ALHAMBRA TRIO (Wednesday) “Alhambra Love Songs” (Tzadik), a new album by John Zorn, features his compositions exclusively, with a style uncharacteristically skewed toward romance. Two of its three cast members — the pianist Rob Burger and the drummer Ben Perowsky — reconvene here with the bassist Shanir Blumenkranz (filling in for Greg Cohen). The first set draws from the album; the second set features other even newer music by Mr. Zorn. At 8 and 10 p.m., the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village , thestonenyc.com; $10 per set. (Nate Chinen)20090827
SATOKO FUJII MIN-YOH ENSEMBLE (Tuesday) Satoko Fujii, an adventurous pianist and composer from Japan, has worked fruitfully over the years with a number of American improvisers; in the Min-Yoh Ensemble, named after a form of Japanese folk music, her lineup includes Andrea Parkins on accordion and Curtis Hasselbring on trombone, as well as her husband, Natsuki Tamura, on trumpet. Two years ago this group released an album, “Fujin Raijin” (Victo); they will record its sequel soon after this performance. At 10 p.m., the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village , thestonenyc.com; $10. (Chinen)20090827
? STEVE LEHMAN AND CRAIG TABORN (Sunday) Mr. Lehman, an alto and soprano saxophonist, and Mr. Taborn, a pianist and keyboardist, share an ultramodern worldview and an attraction to intelligent frictions. Each is a conceptual thinker as well as a daring improviser, and their duo interplay should be illuminating. At 8 and 10 p.m., the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village , thestonenyc.com; $10 per set. (Chinen)20090827
? RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA NORTH SEA QUARTET (Wednesday) An intense and inventive alto saxophonist, Rudresh Mahanthappa works here with a group that last convened a year ago at the North Sea Jazz Festival. Its personnel consists of serious partners, each attuned to a restless ideal: Craig Taborn on piano, François Moutin on bass and Dan Weiss on drums. At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Iridium, 1650 Broadway, at 51st Street , (212) 582-2121, iridiumjazzclub.com; cover, $25, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)20090827
DONNY MCCASLIN GROUP (Sunday) On his recent albums Donny McCaslin has applied his assertive tenor saxophone style to Latin American-inspired fusions. He does that here with expert help: the guitarist Lage Lund, the bassist Ricky Rodriguez and the drummer Adam Cruz. At 10 p.m., 55 Bar, 55 Christopher Street, West Village , (212) 929-9883, 55bar.com; $10. (Chinen)20090827
? PAUL MOTIAN, JOE LOVANO, BILL FRISELL (Friday through Sunday, and Tuesday through Thursday) Mr. Motian, a drummer and composer, sets a tone for this blue-chip trio that’s shadowy, slippery and as open-ended as a koan; his longtime partners are Mr. Lovano, on tenor and soprano saxophones, and Mr. Frisell, on guitar. They have memorably recorded at the Village Vanguard, and each of their returns feels like a generous occurrence. (Through Sept. 6.) At 9 and 11 p.m., Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, West Village , (212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com; cover, $35. (Chinen)20090827
? JOHN SURMAN QUARTET (Tuesday through Thursday) The baritone and soprano saxophonist John Surman has long been a leading figure in British jazz and improvised-music circles, and he doesn’t surface here nearly often enough. He’s celebrating the release of “Brewster’s Rooster” (ECM) with that album’s sterling cast: the guitarist John Abercrombie, the drummer Jack DeJohnette and the bassist Drew Gress. (Through Sept. 5.) At 8:30 and 11 p.m., Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton , (212) 581-3080, birdlandjazz.com; $30, general seating; $40, premium seating. (Chinen)20090827
? CECIL TAYLOR (Monday) At 80, Mr. Taylor is an elder statesman by any measure, and his pianism has continued to bedazzle, growing more luminous but no less rigorous. He has made a handful of staggering appearances just in the last couple of years, and there’s no reason to doubt the potential of this one. At 8 and 10:30 p.m., Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th Street, Chelsea , (866) 468-7619, highlineballroom.com; $25 in advance, $30 at door. (Chinen)
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