Jazz concert tonight

LOCK HAVEN — The Lock Haven University jazz ensemble will perform with special guest Steve Rudolph and his quartet, featuring trumpeter Eddie Severn, at 7:30 p.m. tonight in Price Auditorium.

Students and faculty from the LHU jazz ensemble will perform with the Steve Rudolph Jazz Quartet, which includes members Steve Rudolph, piano; Hassan JJ Shakur, bass; Phil Haynes, drums; and Eddie Severn, flugelhorn.

The performance is free and open to the public.

Charlie Brown jazz

STATE COLLEGE — Have a Joe Cool Yule with swinging holiday favorites, including many of the iconic Vince Guaraldi gems from the Charlie Brown Christmas special. The Rick Hirsch 3 will present an evening of warm jazz for the holidays at 8 p.m. Friday in The Attic of The State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave.

Elizabethtown-based pianist Kirk Reese makes his Attic debut with this show. Reese is one of the most in-demand pianists in and around Harrisburg. He is a member of the jazz studies faculty at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, and recently recorded with the Jay Vonada quartet.

Bassist Bob Hart has got to be State College’s busiest–and most musically eclectic–sideman. He’s equally outstanding in jazz and various rock settings on acoustic bass, electric bass, and electric guitar. He’s a veteran touring musician who has done road-time with Debbie Harry, Van Dyke Parks, and Kat Edmondson.

Saxophonist Rick Hirsch has been in State College for 18 years, and is one of the leading jazz musician-educators in Central Pennsylvania. He’s the frontman and musical director for the Zeropoint Big Band, appears regularly at Zola, and performs with Erin Condo, JT Blues, and Eric Ian Farmer. He’s an internationally-regarded jazz composer, and his 2017 CD “Pocono Git-Down” has received great reviews in the national jazz press.

Open reading Tuesday

STATE COLLEGE — The Nittany Valley Writers Network will host an open reading Tuesday at Schlow Library from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Experienced and aspiring writers are invited to bring a five-minute sample (or two) of their writing, in any genre, to read, and/or listen to local writers. The event is free and open to the public.

The NVWN is a sharing, supportive, inspiring community linking local writers of all genres and levels of experience — expert and novice, published and hopeful.