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This weekend, jazz vocalist Carmen Lundy closes the Stanford Jazz Festival; young adult authors Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Alexandra Bracken each share newly published books at Kepler’s; Protoje brings his unique spin on reggae to The Guild Theatre; artist Fernando Escartiz speaks in Woodside; and the Outlaw Music Festival rides into Shoreline with Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and others.
Carmen Lundy
Forget being just a “triple threat,” Carmen Lundy has a résumé that spans much of the performing arts — and some visual arts, too. A vocalist, songwriter, arranger, bandleader, actor and a painter, she finds numerous inspirations for her thoughtful, personal original songs and brings bright and refreshing interpretations to classics. Lundy cites a great variety of vocal influences, such as Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Shirley Horn, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, according to her website. Recently, she has seen back-to-back Grammy Award nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album for both 2021’s “Modern Ancestors” and 2022’s “Fade to Black,” featuring all original songs. Lundy makes her first appearance at the Stanford Jazz Festival in a concert that should provide a memorable conclusion for this summer’s festival.
Aug. 3, 8 p.m., at Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford. $20-$62, stanfordjazz.org.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Alexandra Bracken
Kepler’s Books hosts two New York Times-bestselling young adult authors together in one evening as Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Alexandra Bracken celebrate their recent releases, both published earlier this week. Barnes discusses “The Grandest Game,” the latest in her Inheritance Games series. The book finds billionaire Avery Grambs and the Hawthorne brothers hosting a competition on a private island in which contestants have a chance to win a fortune, but not everyone is playing fair. Bracken shares “Mirror of Beasts,” the sequel to “Silver in the Bone,” in which protagonist Tamsin and her friends must gather both powerful allies and magical artifacts to thwart the devastating plans of Lord Death.
Aug. 2, 7 p.m., at Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real #100 Menlo Park, $15-$57.69; eventbrite.com.
Protoje
Grammy Award-nominated reggae singer-songwriter Protoje seems to have been destined for the stage, growing up in a musical family, with his mother, singer Lorna Bennett, and his father, calypso musician Mike Ollivierre. Born and raised in Jamaica, Protoje infuses his music with influences of hip-hop, soul and jazz. In 2014, he founded the In.Digg.Nation Collective, aimed at nurturing and supporting new talent, and also quickly found mainstream love for his breakout hit, “Who Knows,” featuring reggae singer Chronixx. He has collaborated with such artists as Jorja Smith, Alicia Keys, Wiz Khalifa, Pa Salieu, Popcaan and Koffee.
Aug. 2, 8 p.m., at the Guild Theatre, 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. $69.53-$179.61, guildtheatre.com.
Fernando Escartiz
Woodside Arts and Culture Committee presents a discussion with Mexican sculptor Fernando Escartiz. Area audiences may know him best from his installations at Art Kiosk in Redwood City’s Courthouse Square, including a work that took inspiration from one of Picasso’s famous works that was on display this summer. His 2021 Art Kiosk piece, “We Are Stardust,” drew on Day of the Dead themes. In addition to his sculptural works, the Redwood City-based artist has also created props for the San Francisco Symphony and for Redwood City’s annual Day of the Dead celebration, which draws thousands of visitors. This talk is presented in person, but a recording will be available on the committee’s YouTube channel not long after the presentation.
Aug. 2, 7-8 p.m., at Woodside Independence Hall, 2955 Woodside Road, Woodside, free. eventbrite.com.
Outlaw Music Festival
This festival delivers performances by artists who have likely long been on listeners’ “most wanted” lists — certainly their maverick ways as musicians have made them some of the biggest names in music and American culture in general. No less than country and folk legends Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp take the stage on this leg of the festival’s tour. (Nelson was a founder of the festival, which launched in 2016.) Opening the show is singer-songwriter Brittney Spencer. With her smooth, powerful voice and high-energy rock-tinged country, Spencer seems poised to quickly become a legend, too.
Aug. 3, 4 p.m., Shoreline Amphitheatre, 1 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View. Tickets start at $67.20. blackbirdpresents.com.