Whitney Museum of American Art

: Dave Burrell (via last.fm)

In the Times:

DAVE BURRELL WITH BILLY MARTIN (Friday) As he did a few years ago, for an album called “Consequences” (Amulet), the venerable avant-garde pianist and composer Dave Burrell engages in expansive duologue with Mr. Martin, the drummer best known as the second surname in Medeski Martin & Wood. At 7 p.m., Whitney Museum of American Art, (212) 570-3600, whitney.org; free with pay-what-you-wish museum admission. 20090219

TAYLOR HO BYNUM TRIO (Thursday) The cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum excels with improvisational miniatures, a form he seems likely to explore in this trio with the bassist John Hebert and the drummer Gerald Cleaver. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Tea Lounge, 837 Union Street, near Sixth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, (718) 789-2762, tealoungeny.com; suggested donation, $5. 20090219

DUAL IDENTITY (Thursday) The alto saxophonists Rudresh Mahanthappa and Steve Lehman travel roughly the same orbit in jazz’s progressive solar system. And as the name of this quintet implies, their aesthetic kinship runs deep. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson Street, at Spring Street, South Village, (212) 242-1063, jazzgallery.org; cover, $15. 20090219

ENSEMBLE HELACIOUS (Friday) This exploratory trio consists of three shrewd and committed improvisers: the multireedist J. D. Parran, the trombonist Peter Zummo and the vibraphonist and drummer Kevin Norton. At 8:30 p.m., Roulette, 20 Greene Street, at Grand Street, SoHo, (212) 219-8242, roulette.org; $15 at the door; $10 for students, 30 and under, and 65+. 20090219

FREESTYLE MUSIC SERIES (Wednesday) This avant-garde concert series has settled for the moment at Cake Shop, one night a month. Next week the lineup includes the Exposed Blues Duo, with Fay Victor on vocals and Anders Nilsson on guitar (at 8:30 p.m.); the French Exit, a trio with roots in indie rock (at 10); Radio I-Ching, a free-improvising collective that includes the series organizer, Dee Pop, on percussion (at 9:15); and a group led by the alto saxophonist Peter Robbins (at 11). 152 Ludlow Street, between Stanton and Rivington Streets, Lower East Side, (212) 253-0036, cake-shop.com; $8. 20090219

DREW GRESS’S 7 BLACK BUTTERFLIES (Friday) On his most recent album, “The Irrational Numbers” (Premonition), the bassist Drew Gress pursues a disciplined brand of abstraction with this band, featuring the trumpeter Ralph Alessi, the alto saxophonist Tim Berne, the keyboardist Craig Taborn and the drummer Tom Rainey. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson Street, at Spring Street, South Village, (212) 242-1063, jazzgallery.org; cover, $15. 20090219

KEVIN TKACZ’S LETHAL OBJECTION (Tuesday) The bassist Kevin Tkacz (pronounced tax) features his own compositions in this adventurous new ensemble, with Ingrid Laubrock on saxophones, Angelica Sanchez on piano and Michael Sarin on drums. At 7 p.m., Barbès, 376 Ninth Street, at Sixth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, (347) 422-0248, barbesbrooklyn.com; cover, $10. 20090219

VISION COLLABORATION NIGHTS (Friday and Saturday) For one of the Vision Festival’s perennial off-season satellite series, dancers and musicians combine forces in improvisation. Among the likely highlights are two performances by the multi-instrumentalist Cooper-Moore: in a duo with the trombonist Willie Applewhite (Friday) and in a quintet with the saxophonists Charles Gayle and Tony Malaby, the bassist William Parker and the drummer Nasheet Waits (Saturday). At 7:30 p.m., Living Theater, 21 Clinton Street, Lower East Side, (212) 254-5420, livingtheatre.org; $15 in advance, $20 at the door, $15 students and 65+.

An upcoming performance from the Meehan/Perkins Duo:

The Meehan/ Perkins Duo (Todd Meehan and Douglas Perkins), comprised of two of the country’s leading contemporary percussionists, will perform a concert on Friday, January 16 at 8 PM at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. This is the first full-length recital for these two since they performed in NYC as founding members of So Percussion. The Duo will present a diverse evening of chamber and solo percussion music including works by Paul Lansky, Michael Gordon, John Fitz Rogers, Nathan Davis and 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner, David Lang. Several of the works, including David Lang’s Table of Contents and Paul Lansky’s Travel Diary, were commissioned by the Meehan/ Perkins Duo and will receive their New York premieres at this concert. The repertoire explores the sonic possibilities of percussion, including both acoustic and electro-acoustic works, and showcases the virtuosic talents of the two performers. Tickets are $20 and are available through the Carnegie Hall box office at http://www.carnegiehall.org or by calling 212.247.7800.

Founded in 2006, the Meehan/Perkins Duo has emerged as a driving force in new music through their compelling performances of new works for percussion. The Duo believes in cultivating relationships with living composers through commissions and collaborations that expand the percussion genre. They have commissioned works from David Lang, Paul Lansky, and Nathan Davis, and will premiere a new concerto for percussion duo and orchestra by Jonathan Leshnoff during the 2010-2011 season.

Todd and Doug first began collaborating as chamber musicians in 1999 as founding members of So Percussion. They have since performed at countless venues across the country including the Bang on a Can Marathon, the BAM Next Wave Festival, Miller Theater, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Round Top International Festival-Institute, and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. In addition to their performances the duo regularly teaches master classes at universities throughout the country.

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