TONY ENGELHART: JOHNNY A HAS MANY SIDES >>>

What a cool name- Johnny A! But if his name is groovy, his music is extra groovy. While Johnny A can rock, he falls more into the category of a jazz and blues collision- think Jeff Beck meets George Benson. The one-time Peter Wolf sidekick is a true guitar virtuoso who has the ability to bend the strings until they sing in perfect harmony. While he's not a household name, superstar Eric Clapton welcomed his nimble fingers to the stage at his Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004. Johnny A has also been spotted on stages with Stevie Vai, B.B. King and Robert Cray. To date, A has released two discs. Both 1999's Sometime Tuesday Morning and 2004'¢s Get Inside contain mostly original compositions, but he covers tunes like the Beatles' "Yes It Is" and Hendrix' "The Wind Cries Mary" with remarkable originality.

[Jazzbones, 9 p.m., $15, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]

Photo courtesy of Myspace