Around The Arts

La Casa hosts Puerto Rican night\nLa Casa Latino Cultural Center will present a night of Puerto Rican food, music and culture. There will be a showing of "Puerto Ricans," a video documentray centered around Puerto Rican culture and everyday life. Authentic Puerto Rican food and Puerto Rican salsa music will be a part of the night's festivities. The event will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at La Casa, located at 715 E. Seventh St. For more information contact 855--0174 or smercado@indiana.edu.\nPianist visits IU \nGuthrie "Guy" Ramsey Jr., celebrated author and pianist, will perform at 8:30 p.m. Friday, at Ford-Crawford Hall in the School of Music. Ramsey's performance will include Tyron Cooper, IU Soul Revue's director, as well as members of the African American choral ensemble. The concert is sponsored by the IU School of Music and the African American Arts Institute. The School of Music is located on the corner of Third Street and Jordan Avenue at 1202 E. Third St. Admission to the performance is free and open to the public.\nProduction to show the black experience\nIn honor of Black History Month, IU's multicultural theater group will present "Can You Hear Me Now?" The production is directed by Garlia Jones and is made up of poetry and scenes depicting the black experience. "Can you Hear Me Now?" will be showing at 8 p.m. Feb. 26, through th 27 at Willkie Auditorium, located at 150 N. Rose Ave. Admission is free. For more information contact epetty@indiana.edu.\nJazz fest Saturday\nDuring the 1930s, the Indianapolis Jazz scene was one of the hottest in the country, and the heart of that scene was Indiana Avenue -- the center of black business and cultural life. Indiana Avenue clubs like the Sunset Terrace were frequented by some of the era's great jazz musicians. The program will feature David Baker, the Hampton Sisters, Pookie Johnson, Lawrence Clark III and more. The event will take place at 8 p.m. Feb. 28 at John Waldron Arts Center Auditorium at 122 S. Walnut St. Tickets are $12 for general admission, $10 for students, seniors and BAAC members; and $6 for children 12 and under. For more information call 334-3100.\nThe Grey album stirs controversy\nWhen DJ Dangermouse decided to combine raps from Jay-Z's "The Black Album" with music from the Beatles' legendary "White Album" to create "The Grey Album," he didn't have permission from either side to do it -- and he didn't care.\n"I intended for it to be for friends and for people who knew my stuff. I figured it would get passed around, and it would be this little underground thing, but it kind of took off on its own," said the music producer, born Brian Burton.\nThat's an understatement. Although he only pressed up a few thousand copies on CD, it has become a hotly traded album on the Web, sparking the consternation of the Beatles' parent label and an Internet protest in support of Dangermouse.\n"This was not my intent to break copyright laws. It was my intent to make an art project," the Los Angeles-based producer told The Associated Press.