Fischer's Fab 5

1. Interaction between a soloist and full orchestra is the framing element of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra concerts this weekend at the Southern Theatre, music director Jean-Marie Zeitouni told The Beat.

“Dialogues” features pieces from as far back as the Renaissance that include such musical conversations. CSO musicians are the soloists, too: Tom Battenberg and Jeff Korak, trumpets; Luis Biava and Pei-An Chao, cellos; David Thomas, clarinet; and Betsy Sturdevant, bassoon.

The program includes works by Gabrieli, Handel, Vivaldi, Strauss and Beethoven. Concerts will be held Friday through Sunday, Nov. 18-20.

Tickets are $68-$28. Visit www.columbussymphony.com.

2. The front page of Dave Alvin’s website includes the line: “There are two types of folk music: quiet folk music and loud folk music. I play both.”

The architect of the roots rock band The Blasters and later the punk-tinged X, Alvin’s body of work compares favorably with that of fellow Americana rockers Bruce Springsteen and John Fogerty. He has, for the last 20 years or so, maintained a solo career that has unabashedly celebrated the many forms of American music. His latest release, Eleven Eleven, is no exception.

Zeppelin Productions presents Dave Alvin Friday, Nov. 18, at the Grand Valley Dale Ballroom. Tickets are $25. Call (614) 565-6130.

3. Kelowna, British Columbia’s Yukon Blonde recalls Wings, Paul McCartney’s poppy post-Beatles effort. Set against a bed filled with fuzz and drone, the quartet’s tunes clip along with disarming progressions and open harmonies.

Sets at festivals and tours along the east and west coasts, heady critical acclaim and a recent shout-out on TV’s How I Met Your Mother have Yukon Blonde well-positioned for a big step. A recent EP of new material, Fire/ Water, previews a full-length release due out early next year. Meantime, the band is headlining and co-headlining clubs this fall, including a stop at the Rumba Café Saturday, Nov. 19. The bill also includes The Fling and Dave Buker & the Historians.

Tickets are $5/$7. Visit www.bencopresents.com.

4. Paul Simon is a national treasure. In describing Simon, hyperbole becomes matter of fact.

His lasting legacy as a songwriter rivals that of all-time greats like Cole Porter and Rodgers and Hammerstein. No less an expert than Art Garfunkel called him one of the three greatest modern songwriters, alongside

Jimmy Webb and Randy Newman. He’s in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist and with Simon and Garfunkel.

Simon recently turned 70 and The Beat wondered if he felt it was “terribly strange to be 70.” He also turned in a masterful performance of The Sounds of Silence at the 9/11 memorial.

All bits and pieces from a lengthy career that’s still viable.

Simon plays the Palace Theatre with openers Punch Brothers Saturday, Nov. 19. Tickets are $85-$39.50. Visit www.livenation.com.

5. Ledisi’s powerhouse voice is luxurious without being comfortable, intimate without resignation, assured without pretense.

The New Orleans-born, Oakland-raised R&B artist recently released her third album, Pieces of Me, and it marks the latest statement in a career that has changed and challenged — both of these with distinct purpose — at every turn.

The four-time Grammy Award nominee will play the Lincoln Theatre Tuesday, Nov. 22. Tickets are $40. Visit www.capa.com.