Posts in category: The Improv Cafe

Summer might be creeping to a close (not the passage of time!) but fall’s the perfect time to get serious about shows. Burnaby’s Shadbolt Centre for the Arts has unveiled its full fall lineup, with everything from heart-wrenching theatre to jazzy Christmas concerts. 

Kicking off the fall season is the Marc Atkinson Trio, bringing JUNO-nominated musician Marc Atkinson to the stage for an evening of West Coast-inspired guitar and violin melodies. The trio’s joined by Cameron Wilson, local violinist and fiddler who’s played with everyone from Bryan Adams to Nickelback. 

Country-slash-blues-slash-folk musician Little Miss Higgins comes to the Shadbolt on September 29 as a real touring troubadour. She’s been releasing music since 2002, though in 2020 vowed to no longer record new tracks and exclusively tour her Canadiana catalogue.

Comedy lovers will delight in November, as there are two delicious plays up for grabs. Arts Club are going on tour with The Birds and the Bees: it’s CanCon about love, lust, and animal husbandry that plays on November 2 and 3. Later, The Spinsters promises a darkly comedic look at Cinderella’s step-sisters complete with Priscilla: Queen of the Desert-style costumes from November 16 to 18.

And for something more serious, Bunk #7 dramatizes the true story of a riot at Edmonton Indian Residential School in 1960 to 1961, demonstrating the resilience and revolution that was forced by Canada’s brutal colonization.   

To round out the season, get festive with the B3 Kings’s jazzy holiday concert. Led by Denzal Sinclaire on vocals and drums, the band has three separate Christmas albums (honestly iconic) so you know you’re in glad yuletide hands.  

In between all the live music and theatre, there are also continuing favourites. Local jazz stalwart Cory Weeds hosts regular improvised jams, open to all ages and abilities; meanwhile, films including Haida Modern and Nosferatu get immersive screenings.

Check out all of Shadbolt’s upcoming shows or buy tickets here. 

UPDATED Sept. 8: The Jason Russell House, 7 Jason St., is acting as host for outdoor beer gardens and live music on Saturdays through Sept. 30. The next performer, on Saturday, Sept. 9, is planned to be Berklee professor, studio owner and jazz performer Dan Fox; the  month’s schedule is listed lower down.

Also, according to this month’s newsletter of the Arlington Commission for Arts & Culture, attendees will be able to meet some of the “utility box artists,” whose colorful original designs decorate the boxes throughout town, at the event. Details about them — one of the eight artists is actually a four-member family — and photographs of their work may be seen here>>

Organized by Menotomy Grill and co-sponsored by the Arlington Historical Society, the weekly event is free to attend, open to the public and takes place unless weather interferes; it is likely to still be hot, and there is some chance for storms, possibly even with thunder, today, Saturday, Sept. 9. 

Rain or shine, guided indoor tours of the structure — a site of deadly armed conflict at the beginning of the American Revolution — usually take place inside the historic structure from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

Arlingtonians can check the nonprofit’s Facebook presence for periodic updates about band scheduling and any possible cancellations due to weather or other factors. 

Beer and food service generally is scheduled to start each Saturday at 2 p.m., music generally between 3 and 3:30 p.m. Beer may be bought by those 21 and older from American Beverage Inc; 16-ounce beers are $8 each, while seltzer, lemonade and bottled water are $2 each. Menotomy Grill is selling food; prices for burgers, bean burgers, hot dogs, chips, cookies, etc., range from $5 to $10.  

Arlington Historical Society Director Sara Lundberg recently announced the live music performances for the month of September as follows:

Upcoming performances:

These family-friendly events, in a shaded setting, are intended to promote the Arlington Historical Society, the Jason Russell House and overall awareness of the centuries-old history of Arlington, she says.

The society has stated the following: “In spite of our boarded-up windows (they are being repaired), the Jason Russell House in Arlington is open for guided tours until Oct. 29. The house saw the fiercest fighting on the first day of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775, and has many surviving bullet holes. The house and corresponding exhibit are open Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, visit arlingtonhistorical.org; email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or call 781-648-4300.

