Geez, Terence Blanchard worked on only five film scores this year? "Yeah," he says with a laugh, "I've decided to slow down in my old age." Actually, the only thing that could slow down the 2001 Big Easy Awards Entertainer of the Year was an appendectomy last month. But fear not; it's going to take a lot more to sideline the master trumpeter and film composer from hosting TERENCE BLANCHARD'S HOLIDAY JAZZ: FEATURING A SALUTE TO BILLIE HOLIDAY, with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) Wednesday at the Orpheum Theatre. Guest conductor Bill Grimes will lead the LPO as they back Blanchard and his own group, with guest vocalist Liz Wright singing some of Lady Day's classics and some more obscure works. Blanchard is only now recovering from the appendectomy and should be 100 percent by the time the curtain rises on this tribute, something with which he's very familiar. Blanchard has honored jazz and other greats in the past, including 1994's Billie Holiday Songbook as well as last year's collection of Jimmy McHugh songs, Let's Get Lost. Obviously, doing Songbook gave him a nice foundation for this performance, which he's done with his group in different variations in New York City and Chicago. "(Doing the Songbook album) gives you a chance to see what's possible," says Blanchard, who will take his group into the studio in January for a new CD. "One of the things that fascinates me about music in general is how many ways there are to skin the same cat. I tell my students that all the greats -- from John Coltrane ... to Louis Armstrong --play the blues fundamentally the same, but stylistically they're different; they're light years apart. "I think it's honesty in her music," Blanchard says of his attraction to Holiday. "That's what people can relate to because it comes from a real place. All that hurt and pain in her songs, people can relate to it. It's not manufactured, but based on real experiences in her life. I just think with all of the songs I've heard of hers, it's never like she's going through the motions or phoning it in." Tickets range from $20 to $35 and can be purchased through the LPO Web site (www.lpomusic.com) or box office (523-6530). Showtime 7:30 p.m. -- David Lee Simmons

Davell Crawford 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18 Snug Harbor, 626 Frenchmen St., 949-0696 The grandson of Sugarboy Crawford, pianist Davell Crawford has always had music in his blood. But Davell was a bona fide prodigy at an early age, as anyone who saw him as a teenager in local clubs opening for the likes of Dr. John can attest. His musical vocabulary is immense, encompassing New Orleans rhythm & blues, contemporary jazz, gospel, standards, funk, pop and contemporary R&B. Since releasing a string of albums for Rounder Records in the 1990s (including the superb organ-trio effort The B-3 and Me), Crawford has stepped out of the public spotlight, content to write new material at his own pace. That's what makes this club appearance noteworthy, as there's no telling what new tricks Crawford may have up his sleeve -- but it's safe to say they'll be fueled by soulful vocals and piano playing. Admission $15. -- Scott Jordan

Kelly Love Jones 10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18 Blue Nile, 532 Frenchmen St., 948-2583 Dancing on the line between rapper and singer-songwriter, Kelly Love Jones incorporates elements of jazz, soul, and hip-hop into her earthy yet urban sound. Its unmistakable New Orleans element is prominent on her debut album, Love Jones, featuring contributions from jazz drummer James Alsanders and guitarist Jesse Lewis, both local jazz players. For her regular Wednesday night Blue Nile gig, Jones brings an acoustic guitar, volumes of poetry, and a full band of local jazzmen, including guitarist Brian Seeger (Quintology, Moore and More), bassist Nori Noraoka, and drummer Leo Williams. Saxophonist Samir Zarif adds the essential jazzy brass element in riffs and solos as Jones mixes singing and rapping in introspective songs about her hopes and dreams. She counts Sade, Cassandra Wilson and Nina Simone among her idols, shunning the influence of contemporary commercial hip-hop. -- Cristina Diettinger

