Moment’s Notice is WRTI’s regular guide to the Philadelphia jazz scene. We’re here to tip you off to the best shows during the week ahead. 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: Brandee Younger Trio — Friday, Ardmore Music Hall
Brandee Younger has never drawn distinctions between the richness of the past and the possibilities of the future. As a harpist rooted in the lineage of Black music, she draws particular inspiration from Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, pioneers on the instrument who bridged modern jazz, classical music, and spirit-seeking R&B. Younger, one of the breakout talents of her generation, has spun gold out of a similar confluence, notably on her Brand New Life, touted by WRTI’s Ms. Blue and Maurice Browne as one of the Top 5 albums of 2023.
That album, produced by Makaya McCraven, features a small array of collaborators, including the producers Pete Rock and 9th Wonder. As a live performer, Younger typically favors a trio with Rashaan Carter on bass and Allan Mednard on drums — always finding ways to make this compact group sound both agile and orchestral. She returns to our area with the trio this weekend; the opener will be another trio, led by trombonist, presenter and Philly native Ernest Stuart.
July 19 at 8 p.m., Ardmore Music Hall, 23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, $25-$69; purchase tickets.
Chad Taylor Quartet — Wednesday, Solar Myth
In an attempt to compile Chad Taylor’s notable affiliations, one almost doesn’t know where to begin. He’s the drummer in Luke Stewart’s Silt Trio and James Brandon Lewis’ Red Lily Quartet, and propelled the late jaimie branch’s band Fly or Die; if you saw him recently at Solar Myth, it might have been in the Chicago Underground Duo, his long-running partnership with Rob Mazurek. Taylor was just named artistic director of the Jazz Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh, but he’s retaining his home base in Philly; his quartet features sterling collaborators like Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet and Bryan Rogers on saxophone.
July 17 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $25; tickets and information.
Pat Bianchi Trio — Friday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
An organist with a strong foothold in the hard-bop tradition, Pat Bianchi has a new album, Three, that serves as the formal introduction to his working band, We Three, with saxophonist Troy Roberts and drummer Colin Stranahan. For this one-nighter at Chris’ Jazz Cafe, he’ll be rejoined by Roberts; filling in on drums is the eminently capable Jason Tiemann.
July 19 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $25, $80, and $100, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival — Saturday, Saunders Park Greene
A West Philly summer tradition, the Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival attracts not only jazz diehards but a whole cross-section of the community, drawn by dynamic music on an outdoor stage. This year’s headliner and closer couldn’t be heavier: the Jamaaladeen Tacuma Quintet, featuring tenor saxophonist and Philadelphia legend Odean Pope. But don’t sleep on the undercard, which includes a quintet led by pianist Joe Block; Timothy Vaughan’s Inside Outside Ensemble; Mollie Ducoste, and more.
July 20 from noon to 7 p.m., Saunders Park Greene, 39th and Powelton Avenue, free; more information.
Dara Starr Tucker — July 21, 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 and talk radio, always has prime talent in her backing band. As on the album, this one is anchored by Greg Bryant — also her partner by marriage, and yes, the host of Evening Jazz and co-host of The Late Set — on electric bass.
July 21 at 6 and 8:30 p.m., South Jazz Kitchen, 600 North Broad Street, $25; tickets and information.