YourArlington’s events list >> 

This announcement was published Thursday, June 8, 2023, updated June 21, to add details about the beer gardens, and updated July 20, to provide context on the house, and tours there. It was then updated July 26, July 29, Aug. 1, Aug. 7, Aug.13, Aug. 18, and Aug. 21 and then again on Aug. 30 with information about live music for the month of September based on information from Arlington Historical Society Director Sara Lundberg. It was updated Sept. 5, 2023, and Sept. 6, 2023, with the announcement of the planned Sept. 9 musical act and the statement that the “utility-box artists” will be at that event. It was updated Sept. 8, 2023, to note that weather might interfere with Sept. 9, 2023, event plans.

This reporting demonstrates your donations at work to support democracy here. YourArlington is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.Your contributions are tax-deductible. 

ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW

It’s been mentioned in this publication before that New Orleans has an extensive music history and is well known as the birthplace of jazz. The city’s presence in the sonic arts is rivaled by few places and it’s always branching out into different areas of the art form. A band that’s a prime example of this are The Soul Rebels, who make music that incorporate various styles into a jazz foundation within the structure of a brass ensemble. They’ve performed with a variety of legendary musicians and they can also put on a stellar show when they’re performing by themselves and fans of the genre can see it for themselves Sunday night as the band takes the stage at the Greenwich Odeum, located on 59 Main Street in East Greenwich, at 7 p.m.

I had a talk with the band’s snare drummer Lumar LeBlanc ahead of the show about The Soul Rebels’ eclectic approach to music, an incredible resume of collaborations, performing on television and radio shows and plans for the rest of the year.

Rob Duguay: The Soul Rebels stand out from other New Orleans brass bands due to their inclusion of soul, jazz, funk, hip hop, rock and pop elements into their sound. How would you describe this approach that fuses all these different styles together?

Lumar LeBlanc: I think it’s a testament to the eclectic and artistic style of music of each member. Each member has their own particular flavor, if you want to call it that, which they really like and we always blend them all together. That was the initial vibe of the group and it’s continued on to this day, some of us have more of a reggae and R&B vibe so we incorporate music that tailors to that. Others like myself gravitate more toward classic hip hop and there’s some rock music that I love as well. There’s also some classical and we even have some hints of country western whether the rest of the band realizes it or not, but jazz is always at the top.

We’re all jazz lovers, so that’s where the initial vibe comes from. As you know, jazz musicians are some of the most talented musicians on the planet so it’s no surprise that we incorporate all these different elements.

RD: This stylistic inclusion has included collaborations with the likes of Katy Perry, Metallica, Green Day and various hip hop artists including Talib Kweli, Rakim, Black Thought from The Roots and GZA from the Wu-Tang Clan among others. How have you guys gone about establishing this wide network of folks to make music with?

LL: First off all, we had to study all these different art forms to be artistically ready when the call comes. Early on, one of the first big stars who took an interest in us was Robert Plant and he’s a very versatile person. He happened to come to one of our gigs in the Tremé section of New Orleans and when he saw us, he was blown away because we were playing such a bushel of music. He then hopped on stage and he started singing with a limousine outside waiting for him. I don’t know how in the world he found us, this was before Hurricane Katrina so we were still in our infancy but he’s an example of how people gravitate to our music.

As time went on, we were able to put in a business structure that could get us to the people we wanted to get to. That’s basically how we did it, but we had to have the sound. With a lot of artists like Lars Ulrich from Metallica or Nas, we wanted to utilize them to see where we fit in. We were able to have a plan in place to make these connections, nurture a relationship in a business sense and have serious offers. Once the call came, we were ready but we had to practice a lot for Metallica but the music is so awesome, they’re awesome and we went into the studio to practice with them as well.

We were vibin’ together and it was a whole musical experience. That’s just one example.

RD: Very cool, it’s awesome that you guys got to do that. You guys have also had various media appearances by performing on CBS, HBO, TBS, ESPN, NPR and even the Discovery Channel. Are there any major differences between preparing for a performance on television or radio versus performing in front of a live audience in a venue? What were playing in these settings like for you and the rest of the band?

LL: When we go through the choreographed interview process on a show like “Good Morning America” on national TV, it’s very scripted. You have to play to the second, so we have to pick songs that can start and stop on a dime while being able to adhere to the commercial structure, when to take commercial breaks and things like that. Those particular sets, even though they’re so widely viewed while giving us the appeal that we may be seeking as far as popularity and the strength of a media platform, they don’t tend to have the same energy that a live show has. Every live show is like painting on a canvas while ending it with a climatic piece, so when we play live we’re really taking the audience on a journey, which is guided by our energy. The energy is much higher, more executed and it can go into so many different places that we don’t know what the audience is going to do.

