Avant Music NewsFrom NYTimes.com:
For the last several years Ms. Laubrock has been visiting the United States now and then to study and perform, and on Wednesday night at the Cornelia Street Café in Greenwich Village she led a New York-based quartet — Mary Halvorson on guitar, John Hébert on bass, Tom Rainey on drums — with Kris Davis on piano occasionally as a fifth member. It was her own composed music, but sometimes as free as it could get within parameters.
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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)
From NYTimes.com:
Finding connections between John Cage and Phil Kline, experimental composers from different generations and backgrounds, is not very hard. Cage, the Zen master whose chance operations loosened the strictures of contemporary music, surely provided an early model for the random serendipities of Mr. Kline’s subsequent boombox compositions like “Unsilent Night,” a seasonal processional that wound through Greenwich Village streets just over a week ago.
From NYTimes.com:
BASSDRUMBONE (Sunday) Nearly 30 years ago the bassist Mark Helias, the drummer Gerry Hemingway and the trombonist Ray Anderson first began knocking about together as BassDrumBone. A few years ago they released a taut update, “The Line Up” (Clean Feed), that affirmed the haleness of their rapport. At 8:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, West Village , (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; cover, $10, with a $6 minimum. (Chinen)20091204
JAMES CARNEY GROUP (Tuesday) “Ways & Means” (Songlines) is the artfully layered new album by the keyboardist and composer James Carney, who reunites with several of its contributors here: the trombonist Josh Roseman, the bassist Chris Lightcap and the drummer Mark Ferber. At 9:30 p.m., 55 Bar, 55 Christopher Street, West Village , (212) 929-9883, 55bar.com; $10. (Chinen)20091204
DAVE DOUGLAS QUINTET (Tuesday through Thursday) The trumpeter Dave Douglas has led a handful of different bands in recent years, but this one — with Donny McCaslin on tenor saxophone, Uri Caine on piano, James Genus on bass and Clarence Penn on drums — may be the closest to his core. The group, last documented on a live recording made in 2006, seems predisposed to make its Village Vanguard return into an event. (Through Dec. 13.) At 9 and 11 p.m., Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, West Village , (212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com; cover, $20, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)20091204
ERGO (Sunday) The trombonist Brett Sroka, the keyboardist Carl Maguire and the drummer Shawn Baltazor make up this atmospheric collective, which takes full advantage of electronic programming and cross-genre appropriation. The band performs in celebration of its intentionally spooky new album, “Multitude, Solitude” (Cuneiform). At 6 p.m., Downtown Music Gallery, 13 Monroe Street, between Catherine and Market Streets, Chinatown , (212) 473-0043, downtownmusicgallery.com; free. (Chinen)20091204
GERRY HEMINGWAY QUINTET (Friday) Texture is often more of a priority than tempo in Gerry Hemingway’s drumming, and his compositions reveal a fruitful fascination with polytonality. In this quintet he plays with a longtime collaborator, the tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, as well as the multireedist Oscar Noriega, the guitarist Terrence McManus and the bassist Kermit Driscoll. At 9 and 10:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, West Village , (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; $10, with a $6 minimum. (Chinen)20091204
? MICROSCOPIC SEPTET (Saturday) A few years ago the complete output of this high-spirited outfit was reissued by Cuneiform, thwarting any notion that jazz in the 1980s was strictly a conservative affair. Here the group draws partly from “Lobster Leaps In” (Cuneiform), a new release stocked with music by two diabolical resident composers, the pianist Joel Forrester and the soprano saxophonist Phillip Johnston. At 10 p.m., 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson Street, at Canal Street , (212) 601-1000, 92y.org/92ytribeca; $18 in advance; $20 at the door. (Chinen)20091204
? MATTHEW SHIPP AND WILLIAM PARKER (Monday) Mr. Shipp, a pianist of restless and ruminative energies, has an excellent solo album, “4D” (Thirsty Ear), due out next month. He draws on some of the same strategies here, but the presence of Mr. Parker — a powerfully dynamic bass player, and a longtime rhythm-section partner — should provide some rich additional context. At 8 and 10:30 p.m., Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village , (212) 475-8592, bluenote.net; cover, $15 at tables, $10 at the bar, with a $5 minimum. (Chinen)20091204
JEN SHYU (Friday and Saturday) Ms. Shyu, a vocalist well accustomed to experimental tensions, presents a new commission, “Raging Waters, Red Sands,” for an ensemble that includes Ivan Barenboim on clarinet, Mat Maneri on viola and Chris Dingman on vibraphone. 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)
From NYTimes.com:
People forget that big bands have been places of real aesthetic boldness. Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Bill Finegan, Bill Russo, Gil Evans, Bob Brookmeyer, Gerald Wilson, Muhal Richard Abrams, Maria Schneider: these were and are no slouches, and there are clear signs that a few younger composer-arrangers will join that list. Let’s start with John Hollenbeck, whose 20-piece Large Ensemble played a superior show at Le Poisson Rouge in Greenwich Village Monday night. His music was playful, profound, attentive to the soloists’ strengths and pretty much continuously imaginative — even though the band hadn’t had a gig since March.
