December is here, and it’s beginning to look a lot like the holiday season — not only in your inbox and at your local retailer, but also on the local club and concert scene. This week, we’re looking at a few noteworthy Yuletide offerings, from two bright young singers as well as a seasoned trumpeter and bandleader. But that’s not all we’ve got; far from it. So let’s dive in.
Spotlight: Holiday Soul with Josh Lawrence & Friends — Tuesdays through Dec. 23, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
Josh Lawrence appeared in our Moment’s Notice Spotlight over the summer, as he was preparing to release his album Still We Dream. When we followed up with the trumpeter and composer about that project, he talked about celebrating the commonalities between classical music and jazz, and using them to shorten the distance between the audience and the stage.
He’ll be doing something similar in the coming month, on a series of Tuesday evenings at Chris’ Jazz Cafe. This residency, which the club is calling “Holiday Soul,” will feature a different band each time, presumably putting a fresh spin on seasonal fare. Kicking things off is the band from Lawrence’s smart 2017 album Color Theory, featuring Caleb Wheeler Curtis on saxophones, Adam Faulk on Fender Rhodes and acoustic pianos, Madison Rast on bass, and Anwar Marshall on drums. You can probably count on hearing “Green” and “RED!” in each set.
Dec. 2, 9, 16 and 23 at 7:30 and 9 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $15, $70 and $90, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
Friends & Neighbors — Wednesday, Solar Myth
A noted fixture on the robust Scandinavian improv scene, Friends & Neighbors is led by the Norwegian multi-reedist André Roligheten, drawing loosely on the 1960s free-jazz language of Ornette Coleman. The group — with Thomas Johansson on trumpet, Oscar Grönberg on piano, Jon Rune Strøm on bass and Tollef Østvang on drums — makes a rare visit to the states this week, courtesy of Ars Nova Workshop.
Dec. 3 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $25 advance, $30 day-of-show; purchase tickets.
Chris Farr Quintet — Thursday, Temple Performing Arts Center
A well-traveled saxophonist now teaching at the Boyer College of Music and Dance after an accomplished stretch at the University of the Arts, Chris Farr convenes a Temple Jazz faculty all-star group for the Rite of Swing Cafe. Along with trumpeter John Swana (on EVI), the band will feature pianist Tim Brey, bassist Alex Claffy, and drummer Justin Faulkner.
Dec. 4 at 4:30 p.m., Temple Performing Arts Center, 1837 North Broad Street, free; more information.
Matt Mitchell and Sara Serpa — Thursday, Solar Myth
End of Something, the extraordinary new duo album by vocalist Sara Serpa and pianist Matt Mitchell, is a marvel of mutual exchange and an uncompromising devotion to discovery. The album features original compositions by each artist, along with musical settings of writings by poet Sonia Sanchez, philosopher Luce Irigaray and others. There’s no question that the tonal, temporal and conceptual investigation that Serpa and Mitchell embrace on the album will only feel sharper and more immediate up close in performance, during this stop on their fall tour.
Dec. 4 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $30 advance, $35 day-of-show; purchase tickets.
April Varner — Friday, Barnes Foundation
The prepossessing jazz vocalist April Varner last caught our ear with April, an album that took its concept personally: every song on its track list included her first name in the title. Now she’s shifting seasons with Winter Songs Vol. 2, her playful take on the season, including a “Holly Jolly Christmas” arranged to evoke Ahmad Jamal’s version of “Poinciana.” Catch Varner and her holiday spirit in this First Friday concert at the Barnes; your concert ticket will also grant admission to the museum’s collection and a featured exhibition on Henri Rousseau.
Dec. 5 at 6 p.m., Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, $10-$35, Supporters and Sustainers free; tickets and information.
Chelsea Reed and the Fairweather Nine — Friday, Temple Performing Arts Center
A clever, vivacious jazz singer with an instinct for warm inclusion, Chelsea Reed has been holding it down for the swinging vocal tradition over the better part of a decade. Here as on The Christmas EP, which she released in 2023, she leads an exuberant troupe she calls the Fair Weather Nine, putting a toe-tapping spin on fare like “Jingle Bells” and “Let It Snow.”
Dec. 5 at 4:30 p.m., Temple Performing Arts Center, 1837 North Broad Street, free; more information.
Peter Evans Being & Becoming — Saturday and Dec. 7
There’s nothing that can be played on a trumpet that Peter Evans doesn’t have on lock. His fit and flexible Being & Becoming quartet, featuring Joel Ross on vibraphone and Nick Jozwiak on bass, is an ideal outlet for his hyperarticulate musical expression, as he showed on a self-titled 2020 album. That should be even truer during this two-nighter featuring a longtime comrade in arms, drummer and composer Tyshawn Sorey.
Dec. 6 and 7 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, $35 advance, $40 day-of-show; purchase tickets.
