www.montereycountynow.com APRIL 23-29, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 33 CULTURE The Sunset Cultural Center in Carmel is a complex of venues, one of them being the intimate Studio 105, known for its cabaret lounge-inspired events that have an almost underground vibe. Its cabaret series, last active in 2013, returns with an evening with jazzman Allan Harris, who could as well be coming as a guest for the occasion of National Poetry Month, since he will present a selection of classic poetry—from Shakespeare through Dylan Thomas to Maya Angelou, using jazz as the background, and each poem as an inspiration to break into a song. Harris is a Brooklyn-born, Harlembased jazz singer, guitarist and songwriter with a knack for storytelling. He was exposed to jazz and classic poetry early on; he calls his father a man of letters, and his mother was a pianist and part of the Harlem Renaissance. An idea to turn to poetry came to Harris when, “after dealing with so many songs,” he says, he found himself “a little bored” and thinking about a new record. He decided to disappear from the world for about a month, retreated to his family farm, and went on rereading some of his favorite poems. Well-read friends helped too, coming up with countless suggestions: Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Lord Byron, Langston Hughes, James Brown, Emily Dickinson. The result is Harris’ latest album, The Poetry of Jazz: Live at Blue Llama, which was named one of the best jazz albums of 2025 by the London Times. “The hard part was finding jazz tunes that can marry these poems,” he says. Music comes from a different era than many of the poems, but then again, as Harris observes, “Johnny Mercer is a Shakespeare of jazz.” “Still I Rise” by Angelou pairs with a funky performance of “See Line Woman,” written and popularized by Nina Simone, and Robert Frost’s “The Road Less Traveled” mixes well with Harris’ own song, “Time Just Slips Away.” Musically, there will be a move between standards, contemporary jazz, blues and originals. Harris will be joined by locally based jazz guitarist Bruce Forman, drummer Sylvia Cuenca and bassist Marcus Shelby. Studio 105 is located below Sunset Center’s main auditorium, formerly the basketball court from when the center was still a school. Studio 105 Cabaret Presents: Allan Harris, The Poetry of Jazz. 7:30pm Friday, April 24. Sunset Center Studio 105, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel. $65. (831) 6202048, sunsetcenter.org/event/alan-harris. SANDRINE LEE Jazzy Lines Sunset Cultural Center’s cabaret series returns after a long hiatus, serving up poetry with a slice of jazz. By Agata Popęda Allan Harris pairs poetic verses with jazz performances, attempting to connect the lines with the emotional resonance of the music. Mothh’s Day Editii SAN FRANCISCO COMPETITION COMEDY KKa Klenk & Sampss KKetkk WITH FEATURED COMEDIANS Treat Mom to a Mother’s Day to remember as you sip, snack, and laugh your way through the night in the Barrel Room at Folktale! www.folktalewinery.com SUNDAY MAY 10 Wine Club members receive a discount
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