What makes the sound of summer? There’s no one right answer to that question, but you’ll find a few good ones in our area over the week ahead. Whether you’re going down the shore or bouncing around town, we’ve got you covered. Keep it cool! — Nate Chinen
Spotlight: Linda May Han Oh — Thursday, Kennedy Plaza Stage, Atlantic City
An exceptional bassist and composer who has also branched out as a vocalist, Linda May Han Oh explores a rooted sort of complexity in her music, always with dynamism in mind. You know this if you’ve spent time with her 2023 album, The Glass Hours, which we hailed in a WRTI review at the time as “a swirl of intricate designs, all carried out with steady composure by musicians who meet Oh’s high standard of fluency.”
For this free concert under the banner of the Chicken Bone Beach Jazz Series in Atlantic City, those musicians will include Greg Ward on alto saxophone, Matt Stevens on guitar and Obed Calvaire on drums. These are all longtime collaborators with deep attunement to Oh’s leadership — perhaps you spotted Ward in her recent Tiny Desk Concert — and they should have no problem lifting spirits here. (Pianist Keith Hollis will lead his own band in an opening set.)
July 4 at 7 p.m., Chicken Bone Beach Jazz Series, Kennedy Plaza Stage, Atlantic City, NJ, free; more information.
Cortex — Tuesday, Underground Arts
The French jazz-funk band Cortex was formed 50 years ago, largely under the initiative of pianist Alain Mion. For a generation or two of listeners, the group’s story began more recently, with a choice Madlib sample on the 2004 MF Doom album MM..Food. The album that housed the source track, Troupeau Blue, has since been sampled in dozens of other hip-hop productions, by everyone from Rick Ross to Lupe Fiasco to XXXTENTACION. So you should expect a crate-digging constituency at this show, presented by Jazz is Dead, which brought Cortex to the United States for the first time just a couple of years ago.
July 2 at 8 p.m., Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill Street, $38.50; purchase tickets.
Sakina Abdou and Bill Nace — Wednesday, Solar Myth
Sakina Abdou is a saxophonist and flutist from France with a gusty, spirit-seeking style, as she demonstrated on a 2022 album titled Goodbye Ground. She works here in a collaborative duo with Bill Nace, whose language on electric guitar can be serrated or celestial, with a spontaneous attunement that has served him well in the art-noise duo Body/Head (with Kim Gordon).
July 3 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $30; purchase tickets.
Webb Thomas Quartet — Friday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
A drummer of broad experience and a strong foothold in the traditions of jazz and funk, Webb Thomas can generally be trusted to put together a good small band. In this one, he’ll feature Curtis Weaver on guitar.
July 5 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $25, $80, and $100, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
Adam Blackstone Presents The Legacy Experience — July 7, City Winery
If you don’t know bassist Adam Blackstone, you may still be familiar with his work: as a music director for touring pop artists like Rihanna and special events like the Super Bowl Halftime Show, which earned him an Emmy Award in 2022 (for the widely praised hip-hop takeover, featuring Snoop Dog, Dr. Dre and others). Legacy, his debut album, released in 2022, earned him a Grammy nod; he’ll bring its buoyant spirit here, no doubt with special guests.
July 7 at 7:30 p.m., City Winery, 990 Filbert Street, $50-$75; tickets and information.
