From NYTimes.com:
Peter Apfelbaum’s NY Hieroglyphics (Friday) Mr. Apfelbaum, a saxophonist and pianist, formed his African-inspired Hieroglyphics Ensemble more than 30 years ago in the San Francisco Bay area. The New York edition of the group, heard here, includes companionable souls like the trumpeter Steven Bernstein and the trombonist Josh Roseman. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson Street, at Spring Street, South Village, (212) 242-1063, jazzgallery.org; $20, or $10 for members. (Chinen)
Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet (Saturday) A cornetist specializing in a thoughtful unruliness, Taylor Ho Bynum recently released an impressive album, “Apparent Distance” (Firehouse 12), with this working sextet. His band mates — all capable of adhering to or abandoning the script as the moment requires — are Jim Hobbs on alto saxophone, Bill Lowe on bass trombone and tuba, Mary Halvorson on guitar, Ken Filiano on bass and Tomas Fujiwara on drums. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson Street, at Spring Street, South Village, (212) 242-1063, jazzgallery.org; $20, or $10 for members. (Chinen)
Claudia Quintet +1, With Very Special Guest (Friday and Saturday) This precisely calibrated but willfully spontaneous chamber-jazz group, led by the drummer-composer John Hollenbeck, came up with the music on “What Is the Beautiful?” for a commission linked to the centenary of Kenneth Patchen, the enterprising American poet. The album assigns his verse to two literary-minded vocalists, Kurt Elling and Theo Bleckmann; of those two, Mr. Elling is the less frequent collaborator, which may tell you something about the “Very Special Guest” appearing here. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; $15 cover, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)
Mary Halvorson’s Reverse Blue (Tuesday) The guitarist Mary Halvorson, a calmly prickly and increasingly prominent presence on the avant-garde landscape, works often and in many settings with Tomas Fujiwara, the drummer anchoring her new group. She has less history with the other two members: Chris Speed, a probing saxophonist and clarinetist, and Eivind Opsvik, a bassist drawn to glowing lyricism. At 8:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; $10 cover, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)
Tony Malaby’s Novela (Sunday) The tenor saxophonist Mr. Malaby has spearheaded a number of provocative groups in recent years, but few with as many variables as this one, which includes Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Michael Attias on alto saxophone, Ben Gerstein on trombone, Kris Davis on piano and John Hollenbeck on drums. Totaling nine pieces altogether, the group draws here from “Novela,” now out on Clean Feed. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson Street, at Spring Street, South Village, (212) 242-1063, jazzgallery.org; $20, or $10 for members. (Chinen)
Wadada Leo Smith 70th Birthday Celebration (Friday) A couple days ahead of his 70th birthday, the fiercely creative trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith presides over an extravagant survey of his music, featuring new music for several distinct ensembles. The anchor is his Golden Quartet, a band with equal command of rhythm and texture. He’ll also present Organic, his version of an electric band, and the Silver Orchestra, with the premiere of his newest piece, “Occupy the World: For Freedom.” At 8 p.m., Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, (917) 267-0363, roulette.org; $15, or $10 for members and students. (Chinen)
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