BRIEFLY IN ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Summer jazz series opens June 6

Laguna Beach Live! will open its popular summer jazz series from 6 to 8 p.m. June 6 in the outdoor Rose Garden of the Hotel Laguna, 425 So. Coast Hwy., with Luther Hughes and the Cannonball/Coltrane Project.

Former bassist to the late Gene Harris, Luther Hughes recreates the music of the great Cannonball Adderly and John Coltrane.

The group will perform original arrangements from “Live in Chicago,” as well as other classic tunes by Cannonball and Coltrane. Performers include Bruce Babad on alto sax, tenor saxophonist Glenn Cashman, Hughes on bass, pianist Ed Czach and drummer Kendall Kay.

Cover charge is $10; tapas, cocktails and wines by the glass will be available.

Doors open at 5 p.m.; reservations are available for groups of 8 or more.

For more information, visit www.lagunabeachlive.org or call (949) 715-9713.

Sawdust group show at [seven-degrees]

The Sawdust Art Festival will hold a group show, “Up Close and Personal,” at the neighboring [seven-degrees] gallery from June 4 to 25. An opening reception will be held in conjunction with First Thursdays Art Walk from 6 to 9 p.m. June 7.

The show features 21 Sawdust artists, including Katlin Evans (painting), Gavin Heath (glass), Reem Khalil (textiles), David Nelson (jewelry), David Milton (watercolors) and Michele Taylor (mixed media).

Accompanying the art are portraits of the artists by Katie Clark.

The show is eponymous with this year’s Sawdust theme.

Sculptor holds home show this weekend

Joe Savella, a Laguna College of Art & Design stone sculpting instructor and former general manager of the Laguna Beach County Water District, will hold a home show of stone and limited-edition bronze sculptures this weekend.

The show will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday.

To RSVP, for directions and for more information, call (714) 606-4361.

Artist duo added to gallery array

Laguna Beach artists Skip Roma and Brian Allan will be included as permanent artists at Townley Fine Art, 1275 So. Highway, Suites D and E.

A welcoming reception, “Metal Mania,” will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. June 15 in the new wing of the gallery.

Roma, who paints exclusively on rice paper, will showcase her rice paper on metal series. Her abstracts are mounted on galvanized sheet metal, and then on 4 x 4 square aluminum blocks, which float the work from the wall.

Abstractionist Brian Allan will also be featuring his ultra-modern paintings on metal. Allan’s abstracts are rendered on both canvas and aluminum.

Roma and Allan will donate 20% of show sales to the Laguna College of Art & Design’s Student Scholarship Fund.

For more information, call (949) 715-1860.

Master Chorale show in Laguna Woods

The Laguna Beach-based Saddleback Master Chorale will hold the final concert of its 2006-07 season, Modern Choral Masterpieces, at 3 p.m. June 10 at Geneva Presbyterian Church, 24301 El Toro Road, Laguna Woods.

Admission will be $18 general and $15 for students and seniors.

The group will present a concert of modern choral masterworks, climaxing with John Rutter’s “Requiem,” composed in 1985.

The concert showcases three different choral works from the last years of the twentieth century.

The first piece is “Totus Tuus,” composed in 1997 by the Polish composer Henryk Gorecki.

It will be followed by Morten Lauridsen’s “Ave Maria,” also composed in 1997 by the composer in residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Tickets are available at the door or online at www.saddlebackmaster chorale.org.

Guest glass artist shows at Studio Arts

Studio Arts Gallery, located in the Old Pottery Place at 1200 So. Coast Highway, will feature glass artist Michael Hermann’s “Transformed by Fire” show beginning with a preview June 7 during Art Walk.

An artist reception will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. June 10.

Inspired by Italian masterpieces, Hermann studied with Elio Quarisa and also apprenticed under Gianni Toso.

For more information, call (949) 376-1619 or visit www.studioartslaguna.com.