Michael Ray's 50th Birthday Party 10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS It's just like local music visionary Michael Ray to host an improvisation blowout for his big 5-0. The Sun Ra trumpeter and his Cosmic Krewe will space-funk the crowd with a regrouped lineup including pianist David Ellington and drummer Dan Caro (Brotherhood of Groove). A free-for-all jam session could involve any number of musician friends and fans from all corners of the creative music spectrum, including veterans like pianist David Torkanowsky and younger Ray disciples from jazz-funk-hip-hop band Iris May Tango. Given Ray's lack of regard for musical boundaries, the outcome could be transcendental. As he celebrates entrance into his sixth decade, Ray is preparing a new album. Tentatively titled Live at Jimmy¹s, the album documents a much talked-about jam session at the now-defunct Uptown club. Contributors include percussionists Michael Skinkus and Steve Ferrais, saxphonist Dave Grippo, and guitarist Trey Anastasio and drummer Jon Fishman of Phish. While a record contract is still in negotiation, Ray is shooting for an early spring release. Admission $7. -- Diettinger

Happy Birthday Fess 10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS In celebration of what would have been Professor Longhair's 84th birthday, some of New Orleans' finest pianists are manning the ivories to pay tribute to Fess. Tom Worrell knows Longhair's catalog in and out, and led the house band for 1997's "Fess-tival" series at Tipitina's, while Jon Cleary's scintillating extra-Cuba-fied version of "Tipitina" has been a staple of his set for years. The Radiators' Ed Volker also has a particularly soft spot for Longhair, and wrote the song "Long Hard Journey Home" after playing Jazz Fest one year and having a vision of Fess in the clouds. Expect solo acoustic pieces from each performer, and then Cleary's backing band the Absolute Monster Gentlemen will serve as the backing band for the night. It'll be one of those nights that serves as a timely reminder why Longhair's banner hangs above the Tip's stage, and his statue reigns on the adjacent neutral ground. Admission $10. -- Jordan

Spencer Bohren's Christmas Party 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19 Snug Harbor, 626 Frenchmen St., 949-0696 It's been a busy year as usual for singer/songwriter/guitarist Spencer Bohren. He wrote the score for the play Earl Long in Purgatory, was invited to Hot Tuna legend Jorma Kaukonen's ranch to teach at Kaukonen's instructional camp, and toured the Midwest and Europe extensively. He also released the album Solitaire in the spring, a typically tasty program of fingerpicking and mature vocals. Now Bohren's back home in time for his annual Christmas concert, which features his friends and family joining in the holiday cheer. This year's celebration includes Dave Malone and Reggie Scanlan of the Radiators, Leigh "Little Queenie" Harris, and nouveau funksters Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes. Progeny figures prominently in the festivities, as Bohren's musically talented children Andre and Tucker join in, along with their peers Darcy and Johnny Malone and Annie Clements. Admission $15. -- Jordan

Slick 57 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20 Mermaid Lounge, 1100 Constance St., 524-4747 If you're looking for a knock-down blowout night to kick your holiday party season into high gear (or the gutter), Dallas-based honky-tonk punk trio Slick 57 has the musical boots to do it. Granted, the band isn't doing anything that Dash Rip Rock wasn't doing in the '80s, but these guys can still rip up a program of high-speed twang filled with Ramones attitude. Their new CD, The Ghost of Bonnie Parker, features such shot-and-beer fare as "Heading to My Ex-Girlfriend's Wedding" and "Cheatin' Side of Town," where guitarist/vocalist John Pedigo and the rhythm section of bassist Ward Richmond and drummer Trey Pendergrass show that alt-country doesn't all have to be sensitive weepers. Uptown Plowboys open. Admission $7. -- Jordan

Deception of Being: Paintings by Ron Bechet Through Jan. 30 Delgado Gallery, Delgado College, 615 City Park Ave., 483-4114 Best known for his sprawling canvases highlighting the natural world's riotous excesses, Ron Bechet shifts gears a bit in his new Delgado Gallery show. Here, the paintings resemble shields, a shape that he notes is similar to that of Caravaggio's Portrait of David, only instead of painting Biblical characters, Bechet continues his explorations of the wilderness, albeit in a new format. He says the show addresses universal questions such as "why are we here?" and continues the ideas expressed in his last exhibition, which focused on virtue and what he regards as its opposite: chaos. Noting that trees have deep roots underground, trunks that utilize gravity to ascend upward, and branches that reach toward the heavens, he says he regards them as icons in the eternal search for truth and the ongoing battle against chaos. Ron Bechet is the chairman of the Art Department of Xavier University. -- D. Eric Bookhardt