Here at Moment’s Notice, we do our best to tell you what’s happening in the week ahead, and how to catch it. One of our would-be picks this week — Cortex with guitarists Hedvig Mollestad and Nels Cline, at Solar Myth — has been sold out for some time, so we’ll leave it be. But don’t despair, there’s plenty of amazing music still within reach. Read on, and listen up. – Nate Chinen
Spotlight: Adam O’Farrill’s Stranger Days — Friday, Notsolatin
Adam O’Farrill is a trumpeter and composer with his eyes trained on the horizon: maybe you’ve heard him parrying and pirouetting his way through the complex musical landscapes of Mary Halvorson, Anna Webber, Rudresh Mahanthappa or Patricia Brennan. His own music conveys a fondness for shifting texture and sublimated ardor, suggesting a sharp-angled millennial take on the divergent post-bop legacies of Booker Little and Don Cherry. (At times his trumpet playing also suggests a nod to Dave Douglas, a more tangible influence.)
HUESO, the assured new album by O’Farrill’s band Stranger Days, came out of a band residency on an organic farm in New England, where, as he puts it, they learned “to foster a closer connection to and relationship with the ground that we all walk on.” The music is dynamic, collaborative and intensely focused, with O’Farrill setting the pace for his tuned-in collaborators: tenor saxophonist Xavier Del Castillo, bassist Walter Stinson, and drummer Zack O’Farrill (Adam’s older brother and longtime sparring partner). This quartet made a great impression in a 2022 Ars Nova Workshop show at the Ruba Club, and its cohesion has only grown stronger.
Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m., Notsolatin, 1440 West Ritner Street, $10-$20 suggested donation at the door; more information.
Kyle Tither Quintet — Wednesday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
Kyle Tither is a bassist and semi-recent graduate of the Boyer College of Music, where he studied under David Wong. His quintet for this midweek show will include a few accomplished members of his peer group — Chris Oatts and Evan Kappelman on saxophones, and Donovan Pope on drums — as well as a “surprise special guest” on piano.
Nov. 20 at 7:30 and 9 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $15, $70, and $90, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
Mikey Mester and Friends — Thursday, Temple Performing Arts Center
Mikey Mester, a drummer who received his masters degree from the Boyer College of Music last year, returns to the Temple campus for this installment of the Rite of Swing Cafe. He’ll lead a six-piece band well stocked with Boyer talent, including some members of the faculty: Fareed Simpson-Hankins on trumpet, Michael Kaplan on trombone, Dylan Band on saxophone, Tim Brey on piano, and Madison Rast on bass.
Nov. 21 at 4:30 p.m., Temple Performing Arts Center, 1837 N. Broad Street, free; more information.
The Heavy Hitters — Friday and Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
This hard-bop collective, which released a fine studio album last year, takes as a given the idea that bright, swinging interplay will never go out of style. How could it, with a lineup like this? On both nights you’ll hear Sean Jones on trumpet, Mike LeDonne on piano, John Webber on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. Friday’s sets will also feature saxophonist Mike DiRubbo and trombonist Steve Davis, while Saturday will bring the saxophone summit of Vincent Herring (alto) and Eric Alexander (tenor).
Nov. 22 and 23 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $35, $105, and $125, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
Nate Wooley’s Folk Music — Saturday, Solar Myth
Trumpeter and composer Nate Wooley maintains a profile both overwhelming and approachable: he’s a true force on the new-music scene, rightly celebrated for epic pieces like the Seven Storey Mountain Cycle and principled concepts like Mutual Aid Music. With this trio, Folk Music, he set out to explore free improvisation rooted in lived experience, both individual and shared. Such a project calls for just the right partners, and he has them in the drummers Chris Corsano (who also plays electronics and handmade instruments) and Ches Smith (also on vibraphone, orchestral bells, sampler and drum machine).
Nov. 23 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $30; purchase tickets.
