Welcome to Moment’s Notice, WRTI’s weekly digest of jazz listings in the Philadelphia area, now in Beta. This feature is coming soon, but first we thought we'd give it a trial run. Drop us a line to let us know what you think!
Spotlight: Bill Frisell Trio - Thursday, World Cafe Live
“Everybody digs Bill Frisell,” writes Philip Watson in Bill Frisell, Beautiful Dreamer, a recent biography. Watson has only anecdotal evidence to support the argument, but he’s on strong footing nonetheless. Frisell, 72, is that sort of artist, and he’s been on a roll lately — collaborating with his fellow guitarist Julian Lage, as well as saxophone gurus John Zorn and Charles Lloyd; and leading his own bands, most recently the Bill Frisell Four. This week he rolls into World Cafe Live with a steady-working trio featuring Thomas Morgan on bass and Rudy Royston on drums. It’s the same unit heard on a wonderful album, Valentine, that Blue Note released in our first pandemic summer of 2020. Listen to the album and you’ll have a good sense of this band’s magical balance of earth, water and air. At 8 p.m., $48; purchase tickets. (Nate Chinen)
Dara Starr Tucker - Sunday, South Jazz Kitchen
A singer-songwriter who combines openhearted emotion with principled conviction, Dara Starr Tucker is touring behind her latest album, a self-titled release on Green Hill Music. Tucker, who’s also a notable voice of enlightenment on TikTok, always has prime talent in her backing band. As on the album, this one has Marcus Finnie on drums and Greg Bryant — also her partner by marriage, and yes, the host of Evening Jazz — on electric bass. At 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., $25; purchase tickets. (Chinen)
Zoh Amba and Chris Corsano - Sunday, Solar Myth
Saxophonist Zoh Amba is still in her early 20s, but already a name to watch on the free-improv landscape. Last fall she broke in Solar Myth, Ars Nova Workshop’s Broad Street home, with a trio. This week she returns in a duo with super-charged drummer Chris Corsano; their interplay seems likely to respond in part to the recent passing of Peter Brötzmann, a touchstone for them both. At 8 p.m., $25; purchase tickets. (Chinen)
Uri Caine and the Lutosławski Quartet - Monday, Solar Myth
Philly-reared pianist Uri Caine has some fruitful history with the Lutosławski Quartet; together they released a spiky sort of chamber album, Space Kiss, in 2017. They’re appearing at Solar Myth as a joint presentation of Ars Nova Workshop and Poland’s Jazztopad Festival, which is also happening this week in New York. At 8 p.m., $30; purchase tickets. (Chinen)
Julius Rodriguez - Tuesday, NotSoLatin
Julius Rodriguez (aka Orange Julius) is a mesmerizingly talented multi-instrumentalist recently signed to Verve Records. Predominately a pianist these days, his repertoire spans interpretations by classic American composers like Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock, along with ruckus-inducing originals that dance between swing and backbeat. En route from New York to D.C, Rodriguez had an off night in Philly. So he’s booked at NotSoLatin, the intimate house concert series in South Philly. WRTI will be filming and capturing the magic, so stay tuned! At 7 p.m., $10 suggested, register here. (Alex Ariff)
Caroline Davis and Alula, Wednesday at Solar Myth
An ever-scintillating conceptualist and composer, saxophonist Caroline Davis leans into a prog impulse with Alula, her electroacoustic trio. It originated several years ago as an experiment with Deefhoof drummer Greg Saunier, featuring keyboardist Matt Mitchell. For this performance, Alula finds Davis in dialogue with Chris Tordini on bass and Kate Gentile on drums. At 8 p.m., $25; purchase tickets. (Chinen)
Tim Brey and Behn Gillece - Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
Tim Brey is pianist and educator with a strong profile on the Philly scene, and he has considerable history with New York-based vibraphonist Behn Gillece. They often work together in combo settings, but here they’ll pare it down to a duo, playing each others’ music and aiming for some of the magic of Bobby Hutcherson with McCoy Tyner. At 8 and 10 p.m., $30 to $100 (with dinner packages); purchase tickets. (Chinen)