Saturday, Feb. 2, Yats and the Jazz Kitchen will celebrate Mardi Gras with a night of jazz, blues, soul, R&B and spicy Cajun cooking.

Doors open to the Jazz Kitchen at 5 p.m., and the music runs from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. There’ll be four bands on three stages, including a special party tent.

Two new bands are taking the stage — The Impalas and Mark Buselli’s Swamp Stomp Dixieland Band — along with a couple local mainstays — Cynthia Layne and Rob Dixon and Triology.

The Impalas will play a mix of soul, R&B and rock, spiced with just a touch of swing. The band offers a three-horn frontline (led by Rich Dole) and male and female vocals by Mike Wiltrout and Jamie Ridpath, respectively.

Trumpeter Mark Buselli will head up his Swamp Stomp Dixieland Band, offering up an enthusiastic combination of Dixieland and Second Line fun.

Owl Studios’ Cynthia Layne is bringing along her friends Reggie Bishop, Rob Dixon and Kenny Phelps to serve up neo-soul, R&B, jazz and funk.

And Rob Dixon and Triology will wail jazz, acid jazz and funk, led by Dixon’s dynamic tenor sax journeys.

Admission to the event is $15 per person, including a complimentary hurricane and free food at Yats after 11 p.m.

NUVO will be accepting a special collection for Katrina Hurricane Relief.

• Why not celebrate Carnaval and Fat Tuesday with Brazilian jazz band Ipanema? Friday, Feb. 1, Ipanema will headline Brazilian Carnaval 2008 at the Jazz Kitchen, joined by the Batucada Cats, live dancers and Orquesta Bravo! singer Stacie Sandoval. The festival begins at 9 p.m., $15 gets you in before midnight (with a $5 discount after the witching hour) and Caipirinhas (the national cocktail of Brazil) will be served with Brazilian food.

• If you’re looking for an all-ages Mardi Gras celebration, Fat Tuesday at the First Baptist Church (8600 N. College Ave.) should fit the ticket. The event — which is right on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 5 — costs $5 per person (with children under 6 free), lasts from 6-8 p.m. and will offer face painting and pancakes.

• There’s also a big old party Saturday, Feb. 2 in Muncie: The sixth annual Muncie Gras will feature music by the Virgin Millionaires, MOJO and the Bayou Gypsies, Il Troubadore Big Bang Static, Know More Robots, Michael Martin Band, The Spitshine, the terrifically-titled James Brown Car Alarm and more. Plus, there’s a drag show, costume contests, mechanical bull riding, Webcam footage from the French Quarter, belly dancers and fire eaters. It all takes place on Walnut Street in downtown Muncie, and things get underway at 7 p.m. and last, officially, until 2 a.m. Tickets are $10 in advance, and $15 at the door for the 21+ event.

Music road trips and Mardi Gras are memorable enough, but combine them together and you’ve got something extra special. Here are some road trips that will bring you a little closer to Louisiana for the Mardi Gras season, even if you’re driving north. B.Y.O. beads.

• Accordionist C.J. Chenier will be performing at the Long Center for the Performing Arts (111 N. Sixth St., Lafayette) on Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. with tickets for $18-$25.

Local bands Dan Holmes (6 p.m.) and Mojo Gumbo (7 p.m.) will be celebrating at Zydeco’s in Mooresville on Feb. 5. They’ll be playing Zydeco’s on other days besides Fat Tuesday: Mojo Gumbo also performs there every Thursday evening and Holmes will return for a Feb. 16 show.

• Meanwhile, Buckwheat Zydeco will be at the Lafayette Brewing Company (622 Main St., Lafayette) on Feb. 7.