As crime creeps back to the forefront of priorities facing Mayor Ray Nagin, the battle cry for neighborhood involvement gets louder and louder. Starting a neighborhood watch may initially seem like a taunting task, and for obvious reasons: New Orleans Police Department district chiefs concede that often the targeted watch area is sometimes too broad to coordinate, and the initial organizer winds up doing a lot of the dirty work. However, momentum can be a very good thing, which is why this year's Annual Night Out Against Crime is so crucial -- if neighbors seize the opportunity to watch out for one another, crime prevention gets a major, needed boost. Which is what Tuesday's Night Out is all about: getting to know your neighbors, and the cops who patrol your area. There may be no better example than in the First District, where Eddie Compass' (pictured) work with residents -- including the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club -- was credited as one of the many reasons he was promoted by Nagin to replace Richard Pennington as the NOPD's superintendent. "Now, if something happens in the community, people are more willing to call the police and serve as witnesses at trial," says Durell Williams, Zulu's coordinator for its block party, which starts with a parade from First District's headquarters (501 N. Rampart St.) to the Zulu Home (732 N. Broad Ave.). "A lot of people are reluctant to testify, and Capt. Compass has been working with church groups and others so that when witnesses go to court, we bring a group to go with them for support." Zulu's block part, like many throughout the city, will feature food and drink, with sign-up sheets available for residents to volunteer to help. Nagin and Compass will be in attendance at the party, while NOPD officers will attend most of the Night Out events around the city. While there is no official list available for hosts of Night Out events, many venues have become repeat hosts over the years, and NOPD encourages citizens to hold parties of their own. Finding a site might be as easy as taking a drive through your own neighborhood to find a location. Night Out generally runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. -- David Lee Simmons

The Taming of the Shrew 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, Aug. 6-8; 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10 Lupin Theater, Lagniappe Stage, Tulane University, 865-5102 During the Renaissance in 16th century England, argumentative wives who resisted the assumed authority of their husbands became known as "shrews." William Shakespeare caused controversy yet again when he wrote a play that simultaneously praised the taming of shrews and the shrews for their free spirits. One of Shakespeare's earlier comedies, The Taming of the Shrew focuses on the wooing (and taming) by Petruchio of the indomitable Katherine so that his friend may marry her popular sister, Bianca. This summer a group of interns will perform the bawdy play on the Lagniappe Stage of The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane. The SFT Intern Program is a seven-week intensive study program for college and graduating high school students. Students participate in a summer devoted to theatrical production and culminating with this production. Tickets $10 regular admission, $8 students, children and seniors. For tickets and information, call 865-5105. -- Tomarra Campbell

The First Annual Fast Horse Hootenanny featuring Tuatara, Cedell Davis, Minus 5, Wayward Shamans 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St. 529-BLUE On paper, this is one of the strangest collectives in recent memory, featuring a diverse group of musicians including drummer Barrett Martin of the early-90s Seattle grunge band Screaming Trees, R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, and 75-year-old Delta blues guitarist Cedell Davis. They're all part of the roster of Martin's newly launched Fast Horse Records and are embarking on a good old-fashioned revue-style tour, often sharing band members. Openers the Wayward Shamans play '70s-era jazz/funk; the Minus 5 play pop-tinged garage rock; and Tuatara is an adventuresome nine-piece ensemble that veers from jazz to rock, composed of the seven-piece Wayward Shamans plus Buck and Scott McCaughey of the Young Fresh Fellows. You won't need a scorecard when Davis is onstage; like the late great Junior Kimbrough, Davis is an utterly original bluesman -- who hasn't let polio stop him from playing slide guitar with a butter knife in his crippled hand. Tickets $17.50. -- Scott Jordan

Jurassic 5 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE Hip-hop acts are often notoriously disappointing in a live setting, but L.A. sextet Jurassic 5 (yes, there are six of them) is sure to show us different this Thursday night. The crew emerged from the fertile West Coast underground in the late '90s when two precursor crews (Unity Committee and Rebels of Rhythm) joined forces in the name of hip-hop innovation. Their 2000 CD, Quality Control -- an opus characterized by tongue-twisting rhymes, including some clever indictment of commercial hip-hop's wackness -- won astounding critical acclaim, making several hip-hop top-10 lists that year. A new album is slated for release in October. Beat juggling comes courtesy of DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist, whom they share with Latin-funk-hip-hop band Ozomatli, and the group's four MCs are overflowing with skill. J5's set at this June's Bonnaroo jam band festival nearly blew the Birkenstocks off attendees. Tickets $20. -- Cristina Diettinge

