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: Soulive — Friday and Saturday, Ardmore Music Hall
Soulive — an indivisible jazz-funk trio comprising Eric Krasno on guitar and the brothers Evans, Neal on keyboards and Alan on drums — has witnessed a lot of shifting public perception around instrumental groove music. Starting out in the late 1990s, the band was embraced largely by a vibrant jam-band scene, and tapped to open tours for John Mayer and The Rolling Stones. But it also found a home on the Blue Note roster for a while, winning over an audience more inclined to recognize its nods to Grant Green and Larry Young.
Cinematics, Vol. 2, an EP released last spring, suggests that Soulive is well aware of the burgeoning interest in atmospherically funky mood music, à la Khruangbin. Lively and beat-driven but hazily drawn enough to work on a coffeehouse playlist, it’s a smart tactical effort that manages not to compromise the trio’s core values. This weekend two-nighter will, of course, bring those values into clear focus — among them, slangy telepathy, unfussy articulacy, and a conviction that the whole is indeed funkier than the sum of its parts.
Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at 8 p.m., Ardmore Music Hall, 23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, $25-$28 on Friday; tickets and information (Saturday sold out).
Dromedaries x Alexoteric — Thursday, Solar Myth
The revelatory fire of Irreversible Entanglements can also be found in this cross-platform collaboration — which features that band’s saxophonist, Keir Neuringer, in his capacity as a member of Dromedaries, with Shayna Dulberger on bass and Julius Masri on drums. Providing visionary spoken-word, in the manner of a fever dream, is Alexoteric, aka Alex Smith; for a taste of what it all sounds like, consult their recent album together, The Burning Bright Light.
Jan. 30 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $25 advance, $30 day-of-show; purchase tickets.

Kyle Koehler Trio — Thursday, Cellar Dog
A sharp and soulful voice on the Hammond B-3 organ, Kyle Koehler cut his teeth in Philly, his hometown, before making a name for himself in New York. He works often in a trio format, with drums and saxophone, and he’ll be on friendly turf in this weeknight hit at the Cellar Dog.
Jan. 30 at 6 p.m., Cellar Dog, 258 South 15th Street, $5 after 6 p.m.; more information.
Katie Neary Quintet — Thursday, Temple Performing Arts Center
You may have first heard about Katie Neary when she was the subject of a WRTI Young Artist Spotlight in 2023. At that time, she was a first-year saxophone student at the Boyer College of Music and Dance. Neary, who (full disclosure!) is now a part-time student worker at WRTI, leads her own group in this edition of the Rite of Swing Jazz Cafe, enlisting Henry Koban-Payne on trombone, Jake Miller on guitar, Ry Miller on bass, and Greg Masters on drums.
Jan. 30 at 4:30 p.m., Temple Performing Arts Center, 1837 North Broad Street, free; more information.

Pete Malinverni Trio — Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
On The Town - Pete Malinverni Plays Leonard Bernstein is an astute recent songbook tribute by somebody who knows his way around the town. Drawing partly from the album here, Malinverni augments his trio with a regular collaborator, the singer and songwriter Gabrielle Stravelli.
Feb. 1 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $30, $100 and $120, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.