Avant Music News

From NYTimes.com:

DARCY JAMES ARGUE’S SECRET SOCIETY (Saturday) “Infernal Machines” (New Amsterdam), one of the most celebrated jazz releases of 2009, was the debut of this ultramodern big band, led by Mr. Argue, an indefatigable young composer. Girded with indie-rock textures and a generous sense of drama, it still only captures part of what the group can pull off in performance. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson Street, at Spring Street, South Village , (212) 242-1063, jazzgallery.org; $15; $10 for members. (Chinen)

COMPANY OF HEAVEN JAZZ FESTIVAL (Friday through Sunday) Organized by a booking agency, this event unfurls a succession of worthy artists in brief club sets, beginning with a group led by the trombonist Reut Regev (Friday at 8:30 p.m.) and ending with Ballin’ the Jack, led by the clarinetist Matt Darriau (Sunday at 11 p.m.). In between are more than half a dozen smart bets, including Totem, a group led by the bassist Mario Pavone (Friday at 11); the Thirteenth Assembly, a potent young improvising collective (Saturday at 8:30); and the Michael Musillami Trio + 3, led by Mr. Musillami, a guitarist (Sunday at 8:30 p.m.). Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, West Village , (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; cover, $10 per set, $25 for the night, with a $7 minimum per set. (Chinen)

JON IRABAGON (Saturday and Monday) Mr. Irabagon, an energetic and proficient young alto saxophonist, leads two distinct groups in the coming days, each a reflection of his personality. His quintet — with the trumpeter Brandon Lee, the pianist Adam Birnbaum, the bassist Peter Brendler and the drummer Donald Edwards — plays concise, well-reasoned post-bop, as heard on “The Observer” (Concord), his most recent album. That group appears on Saturday; on Monday Mr. Irabagon, Mr. Brendler and the drummer Kevin Shea make up the Rollins Trio, invoking the precedent of Sonny Rollins and basing a full set’s outcome on the marathon explication of a single tune. Saturday at 10 p.m., Fat Cat, 75 Christopher Street, at Seventh Avenue, West Village, (212) 675-6056, fatcatmusic.org. Monday at 9 p.m., Zebulon, 258 Wythe Avenue, near Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn , (718) 218-6934, zebuloncafeconcert.com; no cover. (Chinen)

INGRID LAUBROCK QUARTET (Wednesday) Ingrid Laubrock, a German-born tenor and soprano saxophonist who is based in Britain, works here with Mary Halvorson, a shrewdly slippery guitarist; John Hébert, a stalwart bassist; and Tom Rainey, a stark, suggestive drummer. At 8:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, West Village , (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; cover, $10, with a $7 minimum. (Chinen)

? TONY MALABY (Monday and Tuesday) Mr. Malaby, a saxophonist of broad imagination and fearless disposition, leads two groups next week, each worthy. On Monday he reunites the band from “Paloma Recio” (New World), one of the better slept-on jazz releases of 2009: the guitarist Ben Monder, the bassist Eivind Opsvik and the drummer Nasheet Waits. On Tuesday he enlists a favorite frontline partner, the trumpeter Ralph Alessi, as well as the bassist Drew Gress and the drummer Billy Drummond. Monday at 8 and 9 p.m., the Local 269, 269 East Houston Street, at Suffolk Street, Lower East Side, (212) 254-5420, rucma.org; $10 per set, or $20 for the night; $7 per set for students, or $15 for the night. Tuesday at 8:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, West Village , (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; cover, $10, with a one-drink minimum. (Chinen)

MOSTLY OTHER PEOPLE DO THE KILLING (Friday) Rampaging through the jazz tradition is the sport of choice for this four-piece free-bop band, led by the bassist Moppa Elliott and featuring the trumpeter Peter Evans, the alto saxophonist Jon Irabagon and the drummer Kevin Shea. “Forty Fort” (Hot Cup), the group’s fourth album, is a characteristic thrill ride, prankish in its affect but gravely serious in its execution. At 9 p.m., Zebulon, 258 Wythe Avenue, near Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn , (718) 218-6934, zebuloncafeconcert.com; no cover. (Chinen)

NYC WINTER JAZZFEST (Friday and Saturday) For New York City jazz fans the Winter Jazzfest has become a perennial postholiday splurge and a righteous kick-start to the new year. Held this year in five separate clubs, all within a tight radius in Greenwich Village, it puts forth a profusion of available talent with an unspoken emphasis on cosmopolitan chic. For highlights, see the feature elsewhere in this section; for a full schedule and ticket information: winterjazzfest.com. Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, near Thompson Street, Greenwich Village ; $25, or $30 for a two-day pass. (Chinen)

CHAD TAYLOR AND CIRCLE DOWN (Thursday) Mr. Taylor, a versatile and texture-aware drummer, functions as the first of equals in this exploratory trio, which also features the lyrical pianist Angelica Sanchez and the responsive bassist Chris Lightcap. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson Street, at Spring Street, South Village , (212) 242-1063, jazzgallery.org; $15, and $10 for members, in the first set; $10, and $5 for members, in the second set. (Chinen)

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