We’ve had people do so many wild things at our shows, it’s incredible. Fortunately no one has ever gotten hurt and it’s always been fun and enjoyable, but a live show is on a whole other emotional, energetic and physical level and it goes to such different heights. During these interviews and even radio shows, we have to adhere to a stop and a start. With NPR, it’s really more like a live performance so we were able to capture a good sense of what our live performance is, but it’s not the actual stage setup where we’re able to harness the energy and have a transference between the audience and ourselves. That’s a spiritual thing for me.

RD: I can definitely see why. The Soul Rebels just performed in Rhode Island a few weeks ago as part of the Newport Jazz Festival, so how will this upcoming show at the Greenwich Odeum be different in terms of you guys performing by yourselves without any special guests?

LL: That’s another difference that occurs. The special guests are awesome because they really show their talent, they adapt and present while bringing both art forms together to give a coherent piece that’s magical. When you perform by yourself, you can dictate whatever you want and it’s obviously different when we perform by ourselves because we can pick any song. Then we can project those songs in any way we feel possible. With jazz being our foundation, it’s always different even though it may be the same repertoire that we play night in and night out.

It’s going to have a different interpretation because of the jazz spontaneity that we bring to it. We’re going to hit it hard coming out like we usually do, then we’re going to go off into such tense, melodic soloing and then we’re going to go into the vocals and the raps. It’s really something that would do well on Broadway because our shows are so eclectic, we do such a wide array of artistic expression with the jazz, funk and everything else. It’s really awesome.

RD: I’ll have to agree, especially after seeing that performance in Newport with Rakim and Talib Kweli. After the show, what are The Soul Rebels’ plans for the rest of 2023?

LL: First and foremost, we have a lot of commitments for the rest of the year as far as gigs and concerts go. That’s going to be the priority and they usually slow down around the holidays so we’ll spend a lot of time with friends and family. With making a new record, we’re always trying to create and go into the studio to have practice sessions and vibe with different ideas. One of us will have an idea, record it onto a phone and then send it to the rest of the band, so that kind of journey continues on and on. We’re also going to be doing music for movies, they require a laser beam focus for a short period of time so we can get back to the other things we do musically, so that’s kind of the agenda for the rest of the year.

Ezra Collective’s Where I’m Meant to Be won the Mercury Prize on Thursday (Sept. 7), making the London jazz quintet the first jazz act to win that prestigious award. The Mercury Prize celebrates the best of British and Irish music across a range of contemporary music genres. This year’s ceremony was held at Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London.

Accepting the award, drummer Femi Koleoso said, “This is not just a result for Ezra Collective, or for UK jazz, but this is a special moment for every single organization across the country, ploughing efforts and time into young people playing music.”

Where I’m Meant to Be, Ezra Collective’s second studio album, was written and recorded in lockdown. But rather than reflect the isolation of the COVID-19 era, the album has been described by BBC as “a joyous celebration of community, positivity and friendship.”

The album was produced by the band and Riccardo Damian, and features a diverse roster of musicians, including Sampa the Great, Kojey Radical, Emeli Sandé and Nao, as well as filmmaker Steve McQueen.

Where I’m Meant to Be reached No. 24 on the Official U.K. Albums chart, a strong showing for a jazz album. On this side of the pond, it debuted and peaked at No. 15 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.

The album was nominated for best jazz record at the 2022 Libera Awards. But it draws on several other genres, including grime, salsa and reggae.

Speaking to BBC News after being announced as winners, Koleoso explained: “We’re the shuffle generation of music, we listen to some Beethoven, and then 50 Cent comes on straight after, and then Little Simz comes on just after that. And that kind of influences the way we approach music. So, there are no rules. We love jazz, but at the same time we love salsa too, so why not try and get that in there?”

The other albums in contention for the top prize were Arctic Monkeys’ The Car, Fred again.’s Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022), J Hus’ Beautiful and Brutal Yard, Jessie Ware’s That! Feels Good!, Jockstrap’s I Love You Jennifer B, Lankum’s False Lankum, Loyle Carner’s hugo, Olivia Dean’s Messy, RAYE’s My 21st Century Blues, Shygirl’s Nymph and Young Fathers’ Heavy Heavy.

