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: Onilu — Wednesday, Solar Myth
Rhythm and melody are one and the same for Onilu, an improvising percussion trio rooted in the African diasporic tradition. The ensemble was conceived by Kevin Diehl, known to Philadelphia jazz audiences as leader of the Sonic Liberation Front; a student of Afro-Cuban folkloric music, he focuses most his energies here on batá drums and cajón, but also plays the Yoruban shekere and Cuban catá, along with the drum kit.
Diehl developed Onilu in collaboration with Chad Taylor, another Philly native (via New York and Chicago) — and another multidimensional rhythm-maker, whose instrumental palette in the group includes mbira, marimba, Brazilian alfaia, and the steel tongue drum. Completing the triumvirate is one of Taylor’s former teachers, the legendary Joe Chambers, now 82. Chambers, who plays mallet percussion, drums and congas in Onilu, was a charter member of Max Roach’s percussion ensemble M’Boom, an obvious precursor.
On a self-titled album released earlier this year, Onilu makes all of this background feel intuitive. What matters is the deep focus and companionable interplay among these three musicians, and their almost spiritual commitment to rhythmic pulsation. As another drummer, Dana Hall, observes in his liner notes: “The drum, and its entire global family of membranophones, shakers, and idiophones, are conduits for their collective creative voice.” You can count on some deep vibration in this concert, part of Ars Nova Workshop’s 25th anniversary season.
May 21 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $35 advance, $40 day of show; purchase tickets.
Marshall Allen’s Ghost Horizons — Friday, Solar Myth
A few weeks ago, Marshall Allen and the Sun Ra Arkestra took the Kennedy Center to Saturn as part of his induction as an NEA Jazz Master. Allen — who remains an inexhaustible creative force, on EWI and spoken word as well as alto saxophone — presides over his Ghost Horizons residency at Solar Myth, which recently yielded an excellent live album. The lineup is stellar (including James Brandon Lewis on tenor saxophone, Luke Stewart on bass, and Mike Reed on drums), and the show is unsurprisingly sold out. If you decide to go anyway, don’t forget to wish Allen a happy birthday: he turns 101 two days after the gig.
May 23 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, sold out.
Luke Carlos O’Reilly Quartet — Friday, Cellar Dog
Pianist Luke Carlos O’Reilly has long been a key fixture in the Philly jazz scene, and with his recent trio album, Leave the Gate Open, he’s making some noise beyond his hometown. This weekend he leads a quartet at Cellar Dog, a new club around the corner from the Kimmel Center; the rhythmic clatter from pool and ping pong tables will add to the atmosphere.
May 23 at 7 p.m., Cellar Dog, 258 South 15th Street, $5-$10; more information.
The Quincy Jones Experience — Saturday, World Cafe Live
This tribute to Quincy Jones celebrates both his roots and his reign, traversing jazz, pop, disco and R&B. Presented by the Baltimore-based Tarsha Fitzgerald Productions, it entrusts musical direction to bassist Gary Grainger, who marshals a crew including vocalists Bryan Fox and Skyler Parker, keyboardists Moe Daniels and Leonardo Zurita Rosen, and drummer Cory Baker. Come ready to hit the dance floor.
May 24 at 8 p.m., World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street, $35-$45; purchase tickets.
Webb Thomas & His Superband — Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
A drummer of broad experience and a strong foothold in the traditions of jazz and funk, Webb Thomas can generally be trusted to put together a good small band. His Superband typically features trumpeter Patrick “Face” Rickman, saxophonist Robert Landham, pianist Neil Podgurski and bassist Lee Smith.
May 24 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $30, $100 and $120, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
