Press Picks

Call it speed funk novelty music, call it whacked hardcore, call it literate psycho-pop -- make up any genre you like. Just convince your friends to join you for a jolly night of music worth hearing. Keenlies play with Chocolate U.S.A. and Jinkies, Jinkies being the spawn of Bloodfart. 9 p.m. Harvey's Club Deluxe, 2524 McKinney, 223-4705. $5.

tuesday
may 3
Commedia dell'arte masks Italian crafters Amleto and Donato Sartori learned the Italian craft of maskmaking for restoration. The couple has gone on to make new masks, following the ancient traditions but also attempting to place the masks in contemporary life.

The exhibition currently displayed in the library includes 50 years of work. Masks, portraits, commedia dell'arte figures and details of their making offer insights into the art and tradition of this form.

Masks, as an art form, have an eerie, almost religious power. The frozen expressions add something supernatural to the masks, and the empty eyes give masks more charm and more power than most carved figures. As adults, we're supposed to study the sculpting, style, historical context and so forth. Children, though, have the luxury of pure imagination and can be equally intrigued by the faces themselves and by the skill of their makers.

This exhibition is sponsored by the International Festival and continues through June 1. Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun., 2-6 p.m. The Houston Public Library, Central, 500 McKinney, 236-1313. Free.

wednesday
may 4
Kissinger speaks Recently seen on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Henry Kissinger is now appearing live, in person, and not laughing about soccer with John Lithgow but gravely addressing issues. The Institute of International Education has selected the world's best-known diplomat to speak at its annual luncheon, which is its 75th anniversary luncheon, no less. The agency was established to promote education and cultural exchange in the service of international goodwill, and it now administers 285 programs, which involve 10,000 people from 170 countries.

The Nobel Prize-winning diplomat has recently published a book entitled simply Diplomacy. Scholarly types could pick up a copy and review before attending the lunch. 11:40 a.m. Westin Oaks Hotel, Consort Ballroom, 5011 Westheimer, 621-6300. $45, $75 & $100.