The Crucible's "Heat: A Fire Cabaret."

Scarlett & Axelrod's act is just one of many that will be seen this year at The Crucible's "Heat: A Fire Cabaret."

The evening, which includes circus performers and music by legendary Bay Area jazz singer Kim Nalley inside the 56,000-square-foot West Oakland space (on the edge of the Prescott neighborhood), is a more intimate evening than what The Crucible usually offers during the summer.

WHAT: "Heat: A Fire Cabaret" featuring Kim Nalley Band

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday-Saturday with a special Fire and Light Soiree dinner at 6 tonight

WHERE: The Crucible, 1260 Seventh St., Oakland

COST: $40-$45 with a $5 discount for The Crucible members. The soiree dinner is $250 ($150 is tax-deductible).

TICKETS: (510) 444-0919, Ext. 122; www.thecrucible.org.

ESP: a musical meeting of mind and spirit in motion

West Oakland, particularly the Prescott Oakland Point neighborhood has been known to be an incubator for the Arts, Jazz and Blues continues that legacy with Prescott Oakland Point resident percussionist Kele Nitoto.

Tonight, Friday September 18, at 8:00 p.m.

presented by the Jazzschool at 2087 Addison St. in Berkeley

“ESP: a musical meeting of mind and spirit in motion”

Featuring Bassist/ keyboardist Alan Kimara Dixon, drummer Kele Nitoto, and violinist India Cooke they create a sound collage, incorporating African rhythms and cosmic improvisations. Their music of ritual and celebration is steeped in traditions that reach back beyond jazz roots.

For more information call 510.845.5373

To buy tickets, click here

Another jazz venue:

Free-Jazz Fridays Artists as seemingly unconnected as Mahalia Jackson, John Coltrane, and Biggie Smalls all use a similar register of expression, wherein rhythm, pitch, and phrasing take precedence over substantive content - what's actually said always pales in comparison to how it's said. East ... More

First and Third Friday of every month, 8 p.m. 8th Street Performance Space, 1510 8th St., Oakland.

Crucible's 9th Annual Fire Arts Festival

Wednesday - Saturday, July 15-18, 2009
8:00PM - 11:59PM

NEW LOCATION THIS YEAR! (see where)

Each July The Crucible’s Fire Arts Festival celebrates creativity through fire and light with a spectacular open-air exhibition of interactive fire art, performance and the largest collection of outdoor fire sculpture on the West Coast.

This year we will be expanding the festival in a new, larger location. Our new Oakland location is three times larger than years past, giving attendees more elbow room and us the ability to bring you more of your favorite artists. We will have more fire and light sculptures, food and merchandise vendors.

In addition to our regular performances, we will feature the world premiere of Dan Cantrell's The Rootabaga Opera.

The 10-year-old nonprofit was founded in 1999 by a small group of artists seeking to combine the industrial arts with sculpture and multimedia techniques housed in a single location.

The Crucible is known for promoting the reuse of materials that results in creative expression and innovative design.

Through their rich offerings of hands-on classes, participants young and old can learn skills from blacksmithing and ceramics, to welding, woodworking, fire performance and more.

Thanks to A Better Oakland folks for pointing me to some pics from the event. There are more pics at the Flickr site.