Close your eyes during a Leon Redbone concert and you might imagine yourself on a rickety old back porch off the Louisiana bayou, sometime early last century, with banjoes strumming and an eccentric crooning to the harvest moon. Redbone has been crafting his unique blend of back-porch ragtime jazz and blues since the early seventies, with a charm and style that have gotten him called a “rural Bing Crosby.” With his ever-present white brimmed hat, dark sunglasses, and thick mustache, Redbone has become his own caricature, distinctive enough to be featured in a Far Side cartoon. His last album of all-new work was 2001’s Anytime, but he’s kept a busy touring schedule and even provided a voice for the recent Will Ferrell comedy Elf. 90 S. 9th St., Minenapolis; (612) 312-2828; www.bluestarjazz.com
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