Avant Music News

From the Times:

GERALD CLEAVER (Tuesday) Dealing less in rhythm than in pulse, Mr. Cleaver’s drumming perfectly suits the fluid requirements of jazz’s post-everything avant-garde. He leads two strong bands here, beginning (at 8 p.m.) with Violet Hour, which features a front line of the trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and the saxophonists J. D. Allen and Andrew Bishop. The second group (at 10) is Uncle June, his more free-form-leaning outfit with the violist Mat Maneri, the saxophonist Tony Malaby and others. At the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village, thestonenyc.com; cover, $10 per set. (Chinen)

SYLVIE COURVOISIER TRIO (Sunday) The pianist Sylvie Courvoisier typically pursues a shimmering kind of tonal friction, and in this trio she has the right partners for it: John Hebert, a sensitive bassist, and Gerald Cleaver, a supple drummer. At 8 p.m., the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village, thestonenyc.com; cover, $10. (Chinen)

? BILL FRISELL, RON CARTER, PAUL MOTIAN (Tuesday through Thursday) A few years ago this all-star triumvirate released an album on Nonesuch that felt tantalizingly unfinished. Now Mr. Frisell (on guitar), Mr. Carter (on bass) and Mr. Motian (on drums) regroup for a weeklong engagement, taking long strides across a terrain that encompasses both spooky originals and heartland standards. (Through Jan. 11.) At 8 and 10:30 p.m., Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, West Village, (212) 475-8592, bluenote.net; cover, $35 at tables, $20 at the bar, with a $5 minimum. (Chinen)

? DAVE HOLLAND OCTET (Wednesday and Thursday) On “Pass It On” (Emarcy), his crisply energetic recent album, the bassist Dave Holland unveils a batch of compositions for a high-polish sextet. Here he expands to eight pieces but calls on some of the same musicians, employing the same stout resourcefulness as an arranger and composer. (Through Jan. 11.) At 8:30 and 11 p.m., Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton, (212) 581-3080, birdlandjazz.com; cover, $40 and $30, with a $10 minimum.

? NICOLE MITCHELL’S SONIC PROJECTIONS (Friday and Saturday) More than a serious and soulful flutist, Nicole Mitchell, from Chicago, organizes her music with a high degree of conceptual savvy. Here she introduces two editions of a project called Sonic Projections. The first, on Friday, includes the tenor saxophonist David Boykin, the pianist Vijay Iyer and the drummer Chad Taylor; the second, on Saturday, features the guitarist Mary Halvorson in place of Mr. Iyer. Friday at 10 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m., the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village, thestonenyc.com; cover, $10. (Chinen)

? MARIO PAVONE (Friday and Wednesday) Mr. Pavone is a bassist and composer with a strong affinity for post-bop experimentation, and in his own music he often maps out a layered topography. On Friday he revisits the landscape of his album “Deez to Blues” (Playscape), with Steven Bernstein on trumpet and Charles Burnham on violin, among others. On Wednesday he leads his Double Tenor Quintet, featured on a more recent album, “Ancestors” (Playscape); the two tenors in question are Tony Malaby and Jimmy Greene. Friday at 9 and 10:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, West Village, (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; cover, $10, with a one-drink minimum. Wednesday at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Iridium, 1650 Broadway, at 51st Street, (212) 582-2121, iridiumjazzclub.com; cover, $25, with a $15 minimum.

MIKE REED AND JEFF PARKER (Wednesday and Thursday) Mr. Reed, a drummer, composer and festival presenter from Chicago, released two strong records last year on the 482 Music label, each a reflection of his inclusive spirit of modernity. Here he teams up with Mr. Parker, a guitarist of similar temperament and perspective, for a blend of improvised and premeditated duets. At 10 p.m., the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village, thestonenyc.com; cover, $10. (Chinen)