This week in Moment’s Notice, we have a couple of boldfaced names and a fresh-faced up-and-comer, with a stylistic range from straight down the middle to all-the-way out. Sign up now to receive this service in your inbox every Sunday. And if you want to let us know about a show on the horizon, or share any other feedback, drop us a line!
Spotlight: Kamasi Washington — May 5, Union Transfer
Groundedness and grandeur are always interlinked in the music of Kamasi Washington, the tenor saxophonist and bandleader who helped usher in a wave of millennial jazz fervor. His hotly anticipated new album, Fearless Movement, is due out this Friday, with guests including George Clinton, André 3000 and BJ The Chicago Kid. Washington has said that he drew inspiration from the birth of his daughter a few years ago — an event that led him to shift some of his focus from celestial and cosmic concerns to a more embodied spirit of uplift. Hear what he’s talking about on the album’s ecstatic, onrushing first single, “The Garden Path,” which he premiered a while back on The Tonight Show. There’s no doubt that he’ll lean into the visceral side of his music when the Fearless Movement Tour reaches Union Transfer on Sunday, in a show co-presented by Ars Nova Workshop and WXPN.
May 5 at 8 p.m., Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden Street, $40-$45; purchase tickets.
Avram Fefer-Hill Greene-Reggie Nicholson Trio — Thursday, Solar Myth
Multi-reedist Avram Fefer, bassist Hill Greene and drummer Reggie Nicholson all come out of an avant-garde tradition of transcendence, and as a trio they are likely to forge a path forward through the power of their collective will. The material could be a spontaneous invention, but in light of Fefer’s body of compositions for the trio, there’s a good chance the band will also build on some established themes.
May 2 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $30; purchase tickets.
ELEW — Friday and Saturday, South Jazz Kitchen
The pianist formerly known as Eric Lewis, born and raised in Camden, N.J., has enjoyed a unique creative career with his brand of “Rockjazz,” coaxing all manner of catharsis from tunes by the likes of Foo Fighters and Linkin Park. But ELEW has also staked his claim as a top-of-the-line postbop pianist; his most recent album, ELEW Plays Rosenwinkel: Cubism, essays the Kurt Rosenwinkel songbook with exquisite understanding. Expect both the intellect and the impulse to be stimulated during this weekend run at South.
May 3 and 4 at 7 and 9:30 p.m., South Jazz Kitchen, 600 North Broad Street, $35; tickets and information.
Chicago Underground Duo — Saturday, Solar Myth
A long-running, far-reaching partnership between cornetist and electronics artist Rob Mazurek and drummer Chad Taylor, the Chicago Underground Duo has held firm as both a unit and a concept — even as both of its members now reside well outside Chicago city limits. The Duo’s most recent album, Locus, was released a full decade ago, which should incentivize any avid listener to seek out their live show (not that anybody needed further encouragement).
May 4 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $30; purchase tickets.
Kate Kortum & the Tim Brey/Behn Gillece Quartet — Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
A high-spirited jazz singer originally from Houston, TX, Kate Kortum is in her early 20s and currently pursuing her masters degree at Juilliard, whose Betty Carter Ensemble features her prominently. You can hear what she’s all about on her recent debut album, Good Woman — or you can see for yourself when she sets up here, at the helm of a group that features Tim Brey on piano and Behn Gillece on vibraphone.
May 4 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $30, $85 and $105, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
Philadelphia Youth Jazz Orchestra — Saturday, Temple Performing Arts Center
Under the direction of drummer Justin Faulkner, an adjunct faculty member at the Boyer College of Music and Dance, the Philadelphia Youth Jazz Orchestra features some of the tri-state region’s brightest up-and-coming musicians. This second annual festival concert bears the title “Baritone Saxophone by Ellington, Basie, and More” — and the bari sax soloist in question is none other than Joshua Lee, host of Jazz Through the Night at WRTI.
May 4 at 4 p.m., Temple Performing Arts Center, 1837 North Broad Street, free, but ticket reservations are required; reserve tickets here.
