One of the best aspects of the Thanksgiving holiday is the chance to see old friends and acquaintances as they return home. This Thanksgiving Eve (Nov. 23), an old friend and familiar face to the Buffalo music scene, David Schulz (pictured), re-convenes the funky dance party band known as C.O. Jones after an absence of five years. Since splitting the Queen City for the sunnier climes of California, the keyboardist’s profile as a musician has risen substantially on the national level. After spending several years as touring member of the Goo Goo Dolls and The English Beat, Schulz currently resides in Los Angeles where he is a highly sought-after studio and live player. For this reunion, Schulz has assembled a virtual all-star cast to revive the C.O. Jones name. David’s sister Gretchen, a celebrated force on the local music scene in her own right, will contribute vocals while Schulz’ longtime musical collaborator Steve DeMarchi shares guitar duties with award winning Buffalo-based axeman Tommy Z. Vocalist Nikki Hicks, bass player Jerry Livingston and saxophone player Vince Fossitt will also join the forces to help give up the funk. Joining this gathering of old friends is The Great Train Robbery a much-loved Buffalo ska group whose own recent reunion has been a welcome return to the local scene.

The title says it all. “Bebe Neuwirth sings the music of Kurt Weill, and John Kander & Fred Ebb” (and with a big 40-piece orchestra too!). Neuwirth’s performance kicks off UB’s Broadway series this weekend. Television viewers will know the actress from her portrayal of Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane on the NBC sitcoms “Cheers” and “Frasier.” Neuwirth’s stage credits are, actually, even more impressive and include two Tony Awards. A true “triple threat” of an actor-singer-dancer, she was a favorite of the great Gwen Verdon, and played Lola in the 1994 revival on Broadway. Speaking of Broadway, Neuwirth, was a sensation as Velma Kelly, the Chita Rivera role, in Kander & Ebb’s Chicago (1997) winning a Tony Award for her effort. I can attest to Neuwirth’s Weill background, having seen her as Jenny in a 1999 San Francisco production of Threepenny Opera. From the Weill songbook, expect her to run the gamut from “Surabaya Johnny” to “Lost in the Stars.” From Kander & Ebb, expect the big Velma Kelly numbers, especially “All That Jazz.” It promises to be a very special evening from one of today’s major Broadway performers.

Some say the easiest way to determine the popularity of an entertainer is to see how many other names he or she has earned over the years. Frank Sinatra was often referred to as “The Voice,” “Old Blue Eyes” and “The Chairman of the Board” (although never all three at the same time) while James Brown has frequently been called both “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business” and “Soul Brother Number One.” For his part, legendary comedian Don Rickles’ fifty-year career has earned him such warm salvos as “The King of Zing,” “The Merchant of Venom” and (more confusingly) “The Hockey Puck.” I’d add the titles of “The Prince of Putdown,” “The Lion of Libel” and “Duke of Defamation” to the list. Despite the prickly titles, Rickles is nothing short of an American icon. Indeed, where else but America could a man become a star of films, television and live comedy arenas just by making fun of people? Rickles’ brand of humor is hard to define—a jazzy combination of free-association recollections and barbed comments. It’s not often pretty, it’s almost never politically correct, but it’s always hysterical. You got that, ya hockey puck?

What is that strange two-stringed instrument heard in film scores for every Chinese martial arts movie? It’s the erhu. This weekend, internationally-renowned erhu master Xu Ke (pictured), known as the “Paganini in the world of erhu,” plays with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in the “Legends of the Orient” concert. Xu Ke, who has stretched the instrument’s range to new levels, will perform “The Butterfly Lovers Concerto” composed by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao. If there’s ever a time to catch some erhu action, it’s now. In conjunction with “The Wall: Reshaping Contemporary Chinese Art,” the “Legends” concert features the sweet-sounding exotic melodies of the Far East. Chen Yi, composer of “Ge Xu Antiphony,” will be in attendance to hear her compositions directed by JoAnn Falletta. Interpretations of Stravinsky’s “Le Chant du Rossigno!” (The Song of the Nightingale) and Charles Tomlinson Griffes’ “The Pleasure-Dome of Kubla Khan” will also be performed.

Anyone who saw Marcos Udagawa (aka DJ Marcos of Knowmatic Tribe) perform during his residency in Buffalo had to realize it couldn’t last. The enormous talent he displayed behind the turntables matched Marcos’ outsized personality and infectious energy. Buffalo just wasn’t big enough to hold him, more because of the size of his musical vision than the city’s decline. Marcos reached out to musicians from diverse communities while living in Buffalo. He assembled players from jazz, rock, and world music backgrounds and bands to improvise live behind him while he manned the turntables at the old Kingsnake Lounge. Marcos once spun between sets by Artery (now known as Odiorne) and Madder Rose at a Buffalo show. Those types of appearances attracted and challenged people who never considered a turntablist a musician. All the while he threw warehouse parties and raves, and brought big names like The Wicked Crew, dj Spooky, and The Chocolate Factory to town. In 2002, Marcos moved to New York City and now goes by the name Gringo Scarr! He’s been featured in magazines like Fader and Urb, and has opened for Chemical Brothers and Orb. On Wednesday (Nov. 23), Marcos returns to Buffalo to play at Prespa.