SHORT TAKES

MUSIC

• Bronzeville recording artists Renaissance, an a cappella Doo-Wop singing group (Street Corner style), will appear on July 26, 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., at The Sea Bird Jazz Lounge. The five-member group is known for the rebirth of cool and taking audiences back in time, exemplifying lyrical meaning of times past. The Sea Bird Jazz Lounge is located at 730 E. Broadway St., Long Beach. Tickets: $15. Parking is free. Information: (310)-431-5641.

• The 13th annual Central Avenue Jazz Festival presented by Los Angeles Councilwoman Jan Perry will take place on July 26-27 on Central Avenue and 42nd Street, Los Angeles, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The event will include a panel discussion facilitated by Clora Bryant as well as performances by the Al Williams Jazz Society, Ernie Andrews, the Gerald Wilson Orchestra and Jazz America. A shuttle to and from the event will be provided and will stop at Wadsworth Elementary School, on King Boulevard at Central Avenue, Los Angeles. Information: www.janm.org/events/summerconcerts/.

• The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the University of California, Los Angeles Center for Near Eastern Studies features “North African Vibes: Music from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia” on July 31, 8 p.m. at the Bing Theater at LACMA. The region known as the Maghreb, or North Africa, is home to a vibrant array of musical styles reflecting its long history of blending indigenous and Islamic traditions with African, European, and Middle Eastern influences. The ensemble of distinguished singers and musicians will showcase captivating Arab-Andalusian melodies from Granada, the uplifting vocals of Jewish heritage songs from across the Maghreb and the pulsating rhythms of Ra’i which have swept around the world and found a home in Los Angeles. This event will feature Henry Azra, on the qanun, Fella Oudani and Raphael Skouri on the vocals. Admission is free, but tickets are required. Information: (323) 857-6010.

• The Lighthouse Café presents its July Jazz Lineup through July 31, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Sundays and 5 to 8:30 p.m., at 30 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach. Performers include the Henry Franklin Quartet, the Phil Norman Tentet, the Lanny Morgan Quartet, the Dan Schnelle Quartet, the Gary Matsumoto Trio, Slide FX and the Miles Senzaki Trio. Information: (310) 376-9833. Live Jazz at Sangria also will take place at 68 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach through July 30. Performers include the Charles Owens Quartet, the Clayton Cameron Trio, the Mark Stevens Quartet, the V.R. Smith and Trio and the Tom Catanzaro Quartet. Information: (310) 376-4412.

TV

• The Africa Channel, the U.S.-based television network showcasing the rich and diverse perspectives of Africa’s people, will make its official launch in Los Angeles on Time Warner Cable, July 29, on Channel 176. The Los Angeles launch is the first under the recently announced national affiliation agreement between The Africa Channel and Time Warner Cable. The network will be launched in the 41 cities that make up the Time Warner Cable Los Angeles Metro division, which includes the cities of South and West Los Angeles, Bellflower and Carson. The Africa Channel will provide American audiences with the opportunity to experience the daily success, celebrations and challenges of people living throughout Africa. The Africa Channel features 1,800 hours of programming that spans news and information, travel and lifestyle, music, soap operas, talk shows, reality, feature films and special events. Flagship series include the travel series, “Africa Within” and “Studio 53”; reality series “Project Fame Africa,” and “All You Need is Love”; dramas “Generations” “Jacob’s Cross” and “Isidingo”; the interview series “Conversations with Felicia”; the news program “Africa Journal” and daily music series “Africa Music.” Information: www.timewarnercable.com.

THEATER

• Universal CityWalk is partnering with the musical “Wicked” to present “Wannabe Wicked,” a competitive performance series that will award an aspiring performer with a walk-on appearance in the musical. Selected contestants will have the opportunity to sing before a live Universal CityWalk audience on July 30 and Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. On Aug. 20, the chosen finalists will perform again, and a winner will be selected. Performers who wish to take part in the “Wannabe Wicked” competition are encouraged to visit www.CityWalkHollywood.com/Wicked. There, they will be directed to upload and submit their video performance entry, selecting one song to perform from a list of five suggested songs. There is a $10 processing and submission fee. The submission deadline is July 31, by 5 p.m. Information: www.CityWalk Hollywood.com/Wicked.

DANCE

• The Ford Amphitheatre’s Big World Fun family series “Nature Tales” will present on July 26, 10 a.m., Mexican folk stories told through Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet dance style, a Mexican folk dance company founded by Jose Vences in 2003. In “Imagination al Descubrimiento” (Imagination to Discovery), a performance of colorful skirts, mischievous dancing elves and portrayals of daydreams, guests will journey into Grandeza Mexicana’s rainbow imagination, which is based on a Mexican fable about a woman who falls asleep in a market and dreams about mischievous elves dancing with rag dolls they bring to life. Children admission is free and $5 for adults. The Ford Amphitheatre is located at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Los Angeles. Information: (323) 461-3673 or www.FordTheatres.org.

FILM

• The California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, will host a screening on July 26, 2 p.m., of “Keep the Faith, Baby,” a film starring Harry Lennix and Vanessa Williams. “Keep the Faith, Baby” (2002) documents the life of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. from the 1930s through a 20-year career of successful civil rights advocacy in the racist environment of America’s Congress. Brash, flamboyant, unconventional and egocentric were aspects of his dramatic character that brought about his rise and fall from grace. Length: 107 minutes. Parking is $6 per vehicle. Enter from Figueroa and 39th streets. Information: (213) 744-7432 or www.caamuseum.org.

ART

• Gunther von Hagens’ “Body Worlds 3,” currently on exhibit at the California Science Center, is hosting a figure-drawing sessions for artists and students on July 31, 5 to 9 p.m. Live nude models will pose alongside plastinated whole-body specimens allowing artists to capture the beauty above and beneath the skin. The session is located at the California Science Center, 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles, and regular admission is $20 or $16.95 with the coupon code SXART. Tickets must be purchased at the Science Center Box Office and participants must be at least 18 years old. Information: (323) 724-3623 or check out the Web site at www.californiasciencecenter.org.