Were you thinking of staying at home this week? C’mon now — March Madness hasn’t started up yet, and Netflix isn’t going anywhere. Besides, just look at how many varieties of musical excellence are hitting our scene in the coming days! As always, Moment’s Notice is bringing you the intel. — Nate Chinen
Brandee Younger Trio — Wednesday and Thursday, Solar Myth
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.
Her working trio, with Rashaan Carter on bass and Allan Mednard on drums, has forged an elastic yet earthy group language, which tempers the celestial aspect of her instrument without diluting its appeal. The group has already had great success at Solar Myth, where it returns this week for a two-nighter in celebration of Ars Nova Workshop’s 25th anniversary.
Come early on Thursday (at 6:30 p.m.) for a Brandee Younger interview conducted by Josh Jackson and yours truly, taping live for The Late Set; it’s free and open to the public.
March 12 and 13 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $35 in advance, $40 day-of-show; purchase tickets.
Tigran Hamasyan — Wednesday, Ardmore Music Hall
The Armenian pianist and composer Tigran Hamasyan has refined a personal vocabulary for small-group jazz that melds the folkloric and the hypermodern. The intricate grandeur of his 2024 album The Bird of a Thousand Voices — based on an Armenian folk tale, and later developed into an immersive online video game — will provide the material for this week’s stand at Ardmore Music Hall.
March 12 at 8 p.m., Ardmore Music Hall, 23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, $25-$55; tickets and information.
Rachel Z Trio Featuring Omar Hakim — Thursday, South Jazz Kitchen
A pianist and synth specialist whose kaleidoscopic career has included work with both Wayne Shorter and Peter Gabriel, Rachel Z maintains a prolific solo practice, with at least a dozen albums to her name. The most recent, Sensual, is a collaboration with her husband, the smartly expressive drummer Omar Hakim, who rejoins her here on the Unscripted Jazz series.
March 13 at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m., South Jazz Kitchen, 600 North Broad Street, $37-$42; tickets and information.
Sasha Berliner Quartet — Friday and Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
Flow is a priority in the music of Sasha Berliner, a vibraphonist fast emerging as a bright light of her generation. That dynamic quality, which has brought Berliner into the orbit of bandleaders like Tyshawn Sorey and Nicholas Payton, also suffuses her third album, Fantôme, which is due out at the end of this month. Pianist Taylor Eigsti and drummer Jongkuk Kim, who play on the album, appear this weekend alongside trumpeter Alonzo Demetrius and bassist Ben Williams.
March 14 and 15 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $30, $100 and $120 on Friday, $35, $105 and $125 on Saturday, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
Daniel Villareal — Friday and Saturday, Solar Myth
A drummer who originally hails from Panama, and now lives in Philadelphia after a productive stint in Chicago, Daniel Villarreal has the sort of personal magnetism that makes any conglomeration of players feel like a unit. Hear that process unfold on his album Panamá 77 — or, even better, hear it this weekend, with an ensemble that will include Nathan Karagianis on guitar, Cole DeGenova on keys, Gordon Walters on bass and Danjuma Gaskien on percussion.
March 14 and 15 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $25 advance, $30 day-of-show; purchase tickets.
Vijay Iyer Trio — Saturday, Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts
Last year, pianist Vijay Iyer released an album, Compassion, that went on to garner great acclaim. The all-star trio from that recording will be at the Big Ears Festival later this month; Iyer is at the helm of a different rhythm section, with Devon Gates on bass and Jeremy Dutton on drums, for this concert on the Jazz Cultural Voices Concert Series.
March 15 at 7:30 p.m., Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts, 736 South Broad Street, $35; tickets and information.
