Poster Child

Riffing on this week's New Mexico Jazz Festival kick-off (see "Spotlight"), Santa Fe's Vintage Poster Gallery (901 Canyon, 505-577-7419) is mounting the largest exhibition of vintage Polish jazz concert posters in North America. The collection starts in the underground ’50s (jazz was condemned under Stalinist communism) and winds up through the European festivals of the ’90s; just about all of the posters are surreally eye-popping. The exhibition runs through Aug. 15 and opens with a reception this Saturday, July 19, from 2 to 5 p.m. Bert Dalton will perform, courtesy of Friends of Santa Fe Jazz. Regular gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. You can preview posters from the exhibition at mrposter.com; or add your own concert art to the Alibi Flyer on the Web database at alibi.com/FOTW.

Lee Crum

New Orleans legend crowns the first week of the 2008 New Mexico Jazz Festival

When asked who wrote vocalist Irma Thomas’ 1963 hit “Ruler of My Heart,” later covered by Otis Redding and The Rolling Stones as “Pain in My Heart,” Thomas’ bassist answered, “You can’t turn a corner in New Orleans without bumping into Allen Toussaint.”

Spotlight

The third annual New Mexico Jazz Festival runs from July 17 through July 28.

The self-proclaimed mad Hungarian opens up ... a little

You may have seen him walking down Central, head down, guitar on his back, handlebar mustache and long, blackened fingernails. He's not much of a talker, though he's liable to take off his shirt on stage, revealing a thick mat of curly black chest hair. Swirling around in the local Mythos of Zoltán is the fact that he was banned from the Golden West for getting naked. "I've been known to showcase my hairy body parts and such at other shows," he says.

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Post Script

The Cell Theatre (700 First Street NW) opens up Sunday, July 20, for an all-ages wall-banger with Hit By A Bus, The Material, Zagadka and Amicus. Doors open at 7 p.m. $7 gets you in. (LM)