Jazz Listings From The New York Times

The Times has all the shows in New York:

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN AND THE 4TH DIMENSION An awful lot has changed since the British guitarist John McLaughlin, above, came to prominence, with a whisper and a roar, nearly four decades ago. The post-Woodstock jazz-rock he helped pioneer — with the Tony Williams Lifetime, and the early electric bands of Miles Davis, and especially his own powerhouse Mahavishnu Orchestra — gave way to the steroidal excesses of fusion. World music as a strain of pop emerged partly after the example of Shakti, Mr. McLaughlin’s Indo-jazz ensemble of the mid-1970s. And as the mainstream culture of jazz shifted its focus from innovation to conservation, Mr. McLaughlin diversified his efforts, delving persuasively into flamenco, classical music and postfusion hybrids. (There is no ready term for the sound he pursued on an album like “Live at the Royal Festival Hall,” on JMT.)

Through it all the constant has been Mr. McLaughlin’s artistry as a virtuoso guitarist and venturesome improviser. Mainly for that reason he has managed not to be eclipsed by his own history. There are now repertory ensembles dedicated to the Mahavishnu Orchestra (well, one at least: the Mahavishnu Project, mahavishnuproject.com) and reissues documenting its reign. And Mr. McLaughlin plays an important role in several Miles Davis boxed sets on Columbia/Legacy, the latest of which is “The Complete On the Corner Sessions,” due out on Tuesday. Recently the Legacy imprint also released, for the first time, a bruising 1979 live recording of Mr. McLaughlin with the bassist Jaco Pastorius and the drummer Tony Williams, billed collectively as the Trio of Doom.

Given that all of Mr. McLaughlin’s recent New York appearances have been with Shakti, it is noteworthy that he is returning to a fusion format next week. His new group, 4th Dimension, consists of Gary Husband on keyboards, Hadrien Feraud on bass and Mark Mondesir on drums: musicians who appeared on Mr. McLaughlin’s intermittently impressive album “Industrial Zen” (Verve), released last year. The concert will probably offer some nods to the past, like “For Jaco,” a tribute that Mr. Feraud delivers with all appropriate panache. But Mr. McLaughlin’s characteristic intensity and vision should keep the proceedings feeling current. Some things never change. (Thursday at 8 p.m., Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street, Manhattan, 212-840-2824, the-townhall-nyc.org; $35 to $60.) NATE CHINEN

ANDY BISKIN QUARTET (Thursday) Andy Biskin, a clarinetist with a playful approach to repertory, features his own music in this quartet with the trumpeter Ron Horton, the bassist Todd Sickafoose and the drummer Mark Ferber. At 8 p.m., the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village, thestonenyc.com; cover, $10. (Chinen)

★ CLEAN FEED FEST II (Friday through Sunday) The Lisbon record company Clean Feed mounts its second New York event, drawing from an impressive avant-garde roster. Among the likely highlights are the Full Throttle Orchestra, led by the bassist Adam Lane (Friday at 11 p.m.), and quartets led by the drummers Gerry Hemingway (Saturday at 9 p.m.) and Ethan Winogrand (Sunday at 8:30 p.m.). Friday and Saturday at 9, 10 and 11 p.m., Sunday at 8:30 and 9:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, West Village, (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; cover, $20; $15 on Sunday, with a one-drink minimum. (Chinen)

COLTRANE REVISITED (Friday and Saturday) In commemoration of John Coltrane, whose 81st birthday would have been this Sunday, the tenor and soprano saxophonist Joe Lovano leads a band with the pianist Steve Kuhn, the bassist Lonnie Plaxico and two drummers, Billy Hart and Andrew Cyrille. At 8:30 and 11 p.m., Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton, (212) 581-3080, birdlandjazz.com; cover, $35 and $45, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)

E.S.T. (Thursday) The initials stand for Esbjorn Svensson Trio, a popular acoustic jazz-crossover group from Sweden; taking its lead from Mr. Svensson’s piano, this ensemble favors somber harmonies and skittering electronic textures. (Through Sept. 30.) At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, Manhattan, (212) 576-2232, jazzstandard.net; cover, $25. (Chinen)

★ FESTIVAL OF NEW TRUMPET MUSIC (Friday through Thursday) This diverse yet focused series continues with a full weekend of trumpeter-led bookings at Jazz Standard. Among the most anticipated are a septet led by Wadada Leo Smith, Saturday, and a quintet led by Jason Palmer, on Sunday. Also on Sunday: two brass compositions by Anthony Braxton, performed at St. Mark’s Church, 131 East 10th Street, East Village. Next week’s programming will take place primarily in Brooklyn. This weekend at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., with an 11:30 set Friday and Saturday night, 116 East 27th Street, Manhattan, (212) 576-2232, jazzstandard.net; cover, $20 to $30. Other details are at fontmusic.org. (Chinen)

FREE RANGE RAT (Friday) This playfully if unappetizingly named avant-garde ensemble consists of Douglas Yates on clarinet, Eric Hipp on tenor saxophone, John Carlson on trumpet, Shawn McGloin on bass and George Schuller on drums. At 8 p.m., Barbès, 376 Ninth Street, at Sixth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, (718) 965-9177, barbesbrooklyn.com; cover, $10. (Chinen)

DREW GRESS’S 7 BLACK BUTTERFLIES (Wednesday) The stalwart bassist Drew Gress pursues a form of disciplined abstraction with the trumpeter Ralph Alessi, the alto saxophonist Tim Berne, the keyboardist Craig Taborn and the drummer Tom Rainey. At 8:30 p.m., Center for Improvisational Music, 295 Douglass Street, near Third Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, (212) 631-5882, schoolforimprov.org; cover, $15; $12 for students. (Chinen)

JACOB FRED JAZZ ODYSSEY/TRAVIS SULLIVAN’S BJORKESTRA (Saturday) Two bands that harness jazz protocols in the service of pointedly contemporary aims: the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey specializes in a loose-limbed species of groove, while the Bjorkestra, led by the saxophonist and pianist Travis Sullivan, offers big-band interpretations of songs by the Icelandic pop polymath Bjork. Doors open at 8 p.m., Blender Theater at Gramercy, 127 East 23rd Street, Manhattan, (212) 777-6800; $20.

FRANK KIMBROUGH TRIO (Tuesday and Wednesday) Drawing from his fine recent album, “Play” (Palmetto), Mr. Kimbrough leads a thoughtfully elastic piano trio featuring the masterly drummer Paul Motian and the versatile bassist Jay Anderson. At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, Manhattan, (212) 576-2232, jazzstandard.net; cover, $20. (Chinen)

TONY MALABY’S DOUBLE HEART (Friday) The tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby features two strong bassists, Drew Gress and Mark Helias, in this sharp, experimental ensemble, which also includes Nate Wooley on trumpet and Nasheet Waits on drums. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson Street, at Spring Street, South Village, (212) 242-1063, jazzgallery.org; cover, $15. (Chinen)

JEN SHYU AND JADE TONGUE (Thursday) Ms. Shyu, a vocalist well accustomed to experimental tensions, performs a piece inspired by Chinese labor narratives in 19th-century Cuba. Her partners in expression are the trumpeter Shane Endsley, the alto saxophonist David Binney, the guitarist Miles Okazaki, the bassist Thomas Morgan and the drummer Dan Weiss. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson Street, at Spring Street, South Village, (212) 242-1063, jazzgallery.org; cover, $12; $10 for members. (Chinen)