IT’S time for “PuraVida Showcase”, Frank Madrid’s fourth big foray into contemporary Latin music, staged in Sydney and Canberra during October.

Brazilian group Sistema Criolina will be back in town, but this time all eyes will be on the neo-tango, blues and folk of American-Argentine Grammy nominees Kevin Johansen and his five-piece band The Nada. Madrid says: “These two acts are at the forefront of Latin music and demonstrate how eclectic and very sophisticated Latin America’s music scene is.” And I believe him. It’s at The Street Theatre, 8pm, Friday, October 11, bookings to 6247 1223 or thestreet.org.au

GOOD news from PhotoAccess that 28 works from its recent “100 Views of Canberra” Centenary project were shown recently as part of the Photoville Festival in Brooklyn, NY, held in a “village” of shipping containers transformed into temporary exhibition spaces. For the exhibition, weirdly titled “Canberraville: a Rolling Grounds of contemporary fiction”, people from around the world were asked to discover or re-imagine Canberra.

JAZZ legend Jan Preston’s new show, “My Life as a Piano”, is full of personal, funny and poignant stories, quirky facts about the piano in history, photos and, of course, music. It recently sold out The Brisbane Jazz Club and now she’s bringing it to the Street Theatre at 8pm on October 12, just after she releases her new album of the same title. Booking to 6247 1223 or thestreet.org.au

CALUM Builder, an enterprising music student at ANU, is organising jazz jam nights on Thursdays at 9.30pm in Smith’s Alternative. The jam is open to members of the community to come, maybe to watch, but better, to join in. Conveniently, happy hour is from 9.30pm to 10.30pm and entry is free.

BELCONNEN Arts Centre, is packed with exhibitions. In the Arts Lounge, Dianne Libke explores solitude in paintings, drawings and sculptures made from chairs, woven cassette tape, tiny microphone parts and discarded metal. Meet the Artist 1pm October 6. In the foyer, Judi Power Thomson, Julie Bradley and Elizabeth Faul present “Lake, Forest, Sky”, Meet the artists, 2pm October 6. All shows run Tuesday-Sunday until October 13.

ALTHOUGH the “sold-out” signs went up weeks ago on the website, I am reliably assured that there are still seats for the Russian National Ballet Theatre’s full-length classical performances of “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker”, at Canberra Theatre Centre, October 11-12. Bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au