Leon Redbone, who prefers down-and-dirty blues and familiar tunes over modern songs and musical fads, will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Paramount Arts Centre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora.
His songs come from, or are inspired by, music from 1899 to 1935-numbers such as “My Blue Heaven” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” His latest (and 10th) album, “Whistling in the Wind,” includes a duet with Ringo Starr on “Little Grass Shack” and a duet with Merle Haggard on “Settin’ by the Fire.”
Tickets are $17.50, available at the Paramount box office. Call 708-896-6666 or Ticketmaster at 312-902-1500.
– Huun-Huur-Tu: Throat Singers of Tuva come to Fermilab’s Ramsey Auditorium at 8 p.m. Saturday.
The group performs a centuries-old form of overtone singing in which the performer can articulate two or three tones at the same time. The unusual art form comes from Tuva, a tiny former Soviet republic in central Asia.
By trade, the performers are expert horsemen who herd goats, sheep and reindeer. Their instruments are adorned with hand-carved horse heads. Their music has been described as both earthy and otherworldly.
Since being discovered by physicist Richard Feynmann and his friend Ralph Leighton, Huun-Huur-Tu has performed in concert halls around the world, including a jam session at Frank Zappa’s house, inclusion on the “Geronimo” film soundtrack with Ry Cooder and a performance for the Dalai Lama.
Tickets are $14. Ramsey Auditorium is located in Fermilab’s Wilson Hall, Kirk Road at Pine Street, Batavia. Call 708-840-ARTS.
– Portraying 15 cultures in one show, the Tamburitzans of Duquesne University will appear at 8 p.m. Friday at the Norris Theatre at the Dellora A. Norris Cultural Arts Center, 1040 Dunham Rd., St. Charles.
Named for the tamburitza, a musical instrument, the group sings in more than a dozen European languages and performs dances of as many countries. Each year it presents an entirely new concert portraying the cultures of the East European people.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for children and senior citizens, $11 for groups of 10 or more. Call the box office at 708-584-7200.
– Blood, Sweat and Tears comes to the College of DuPage Arts Center, 22nd Street and Park Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, at 8 p.m. Friday.
The Grammy-winning rock group’s better-known hits include “Spinning Wheel,” “You Make Me So Very Happy” and “And When I Die.”
Tickets are $24, or $23 for students and senior citizens. Call 708-858-3110.
– The Theatre of Western Springs will present the comedy “Marvin’s Room,” the third mainstage play of the season, beginning Thursday and continuing through Feb. 5 with performances at 8:15 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays.
Tickets are $12 on Thursdays and Sundays, $15 on Fridays and Saturdays. The Theatre of Western Springs is at 4384 Hampton Ave., Western Springs. Call 708-246-3380.
– Muntu Dance Theatre performs Saturday at the Visual and Performing Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. The Chicago troupe was organized in 1972 by artistic director Amaniyea Payne, whose credits include performing in Stevie Wonder’s stage show with the late Cab Calloway. Payne’s choreography focuses on the music, dance and folklore of African and African-American cultures. Tickets are $4, or $2 for students. Call 708-622-0300.
