Piano man

Once merely the musical accompanists to jazz singers, trumpeters, saxophonists and guitarists, jazz pianists took center stage during the bebop era of the 1940s and never looked back. Thelonius Monk, Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock paved the way for current jazz-piano stars Brad Mehldau, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Jon Weber, and today, jazz pianists and singer-songwriters Norah Jones and Diana Krall have possibly the largest followings of any living jazz musicians. This week, Weber—host of NPR's Piano Jazz With Jon Weber—brings a multifaceted performance titled From Joplin to Jarrett: 100 Years of Piano Jazz to Folsom's Harris Center for the Arts. With music spanning a century, personal anecdotes, research and analysis, Weber will break down all you need to know about jazz piano. Thursday, January 23, through Saturday, January 25, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, January 26, at 2 p.m.; $12-$39. Harris Center for the Arts, 10 College Parkway in Folsom; (916) 608-6888; www.harriscenter.net.