We’ve still got a couple weeks (and then some) before Thanksgiving, but the musical cornucopia is already here. Just look at this week’s jumbo roundup of live shows, which we couldn’t narrow down further without leaving out something great. Here’s hoping you find something to your liking — and while we’re on the subject of musical bounty, why not cast your ballot in WRTI’s Holiday Platters? Your choice of classic jazz album could make the cut for our Thanksgiving weekend playlist.
Spotlight: Chad Taylor Quintet — Nov. 16, Solar Myth
Chad Taylor is a drummer, composer, bandleader and educator, but perhaps the most all-encompassing way to describe him would be to call him a catalyst. Philadelphians know this facet well, because he demonstrates it on the regular, in every kind of setting. Maybe you caught him at Solar Myth with Chicago Underground Duo a couple months ago, or plan to catch him this week with Bobby Zankel’s Wonderful Sound 3 (see below). Just last week I saw him elevating a heavy bandstand in Berlin with the James Brandon Lewis Quartet.
Taylor has a terrific new album, Smoke Shifter, dropping this Friday on Otherly Love Records. It features an assembly of insightful improvisers who cohere beautifully as a band, thanks in no small part to his alchemy. Those players (most of whom also contribute compositions) are trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson, tenor saxophonist Bryan Rogers, vibraphonist Victor Vieira–Branco, and bassist Matt Engle. Almost all of them are based, like Taylor, in the Philly scene, which makes this a hometown gig. Don’t wait until the end of the night to grab your copy of the LP; they’ll surely be in high demand.
Nov. 16 at 7 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $30 in advance, $35 day of show; purchase tickets.
The Bad Plus — Monday, Solar Myth
A few years ago, The Bad Plus overhauled its sound and personnel, transforming from a piano-bass-drums power trio to a more slippery four-piece band. Founding members Reid Anderson and Dave King, respectively on bass and drums, still hold down the core of its sound; newer members Ben Monder and Chris Speed, on guitar and reeds, bring it into new terrain. The band raised the roof at Ardmore Music Hall in February, so this marks a welcome return.
Nov. 10 at 7 and 9:30 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $35 in advance, $40 day of show (7 p.m. sold out); purchase tickets.
An Evening with Samara Joy — Wednesday, Miller Theater
Jazz hasn’t had another breakout star in recent seasons quite like Samara Joy, who continues to grow as both an artist and an ambassador. This concert falls on her 26th birthday, and as we chronicled in a recent profile, it holds a special meaning. “Portrait is more than an album,” Joy told me. “It's a statement, and I look forward to making that statement in a city that means a lot to me and to my family.”
Nov. 11 at 7 p.m., Miller Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 250 South Broad Street, $69-$146.16; tickets and information.
Azar Lawrence Experience — Wednesday, Solar Myth
A powerful tenor saxophonist in the post-Coltrane continuum, Azar Lawrence is still best recognized for his prolific output in the 1970s, when he carried that flame forward. He’s been nearly as productive as a bandleader and composer in recent years, meeting a scene well primed to receive him. He’s likely to draw here from his most recent album, New Sky, which was released in 2022; among the musical associates in his band are trumpeter Brian Swartz and bassist Gerald Brown.
Nov. 12 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $30 in advance, $35 day of show; purchase tickets.
Wonderful Sound 3 / Tropos — Thursday, The Perch
Alto saxophonist, composer and Philly mainstay Bobby Zankel convenes a special edition of his Warriors of the Wonderful Sound with two partners well equipped to match his instinct for exploratory fire: pianist and multi-instrumentalist Cooper-Moore and drummer Chad Taylor. Also on the bill is the Brooklyn-based improv-chamber quartet Tropos, whose most recent album, Switches, captures its engaging balance of precision and daring; cross your fingers that they play “The Best Donuts in Pennsylvania,” and divulge their findings.
Nov. 13 at 10 p.m., The Perch, 2321 Emerald Street, $15; tickets and information.
Air Legacy Trio — Friday, Solar Myth
Through the 1970s and into the mid-’80s, the collective trio known as Air came to epitomize the free-thinking yet rigorous impulses behind an ascendant avant-garde. This repertory ensemble — with multi-reedist Marty Ehrlich, bassist Hillard Greene and drummer Pheeroan akLaff — has been a powerful nexus for Air’s music. The group, assembled with the approval of Air co-founder Henry Threadgill, returns to Solar Myth, where it performed at the end of last year.
Nov. 14 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $30 in advance, $35 day of show; purchase tickets.
Cyrus Chestnut Trio — Friday and Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
Rhythm, Melody and Harmony is the new album by pianist Cyrus Chestnut, and if that title makes it sound like he has all the bases covered, you’re getting the right idea. Chestnut, now in his early 60s, has long been a pillar of the scene, and he knows how to play to his own strengths: gospel assurance, hard-boppish aplomb, and a lyricism that trades sentimentality for emotional clarity. This weekend he leads a trio with Herman Burney on bass and Kelton Norris on drums.
Nov. 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.
Philatino Music & Culture Fest — Saturday, Black Squirrel
This first annual festival celebrates Latin music with a Philly accent, featuring local food trucks, bilingual yoga, a Son Jarocho workshop — and as a centerpiece, five different musical acts. Chief among those is the dynamite Puerto Rican singer Tanicha López, making her first appearance with backing from Philly musicians. Also on the bill are the duo Alba Musik, La Plena Del Puente, Son Revoltura, and Chesy Amaranta.
Nov. 15 at 3 p.m., Black Squirrel Club, 1049 Sarah Street, $25; tickets and information.