From NYTimes.com:
TIM BERNE AND LOS TOTOPOS (Thursday) Mr. Berne, an alto saxophonist and composer with a taste for coarsely layered frictions, presents a newly minted ensemble here, with Matt Mitchell on piano and electronics, Oscar Noriega on clarinets and Ches Smith on percussion. The band focuses not only on sharp and convoluted new music by Mr. Berne, but also on some rather obscure material written more than 30 years ago by his former mentor, the saxophonist-composer Julius Hemphill. At 9 p.m., I-Beam, 168 Seventh Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn , ibeambrooklyn.com; suggested donation, $10. (Chinen)20091126
DECOUPAGE (Tuesday) As the name implies, this improvising chamber group presents a study in artful layers: Curtis Hasselbring’s trombone, Matt Moran’s vibraphone, Satoshi Takeishi’s percussion and Mary Halvorson’s guitar. At 8 p.m., the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village , thestonenyc.com; $10. (Chinen)20091126
PETER EVANS QUINTET (Thursday) Peter Evans, probably best recognized for his role in the upstart free-bop quartet Mostly Other People Do the Killing, is a trumpeter with an expressive command of timbre and tone. He’s also a bandleader of emerging promise; in this group he corrals the pianist Carlos Homs, the bassist Chris Tordini, the drummer Kassa Overall and the electronics artist Sam Pluta. At 8 p.m., the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village , thestonenyc.com; $10. (Chinen)20091126
? JOHN HOLLENBECK (Monday) Mr. Hollenbeck, a percussionist-composer of broad vision and vibrant execution, presides over a triple bill in celebration of two new albums, “Eternal Interlude” (Sunnyside) and “Rainbow Jimmies” (GPE). Anchoring the evening is his Large Ensemble, a superbly cohesive big band stocked with musicians of similar temperament. Mr. Hollenbeck will also perform with Future Quest, a small-group project devoted to the music of Meredith Monk; and with a chamber trio featuring the violinist Todd Reynolds and the vibraphonist Matt Moran. At 8 p.m., Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, near Thompson Street, Greenwich Village , (212) 228-4854, lepoissonrouge.com; $15. (Chinen)20091126
TODD SICKAFOOSE’S TINY RESISTORS (Friday) As a bassist, Mr. Sickafoose builds grooves from the ground up, but that’s no impediment to the buoyancy of his music. “Tiny Resistors” (Cryptogramophone), his most recent album, features a number of tunes in which horn parts and guitar lines swirl around a calmly asymmetrical pulse; among his partners here are the saxophonist John Ellis and the trombonist Alan Ferber. At 10 p.m., 55 Bar, 55 Christopher Street, West Village , (212) 929-9883, 55bar.com; cover, $10. (Chinen)20091126
NATE WOOLEY QUINTET (Wednesday) Nate Wooley, a perspicacious young trumpeter, leads an ensemble pointedly shaped to resemble Eric Dolphy’s band on the landmark album “Out to Lunch,” and charges it with all-new original music. The ranks will include Josh Sinton on bass clarinet, Matt Moran on vibraphone, John Hébert on bass and Harris Eisenstadt on drums. At 8:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, West Village , (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; cover, $10, with a $6 minimum. (Chinen)
From NYTimes.com:
JACOB FRED JAZZ ODYSSEY (Friday) Having recently expanded from trio to quartet form, this road-savvy band now includes the pianist Brian Haas, the bassist Matt Hayes, the drummer Josh Raymer and the lap steel guitarist Chris Combs. “One Day in Brooklyn” (Kinnara), the group’s new EP, documents a two-pronged shift: toward countrified timbres and post-bop exposition. At 7 p.m., Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, near Thompson Street, Greenwich Village , (212) 505-3474, lepoissonrouge.com; $15. (Chinen)20091008
LARRY OCHS SAX & DRUMMING CORE (Tuesday) The tenor and soprano saxophonist Larry Ochs is probably best known for his founding role in the Rova Saxophone Quartet, a new-music ensemble with more than 30 years of performing experience. “Stone Shift” (Rogue Art), his almost hypnotically intense new album, features the same ensemble heard here, with two assertive drummers (Scott Amendola and Donald Robinson); a keyboardist (Satoko Fujii); and a trumpeter (Natsuki Tamura). At 8:30 p.m., Roulette, 20 Greene Street, at Grand Street, SoHo , (212) 219-8242, roulette.org; $15; $10 for students and under 30. (Chinen)20091008
