TBCOTA

The late Forest Duke my colleague entertainment writer for the late Las Vegas Sun called it TBCOTA....THE BEST CITY OF THEM ALL, he is still right every day. What a great place Las Vegas is to see so many different things and I have seen them all...... Frank, Sammy, Dean, Red, Redd, Barishnokov, Nureyev, Broadway shows, Casino productions, 5 Cirque's and every other variety of talent.

Not all the events are on a major scale !

Local Las Vegas community centers have showed me some terrific stuff. For $7 for seniors the L V Winchester community center, one of my favorite hangouts, offers a variety of types of shows. Sunday's matinee was World Vibration Concert Series, Kaminari Taiko Japanese Drums. So what the hell is this, like always, mom said, "try it", so I did, so I do, so I am glad I did.

The Las Vegas Kaminari Taiko, founded in 1993, is sponsered by the Las Vegas Japanese American Citizens Leauge. Members of the group make their own drums and choreograph their own pieces, and have participated in a number of west-coast taiko classes and workshops. The taiko tradition started as a way to communicate using drums in villages, in battles, and in religious ceremonies, and it was always a phenomenon, starting in Japan and spreading to North America. Las Vegas Kaminari Taiko is the only performing taiko troupe based in southern Nevada. That is their bio.

Nine drums, 14 performers, one drum the size of a Volkswagon and they were only 5 minutes late (95). A 64 minute drum show that was well prepared and well presented with some nice informative naration, part of on going programming here.....go to these local events, most are good and this one esceptional. 92 A-.

Something else....every third Friday at the Lloyd D George U S Courthouse downtown Las Vegas they have an entertainment hour. They start on time, free food, variety of different cultural eventss, song, jazz, impersonatores, musicians and John Sparks (former two term governor of early Nevada) in July. The June show was Stephanie Haynes jazz vocalist with a soft bass, soft drummer and soft piano. Nice music for old farts of which I was one and I plan to continue to be entertained here.

These community shows can be outstanding, this building has art in the lobby and you must produce an ID and pass security for entrance...this pleasant one hour gets a 90 A-.