Hotel Congress to host concert series named after Tucson bluesman

The Jane Heirs, Mitzi Cowell and the Valiants, and Miss Olivia and the Interlopers will perform from 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday on the Congress Plaza Stage, 311 E. Congress St. Proceeds from the concert ($20 suggested donation at the door) will benefit the Tucson Musicians Museum’s mentorship program.

This mentorship program, a critical component of the museum’s mission, matches professional musicians with their young counterparts, especially in underserved areas. The program is a partnership with public and charter schools, established music-related organizations and youth-oriented clubs. The goal is to develop sustained youth/mentor relationships that will help preserve and pass on Tucson’s rich music legacy.

Funding from the TMM Mentorship Program goes to help purchase instruments and books for the students and to financially compensate the mentor musicians “for their time and contribution to youths’ education,” according to TMM officials.

The concert series is named after Howard, a longtime Tucson blues musician who died last April at the age of 72. Howard co-founded the TMM in 2007 and mentored young Tucson musicians, including several who have gone on to successful music careers.

Also coming up this week:

Texas country singer Aaron Watson brings his “Armadillo Dance Hall Tour” to Desert Diamond Casino, 1100 W. Pima Mine Road, on Saturday, Feb. 24, for rodeo weekend. Watson is one of the biggest DIY country stars, reaching Billboard’s Top 10 country album charts an impressive five times, including topping the chart with his No. 1 album “The Underdog” in 2015. Watson goes on stage at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25-$40 through ddcaz.com.

Multi-instrumentalist and multi-genre singer-songwriter Brian Culbertson brings his “Trilogy Tour” to Rialto Theatre on Friday, Feb. 23. This is one of those “evening with” shows — no opening act, just Culbertson and his band showing off a little bit of jazz and R&B, sprinkled with some pop and New Age. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the all-ages show starts at 8 at the Rialto, 318 E. Congress St. Tickets are $39.50-$54.50 through rialtotheatre.com.

This one is for fans of the 1930s-’40s swing era, when big bands playing loud, raucous jazz were all the rage. The Glenn Miller Orchestra was one of them and 80 years after the legendary bandleader was setting the stage for a generation of musicians that followed, the orchestra is still performing those timeless classics: “In the Mood, Moonlight Serenade,” “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “Pennsylvania 6-5000,” “String of Pearls” and “Tuxedo Junction” among them. The Glenn Miller Orchestra will take the stage at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave., at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22. Tickets are $80-$106 through ticketmaster.com.