If jazz-funk is your thing, you could hardly come up with a better week in Philadelphia; read on and you’ll see what I mean. But it’s not all about the backbeat this week. There’s also a swinging vibraphone quartet, and a celebration of bossa nova. Whatever your groove, you should be able to find it here. Happy listening! — Nate Chinen
Spotlight: Doug Carn Quintet — Saturday, Solar Myth
During the early-to-mid 1970s, organist and pianist Doug Carn was a steamroller, bringing heavy new rumblings to the landscape of soul jazz. His several albums for the independent Black Jazz label — beginning in ‘71 with Infant Eyes, and made in collaboration with his wife at the time, vocalist Jean Carn — are now hailed as early cornerstones of the “spiritual jazz” movement, and highly sought after by collectors. (A few years ago, three of these albums, including Infant Eyes, were reissued on vinyl and CD by the boutique label Real Gone Music.)
Now 75, Carn continues to spread his message. He was the subject of Jazz Is Dead 5, a 2020 installment of the popular series from Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. This weekend he pays a visit to Solar Myth with an ace band featuring trumpeter Duane Eubanks, tenor saxophonist Stacy Dillard, bassist Herman Burney and drummer Bernard Linnette.
June 22 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $35; purchase tickets.
The Baylor Project — Tuesday, City Winery
A partnership between vocalist Jean Baylor and her husband, drummer Marcus Baylor, this group combines elements of jazz, gospel, soul and the blues, always in an uplifting key. Seven-time Grammy nominees, they recently released The Evening: Live at APPARATUS, which captures some of the sparkle in their show. But there’s no substitute for the real thing — especially in this case, for a special Juneteenth show.
June 18 at 7:30 p.m., City Winery, 990 Filbert Street, $38 to $50; tickets and information.
The Soul Rebels + Fred Wesley & the New J.B.s + Marcus Miller — Wednesday, Ardmore Music Hall
This Juneteenth, it’ll be hard to top a triple bill at Ardmore Music Hall. Headlining are The Soul Rebels, who infuse the New Orleans brass band tradition with hip-hop swagger. (After this show, they’ll head to New York for three nights at the Blue Note with Ghostface Killah of the Wu Tang Clan.) Not to be outdone, trombonist Fred Wesley leads the New J.B.s, which recaptures the fire of his hall-of-fame tenure with James Brown, and electric bass virtuoso Marcus Miller brings his airtight brand of jazz-funk, with a sharp young band.
June 19 at 8 p.m., Ardmore Music Hall, 23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, $39; purchase tickets.
Ray Kaneko Quintet — Thursday, Temple Performing Arts Center
Originally from Tokyo, Japan, alto saxophonist Ray Kaneko favors a sweet, rounded tone and an agile sense of phrase; he just became the 2024 recipient of the Billy Strayhorn Jazz Education Scholarship, to support his studies at Temple’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. He kicks off the monthly Rite of Swing summer session with a group featuring Jake Kelberman on guitar, Anthony Aldissi on piano, Sam Harris on bass and Maria Marmarou on drums.
June 20 at 4:30 p.m., Temple Performing Arts Center, 1837 North Broad Street, free; more information.
Brandon Woody Upendo — Thursday, Solar Myth
A trumpeter with a strong, soulful voice and charisma to spare, Brandon Woody is a young pillar of the scene in Baltimore, though his profile continues to expand through the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond. He started Upendo in 2017, and while the band hasn’t yet released an album, its blend of state-of-the-art post-bop, electronics and R&B has already traveled far — including this debut at Solar Myth, where it should meet with a receptive audience.
June 20 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $30; purchase tickets.
Jason Marsalis — Friday through Sunday, South Jazz Kitchen
When we last got a taste of Jason Marsalis, it was as a member of the Marcus Roberts Trio, performing a centennial tribute to Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with The Philadelphia Orchestra. He was on drums in that concert, confidently co-piloting a symphonic masterpiece; here, he’ll mostly play vibraphone, as on a series of sharp recent albums for Basin Street Records.
June 21 and 22 at 7 and 9:30 p.m., June 23 at 6 and 8:30 p.m., South Jazz Kitchen, 600 North Broad Street, $35; tickets and information.
Anaïs Reno, Dylan Band & The São Paulo/Philly Connection — Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
A jazz singer with a warmly assured style beyond her years, Anaïs Reno, now all of 20, has been steadily gaining ground on the scene. She joins forces here not only with local tenor saxophone stalwart Dylan Band but also The São Paulo / Philly Connection, to celebrate the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim.
June 22 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $35, $90, and $110, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
