S’Wonderful Life

Our top five picks for things to do this week: Kurt Elling, The Bad Plus, and Willie Pickens save (Christmastime) jazz. . . . Sing your own heart out at the Music Box. . . . Plus, what the Waco Brothers’ Jon Langford is doing this weekend

The Life and Work of Street Photographer Vivian Maier

A LIFE IN SHADOW: The North Shore families who hired Vivian Maier as a nanny came to know a kind but eccentric woman who guarded her private life and kept a huge stash of boxes. A chance discovery after her death by a man named John Maloof has spotlighted her secret talent as a photographer and led to a growing appreciation of her vast work.

Woolf Bait

Our top five picks for things to do this week: Tracy Letts and Amy Morton sink their fangs into Albee . . . John Waters puts the kitsch back in Christmas . . . the Best New Artist grammy nom Esperanza Spalding splits a swinging bill with Regina Carter . . . 24 hours of sleep-deprived hilarity, courtesy of The Second City . . . plus, a freebie with free beer