Avant Music News

From NYTimes.com:

JIM BLACK’S ALASNOAXIS (Friday) The drummer Jim Black can often be counted on for fast-tumbling or convulsive momentum, but with AlasNoAxis — his band with the tenor saxophonist Chris Speed, the guitarist Hilmar Jensson and the bassist Skuli Sverrisson — he pulls back to panorama mode. This performance, presented by the nonprofit production organization Search and Restore, inaugurates a new space in the basement of the 45 Bleecker. At 10 p.m., 45 Bleecker Street, at Lafayette Street, Greenwich Village , searchandrestore.com; $14; $10 for students. (Chinen)20100211

KEN FILIANO QUARTET (Monday) Ken Filiano, a powerful bassist best known in free-improvising circles, presents his original compositions in this group, which includes Michaël Attias and Tony Malaby on saxophones and Michael T. A. Thompson on drums. At 7 p.m., Local 269, 269 East Houston Street, at Suffolk Street, Lower East Side , (212) 228-4874, thelocal269.com; cover, $10. (Chinen)20100211

KNEEBODY (Wednesday and Thursday) Kneebody, a quick-change electro-acoustic ensemble, recently enjoyed an uncommon bit of recognition: a Grammy nomination for best classical crossover album, for “Twelve Songs by Charles Ives” (Winter & Winter), featuring the vocalist Theo Bleckmann. (Yo-Yo Ma ended up winning.) Next week Kneebody sets up for a four-night run with assorted other guests, including the guitarist Ben Monder and the trombonist Josh Roshman (Wednesday) and the deliriously verbose underground rapper Busdriver (Thursday). (Through Feb. 20.) At 10 p.m., 45 Bleecker Street, at Lafayette Street, Greenwich Village , searchandrestore.com; $15; $10 for students; $25 for a two-night pass; $35 for a three-night pass; $40 for a four-night pass. (Chinen)20100211

JOHN LINDBERG’S TRIPOLAR (Monday) Mr. Lindberg is a versatile and imaginative bassist who also has a way with orchestration. In this exploratory new group he exercises that skill with likeminded partners: the multireedist Don Davis and the percussionist Kevin Norton. At 8:30 p.m., Roulette, 20 Greene Street, at Grand Street, SoHo , (212) 219-8242, roulette.org; $15; $10 for students. (Chinen)20100211
A LOVE SUPREME (Sunday) John Coltrane’s most beloved album receives a spirited interpretation courtesy of Exuberance, a group consisting of the trumpeter Roy Campbell, the tenor saxophonist Louie Belogenis, the drummer Michael Wimberly and the bassist Hilliard Greene. Joining this worshipful effort are the pianist Andrew Bemkey and the vocalist Beth Anne Hatton. At 8 p.m., Middle Collegiate Church, 112 Second Avenue, near Seventh Street, East Village , (212) 477-0666, middlechurch.org; $15 suggested donation. (Chinen)20100211

TONY MALABY CELLO QUARTET/BEN GERSTEIN-TONY MALABY QUARTET (Friday and Saturday) In the early sets of this engagement, at 9 p.m., the appealingly blustery tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby leads a group featuring the cellist Daniel Levin, with Eivind Opsvik on electric bass and Ches Smith on drums. Then at 10:30, Mr. Malaby joins forces with Ben Gerstein, a trombonist, in a group that includes Mr. Smith and the tuba player Dan Peck. Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, West Village , (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; cover, $10 per set, with a $6 minimum. (Chinen)20100211

CHARLES MINGUS FESTIVAL (Saturday and Sunday) The centerpiece of this weekend affair, celebrating the music and memory of the bassist-composer Charles Mingus, is a free concert at 7 p.m. on Saturday, featuring the Mingus Orchestra, conducted by Gunther Schuller, in a cathedral setting. On Sunday the festival intersects with the National High School Jazz Band Competition, culminating in early-evening performances by the Manhattan School of Music’s Mingus Jazz Combo (at 5:30 p.m.) and the professional-grade Mingus Dynasty Band (at 6). St. Bartholomew’s Church, Park Avenue at 51st Street , (212) 378-0248, stbarts.org; free. (Chinen)20100211

MIKE PRIDE’S FROM BACTERIA TO BOYS (Tuesday) Mr. Pride, an intense and searching drummer, brings the full measure of his concentration to this working band, featuring the alto saxophonist Darius Jones. (Their performance here is part of a weekly series of drummer-led bands, which runs through March.) At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Rose Live Music, 345 Grand Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn , roseliveMusic.com; $10 in advance; $12 at the door. (Chinen)20100211

HENRY THREADGILL’S ZOOID (Friday and Saturday) One of the most important living composers in and around the jazz idiom, Mr. Threadgill released one of last year’s most scintillating albums, “This Brings Us To, Vol. 1” (Pi), featuring Zooid, this working group, with Liberty Ellman on guitar, Jose Davila on trombone and tuba, Stomu Takeishi on bass and Elliot Humberto Kavee on drums. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson Street, at Spring Street, South Village , (212) 242-1063, jazzgallery.org; $25; $10 for members. (Chinen)20100211

JOHN ZORN’S MASADA MARATHON (Wednesday and Thursday) “The Book of Angels” is a body of more than 300 works composed by John Zorn during a three-month span in 2004. Its style is congruent with that of Masada, Mr. Zorn’s klezmer-leaning free-bop band, which appears in extended form on both of these nights. Among the other artists interpreting the works are the violinist Mark Feldman and the pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, in a duet (on Wednesday); a quartet led by the clarinetist Ben Goldberg (Wednesday); the cellist Erik Friedlander and the pianist Uri Caine, in separate sets (Thursday); and a trio led by the keyboardist Jamie Saft (Thursday). At 8 p.m., Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street, at Pitt Street, Lower East Side , (212) 352-3101, henrystreet.org/arts; $30 in advance; $35 at the door. (Chinen)

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