Jazz Appreciation Month concludes on April 30 with International Jazz Day, a celebration spanning every continent but anchored this year in Chicago. Stay tuned for our coverage — but also note that our local scene brings global flair in the coming week, with artists from South Africa and Japan as well as Cheltenham.
Spotlight: T.K. Blue Quartet — Saturday at Chris’ Jazz Cafe; May 3 in Madison, N.J.
Earlier this month we celebrated the 100th birthday of Randy Weston, a pianist and composer who bridged the advances of modern jazz and the eternal truths of ancestral African music. Weston, who died in 2018, embodied that connection throughout his career, putting theory into practice. His primary vehicle for several decades was the group he called African Rhythms.
T.K. Blue was the saxophonist and flutist in that group for almost 40 years, and he has continued to carry Weston’s message in his music. This weekend he brings those insights to a centennial tribute featuring a first-rate rhythm section: Orrin Evans on piano, Santi Debriano on bass, and George Coleman, Jr. on drums. They’ll play Saturday in Center City at Chris’ Jazz Cafe, and then next Sunday for a concert organized by the New Jersey Jazz Society.
May 2 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $30, with dinner packages; tickets and information. May 3 at 3 p.m., Madison Community Arts Center, 10 Kings Road, Madison, N.J., $21.40, $16.39 for NJJS members, $5.49 for students; purchase tickets.
Keiko Matsui — Tuesday, City Winery
Euphoria, the title of Keiko Matsui’s most recent album, gets at the heart of her appeal as a keyboardist, bandleader and composer. She’s a deft fusioneer who understands precisely how to carry a lyrical theme aloft, and she was last heard in these parts on the Jazz Under the Stars series at The Mann — making this City Winery hit, by comparison, an intimate affair.
May 5 at 7:30 p.m., City Winery Philadelphia, 990 Filbert St, $54-$81; tickets and information.
Mzantsi Jazz Collective — Tuesday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
This dynamic South African jazz combo is spearheaded by saxophonist Sisonke Xonti and guitarist Keenan Ahrends, two bright lights on the scene in Johannesburg. They’re joined by McCoy Mrubata on saxophone, Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere on bass and Kabelo Mokhatla on drums. It’s a rare opportunity to hear leading young talent from a thriving yet faraway scene.
April 28 at 7:30 and 9 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $15, with dinner packages; tickets and information.
Randy Brecker — Thursday, South Jazz Kitchen
At 80, Randy Brecker is a peerless eminence: an NEA Jazz Master, a seven-time Grammy winner, one of the most widely recorded trumpeters alive (across rock, soul and funk, along with jazz). He’s also one of ours: he and his younger brother, Michael, grew up in Cheltenham. So this appearance at South, part of the Unscripted Jazz series, qualifies as a homecoming.
April 30 at 6:30 and 9 p.m., South Jazz Kitchen, 600 N Broad Street, $69; tickets and information.
Luke Carlos O’Reilly Quartet — Friday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
Pianist Luke Carlos O’Reilly has long been a key fixture in the Philly jazz scene, and he’s lately been making waves beyond his hometown. For this one-nighter, his ace trio (with Nimrod Speaks on bass and Anwar Marshall on drums) will be joined by the ascendant young trumpeter Brandon Woody. If you heard him on The Late Set last year, you already know Woody to be a riveting presence; he should feel right at home on O’Reilly’s bandstand.
May 1 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $25, with dinner packages; tickets and information.
Spring on King Jazz Fest — Saturday, Malvern
For its first annual jazz fest, the Malvern Business Association convenes a handful of bands along with food trucks, balloon artists, local artisans and more on the Main Line. From noon to 4 p.m., there’ll be music in various spots along King Street, by singer Tina Hashemi, the 3 J Blue Trio, the Sean Lynch Trio and more. And from 4 to 6 p.m. in Burke Park, tenor saxophonist Mike Casey will perform a headlining set, drawing partly from a new album called The Complete Public Access (WPAA TV Session).
May 2 at 12 p.m., King Street and Burke Parke, Malvern PA, free, RSVP on Facebook; tickets and information.
