How many ways are there to be a jazz artist while pushing against jazz parameters? The answer is unknowable, but we can start counting with this week’s Moment’s Notice haul, which brings us genre-expanding music from singer-songwriter Cécile McLorin Salvant, bassist and vocalist Thundercat, and pianist-turned-singer Jon Batiste. See you out there!
Spotlight: Cécile McLorin Salvant — Nov. 2, Zellerbach Theater
Cécile McLorin Salvant, the most intensely heralded jazz vocalist of our age, has conditioned her audience to expect the unexpected. Still, nobody could have anticipated Oh Snap, an album that pinballs from art song to the dance floor, dabbling in vocal overdubs, electronic effects, and even a Cher-like deployment of AutoTune. At the album’s core is a euphoric new emboldenment around genre expectations, and a songwriter’s dual focus on mythic archetype and approachably human feeling.
When Salvant last performed at the Zellerbach Theater under the auspices of Penn Live Arts, she delivered a taste of this many-splendored artistry: along with original material from Ghost Song and Mélusine, her two previous Nonesuch albums, she offered tunes by Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin — and for the encore, Stephen Sondheim. Salvant’s nearly breathless version of “Getting Married Today” felt as thrillingly precarious as a wooden roller coaster, and the crowd roared its approval. Expect an analogous moment, from an unusual angle, this time around.
Nov. 2 at 7 p.m., Zellerbach Theater, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut Street, $73-$119; tickets and information.
Daniel Meron Trio — Tuesday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
Pianist Daniel Meron was born in Israel, of Egyptian and Syrian heritage, and he incorporates elements of that cultural footing into his music. For this evening at Chris’ Jazz Cafe, he’ll lead the same rhythm team heard on his 2024 album Pendulum: Tamir Shmerling on bass and Mark Whitfield, Jr. on drums.
Oct. 28 at 7:30 and 9 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $15, $70 and $90, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
Thundercat — Wednesday, Franklin Music Hall
The hypercolor saturation and fast-twitch muscle fiber in Thundercat’s music can be understood a few different ways, some of them inextricable from the metabolism of social media. But his aerated falsetto and blinding bass fretwork also connect him to a legacy of jazz fusioneers, like Stanley Clarke and George Duke. On the heels of two head-turning new tracks — including “Children of the Baked Potato,” a collab with Remi Wolf — he brings his groove insurgency to Franklin Music Hall.
Oct. 29 at 8 p.m., Franklin Music Hall, 421 N 7th Street, $54.55; tickets and information.
Jon Batiste: The Big Money Tour — Thursday, The Met Philadelphia
He came up as a jazz pianist, but the world knows Jon Batiste as a genre-straddling singer, bandleader and brand ambassador — an impression only furthered on his latest release, BIG MONEY. It finds him throwing his long arms around the American idea, with flashes of rustic gospel, folk blues and even country & western. Whatever that means for Batiste’s concert tour, it’s bound to convey his trademark ebullience.
Oct. 30 at 8 p.m., The Met Philadelphia, 858 North Broad Street, $98 and up; tickets and information.
Alexander Claffy Quartet — Friday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
Since moving to New York from Philadelphia in 2011, Alexander Claffy has earned his stature as a go-to bassist on the modern jazz scene, working with a spectacular array of collaborators. For this homecoming gig, he enlists some fierce talent from within the Philly pool: saxophonist Dahi Divine, pianist Tim Brey and drummer Nazir Ebo.
Oct. 31 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $25, $95 and $115, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
Lafayette Gilchrist & New Volcanoes — Saturday, The Fallser Club
Lafayette Gilchrist is a keyboardist with serious range — from David Murray to David Simon, and now the Sun Ra Arkestra. He formed New Volcanoes more than 30 years ago, in a spirit of resilience and uplift inherent in the go-go scene of Washington, D.C., Gilchrist’s hometown. This concert, closing out the Satellite Sound fall series from the Painted Bride, will draw from a pointedly titled new album, Move with Love.
Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m., The Fallser Club, 3721 Midvale Avenue, $21.40; tickets and information.
Jimmy Greene Quartet — Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
Tenor saxophonist Jimmy Greene practices a brand of post-bop articulacy that’s firmly grounded in spirit and soul — a point he makes with understated emphasis on his new independent release, As We Are Now. Greene will draw from that album here, leading a combo with Zaccai Curtis on piano, Matthew Dwonszyk on bass and Jonathan Barber on drums.
Nov. 1 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $30, $100 and $120, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
