From Basie to brr: Count Basie Orchestra, polar plunge, bluegrass happen this week

Carol Kugler
·3 min read

There's top-notch entertainment to take in this week in Bloomington. In the mood for some music? The Count Basie Orchestra will be in town for a free jazz concert, Michael Cleveland's fiddle will treat your ears to bluegrass, and Shane Smith and the Saints will rock the Bluebird. Maria Bamford is at the Comedy Attic, Super Bowl fans can catch a flick about Tom Brady at Spencer's Tivoli Theatre and brave supporters of Special Olympics will take a chilly dip at the Bloomington Polar Plunge.

The Count Basie Orchestra will present a free public performance on Feb. 9 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
The Count Basie Orchestra will present a free public performance on Feb. 9 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.

Count Basie Orchestra performs at Buskirk-Chumley Theater

The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra, directed by Scotty Barnhart with guest vocalist Carmen Bradford, will present a free public performance at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave. The concert is presented free of charge as a gift to the community from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. for the general admission performance. No tickets are required.

Shane Smith and the Saints will perform at the Bluebird.
Shane Smith and the Saints will perform at the Bluebird.

Shane Smith and the Saints croon Friday night at The Bluebird

Shane Smith and the Saints will perform their high-energy show at 8 p.m. Friday at The Bluebird, 216 N. Walnut St. Tickets are $20 per person and are available at thebluebird.ws. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 21-plus show.

Laugh with Maria Bamford at Comedy Attic

Maria Bamford, who stars in the semi-autobiographical Netflix comedy series "Lady Dynamite," will perform three nights at Bloomington's Comedy Attic. Catch a show at 8 p.m. Thursday or 9:30 p.m. Friday or Saturday at 123 S. Walnut St. Tickets are $25 each. For tickets and more, go to comedyattic.com.

Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper perform Friday

Grammy winning fiddler Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper will perform bluegrass Friday evening at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performance are $26-$36 and available online at buskirkchumley.org or at the box office. Doors for the reserved seating show open at 7 p.m.

Watch '80 for Brady' at Spencer's Tivoli

Four best friends embark on a trip to see their hero, Tom Brady, play in the 2017 Super Bowl in "80 for Brady." The movie will be showing at 1 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Tivoli Theatre, 24 N. Washington St. in Spencer. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youth 12 and younger.

Polar Plunge on Saturday at Switchyard Park

The Bloomington Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics will be Saturday at Switchyard Park. Registration will be 4-5 p.m. with the plunge to follow at 5:30 p.m. Both people and teams are challenged to "be bold and get cold" to raise funds for Special Olympics. Participants must raise at least $85 for the chance to plunge. To register to participate or for more information, go to https://bit.ly/3YtEOUM.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Music, films, Bloomington Polar Plunge are this weekend's things to do