POP MUSIC : Festival Is Coming to Americas

It’s not quite the same as getting a $7 plane ticket to any destination in the Americas, but Golden West College’s first annual Starshower ’92 concert series tries. For five Thursday evenings beginning tonight, the tree-lined, 1,000-capacity amphitheater on the Huntington Beach campus will play host to a wide swath of the music of the Americas.

The series kickoff tonight features Huayucaltia, a multicultural quintet of Latino musicians. Subsequent shows will include a Louisiana zydeco band, an African/American pop hybrid, and performances of swing and contemporary jazz.

The shows, organized by the campus’s Fine Arts and Community Service departments, are intended “to present an outdoor series that’s unique to Orange County, with the theme of ‘music of the Americas,’ ” said events coordinator Marsha Clark.

With its lawn seating under the stars (it’s recommended that concert-goers bring blankets and low-backed beach chairs), the program is geared toward family outings.

Picnic baskets are allowed, though some refreshments--including popcorn, soft drinks and cappuccino--will be available on-site.

The series holds several acts in common with the Long Beach Museum of Art’s “International World Sound” Wednesday-night series, but the two venues are cooperators rather than competitors, according to Clark. “We worked together on the scheduling to make it possible for the acts to perform at both events,” she said.

The schedule of shows is as follows:

July 9: Huayucaltia (meaning “unity and brotherhood” in the Aztec language of Nahuatl) draws its members from Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Colombia and the United States. The group’s original compositions blend their varied countries’ traditional music and instrumentation (including wood flutes and distinctive percussion) with jazz and flamenco influences.

July 16: Zulu Spear, an octet largely composed of South African expatriates, blend socially conscious lyrics and African rhythms with American rock and Motown influences. A section of their performances are done in full Zulu costume, with a display of native dancing and drumming.

July 23: Swing Savant with special guest Harry Babbitt. Babbitt was once a featured singer with the Kay Kyser Kollege of Musical Knowledge and recently appeared in the PBS “Sentimental Journeys” salute to big-band singers. He joins forces here with Swing Savant, a band led by drummer Matt Johnson, with arrangements and clarinet provided by Golden West instructor Tom Kubis. The group, which recently issued a cassette on Ad Lib Records, will perform jazz from the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s.

July 30: Gerry Schroeder and Whizzard show another face of jazz, with their contemporary fusion music. Composer/pianist Schroeder, who also is a member of the Golden West faculty, will lead his six-piece band through a program of his own compositions.

Aug. 6: T-Lou and the Los Angeles Zydeco Band play the Cajun-R&B; hybrid music of Louisiana’s bayou country. T-Lou (Joseph Louis Eaglin to the IRS) grew up in Kinder, La., and was influenced by zydeco king Clifton Chenier. Like Chenier, T-Lou plays accordion, while his son plays the rub board and other members complete the dance-happy music with fiddle, drums, bass and guitar.

What: “Starshower ‘92,” an outdoor concert series at the Golden West College Amphitheatre.

When: Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. through Aug. 6 (grounds open at 6:30 p.m.).

Where: 15744 Golden West St., Huntington Beach.

Whereabouts: San Diego (405) Freeway to the Golden West Street exit. Go south on Golden West, left on Edinger Avenue and left on Gothard Street to the campus parking lot.

Wherewithal: $7 per concert, or $30 for the five-concert series.

Where to Call: The Golden West College Bookstore, (714) 895-8378.