The Black & White Blues 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Aug. 9-10; through Sept. 7 Le Chat Noir, 715 St. Charles Ave., 581-5812 Awhile back as part one of our restaurant guides, we profiled people in the service industry who literally could sing for your supper. It should be no great shock that with the separate strengths of food and music in New Orleans, there'd be a little overlap. It is in this spirit of colliding cultures that Graham presents his latest musical, The Black & White Blues. With a music score by Harry Mayronne Jr., Blues tells the story of local cuisine from the viewpoint of waiters and waitresses, who sing about everything from fashionable Asian cuisine to bread pudding. Graham and Heidi P. Junius direct Jorinda Junius, Russell Hodgkinson, Jessie Terrebone and Chris Wecklein. Tickets $18 for these two preview shows, later shows through Sept. 7 $22. -- Frank Etheridge and David Lee Simmons

LL Cool J 9 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 10 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE It's been nearly two decades since self-proclaimed "greatest MC of all time" LL Cool J dropped out of high school to embark on a roller coaster of a rap career. Fans and critics lauded him as a genius at some points and a sellout at others, but few would debate his status as a hip-hop legend. He's laid low for the past few years, but now he's touring for the sake of his loyal fans instead of waiting until after his new album is released next year. The album, titled Ten, with production by the Neptunes and the Track Masters, will mark the final chapter in his Def Jam obligations and the beginning of his free agency. He's also re-upping his acting career, appearing in Deliver Us From Eva (a romantic comedy) and Mindhunters (a thriller), both hitting screens next year. This summer's live shows have LL digging deep in his arsenal of hits, so expect rap-along numbers from classic albums like Bigger and Deffer and the perennial favorite Mama Said Knock You Out. Naam Brigade opens. Tickets $35. -- Diettinger

Bamboula 2000 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10 Cafe Brasil, 2100 Chartres St., 949-0851 Led by master percussionist Luther Gray, Bamboula 2000 has steadily become one of New Orleans' premier rhythmic ensembles, playing grooves that span from Africa to Congo Square and the Caribbean, bolstered by touches of jazz, funk, R&B and New Orleans second-line rhythms. The band was recently voted the Best World Music Performer at the 2002 Big Easy Awards, still riding the wave of momentum built from its superb 2000 CD, New Society. Bamboula deftly mixes original compositions like "Bamboula Love Call" with inspired covers of songs like the Meters' "Hey Pocky-a-Way," offering sounds for New Orleans music fans and world music fans alike. This week the band celebrates its eighth anniversary -- and Grey's birthday -- with a Cafe Brasil show that promises special guests. And the colorful costumes and beautiful moves of the dancing Bamboula Queens are a show in itself. Admission $5. -- Jordan

Jeff and Vida 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10 Mermaid Lounge, 1100 Constance St., 524-4747 The genre draws smaller audiences in New Orleans than hotbeds like Austin and Portland, but there's some terrific acoustic-based country and folk music (courtesy of the likes of Gina Forsyth, Mike West and Jim McCormick) being made in New Orleans these days. Jeff and Vida are in that number, with steady gigs and a debut CD, One Horse Town, that showcase Jeff Burke's rich vocal harmonies and multi-instrumental talents, and Vida Wakeman's gorgeous lead vocals. Wakeman's voice is a thing of pure beauty, a hard country conduit suggesting Iris Dement without the exaggerated tics. The duo just released its sophomore CD, Simplest Plans, another set of winning original songs that mine Appalachian and American music traditions without feeling overly derivative. If there's any justice at Americana and Triple-A radio station playlists across the country, Jeff & Vida could make some national waves with new songs like "Don't Leave the Lights On" and "Trucks in the Distance." Trouble Junction opens. Admission TBA. -- Jordan

Southern Contemporary: New Art of the Ogden Museum Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp St., 539-9600 Through Sept. 15 It's been a long time coming and, well, it'll be a little more time yet, but that hasn't deterred the Ogden Museum of Southern Art from maintaining an active exhibition schedule even as construction continues apace on its permanent Camp Street complex. Next door at the CAC, its Southern Contemporary show features the work of veteran New York artist and New Orleans native Kendall Shaw, as well as contemporary artists Robyn Horn, Jesus Morales and Jeffrey Cook. Also on view is Miro, Miro on the Wall, William Dunlap's tribute to abstract artist Joan Miro. Based on the drawings found on the walls of Miro's farmhouse studio, Dunlap's installation reflects the interpretive nature of the Spanish artist's work as expressed by his friend Joan Prats, who said, "When I pick up a rock, it's a rock. When Miro picks up a rock, it's a Miro." -- D. Eric Bookhardt