IN CASE YOU were wondering – and I was until recently – alto sax legend Vince Wallace is so goddamn alive and well that he's going to blow in his 64th birthday with a group that includes guitarist Shan Kenner, drummer Jason Slota, and special guests Michael and Mitch Marcus, who aren't related but will be playing, respectively, saxophone and keyboards on the same downtown Oakland sidewalk on this day. I'm not sure if it's most accurate to describe Wallace as a minor major figure in West Coast jazz or as a major minor figure, but I do know this: he can play his ass off, and if you want to hear the real deal – I'm not talking about a museum piece, some cool old music, "back in the day," or your next-door-neighbor's graying uncle or anything; Wallace makes passionate, vital music – then show up and wish the guy many happy returns. Wallace has played his way down at least 40 miles of bad road and has lived to tell the tale. Show up and hear a chapter or two. 2-5 p.m., 1739 Broadway, Oakl. Free. (510) 502-1485. (J.H. Tompkins)