MARIO PAVONE (Tuesday and Wednesday) Mr. Pavone, a bassist and composer with an expansive worldview, surfaces with two groups next week, starting on Tuesday in Brooklyn, when he joins a trio with the saxophonist Mike DiRubbo and the drummer Tom Rainey. On Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. he leads a working group, Quartet Arc, with Tony Malaby on saxophone, Dave Ballou on trumpet and Gerald Cleaver on drums. (An earlier set, at 8, will feature a group led by the guitarist Joe Morris.) Tuesday at 8:30 p.m., Le Grand Dakar, 285 Grand Avenue, between Clifton Place and Lafayette Avenue, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, (718) 398-8900, granddakar.com; free. Wednesday, Local 269, 269 East Houston Street, at Suffolk Street, Lower East Side , (212) 228-9874; $10. (Chinen)
From NYTimes.com:
GRAY-ESKELIN-BALLOU-FORMANEK (Saturday) In the early set of this left-of-center performance, at 8 p.m., the pianist Frank Carlberg engages with the rhythm section of Michael Formanek on bass and Devin Gray on drums. Then at 9, the same rhythm section backs a front line consisting of the saxophonist Ellery Eskelin and the trumpeter Dave Ballou. Douglass Street Music Collective, 295 Douglass Street, near Third Avenue, Gowanus, Brooklyn , myspace.com/295douglass; $10 suggested donation. (Chinen)20090730
? ETHAN IVERSON, REID ANDERSON, PAUL MOTIAN (Friday through Sunday) Mr. Iverson, an acutely contemporary pianist, and Mr. Anderson, a warmly decisive bassist, make up two-thirds of the Bad Plus. Their output here — with the master drummer Paul Motian, a slippery influence on both — should suggest a similar full-tilt musical engagement, but perhaps with less steely certainty and more unanswerable questions. At 9 and 11 p.m., Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, West Village , (212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com; cover, $25, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)20090730
DONNY MCCASLIN GROUP (Thursday) On his recent albums Donny McCaslin has applied his assertive tenor saxophone style to Latin American-inspired fusions. He does that here, in a free lunchtime concert, with expert help: the guitarist Lage Lund, the bassist Hans Glawischnig and the drummer Adam Cruz. From 12:30 to 1:45 p.m., Plaza at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Lexington Avenue at 54th Street , (212) 935-2200, saintpeters.org/jazz; free. (Chinen)20090730
? MOSTLY OTHER PEOPLE DO THE KILLING (Sunday) Led by the bassist Moppa Elliott, this prankishly named free-bop quartet has a fairly serious recent record called “This Is Our Moosic” (Hot Cup), featuring impressive contributions from the trumpeter Peter Evans and the alto saxophonist Jon Irabagon. The group appears here as part of the Freestyle Music Series; its 8:30 p.m. set arrives sandwiched between an equally boisterous free-jazz collective (at 7) and a band called Attention Screen (at 10). Local 269, 269 East Houston Street, at Suffolk Street, Lower East Side , (212) 228-9874, myspace.com/deepopnyc; $5. (Chinen)20090730
? NED ROTHENBERG’S SYNC/HARRIS EISENSTADT’S WOODBLOCK PRINTS (Friday) Ned Rothenberg is a saxophonist, clarinetist, flutist and composer with a penchant for insistent frictions. He appears here with Sync, his East-Asian-inspired ensemble with Jerome Harris on acoustic bass guitar and Samir Chatterjee on hand percussion. Sharing the bill is a chamberlike group called Woodblock Prints, a nonet led by the drummer Harris Eisenstadt that also includes Mr. Rothenberg and Mr. Harris. At 8 p.m., Drom, 85 Avenue A, at Fifth Street, East Village , (212) 777-1157, dromnyc.com; $10 in advance; $12 at the door. (Chinen)20090730
? JENNY SCHEINMAN’S MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM (Tuesday) Ms. Scheinman often goes for rustic charm as a violinist, but she never ceases to be an adventurous improviser. Her partners in this enticingly named band, first formed a couple of years ago, are the engagingly prickly guitarist Nels Cline, the stalwart bassist Matt Penman and the polymorphically propulsive drummer Jim Black. At 7 p.m., Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, near Thompson Street, Greenwich Village , (212) 505-3474, lepoissonrouge.com; $15 in advance; $17 at the door. (Chinen)20090730
