For September, a jazzy blend of music, living history and atypical art

Aspen, Colo.

Sept. 1-4: The Jazz Aspen Labor Day Festival is more rock than jazz, but it’s jazzy nonetheless. Performers include LeAnn Rimes and Susan Tedeschi (Sept. 1), Kanye West and Robert Randolph & the Family Band (Sept. 2), Don Henley and Los Lonely Boys (Sept. 3) and Matisyahu and Polyphonic Spree (Sept. 4).

Snowmass Town Park, near the intersection of Highway 82 and Brush Creek Road in Snowmass Village. Four-day pass, $150. Friday and Monday, $40 each. Saturday and Sunday, $55 each. (970) 920-4996, www.jazzaspen.org.

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Sacramento

Sept. 1-4: Gold Rush Days offers visitors the experience of mid-19th century Old Sacramento in living history: Streets are closed to cars and covered with dirt in the 28-acre area, reenactors wear period costumes and folks travel by foot or horse-drawn carriage. See the Pony Express and Wild West shootouts, churn butter and make biscuits. Period entertainment, ethnic villages, crafts and more enhance the atmosphere.

Old Sacramento National Historic District in downtown. Exit Interstate 5 at J Street and follow signs. Free. (916) 808-7777, www.oldsacramento.com.

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Portland, Ore.

Sept. 7-17: The Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s Time-Based Art Festival blasts a hole in the wall between artist and audience and invites everyone to walk through it. TBA’s fourth version adds visual art exhibitions and installations to its (un)usual repertoire of dance, music, theater and film. Visitors can explore in workshops, lectures, performances and “happenings.” Special performances include John King -- Extreme Guitar Orchestra (Sept. 7) and performance artist Laurie Anderson (Sept. 8 and 9). Art installations include “Illegal Art” (including work by David Byrne) and “Stan’s Cafe: Of All the People in the World” (with one grain of rice for every person in the U.S.). Performances include ballet as envisioned by people who have never seen it, an irreverent take on Lewis and Clark told with puppets, readings of the work of the late Spalding Gray, and dancing in the dark (with the audience wearing night-vision gear).

Venues around Portland. Passes $75-$500. Anderson tickets separate, $30-50. Information, (503) 242-1419; tickets, (503) 224-7422; www.pica.org/tba/tba06.

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-- Blake Hennon

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