Sheryl Renee Band (above) joins Denver Jazz Quartet, Tony Black Group, Neil Bridge and many more at the 5 Points Jazz Festival on Saturday.

What draws 7,500 people every year to Denver’s historic Five Points neighborhood, features live music, food, art and lectures, and is absolutely free?

If you said the annual 5 Points Jazz Festival, well, you’re one smart cookie. For the festival’s sixth installment, which starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday along Welton Street in Five Points, organizers are readying an even bigger and better event.

“It went really well last year but we’re doing more this year,” said Gina Rubano, public programming coordinator for the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs. “We’ve added an extra lecture on the history and composition of jazz so people can come on down and get little information about jazz before they head out to hear the music. Those have always been really popular.”

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Supporting local breweries is about as awesome as it gets, Denver.

Put down that Budweiser and pay attention: It’s American Craft Beer Week. That’s right: As delicious as those fizzy suds may be, and as cute as those Clydesdale ads are, now is the time to salute the smaller, more artful brewer.

Officially started in 2006 and recognized in a resolution by the U.S. House of Representatives that same year, it’s a “declaration of beer independence.” The aim is to draw beer drinkers’ attention to independent brewers who make less than two million barrels a year — brewers who might be nearby, providing jobs and fresh beer.

Of course, there are a lot of these places in Colorado, including at least a few in downtown Denver. Great Divide Brewing Company (2201 Arapahoe St.) is just one, and they’re making sure to celebrate American Craft Beer Week. Friday night is the Craft Beer Week party at the brewery’s Tap Room, from 6 to 8 p.m. The $10 cover includes pours of Great Divide’s special releases and cask-conditioned beers.

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Photo courtesy of Ali Baba Grill.

A proposal for an afternoon off: After vigorous, virtuous activity all morning long (likely involving yardwork, housework or some other schleppy domestic chore), lunch is required, followed by a little leisure activity. And the less planning, the better.

Start with a meal at Ali Baba Grill, the Highlands Ranch outpost of the original Golden favorite. Mediterranean and Middle Eastern favorites drive the menu: hummus, fettoush, shwarma and baba ghannouj.

Best deal at lunch: No. 22, a fully loaded gyros platter, plenty of spicy pressed meat and crispy-cool veggies, dressed in a tangy-smooth tahini sauce. Other options: chicken shwarma or a skewer of your choice.

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Magic is under attack, and David Copperfield is sick of it. Granted, the art of illusion has prompted wonder and skepticism ever since ancient times, but only in the last decade has mainstream TV gotten into the business of poking holes in it.

“I find revealing the secrets of magic quite reprehensible,” Copperfield said via e-mail. “After all, we are all in the same ‘brotherhood,’ and why one brother would want to hurt another brother in entertainment is beyond me.”

Copperfield, the world’s most famous working magician, is referring to the syndicated MyNetwork show, “Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed,” a weekly debunking of everything from levitations and sliced bodies to simple card tricks.

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The hideous tux is a rental. The guitar is not.

Nick Thune has every right to be nervous as hell. The lanky, Seattle-bred comedian (now living in L.A., natch) is coming to Denver’s Comedy Works May 6-10 to tape his first CD for Comedy Central Records. And when you’ve got idols like Steve Martin, Bob Newhart, Mitch Hedberg and David Cross, you’ve got a lot to live up to.

No sweat. The 29-year-old stand-up is relaxed and confident from years of honing his craft with some of the country’s best. He’s had small roles in big movies like “Knocked Up” and “Unaccompanied Minors,” helmed his own web series (“Nick’s Big Show”) and appeared on “The Tonight Show” twice. In fact, his “Instant Messenger Love Song” (see it after the jump) scored him millions of hits online and quickly gained the attention of all the right showbiz types.

We chatted with Thune via e-mail in advance of his Denver sets this week about his CD taping, getting educated by alt-comedy legend Bob Odenkirk (“Mr. Show with Bob and David”) and why playing small towns is sometimes the best experience a young comic can have (hint: signing body parts).

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