Do you have the patience and the nerve to sit through 14 hours of frightening films? Find out at the 2012 Salt City Horror Fest, from noon to 2 a.m. Saturday, April 14, at the Palace Theater, 2384 James St., where eight fearsome films will flicker across the big screen. The scares start with “The Bride of Frankenstein” (1935) and ending with “Last House on Dead End Street” (1977). In between, festival goers will see “Creature form the Black Lagoon,” “Tremors,” “Troll Hunter,” “Popcorn,” “Army of Darkness” and “Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2.”
Admission costs $15 for all movies. There are no discounts for single-film tickets, and show times and films are subject to change; 463-9240.
Sinatra’s screen debut
The 1943 film “Higher and Higher” starring the young singing sensation Frank Sinatra will be screened at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 16, as the Syracuse Cinephile Society continues its spring film series at the Spaghetti Warehouse, 689 N. Clinton St., near Syracuse’s Inner Harbor.
Songs include “The Music Stopped” and “I Couldn’t Sleep a Wink Last Night.” The cast includes Michele Morgan, Jack Haley, Victor Borge, Mel Tormé and Barbara Hale.
On April 23, the Cinephiles will show “Now Voyager,” the 1941 romance starring Bette Davis in one of her most popular roles.
Admission costs $3, or $2.50 for Cinephile members. For dinner reservations, call Spaghetti Warehouse at 475-1807.
Music: Jeff Houston Experience
Jeff Houston, the bandleader and namesake of the J Project, one of the city’s top R&B outfits, will bring his Jeff Houston Experience to Sitrus on the Hill, from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 13.
The Sitrus lounge at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel is hosting the Jazz @ Sitrus season featuring the region’s favorite artists presented by CNY Jazz Central. Nancy Kelly appears April 27. Sitrus shows are also scheduled for May 11, May 25, June 1 and June 15; cnyjazz.org.
The Sheraton University Hotel is located at 801 University Ave., in the SU Hill. Admission is free; 475-3000.
Allen Toussaint at OCC
Pianist Allen Toussaint, the 74 year-old composer and producer from New Orleans, performs a rare solo show at 8 p.m. Friday, April 13, at Onondaga Community College’s Storer Auditorium as part of the Arts Across Campus Legends of Jazz Series. Admission is free, but tickets have been distributed via the Sound Garden record shop in Armory Square; 498-2787.
A signature event!
Syracuse pianist/educator Dick Ford turns 75 years old this year, and to celebrate this diamond jubilee Signature Music Studios hosts an open house from noon to 3 p.m., Saturday, April 14, at the Delavan Center, 509 W. Fayette St. The suggested donation is $25; 478-7840.
Live music will be performed at the open house by Signature students. Ford founded the Signature program which provides educational opportunities and lessons for local music students of all levels and backgrounds.
SU and Rochester Brass
The Syracuse University Brass Ensemble performs a free concert in collaboration with the University of Rochester Brass Choir at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 14, at Syracuse University’s Hendricks Chapel. SU Brass is conducted by James Spencer, while the Rochester ensemble performs under the direction of Josef Hanson.
SU Brass plays its annual Spring Fling pops concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 19, at the United Church of Fayetteville, 310 E. Genesee St., in Fayetteville. Admission costs $8 for adults and $6 for children, benefiting UCF’s Witness Ministries.
The SU Brass is an award-winning 30-piece ensemble that performs for official university events and several concerts each year at regional venues. The band is directed by Dr. James T. Spencer; subrass.com; 443-3133.
Jazz jam at Pensabene’s
The Jazz Appreciation Society of Syracuse will host a jam session from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 15, to observe the birthdays of jazz pioneers Bix Beiderbecke and Spiegle Willcox, at Pensabene’s Casa Grande, 135 State Fair Blvd., on Syracuse’s West End. Admission is free.
Beiderbecke, the ill-fated cornetist from Iowa, was born March 10, 1903 and died in 1931 in Queens. Willcox, the long-lived trombonist from Cortland, was born May 2, 1903 and died in 1999.
Musicians and vocalists are all invited to participate in Sunday’s JASS jam, which will be anchored by a professional rhythm section. Performers should check in at the door with JASS Vice President Burt Dunlap; 652-0547.
-Russ Tarby