SIM FACULTY CONCERT (Wednesday) The School for Improvised Music is a nonprofit enterprise in which the instructors are adventurous and communicative musicians. Among them are this concert’s featured guests: the saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, the trumpeter Ralph Alessi, the pianist Andy Milne, the bassist Drew Gress and the drummer Gerald Cleaver. 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 and students. (Chinen)20090730
SKM TRIO (Friday) With an acronym derived from the first names of its members, this collective features smart musicians comfortable with free improvisation: the saxophonist Stephen Gauci, the pianist Kris Davis and the bassist Michael Bisio. At 8 p.m., 5C Cultural Center, 68 Avenue C, at East Fifth Street, East Village , (212) 477-5993, 5ccc.com; cover, $10, with a $5 minimum. (Chinen)20090730
? TRIO 3 WITH GERI ALLEN (Wednesday and Thursday) Never mind the redundancy in the title, or the fact that this avant-garde collective actually works here as a quartet. The alto saxophonist Oliver Lake, the bassist Reggie Workman and the drummer Andrew Cyrille are battle-ready teammates; they stand only to gain from the addition of the pianist Geri Allen, as they recently proved on an album called “At This Time” (Intakt). (Through Aug. 8.) At 8:30 and 11 p.m., Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton , (212) 581-3080, birdlandjazz.com; $30 for general admission; $40 for premium seating; and a $10 minimum. (Chinen)
In the Times:
RASHIED ALI QUINTET (Wednesday and Thursday) Rashied Ali has had a substantial career in the jazz avant-garde, but hard bop is the foundation for this quintet, which works here to celebrate the release of a new album, “Live in Europe” (Survival). The band’s rough-and-tumble front line features the trumpeter Josh Evans and the tenor saxophonist Lawrence Clark; its rhythm section includes the pianist Greg Murphy and the bassist Joris Teepe. At 9:30 and 11 p.m. and 12:30 a.m., Zinc Bar, 82 West Third Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 477-9462, zincbar.com; cover, $5, with a one-drink minimum. 20090709
? DARCY JAMES ARGUE’S SECRET SOCIETY (Wednesday) This postmillennial big band, led by Mr. Argue, an indefatigable young composer, recently released an admirable studio debut, “Infernal Machines” (New Amsterdam). In performance the group balances airtight precision with a good measure of looseness and crackle. At 7:30 p.m., Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, near Thompson Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 505-3474, lepoissonrouge.com; $15. (Chinen)20090709
? STEVEN BERNSTEIN’S MILLENNIAL TERRITORY ORCHESTRA (Thursday) This brashly exuberant little big band, led by the slide trumpeter and arranger Steven Bernstein, always has another trick up its sleeve. Here it’s a repertory hook: the band will be playing music by Sly and the Family Stone, with help from the former Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell and a proudly diverse array of vocalists, including Martha Wainwright, Sandra St. Victor and Shilpa Ray. At 7 p.m., Castle Clinton National Monument, Battery Park, State Street and Battery Place, Lower Manhattan, rivertorivernyc.com; free; tickets will be distributed on a first-come-first-served basis, starting at 5 p.m. (Chinen)20090709
ANDREW DRURY’S CONTENT PROVIDER (Friday) Mr. Drury is a drummer with a tenacious experimental streak, which he indulges freely in this working band. Its powerful lineup includes the trumpeter Peter Evans, the alto saxophonist Briggan Krauss and the tenor saxophonist Chris Speed. (A later set, at 10 p.m., will feature the Australian vocalist Kristen Berardi, joined by Sean Wayland on piano and Miles Okazaki on guitar.) At 9 p.m., I-Beam, 168 Seventh Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn, ibeambrooklyn.com; $10 suggested donation. (Chinen)20090709
MISTAKEN INDEMNITY (Wednesday) This new trio — with the guitarist Jonathan Goldberger, the bassist Todd Sickafoose and the drummer Jim Black — takes aim at presumptive roles and conventional expectations, improvising with an upfront collective ideal. At 8 p.m., Barbès, 376 Ninth Street, at Sixth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, (347) 422-0248, barbesbrooklyn.com; cover, $10. (Chinen)20090709
REGGIE NICHOLSON PERCUSSION CONCEPT (Thursday) The name tells much of the story when it comes to this ensemble, led by the incisive drummer Reggie Nicholson and featuring three additional percussionists: Warren Smith, Don Eaton and Daniel Carter (who also plays woodwind instruments). The group will be revisiting music from a recent live release, “Timbre Suite” (Tone Colors). At 8 p.m., the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village, thestonenyc.com; $10. (Chinen)20090709
