It’s December, which can only mean one thing: the Christmas jazz season is upon us! We’ve already rummaged through the stocking of new holiday releases on The Late Set, with Samara Joy and Gregory Porter. This week, the Philly area welcomes a few others swinging a holiday vibe. Here’s our rundown; if you have feedback or tips, drop us a line!
Spotlight: George Burton’s Yule Log — Friday, Community Education Center
A stock holiday jazz album was never in the cards for George Burton, whose career as a pianist and bandleader, both in and beyond his native Philly, reflects a balance of curiosity and integrity. The Yule Log, his spirited new Christmas release, is a 100% Frosty-free zone — well-furnished with top-flight musicianship and a smart array of seasonal hymns and heralds. Among the highlights is a roiling “Some Children See Him” arranged as a slashing polyrhythmic waltz and a brooding “We Three Kings” with a string quartet in the foreground. Burton’s pianism is the combustible constant in a mix that features dynamic collaborators like violinist Diane Monroe, vocalist Nancy Harms, bassist Pablo Menares and drummer Nazir Ebo. This album-release concert at the CEC will be a welcome opportunity to hear the band deliver their glad tidings up close and in person.
Dec. 8 at 7 p.m., Community Education Center, 3500 Lancaster Avenue, $10 to $30; purchase tickets.
Remembering Grover Washington, Jr. — Thursday, South Jazz Kitchen
The much-beloved saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr. would have turned 80 on Dec. 12. (He died in 1999, at 56.) Members of his original band will reconvene this week to pay tribute. Along with bassist Gerald Veasley, who presides over the Unscripted Jazz Series at South, that personnel includes keyboardists Bill Jolly and Donald Robinson and percussionist Pablo Batista. The show has sold out, but it’s always worth checking for cancellations.
Dec. 7 at 7 and 9:30 p.m., Dec. 10 at 6 and 8:30 p.m., South Jazz Kitchen, 600 North Broad Street, sold out; more information.
Br-An-Ch / Setting — Friday at Solar Myth
A double bill of new trios, working an exploratory angle. Br-An-Ch is a partial portmanteau of its members’ first names: Brandon Ross (guitar), Angelica Sanchez (piano) and Chad Taylor (drums), all experienced travelers in the contemporary avant-garde. They’ll anchor the evening, with an opening set by Setting, a more folklike experimental unit with Nathan Bowles on keyboards, strings and percussion, Jaime Fennelly on harmonium, synth, and piano zither, and Joe Westerlund on drums, percussion, and metallophones.
Dec. 8 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 S. Broad Street, $25; purchase tickets.
José James — Friday through Sunday, South Jazz Kitchen
Merry Christmas from José James was a toasty offering of the 2021 holiday season, and a fine look for a singer who has always favored his jazz on the soulful side. The album introduces a nostalgic original, “Christmas in New York,” as well as a J. Dilla spin on “This Christmas” and a Coltrane-invoking “My Favorite Things.” It should make for a vivacious live show, especially given that James will be joined by the album’s MVP, pianist Aaron Parks.
Dec. 8 and 9 at 7 and 9:30 p.m., Dec. 10 at 6 and 8:30 p.m., South Jazz Kitchen, 600 North Broad Street, $45; purchase tickets.
Denise King Quintet — Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
A veteran jazz singer with a firm foothold in gospel and R&B, Denise King will focus on holiday fare in this club date, which will double as a Christmas toy drive. She’ll have the best possible backing from a quintet comprising Duane Eubanks on trumpet, Abraham Burton on saxophones, Anthony Wonsey on piano, Kenny Davis on bass and Ocie Davis on drums.
Dec. 9 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $30, $85 and $105, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
Gabriel Meyer Creative Orchestra — Saturday at Solar Myth
The visionary music of Anthony Braxton is a binding focus for this large ensemble, made up of students at Temple’s Boyer College of Music and led by trombonist Gabriel Meyer. Since the beginning of this year, the group has been working on previously unheard compositions, which Meyer has retrieved with the blessing of Braxton’s Tri-Centric foundation. It’s a challenge these young players have embraced wholeheartedly.
Dec. 9 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 S. Broad Street, $10; purchase tickets.
