end of the work leaves us gasping for breath. 8 p.m. Sat., Nov. 6. $20–$30. Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave., 206- 292-ARTS. SANDRA KURTZ
TUESDAY
MUSIC
Death Cab for Cutie
Ben Gibbard & Co.’s brooding, confessional pop-rock ballads aren’t really suited to stadium settings—which is why their Bumbershoot gig was so underwhelming—but the soaring, guitar- powered chorus of “Tiny Vessels” should be capable of ripping apart a venue like the Paramount. The epic title track of last year’s Transatlanticism, their most recent full-length album, is perhaps the finest ode to long-distance relationships ever written, and could cause a flood of empathic tears unlike anything the place has seen before. Bring a flotation device, just in case. 8 p.m. Tues., Nov. 9. $20. Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., 206- 467-5510. NEAL SCHINDLER
