Mel Shields: Sandoval's a whiz with Diz, but he'll try it all

"The title of the album is not just a title. It is an expression of my real feeling. He was almost like a father to me."

"Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You)" is Arturo Sandoval's latest album, a tribute to his mentor, friend, and master of bebop trumpet, Dizzy Gillespie.

Sandoval, who appears Saturday at Cache Creek, was born and raised in Cuba. It was Gillespie who was instrumental in getting him and his family out of the country after the Castro revolution.

This was all chronicled in the HBO movie "For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story," but the new album allows Sandoval to play Gillespie music in brand new arrangements, a collection of 10 classics that find the trumpeter teamed with other jazz artists – vibraphonist Gary Burton, organist Joey DeFrancesco and Yellowjackets saxophonist Bob Mintzer, among others.

"They always try to put me in a little box, like 'Latino jazz,' but I'll try anything," Sandoval said. "I love music and I like to play it very much. Every day I'm growing and that's good."

As for the new album and Gillespie's impact, "When it comes to bebop, you either know it or you don't. There's no halfway. If you're going to be a good bebop player, you really need to be a hell of a musician with a lot of skill and a great education and a great command of your instrument. This is what Dizzy was all about. In that sense, he's still very much with all of us.

"I do think of Dizzy every day" (8 p.m. Saturday; $25, $39; 800-225-2277 or cachecreek.com).

Funny stuff

The weekend lineup at the Silver Legacy features two top stand-ups, both with proven television credentials.

Joel McHale, who plays tonight, recently received both good news and bad news from NBC. His sitcom "Community" has been renewed for a fourth season, set to return next fall with 13 new episodes. It is, however, on the schedule for Friday nights, second these days only to Saturdays when it comes the desirable audience demographic. It will also be reeling from the removal of series creator Dan Harmon.

For cable fans, McHale also continues his scathing commentary on E!'s "Soup." It's been three years since he's done his stand-up in northern Nevada (8 p.m. today; $40, $60; 800-687-8733 or silverlegacy.com).

Saturday finds Bill Engvall, whose recent hosting of "LINGO" yielded the highest ratings ever for the Game Show Network. He also did a three-episode arc on TNT's "Hawthorne," narrated a documentary for the Speed Channel on Darrel Waltrip, and starred in "Kiss at Pine Lake" for Hallmark.

Of course, Engvall is no stranger to television, with his self-titled sitcom having run three seasons on TBS. He's also a stand-up veteran and just completed another tour with those other blue-collar guys, this one called "Them Idiots Whirled Tour." He's always popular at the Legacy (8 p.m. Saturday; $52.50, $69.50).

Out and about

• There is hardly anyone who was into the music scene in the 1960s who can't sing the words to "I'm Henry VIII, I Am," or rather, "I'm 'Enery the VIII, I Am." The original singer of those lyrics is Peter Noone. His group Herman's Hermits never reached the stratospheric heights of their British Invasion friends The Beatles, but they soared pretty high. Noone still heads the current edition, performing at Jackson Rancheria (7 p.m. Saturday; $40; JacksonCasino.com).

• Street Vibrations is Reno-Sparks' giant motorcycle gathering that takes place every September, and an early preview takes place today through Sunday in Sparks with the Spring Rally. To avoid any violence such as the shooting that occurred last year, this is a no-colors event, avoiding any open display of club membership. The weekend will feature John Stotts' Globe of Death, LivFast team member aerial jumps, blues from Big Band, alt rock from Rigorous Proof, hard rock from Scarlet Presence, rockabilly from Hellbound Glory, Cheap Lick's tribute to Cheap Trick, and the Unauthorized Rolling Stones in the Nugget's Celebrity Showroom (8 p.m. Friday; $10; 800-648-1177 or janugget.com). A complete schedule is available at roadshowsreno.com.

• The Nevada Museum of Art has opened "Edward Burtynsky: Oil," featuring photographs depicting the production, distribution and use of the fuel with an emphasis on the effect it has had on lives and landscapes. Burtynsky himself will talk about the exhibit at 10:30 a.m. June 8 ($15). The exhibit runs through Sept. 23 (160 W. Liberty St., Reno; Wednesdays through Sundays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., to 6 p.m. Thursdays; 775-329-3333 or nevadaart.org).

• "Illusion Fusion" starring magician Alex Ramon has been extended at the Horizon Hotel-Casino, South Lake Tahoe, with shows in the Golden Cabaret from Fridays through Sundays at 8 p.m. Beginning June 21, there will be performances Tuesdays through Mondays.

Ramon was the first magician in history to star as the "Magical Zingmaster" for Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey ($24.95; 775-588-6211 or ticketfly.com; Sundays are free for children under 12, one child per each paid adult ticket).

• Exuberant swing is on the menu at Harrah's Tahoe with the popular Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (7:30 p.m. Saturday; $40; 800-427-7247 or SouthShoreRoom.com).

• Read more articles by Mel Shields

Order Reprint