April is just around the corner, and at long last, spring has fully kicked in. Can it be a coincidence that the live music calendar feels so in bloom? The latest array of shows in Moment’s Notice should give you at least one more good reason to get out of the house this week.
Spotlight: Julian Lage Quartet — Tuesday, Keswick Theatre
There has always been a warm glow of hearth and home in the music of Julian Lage, coupled with a bright-eyed spirit of discovery. Scenes From Above, his latest album on Blue Note, brings that trademark balance to a musical setting redolent of American horizons and the open highway. Along with Lage’s briskly articulate electric and acoustic guitars, the album has John Medeski on organ, Jorge Roeder on bass and Kenny Wollesen on drums — a hand full of aces, all adept with gospel and folk-rock as well as modern jazz and roadhouse blues.
And as they prove on a song like “Something More,” Lage and his cohort are capable of an openhearted lyricism that’s all too rare on the current scene. The band is now on tour, and will appear at the Keswick this weekend in a concert that kicks off a new initiative called WRTI Live, in partnership with Rising Sun and Bowery Presents. You can look forward to hearing a sliver of this performance on WRTI — but you’ll surely want to be there in person when it goes down.
March 31 at 8 p.m., Keswick Theater, 291 N Keswick Ave, Glendside, PA, $60-$70; tickets and information.
Saul Williams meets Carlos Niño & Friends — Wednesday and Thursday, Solar Myth
Saul Williams is a brilliantly accomplished spoken-word poet who has often brushed up against the pop mainstream (you might recognize him as the stern country preacher in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners). He recently formed a fruitful partnership with the percussionist Carlos Niño, yielding a searching live album on International Anthem. They’ll cast a similar spell here, with contributions from vocalist Dorothy Berry, saxophonist Aaron Shaw, and keyboardist Surya Botofasina, among other possible guests.
April 1 and 2 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 S Broad Street, $40; tickets and information.
Ruth Naomi Floyd Quintet — Thursday, Temple Performing Arts Center
A powerfully expressive singer with a bedrock commitment to spirit, Ruth Naomi Floyd has combined jazz performance with sacred purpose in the Philadelphia area for decades. She is on the faculty of the Boyer College of Music and Dance (where she directs the Temple University Swinging Voices). She appears this week on the free Rite of Swing series, with Keith Loftis on saxophone, Aaron Graves on piano, Lee Smith on bass and Byron Landham on drums.
April 2 at 4:30 p.m., Temple Performing Arts Center, 1837 N Broad Street, free; tickets and information.
Webb Thomas & His Superband — Friday, 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.
April 3 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $25, $95 and $115, with dinner packages; purchase tickets.
Jordan Williams Quintet — Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
Earlier this month, WRTI introduced Philly Made, an initiative celebrating artists shaped by their experience in the City of Brotherly Love. The first in the series was Jordan Williams, a 29-year-old pianist who recently released his debut, Playing by Ear. He draws from the album here, supplementing its all-star personnel — trumpeter Wallace Roney, Jr., bassist Nat Reeves, and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts — with a vocalist, Imani Grace-Cooper.
April 4 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $30, with dinner packages; tickets and information.
Harold Smith with the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble — Saturday, Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts
The didgeridoo, an Aboriginal instrument from northern Australia, isn’t particularly associated with jazz expression. Harold E. Smith, a native of Mt. Airy, is determined to change that with his deployment of improvisational attunement and circular breathing techniques. He appears on the Jazz Cultural Voices series along with Philly’s own Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble.
April 4 at 7:30 p.m., Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts, 736 S Broad Street, $35; tickets and information.
