Spotlight: Allison, Cardenas & Nash — Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
There's a deep collaborative history between bassist Ben Allison, guitarist Steve Cardenas and saxophonist Ted Nash. All three musicians have circulated within the New York scene for decades, and they’ve made several albums as a collective trio — typically focusing each project on the work of a single composer, most recently Herbie Nichols and Carla Bley.
Their fifth and latest release, Triological, pointedly turns their focus inward, toward compositions by each member of the group. That includes a few modern near-classics, like Nash’s “Ida’s Spoons,” a contrafact of the standard “Stella By Starlight.” But six of the 10 tracks are new, composed expressly for this purpose. There’s no question that the collegial warmth and sparkling insight of the trio will bring something special to this one-night stand at Chris’ Cafe.
May 30 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $30, with dinner packages; tickets and information.
As Is — Wednesday, Black Squirrel Club
A husband-and-wife duo — vocalist Stacey Lynn Schulman and guitarist Alan Schulman — As Is specializes in a sparkling take on the Great American Songbook, with flashes of Brazil and the Brill Building. They’re rolling into the Black Squirrel Club with a new album, Crazy World, and backing from two Philadelphians, keyboardist-producer James McKinney and bassist Nimrod Speaks.
May 27 at 7:30 p.m., Black Squirrel Club, 1049 Sarah Street, $21.40; tickets and information.
Daniel Carter / Matt Lavelle / Julius Masri / Pete Dennis Quartet & Jason Stein / Damon Smith / Adam Shead Trio — Wednesday, The Perch
Cooperative freefrom improvisation is the lingua franca for both small groups on this double bill at The Perch, courtesy of Fire Museum Presents. The main draw is an appearance by venerable multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter, one day before he’s honored at the Vision Festival in New York; he’ll perform with trumpeter Matt Lavelle, bassist Pete Dennis, and drummer Julius Masri. A separate trio will feature bass clarinetist Jason Stein, bassist Damon Smith and percussionist Adam Shead.
May 27 at 8 p.m., The Perch Warehouse, 2008 E Arizona Street, $15-$25, sliding scale; tickets and information.
Pablo Batista: The Latin Side of John Coltrane — Thursday, South Jazz Kitchen
If you’ve seen J. Michael Harrison’s recent session with Pablo Batista, you know him to be a percussionist with deep cultural knowledge and an easygoing charisma. His “Latin Side of John Coltrane” will bring an Afro-Carribean pulse to one of our music’s most hallowed figures, with an expert assist from trumpeter Freddie Hendrix and trombonist Conrad Herwig.
May 28 at 6:30 and 9 p.m., South Jazz Kitchen, 600 N Broad Street, $40-$45; tickets and information.
Beethoven and Marsalis — Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, Marian Anderson Hall
As the title implies, this concert by The Philadelphia Orchestra will feature a split program, with music by two distinctly different composers. Jazz at Lincoln Center’s outgoing founder and music director, Wynton Marsalis, will present his Symphony No. 4, “The Jungle,” originally commissioned by the New York Philharmonic in 2017. Also on the program is Beethoven’s seventh symphony, which premiered in 1813.
May 28 at 7:30 p.m., May 30 at 8 p.m., May 31 at 2 p.m., Marian Anderson Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 S Broad Street, $55-$241; tickets and information.
Nicole Henry — Friday, South Jazz Kitchen
A jazz and R&B singer with a diverse portfolio, Nicole Henry earned acclaim for her most recent album, Time to Love Again. And though based in Miami, she’s a born-and-raised Philadelphian: her late father, Al Henry, played two seasons as a center for the Sixers in the early ‘70s, and she grew up in Bucks County. So it will be a homecoming of sorts when she appears at South this weekend, with a typically first-rate band.
May 29 and 30 at 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m., May 31 at 6 p.m. & 8:30 p.m., South Jazz Kitchen, 600 N Broad Street, $40; tickets and information.
