Avant Music News

In the Times:

RASHIED ALI QUINTET (Wednesday and Thursday) Rashied Ali has had a substantial career in the jazz avant-garde, but hard bop is the foundation for this quintet, which works here to celebrate the release of a new album, “Live in Europe” (Survival). The band’s rough-and-tumble front line features the trumpeter Josh Evans and the tenor saxophonist Lawrence Clark; its rhythm section includes the pianist Greg Murphy and the bassist Joris Teepe. At 9:30 and 11 p.m. and 12:30 a.m., Zinc Bar, 82 West Third Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 477-9462, zincbar.com; cover, $5, with a one-drink minimum. 20090709

? DARCY JAMES ARGUE’S SECRET SOCIETY (Wednesday) This postmillennial big band, led by Mr. Argue, an indefatigable young composer, recently released an admirable studio debut, “Infernal Machines” (New Amsterdam). In performance the group balances airtight precision with a good measure of looseness and crackle. At 7:30 p.m., Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, near Thompson Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 505-3474, lepoissonrouge.com; $15. (Chinen)20090709

? STEVEN BERNSTEIN’S MILLENNIAL TERRITORY ORCHESTRA (Thursday) This brashly exuberant little big band, led by the slide trumpeter and arranger Steven Bernstein, always has another trick up its sleeve. Here it’s a repertory hook: the band will be playing music by Sly and the Family Stone, with help from the former Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell and a proudly diverse array of vocalists, including Martha Wainwright, Sandra St. Victor and Shilpa Ray. At 7 p.m., Castle Clinton National Monument, Battery Park, State Street and Battery Place, Lower Manhattan, rivertorivernyc.com; free; tickets will be distributed on a first-come-first-served basis, starting at 5 p.m. (Chinen)20090709

ANDREW DRURY’S CONTENT PROVIDER (Friday) Mr. Drury is a drummer with a tenacious experimental streak, which he indulges freely in this working band. Its powerful lineup includes the trumpeter Peter Evans, the alto saxophonist Briggan Krauss and the tenor saxophonist Chris Speed. (A later set, at 10 p.m., will feature the Australian vocalist Kristen Berardi, joined by Sean Wayland on piano and Miles Okazaki on guitar.) At 9 p.m., I-Beam, 168 Seventh Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn, ibeambrooklyn.com; $10 suggested donation. (Chinen)20090709

MISTAKEN INDEMNITY (Wednesday) This new trio — with the guitarist Jonathan Goldberger, the bassist Todd Sickafoose and the drummer Jim Black — takes aim at presumptive roles and conventional expectations, improvising with an upfront collective ideal. At 8 p.m., Barbès, 376 Ninth Street, at Sixth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, (347) 422-0248, barbesbrooklyn.com; cover, $10. (Chinen)20090709

REGGIE NICHOLSON PERCUSSION CONCEPT (Thursday) The name tells much of the story when it comes to this ensemble, led by the incisive drummer Reggie Nicholson and featuring three additional percussionists: Warren Smith, Don Eaton and Daniel Carter (who also plays woodwind instruments). The group will be revisiting music from a recent live release, “Timbre Suite” (Tone Colors). At 8 p.m., the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village, thestonenyc.com; $10. (Chinen)20090709

NATE WOOLEY-PETER EVANS DUO/DAN PECK TRIO (Saturday) In the early set here, Mr. Wooley and Mr. Evans — fellow trumpeters and sonic adventurers — engage in a prickly and shape-shifting duo interaction. Then the tuba player Dan Peck will lead a group with Tom Blancarte on bass and Brian Osborne on drums, exploring a low-slung improvisational terrain partly informed by doom metal. At 9 and 10 p.m., I-Beam, 168 Seventh Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn, ibeambrooklyn.com; suggested donation, $10. (Chinen)