Friday night, the 2016 Valencia Jazz & Blues Summer Concert Series fires up our Fourth of July weekend with the Susie Hansen Latin Band, a veteran Los Angeles Latin-jazz and Afro-Cuban outfit fronted by electric violinist-vocalist Susie Hansen.

Her caliente all-star band features Daniel Castillo (lead vocals, congas), Kaspar Abbo (lead vocals, guitar), Joe Rotondi (piano) and other talented players.

Their sizzling sets include traditional and contemporary salsa in Spanish, plus salsa-Latin jazz originals, jazz standards with a Latin groove, Charanga sounds from Cuba, and even cha-cha in English. It’s the dance music of cumbia, merengue and bolero, with the beat aimed at your feet.

Hansen and crew take the stage on the street outside the Hyatt Valencia at McBean Parkway at 7 p.m., and the concert’s free for all ages.

Part of the proceeds go to local charities. Kudos to series sponsors including Princess Cruises, Chiquita Canyon, the city of Santa Clarita, the Hyatt and the SCV Chamber of Commerce, and media sponsors SCVTV, KHTS, Inside SCV Magazine, the Magazine of Santa Clarita, Elite magazine and Stark Social Media.

Find out more about the Susie Hansen Band at their official website, and check out the Valencia Jazz & Blues website for more info about the series’ upcoming shows.

Get Tight with Alan Wright

The Alan Wright Band returns to JJ’s Bar & Grill on Tournament Road in Valencia to rock the blues Sunday afternoon from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The lineup features Wright on guitar and vocals, backed by bassist RC Cortes (who’s played with John Mayall and the Spencer Davis Group, among others), B-3 wrangler Jim Blazer (Spencer Davis Group) and drummer Tony Braunagle (Sacred Hearts Band, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps, The Animals).

There’s no cover; the grub and grog are great. Check Alan Wright’s website for more deets about the band, and click here for info about JJ’s Bar & Grill.

Fourth of July Parade Monday

Monday’s Santa Clarita Fourth of July parade kicks off at 9 a.m. on Main Street in Old Town Newhall, but Rotary’s pancake breakfast starts at 6:30 in the Roger Dunn Golf parking lot between 5^th and 6^th Streets. Trophy presentation is set for 12:30-ish at the library on Lyons Avenue.

You’ll have plenty of time to BBQ, take a swim, kick back in your hammock, or just grab a nap Monday afternoon before the city of Santa Clarita’s massive fireworks show blasts off over Town Center about 9:20 p.m. Tune in to KHTS-AM 1220 radio for a soundtrack of patriotic tunes.

Celebrate your freedom this weekend, but never take it for granted. Make sure you’re registered to vote this November, and respect those who sacrificed their lives so we would have a voice in our country’s future.

‘10by10’ SCV Talent Showcase at the REP

Coming up Thursday, July 7, Main Street in Old Town Newhall presents the monthly “10by10” showcase at the Repertory East Playhouse.

The variety night offers local professional and amateur performers a chance to take the stage and perform for a live audience, and for locals to catch some great entertainment for free. Starting at 7 p.m., the July 7 show (7-7 at 7) presents a lineup of award-winning local storytellers, filmmakers and comedians, plus a tricky magician.

Instigator Jeff Barber with the city of Santa Clarita Arts & Entertainment gang (aka Six, drummer with local rockabilly band Hard Six) invites residents to submit an application if you’d like to perform a short live theatre piece, a dance, a monologue, improv, comedy, music, or whatever.

The A&E guys accept and consider all forms of artistic expression (there are a few restrictions on live music), and each month they choose 10 performers who each have 10 minutes onstage to perform their piece. Get more details at the “10by10” website.

Henry Diltz on SCVTV’s ‘House Blend’

Jumping back to this Saturday, SCVTV’s “House Blend” music and interview show hosted by yours truly presents legendary rock photographer Henry Diltz in a special encore broadcast of our interview from the first season in November 2010.

Diltz regales us with the fascinating and often hilarious stories behind some of his greatest album covers, including the first Crosby, Stills & Nash LP, The Doors’ “Morrison Hotel,” James Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James,” Jackson Browne’s “Late for the Sky” and scores more.

Watch “House Blend” on Time-Warner/Spectrum’s Channel 20 in the Santa Clarita Valley, AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 in Los Angeles and Orange counties, and everywhere in the known universe at scvtv.com.

And that’s what’s thumpin’ this week on the SCV Rock Beat.

You’ll find lots more local entertainment news 24/7 at HometownStation.com, SCVNews.com and my blog, stephenkpeeples.com. 

Grammy-nominated producer and veteran Santa Clarita journalist Stephen K. Peeples is an entertainment reporter for SCVTV and SCVNews.com, as well as AM 1220 KHTS Radio News and the station’s website at HometownStation.com. Peeples also hosted and co-produced SCVTV’s WAVE-nominated “House Blend” program from 2011-2015. He posts more entertainment news and reviews at http://www.stephenkpeeples.com and exclusive interviews on his YouTube channel.