NATE WOOLEY-PETER EVANS DUO/DAN PECK TRIO (Saturday) In the early set here, Mr. Wooley and Mr. Evans — fellow trumpeters and sonic adventurers — engage in a prickly and shape-shifting duo interaction. Then the tuba player Dan Peck will lead a group with Tom Blancarte on bass and Brian Osborne on drums, exploring a low-slung improvisational terrain partly informed by doom metal. At 9 and 10 p.m., I-Beam, 168 Seventh Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn, ibeambrooklyn.com; suggested donation, $10. (Chinen)
From the Times:
HARRIS EISENSTADT TRIO / IDEAL BREAD (Saturday) In the headlining late shift of this double bill (at 10 p.m.), Mr. Eisenstadt, a creatively restless drummer and composer, leads a trio with the tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin and the cellist Christopher Hoffman. An earlier set (at 9) will feature Ideal Bread, a collective dedicated to the music of Steve Lacy, with Josh Sinton on baritone saxophone, Kirk Knuffke on trumpet, Reuben Radding on bass and Tomas Fujiwara on drums. Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, West Village, (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; cover, $10. (Chinen)
JOEL HARRISON ENSEMBLE (Sunday and Tuesday) Mr. Harrison, an ever-productive guitarist, explores two sides of the same original music within the next week, starting with a more free-form approach on Sunday, in a group with the alto saxophonist David Binney, the bassist Stephan Crump and the drummer Jordan Perlson. On Tuesday he focuses more on groove, backed by Mr. Perlson along with the bassist Fima Ephron and the guitarist Pete McCann. Sunday at 10 p.m., the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village, thestonenyc.com; cover, $10. Tuesday at 10 p.m., Rose Live Music, 345 Grand Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, (718) 599-0069, liveatrose.com; no cover. (Chinen)
JON IRABAGON AND MIKE PRIDE (Sunday and Monday) Returning to the stark but fruitful premise of a recent album, “I Don’t Hear Nothin’ but the Blues” (Loyal), Mr. Irabagon, an expressive saxophonist, joins Mr. Pride, a hard-charging drummer, in a series of rigorous improvised duets. Sunday at 7:30 p.m., the Local 269, 269 East Houston Street, at Suffolk Street, Lower East Side, (212) 228-9874; $5. Monday at 8:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, West Village, (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; cover, $10. (Chinen)
THE MAHAVISHNU PROJECT (Tuesday and Wednesday) This single-minded repertory project, led by the drummer Gregg Bendian, pursues the visionary fusion of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, with all appropriate fervor. Each of its three sets here will assume a different character: the 7 p.m. slot on Tuesday is devoted to pieces by John McLaughlin, including the rarely heard “Suite for a Cappella Choir,” while the 10 p.m. slot is more of a greatest-hits experience. On Wednesday at 7 p.m. the focus is on “Visions of the Emerald Beyond,” an album released in 1975. Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 505-3474, lepoissonrouge.com; $18 in advance; $23 on the day of show; $45 for a three-show pass. (Chinen)
? MYRA MELFORD AND HAPPY WHISTLINGS (Tuesday) Revisiting compositional forms that she first unveiled last year, Ms. Melford, a thoughtful and serious-minded pianist, leads a responsive ensemble with Mary Halvorson on guitar, Taylor Ho Bynum on trumpet and Stomu Takeishi on bass. At 8 p.m., the Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village, thestonenyc.com; cover, $10. (Chinen)
? PAUL MOTIAN TRIO 2000 + 3 (Tuesday through Thursday) The masterly drummer Paul Motian introduces a new lineup for this ensemble: Masabumi Kikuchi on piano, Michael Adkins on tenor saxophone, Loren Stillman on alto saxophone and Ben Street on bass. Expect a weightless and luminous sort of music, with an equal commitment to mystery and melody. (Through July 12.) At 9 and 11 p.m., Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, West Village, (212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com; cover, $20, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)
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