Can a week ever be too jam-packed with talent? This is a good week to find out, with two heavyweight double bills; one concert by a legend; another by a former prodigy; and a hard-charging all-star band. And that’s not even all of it. Read on, and make your plans.
Spotlight: Isaiah Collier & Keyon Harrold
Dynamic presence, deep charisma, undeniable prowess — these are a few qualities shared by both artists on this Penn Live Arts double bill. Keyon Harrold, 45, is the more experienced voice of the two: a focused and soulful trumpeter who received a Grammy nomination last year for his album Foreverland, a sleek, assured statement poised at the convergence of jazz, hip-hop and R&B. An astute bandleader, Harrold will explore this genre-fluid approach as a developing story.
And at a moment of cultural saturation for the phrase “spiritual jazz,” it’s uncommon to encounter an artist who fully inhabits that subgenre’s stated aims. Collier, 27, a galvanic tenor and soprano saxophonist from Chicago, is one such artist — even though, as he noted on a recent episode of The Late Set, he takes issue with the term. He just received acclaim for his work on an album titled The Ancients, and there can be no doubt he’ll elevate the bandstand here.
Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m., Zellerbach Theater, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut Street, $36-$93; tickets and information.
Alfredo Rodríguez & Pedrito Martínez — Thursday, Perelman Theater
About a week ago, pianist Alfredo Rodríguez and percussionist Pedrito Martínez released their en clave version of “The Final Countdown,” the uber-‘80s jukebox hit by Europe. It’s a playful yet purposeful rearrangement that underscores what should be obvious: these are two musicians who can compellingly filter anything through an Afro-Cuban lens. They did so several years ago on an album titled Duologue, and this concert, with a full band, will extend the conversation.
Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m., Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, $53-$95; tickets and information.
Dave Burrell — Thursday, The Perch
Now 85, pianist Dave Burrell is every bit the eminence within an improvising avant-garde that he helped to shape and define more than six decades ago. He’s also Philadelphia jazz royalty, and still playing with undiminished warmth, inquisitiveness and authority. This solo concert is being presented as part of the 25th anniversary for the Fire Museum, in partnership with The Perch.
Jan. 22 at 8 p.m., The Perch, 2008 E. Arizona Street, $15 to $25; purchase tickets.
Brandon Goldberg Trio — Friday and Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
There’s still no way to avoid the word “prodigy” when discussing pianist Brandon Goldberg, who began playing at age 3, and recorded his first album at 11. He’s now on the cusp of 20, studying at Juilliard and winning over fans with his crisply articulate style. As he did last year, he sets up at Chris’ Jazz Cafe with the imprimatur of an approving elder, the NEA Jazz Master, bassist and composer Buster Williams.
Jan. 23 and 24 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $30 on Friday, $35 on Saturday, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
Dara Starr Tucker — Friday, South Jazz Kitchen
A singer-songwriter who combines openhearted emotion with principled conviction, Dara Starr Tucker returns to Philadelphia bearing an armload of new originals, as heard on her 2025 release, Time Wouldn’t Wait. Tucker, who’s also a voice of enlightenment on TikTok and talk radio, always has prime talent in her backing band, led by Greg Bryant — also her producer, her partner by marriage, and yes, the former host of Evening Jazz and co-host of The Late Set — on electric bass.
Jan. 23 and 24 at 7 and 9:30 p.m., South Jazz Kitchen, 600 North Broad Street,$30; purchase tickets.
The Quantum Blues Quartet — Jan. 25, South Jazz Kitchen
A mystically charged jazz-rock supergroup, The Quantum Blues Quartet is the result of both a longtime association and some recent matchmaking. It began as a collaboration between the guitar wizard Tisziji Muñoz and the keyboardist and former Late Show bandleader Paul Shaffer. As on Quantum Blues, an album released last year, it also features electric bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma and drummer Will Calhoun, whom Shaffer brought into the mix. They appear as part of Tacuma’s Outsiders Improvised & Creative Music Festival.
Jan. 25 at 6 and 8:30 p.m., South Jazz Kitchen, 600 North Broad Street,$55; purchase tickets.
