RED BANK: FEELGOOD MUSIC, REAL TIME LAFFS

Master multi-instrumentalist David Bromberg makes his annual pilgrimage to the Count Basie Theatre tonight, with politically pointed standup Bill Maher in the wings for Sunday.

When the well-mannered virtuoso and good-humored entertainer brings his 12-piece Big Band back to the Count Basie Theatre on June 21, he’ll be performing his usual unpredictable mix of originals, bull-in-a-used-record-shop covertunes (Bob Wills to Bob Dylan to Bo Diddley to Dave Dudley), and flights of fancy that may well land upon a bluegrass tribute to Ethel Merman. These shows tend to gather their own fanatical crowd of genre-hopping musical gourmets; tonight’s 8 pm set is another promising party of the sort that comes but once a year, and you can score your ticket ($20 – $59) here.

Of course, no one ever accused Bill Maher of being a particularly “well-mannered” entertainer, but for the LA-based comedy veteran, that Jersey-bred take-no-prisoners attitude (and relentless left-flank assault on the headline hustlers of the day) is part of his own peculiar elfin charm. From his old Politically Incorrect show to his weekly HBO panel pile-on Real Time, Maher has long been in the vanguard of a talk-show/ “fake news” subgenre (including telecasts by Red Bank’s own Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and John Oliver) that has effectively squelched what was once thought to be the “conservative comedy advantage.” Keeping his standup skills razor-sharp with a near-constant itinerary of touring, the writer-star of Religulous returns to the Count Basie Theatre for an 8 pm show on Sunday, June 22. Take it here for tickets (SOLD OUT!) — or, if Maher’s not exactly your cup of tea, get your early tickets here for a December 4 encore appearance by Dennis Miller.