8 pm: Jazz

Vocal gymnast Bobby McFerrin, who has worked with symphony orchestras and countless jazz musicians and is best known for the feel-good anthem “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” will go it alone as he whoops, pounds his chest and otherwise creates vocal mischief.

* Bobby McFerrin, Royce Hall, UCLA, 8 p.m. $35 to $50. (310) 825-2101.

8 pm: Dance

Amalia Hernandez’s Ballet Folklorico de Mexico has always been big, but this season it’s bigger than at any time in the past quarter-century of U.S. visits, bringing a new 14-member chorus to complement its much-loved troupes of dancers and musicians. Look for 75 performers in all, aiming to present a vibrant overview of traditional Mexican cultures. This 47th-anniversary tour boasts two U.S. premieres: the ritualistic, pre-Hispanic “Aztecs” (a creation myth come to life) and the impressionistic life-cycle “Tarascos” from the state of Michoacan.

* Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, Pasadena Civic Auditorium, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Today-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m. $21 to $56. (213) 480-3232.

8 pm: Movies

The American Cinematheque will fete cult-film director Russ Meyer--famous for his erotic and violent independent films of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s--with a seven-day retrospective featuring the, er, best, of the crop. “Faster Pussycat! The Sex-Crazed Cinema of Russ Meyer” kicks off tonight with a screening of Meyer’s celebrated 1966 black-and-white, B-thriller “Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” (1966). Meyer’s oeuvre is definitely not for everyone, but for aficionados of this sort of fare, this is a fun treat.

* American Cinematheque presents “Faster Pussycat! The Sex-Crazed Cinema of Russ Meyer,” Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Tonight: “Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!,” 8 p.m. Friday: “Mudhoney,” 7 p.m.; “Russ Meyer’s Vixen” and “Motorpsycho,” 9 p.m. Saturday: “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls,” 6 p.m.; “Lorna” and “Cherry, Harry and Raquel,” 8:45 p.m. Sunday: “Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!,” 4 p.m.; “The Immoral Mr. Teas” and “Good Morning . . . and Goodbye,” 6 p.m. Sept. 22: “The Seven Minutes,” 8 p.m. Sept. 24: “Supervixens,” 7 p.m.; “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls,” 9:30 p.m. Sept. 25: “Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens,” 6 p.m.; “Commonlaw Cabin” and “Finders Keepers, Lovers Weepers,” 8:30 p.m. Screenings (and double features when indicated) are $7; $5 for American Cinematheque members. (323) 466-3456.

8 pm: Theater

“Violet,” winner of the 1997 New York Drama Critics Circle and Obie awards, has its California premiere. The musical about a disfigured young woman’s pilgrimage to find an evangelistic healer, was written by Brian Crawley, with music by Jeanine Tesori.

* “Violet,” Laguna Playhouse at the Moulton Theatre, 606 Laguna Canyon Blvd., Laguna Beach. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends Oct. 10. $31 to $40. (949) 497-2787.

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FREEBIE: The L.A. Philharmonic New Music Group performs a bilingual “Story of a Soldier” at the Hansen Dam Amphitheatre, 11750 Foothill Blvd., Lake View Terrace, 6:30 p.m. (818) 899-4537.