Modern folk artist Clare Burson, a Fulbright Scholar who has recorded with T Bone Burnett and performed with Alison Krauss, holds a release show for her new album, “Silver and Ash.” Each track imagines the life of Burson’s grandmother, who was born in Germany in 1919 and escaped one year before the outbreak of World War II. Burson traveled to the childhood homes of her ancestors in Germany, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine for the project, which also speaks to her own struggles with rupture, silence, guilt, empathy and continuity. Rounder Records, JDub Records and Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists cosponsor the event, which is made possible with support from The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles. Mon. $10. 7-10 p.m. Hotel Cafe, 1623 1/2 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 461-2040. hotelcafe.com.

Avery, an African American Brooklyn teen and promising track star, struggles with her “true” identity. Adopted by white Jewish lesbians, she struggles with the circumstances of her adoption and her estrangement from black culture in “Off and Running,” a documentary by Nicole Opper. When Avery writes to her birth mother, the response throws her into crisis and forces her to make sense of her identity. Thu. 9:30 p.m. KCET. pbs.org/pov.

Larry King hosts the 30th annual Chabad “To Life” Telethon. This year’s celebrity guest list includes Tom Arnold, Ed Begley Jr., James Caan, NBA champ Jordan Farmar, Louis Gossett Jr., Elliott Gould, Howie Mandel, Bob Saget, Martin Sheen and Jon Voight. Scheduled to perform are Broadway and Yiddish theater actor Mike Burstyn, singer-songwriter Matt Morris, 9-year-old piano prodigy Ethan Bortnick, M-Generation and Avraham Fried. Also, rabbis dancing in front of the tote board is a pretty safe bet. Money raised during the telethon helps support more than 200 community Chabad outreach centers and programs that provide social services to the needy and support for children with special needs. Sun. 8-11 p.m. KTLA 5, JLTV. Webcast at tolife.com.

Jason Mraz and Monica Mancini headline a tribute to songwriting siblings George and Ira Gershwin during the Hollywood Bowl’s “Gershwin Across America.” BeBe Winans, Nancy Wilson and St. Vincent join Mraz and Mancini on the bill, along with a big band and strings ensemble. A soon-to-be-released tribute album, “Gershwin Across America,” produced by Phil Ramone, boasts contributions from Paul Simon, Mraz, Darius Rucker, Jewel and others. Wed. 6-10 p.m. $8-$129. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. (323) 850-2000. hollywoodbowl.com.