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Cuba-meets-jazz group Ninety Miles. ➤ Feb. 28, Philadelphia Museum of Art, philamuseum.org.
CHANGE OF THE CENTURY: STILL THE NEW THING! A series of collaborations between the
Mimi Jones
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the ’50s, but Nation Beat digs down deeper. Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” sounds natural with the Brazilian treatment, right down to the lap steel that would have tickled Don Helms if he were still with us. Whether reinventing the music of the American South or the north of Brazil, this band will make you get up and move. ➤ March 2, Calvary Center, crossroadsconcerts.org.
SARAH JAROSZ Recently graduated from the New England Conservatory, Jarosz writes distinctive contemporary songs and sings them with a deliciously soft-yet-strong voice. Her mandolin leads a string trio with inflections of jazz, classical and whatever else crosses her mind. ➤ March 6, Ardmore Music Hall, ardmoremusic.com.
the fun has been calmed down to tossing confetti instead of showers of pigment powders, but the dancing and joyful energy are preserved. ➤ March 27, Underground Arts, undergroundarts.org.
DAVE LIEBMAN/RAVI COLTRANE John Coltrane will be at Chris’ in spirit for this quintet date coled by son Ravi and longtime disciple Liebman. ➤ Feb. 8, Chris’ Jazz Café, chrisjazzcafe.com.
TUMBLING BONES With a stress on the banjo and fiddle and a fondness for reviving jug-band tunes from the early days of the last century, these young men are now writing some mighty originals. ➤ March 28, Tin Angel, tinangel.com.
MONNETTE SUDLER’S PHILADELPHIA GUITAR SUMMIT For the fifth year, blues/jazz guitarist
By Shaun Brady
JAZZ ANDRE THIERRY AND ZYDECO MAGIC Any Allons Danser dance is big fun, but this one is extra special, being the annual Mardi Gras masked ball. Thierry’s band is special, too. They can sing soft, romantic R&B harmonies in English, with the squeeze box taking the melody breaks, then segue into the most traditional dance tunes imaginable. ➤ March 8, Holy Saviour Club, allonsdanser.org.
KARAN CASEY TRIO Depending on where you caught up with her, you might know Casey as the voice of Solas, as a jazz singer earlier in her career, or as someone who writes her own songs, as she does these days. The consistent thread is that impossibly pure voice. ➤ March 9, Calvary Center, crossroadsconcerts.org. RED BARAAT Northern Indian rhythms plus funk and horns will celebrate Holi, the Festival of Colors — albeit a week or two late. Fear not,
(s_brady@citypaper.net)
LUCIAN BAN/MAT MANERI DUO Romanianborn pianist Lucian Ban and violist Mat Maneri pair up to perform a stunning blend of free improvisation, contemporary classical and folk music inspired by composers from Ban’s native region. ➤ Jan. 25, Philadelphia Art Alliance, arsnovaworkshop.com. HEATH/IVERSON/STREET TRIO Legendary Philly-born drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath comes home with two younger collaborators in tow: The Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson and bassist Ben Street. Together, the three play music that acknowledges Heath’s roots while revealing the drummer’s eternal youth. ➤ Feb. 1, Philadelphia Art Alliance, arsnovaworkshop.com.
Sudler convenes a gathering of serious six-string practitioners — this year, that means Sheryl Bailey, Mulebone and eight-string virtuoso Tosin Abasi. ➤ Feb. 8, Montgomery County Community College, mc3.edu.
ETHNIC HERITAGE ENSEMBLE Led by percussionist Kahil El’Zabar, the AACM-aligned ensemble celebrates four decades of its unique fusion of fiery jazz and traditional African music. ➤ Feb. 12, The Rotunda, arsnovaworkshop.com.
Bride, Ars Nova Workshop and Bobby Zankel pay tribute to some of jazz’s most innovative voices. Zankel will lead an all-star band in honor of pianist Cecil Taylor; Ornette Coleman will be honored by his son, drummer Denardo Coleman, and bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma; and Zankel’s Warriors of the Wonderful Sound big band and the Sun Ra Arkestra will team up to pay homage to Taylor, Coleman and Sun Ra. ➤ March 8 and 21, April 19, Painted Bride, paintedbride.org.
NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL: NOW 60 The storied jazz festival has hosted virtually every important name in jazz history, was the site of Paul Gonsalves’ audience-inciting solo on Duke Ellington’s “Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue” and served as the backdrop for Bing, Sinatra and Satchmo in High Society. It celebrates its diamond anniversary with an all-star band led by clarinetist Anat Cohen. ➤ March 9, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, kimmelcenter.org. MIMI JONES Bassist and singer Mimi Jones has worked with Kenny Barron, Roy Hargrove and Terri Lyne Carrington, and founded her label Hot Tone as a home for other female artists blending jazz, soul, and hip-hop. ➤ March 14, Philadelphia Museum of Art, philamuseum.org. GHOST TRAIN ORCHESTRA Trumpeter Brian Carpenter founded this ensemble to breathe vibrant life into forgotten gems from jazz’s past. Their 2011 debut focused on composers from 1920s Chicago and Harlem, while 2013’s followup, Book of Rhapsodies, culls from eccentric ’30s songsmiths like Raymond Scott and Alec Wilder. ➤ April 12, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, annenbergcenter.org.
PABLO BATISTA’S MAMBO SYNDICATE The master percussionist/Temple grad who toured with Grover Washington Jr. for more than a decade returns to Philly to spice up Valentine’s Day with salsa dancing. ➤ Feb. 14, Painted Bride Art Center, paintedbride.org.
By Annette Monnier
VISUAL ART
(annette_monnier@citypaper.net)
MELVIN VAN PEEBLES WID LAXATIVE The always unpredictable father of Blaxploitation and early practitioner of spoken word fronts an eclectic funk-jazz band featuring members of experimental hip-hop big band Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber. ➤ Feb. 15, Johnny Brenda’s, arsnovaworkshop.com.
DAVID SÁNCHEZ The Puerto Rico-born Grammy-winning saxophonist has thrived by finding fresh ways to meld jazz with AfroLatin sounds, most recently co-founding the
YEESOOKYUNG “The Meaning of Time” — the first major U.S. solo exhibition of the Korean artist Yeesookyung — will include new works from her Translated Vase series. These biomorphic sculptures are a mash-up of discarded shards of ceramic waste fused with gold-leafcovered epoxy, mutant works that evoke continued on page 30
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