What makes a groove? Is it a feeling of depth in the pocket? A certain rightness as all the gears shift into place? The basic meeting of forward propulsion and surface tension? Whatever analytical tools you reach for, there will be several excellent places to find groove at its heaviest this week, in myriad forms. Buckle up, and don’t say we didn’t warn you. — Nate Chinen
Spotlight: Dezron Douglas Quartet — Saturday, Solar Myth
The low end is a locus for Dezron Douglas, who as a bassist can be seen holding it down for both the Ravi Coltrane Quartet and the Trey Anastasio Band. But Douglas is also a strong leader in his own right, with a natural way of centering the energies in his band. In 2022, he released his seventh album, ATALAYA, which WRTI’s Courtney Blue praised at the time as “a common ground where we can congregate, resonate and vibrate together.”
The album features a propulsive quartet with Emilio Modeste on tenor saxophone, Joe Dyson, Jr. on drums, and Philly’s own George Burton on piano, who all rejoin him here, for a repeat performance at Solar Myth. There will also be a featured guest: the brilliant Cuban pianist David Virelles, who has shared countless hours with Douglas in Ravi Coltrane’s rhythm section, and knows how to bridge the distance between cosmic sorcery and earthbound groove.
Nov. 16 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $30 advance, $35 day of show; purchase tickets.
Nate Smith featuring Jason Lindner + Tim Lefebvre — Thursday, City Winery
Perhaps you caught Nate Smith at The Met this fall with future-soul dynamo Brittany Howard: he’s the rhythmic savant behind her powerhouse band. As a drummer, Smith has also propelled everyone from Dave Holland to the Fearless Flyers, always with a knack for furrowing deep into a groove. Here he’ll play in the funk sandbox with keyboardist Jason Lindner and electric bassist Tim Lefebvre, whose collaborative history stretches well beyond their most famous sideman turn, on David Bowie’s Blackstar.
Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m., City Winery, 990 Filbert Street, $30-$50; tickets and information.
Randy Brecker with Tod Dickow & Charged Particles — Friday through Sunday, South Jazz Kitchen
Before rising to prominence as one of the standout trumpeters of his generation, Randy Brecker was a talented kid in Cheltenham, PA, blazing a trail soon to be followed by his saxophone-playing younger brother, Michael. So this weekend marks both a homecoming and a fond tribute for Randy, who’s still dangerous on the horn at 78: he’ll focus on the music of his late brother in the company of tenor saxophonist Tod Dickow and the trio Charged Particles, which consists of Murray Low on keyboards, Aaron Germain on bass and Jon Krosnick on drums.
Nov. 15 and 16 at 7 and 9:30 p.m., Nov. 17 at 6 and 8:30 p.m., South Jazz Kitchen, 600 North Broad Street, $40; tickets and information.
Tim Brey Sextet — Friday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
In his music for sextet, pianist and Boyer professor Tim Brey applies a high sheen to the swinging modern mainstream, with a notable assist from the futuristic timbres of John Swana’s EVI (electronic valve instrument). Rounding out the band are Chris Coles on alto saxophone, Elijah Balbed on tenor saxophone, Madison Rast on bass and Anwar Marshall on drums.
Nov. 15 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $25, $95, and $115, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
Django Festival All-Stars — Saturday, Perelman Theater
The effervescent swing of Django Reinhardt and the Quintette du Hot Club de France is a lingua franca, a cottage industry and, quite often, a family business. Certainly all three are true for the ever-popular Django Festival All-Stars, which in this touring iteration will feature the virtuoso guitarist Dorado Schmitt, a leading Djangologist, with his sons Samson and Amati.
Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m., Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, $39-$69; tickets and information.
