So much happening, so little space to write about it – so this week we have another grab-bag of what I like to call stuff.
And there's all sorts of musical stuff this week, mostly with a jazzy or folky bent, but it's all stuff that seems a touch eclectic, which is kinda reassuring for people who still think Tauranga is so middle of the road that it should have white lines painted on its back.

First a quick update. It's good to sometimes glance back at things mentioned in recent columns and see how they went.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the inaugural ‘Djam' session at the Bureta Park Motor Inn, the gypsy jazz jam led by Robbie Laven and Marion Arts of local swing revival duo Bonjour Swing.
Well I'm pleased to report that the first session was a great success, with about 30 people in attendance, about half players and half listeners. The players ranged from relative newcomers to old jazz hands such as Chris Williamson and experienced players who don't normally stroll the swing path like Mike Kirk and Grant Haua. All brought acoustic guitars with the exception of one brave ukulele player.
It was decided that these jams will take place every fortnight so a heads up to all interested acoustic players: the next Djam will be on Monday night (March 28), 7.30pm start with a pre-jam sit down with Robbie (if you like) to run through the evening's main tune at 7pm.
And sliding along to a mixture of jazz and folk, I really want to give a little plug to a gig that it is probably too late for anyone to get to now, but if you happen to be reading this at a decent hour on Friday, you still have time to get down to the Historic Village and catch Beyondsemble, an unusual Auckland group which plays a fascinating potpourri of gypsy jazz, tango, bluegrass, Celtic folk and Latin rhythms.
I really meant to get on to them earlier but other things interrupted. These guys are top musicians and equally adept at intricate early swing as they are at pulling out a heart-stopping Irish ballad. Between them they play acoustic guitar, fiddle, accordion, piano, percussion and a swag of other things. Their Facebook page is a bit useless but if you have a quick look at YouTube you can see a pile of clips of them at various festivals and other venues around the country. It's all very impressive and they look like they have a lot of fun on stage.
Things kick off at 8pm and cost $20 (discounts for seniors students and beneficiaries).
And while Beyondsemble may regard themselves as eclectic, it's nothing compared to the group coming to the Katikati Folk Club next Friday (April 1, though this is no joke). The young duo Blyde Lasses (meaning, apparently, Glad Girls) hail from Scotland and specialise in the traditional music of the Shetland Islands.
Claire White, singer and fiddler, is a Shetlander born and bred and has been here before on a world tour with a group called Shetland's Young Heritage. She's been playing fiddle since the age of seven and is now based in Aberdeen. Frances Wilkins, singer and English concertina player, has a PhD in Ethnomusicology and also grew up in the Shetland Islands. Both play with a number of other traditional bands and their exploration of northern Scottish music – laced with stories and humour - should prove fascinating. If you've got grumpy old Scottish neighbours, send them along. Even if they're not grumpy.
That's at the Katikati Bowling Club on Park Road and starts at 7.30pm. Tickets are $20, available on the door.
And, before wrapping up, can I just send out a big tip of the pork-pie hat to Pinetop Perkins, one of the blues greats, who died last week at the age of 97. Pinetop was about as good a blues piano player as you could hope to hear, mainly known for his role in Muddy Waters' band where he replaced the equally amazing Otis Spann. You can catch him briefly in The Blues Brothers movie and anything of his, as a front man or with Muddy, is worthwhile. He was cool.