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!
50 Shades of O — Wednesday through Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
“I’ve always enjoyed being on the bandstand on my birthday,” says pianist Orrin Evans, who celebrated a big one on Friday. “For the last 10 years, I’ve been at The Green Mill in Chicago. Then when I thought about 50, I thought ‘Why not make it a whole big celebration?’ Everything I do in 2025 is going to be for my 50th.”
The celebration may be rolling, but it finds a special focus this coming week, as Evans leads a residency he’s calling “50 Shades of O” at Chris’ Jazz Cafe, here in his hometown. Over four nights, he’ll convene a few different sets of friends and collaborators, beginning on Wednesday with his Captain Black Big Band, performing with two dynamic jazz vocalists, Jazzmeia Horn and Sy Smith.
On Thursday, Evans will be one of four pianists converging for a jam session; the others are Marc Cary, Rodney Kendrick and Ethan Iverson. They’ll trade choruses in the company of rhythm section brethren like bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Byron Landham. “We’re just going to get together and have fun,” Evans says. “This is about having a good old time.”
Friday and Saturday will feature an all-star ensemble with some of Evans’ favorite musicians — like drummer Nasheet Waits, “who I started with in this music,” and trumpeter Sean Jones, with whom Evans toured and recorded for years. Also joining the party are saxophonists Jaleel Shaw and Abraham Burton, and a venerable elder, bassist Buster Williams.
“I’ve said this elsewhere, but 50 is looking a little different than I thought it would look,” Evans tells WRTI. “I thought the industry would be a little easier. By celebrating these things, it’s almost hyping me up to remember why I do this. I didn’t do it for what I thought it was going to be. I really do it because I enjoy what it is right now.”
April 2 at 8 and 9 p.m., April 3 through 5 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $30, $100 and $120 on April 3, $35, $105 and $125 on April 2, 4 and 5, with dinner packages; event list and information.
Nubya Garcia — Wednesday, Ardmore Music Hall
In her interview on The Late Set last fall, the London-born tenor saxophonist and composer Nubya Garcia agreed with the characterization of her latest album, Odyssey, as a creative culmination. It features starry guests and an occasional cohort of strings, but its fundamental strength lies in the dynamism of Garcia’s working band, which draws on dub and carnival music as well as jazz, and joins her here.
April 2 at 8 p.m., Ardmore Music Hall, 23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, $29-$55; tickets and information.
Eight Eight Time — Thursday through Saturday, Mandell Theater
Four noted jazz pianist-composers — Kendrah Butler-Waters, Terry Klinefelter, Suzzette Ortiz and Sumi Tonooka — team up with the spoken-word poet Yolanda Wisher and filmmaker Lunise Cerin to present this interdisciplinary concert, presented by Journey Arts and supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Unfolding as a 12-movement suite, Eight Eight Time draws inspiration from story circles and community workshops, with an intention to “explore the milestones that shape women’s lives.”
April 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m., April 5 at 2 and 7:30 p.m., Mandell Theater, 3220 Chestnut Street, $10-$40; tickets and information.
V. Shayne Frederick — Friday, Barnes Foundation
V. Shayne Frederick’s deep baritone and burnished elocution might remind you of an old-school jazz crooner like Joe Williams, but he comes to the jazz tradition through a soul and R&B portal. The synthesis suits him as if it’s been tailored, as he’ll demonstrate in this First Friday concert at the Barnes Foundation, drawing from a forthcoming album, Treasures.
April 4 at 6 p.m., Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, $35, $10 for National, Patron and Contributor members, Supporters and Sustainers free; tickets and information.
Wonderful Sound 3 — Friday, Black Squirrel
Alto saxophonist, composer and local luminary Bobby Zankel convenes a special edition of his Warriors of the Wonderful Sound — a trio, hence Wonderful Sound 3 — with a couple of distinguished partners well equipped to match his instinct for exploratory fire. They are pianist and multi-instrumentalist Cooper-Moore and drummer Pheeroan akLaff, who join him here for a memorial tribute to the pianist Cecil Taylor — a former mentor to Zankel and an inspiration to all.
April 4 at 8 p.m., Black Squirrel, 1049 Sarah Street, $15-$25 sliding scale; more information.
Nabaté Isles — Saturday, Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts
Nabaté Isles is a trumpeter, bandleader and composer of eclectic experience, with credits ranging from Jill Scott and Yasiin Bey to the Christian McBride Big Band. En Motion, which he released in 2023, captures his devotion to dance music as well as modern jazz. It’s a good preview of the energies he’ll bring to the Clef Club’s Jazz Cultural Voices Concert Series, in a concert with a featured guest: veteran trumpeter and educator Jimmy Owens.
April 5 at 7:30 p.m., Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts, 736 South Broad Street, $35; tickets and information.
