Avant Music News

In the Times:

MARILYN CRISPELL (Saturday) Ms. Crispell, a pianist equally celebrated for aggressive atonality and delicate lyricism, plays the early set here (8 p.m.) as a solo recital. In the later set (at 10), she works with Michelle Makarski, a violinist, and Lukas Ligeti, a drummer and composer (and this month’s programmer at the Stone). At the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village, New York, thestonenyc.com; $20 per set.

MARY HALVORSON AND JESSICA PAVONE (Wednesday) Ms. Halvorson plays acoustic guitar in this duo, and Ms. Pavone plays viola. On their new album, “Thin Air” (Thirsty Ear), they continue their experiments with spindly melodies and confrontational harmonies, playing and singing in a way that suggests intimacy without comfort. At 7 p.m., Barbès, 376 Ninth Street, at Sixth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, (718) 965-9177, barbesbrooklyn.com; suggested donation, $10.

MARY HALVORSON TRIO (Saturday) Last year the guitarist Mary Halvorson released “Dragon’s Head” (Firehouse 12), a brambly but engaging debut featuring her own compositions for a trio with the bassist John Hebert and the drummer Ches Smith. Ms. Halvorson will draw again from that material here, with Mr. Hebert and another responsive drummer, Tomas Fujiwara. Also on the bill: a collective quartet composed of the guitarist Chris Forsyth, the multireedist Chris Heenan, the sound collagist Aki Onda and the trumpeter Nate Wooley. At 8 p.m., Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street, at Pitt Street, Lower East Side, (212) 598-0400, henrystreet.org/arts; $10.

JOHN HOLLENBECK’S CLAUDIA QUINTET (Friday and Saturday) This improvising chamber ensemble pursues texturally oriented and often contrapuntal exploration; Mr. Hollenbeck’s drumming is one color on a palette that also includes Chris Speed’s clarinet and tenor saxophone, Ted Reichman’s accordion, Drew Gress’s bass and Matt Moran’s vibraphone. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com.; cover, $10, with a one-drink minimum.

ETHAN IVERSON TRIO (Monday and Tuesday) Ethan Iverson, the pianist probably best known as one-third of the Bad Plus, digs in with a different trio here, and more of a standard repertory. His partners are the drummer Albert (Tootie) Heath, a bebop veteran, and the bassist Ben Street, a versatile peer. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Smalls, 183 West 10th Street, West Village, (212) 252-5091, smallsjazzclub.com; cover, $20.