Makaya McCraven

The leaves may not be turning, but the Eagles are back on the field, the kids are back in school — and the fall arts season is upon us. What does that mean for jazz fans in the Philadelphia area? A lot of big names doing big things, along with the usual steady hum around the scene.

This week is packed, with a Solar Myth residency from Nels Cline, a Princeton performance from Makaya McCraven and Shabaka, and the Afro-Cuban All Stars at the Miller Theater.

This week in Moment's Notice: several can't-miss small groups, and a "Tenor Madness" summit worth your time.

On his new album the drummer, composer and self-described "beat scientist" makes music by way of an elaborate hybrid method combining improvisation with careful editing. It sounds like magic.

On Deciphering the Message, Chicago-based drummer, producer, and sound-engineering savant Makaya McCraven bends space/time in a way that takes one of music’s most intriguing hypotheticals and removes it from the realm of the speculative.