Broadcaster Lauren Laverne hosted the ceremony, which featured live performances from nine of the shortlisted artists, including Jessie Ware and RAYE.

Last year’s Mercury Prize winner was London rapper Little Simz for her fourth album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert.

When I was a kid, my dad would lie on the living room floor while we watched Utah Jazz games, his head propped up by a giant basketball-shaped pillow. The pillow was yellow and gold (not sure why green got the shaft) with the old Jazz logo embroidered on one section. 

“Laying on the floor is good for your back,” he’d say. 

“Okay,” we’d respond, my brother, laying sideways in the recliner while my body oozed slug-like into the contours of the couch. 

Over the years, that pillow grew filthy and misshapen. My dad began pulling up the hood on his sweatshirt to protect his bald head from whatever grew in the pillow’s fibers. Meanwhile, everyone from Karl Malone and John Stockton to Bobby Hansen, David Benoit, and Antoine Carr graced us, and the pillow, with their televised presence. 

When I was in third grade, an upstart Jazz squad took the Los Angeles Lakers to the brink. I’m talking about the Lakers. The 1980s, short shorts, Pat Riley’s hair, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the monastic A.C. Green. While losing to L.A. stung, we assumed the Jazz would eventually have their moment. But Utah didn’t reach the NBA Finals until I graduated from high school. 

I spent my childhood waiting for that Jazz team to win a championship. As my dad’s face weathered and the weight of his head morphed the basketball pillow into a giant discus, a sinister thought emerged: What if the Jazz never win a championship? What if my dad dies without seeing Utah hoist the trophy? What if I never see it?     

It certainly didn’t happen under Michael Jordan’s watch. The man was so bloodthirsty he beat the Jazz in the NBA Finals twice, just for good measure. The Jazz only needed to get a little bit better, but they couldn’t. They tried trading for Ronnie Seikaly who refused to leave Miami for Salt Lake. They tried acquiring Derek Harper who told the New York media, “You go live in Utah.” So the door closed on Malone and Stockton with their 1998 loss to Chicago.  

The idea of replacing Utah’s two Hall of Famers felt impossible. I began thinking about how lifelong baseball fans in Boston and Chicago died without ever winning the World Series. The Red Sox went 86 years between titles. The Cubs went 108. Utah’s championship drought might outlive us.   

 After Malone and Stockton, the Jazz rebuilt around Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. I spent most of those years living in faraway cities, but I’d watch Jazz games with my dad over Christmas. He’d still lay on the floor, though it took him longer to get up when he wanted popcorn. I’d still slouch in the recliner, watching Jerry Sloan stalk the referees. 

When I moved back to Salt Lake in 2010, my parents were in their 60s. A year later, my mom was diagnosed with cancer and my dad with Parkinson’s disease. The Jazz compounded our misery, missing the playoffs four straight years between 2013 and 2016.  

“These are the bad Jazz,” I explained to a friend who accompanied me to a game against the Houston Rockets. At one point that night, Utah trailed by 50.

When the Jazz finally reached the playoffs again, my mom wasn’t alive to see it. My dad and I still watched games together, as much to comfort one another as anything. Parkinson’s ended my Dad’s floor-laying days, so the pillow got stuffed into a closet. Yet we remained hopeful that Utah’s playoff return might spark a championship run before it was too late.

Utah fell to Golden State in 2017, and Gordon Hayward left for Boston. The thought of rebuilding again felt hopeless. My dad was running out of time. Then Donovan Mitchell appeared, seemingly out of thin air. Poised and absurdly talented, Mitchell provided the one thing fans need: hope. With Rudy Gobert defending and Quin Snyder coaching, Mitchell’s Jazz just needed shooting and a little luck. Hang in there, Dad.

The Jazz got better as my dad got worse. They traded for Jordan Clarkson, but no matter how often we discussed it, my dad couldn’t remember Clarkson’s name. His long-term memory remained, but Parkinson’s halted the learning of most new information. My dad still watched the Jazz on TV but had trouble following an entire game. It was easier for him to review the box score afterward. 

In 2021, we had to move my dad into a care facility that could better meet his needs. We sold the house—the place where I grew up, the home he’d worked his entire life to pay off, the house where my mom died. A lot of things got lost in the shuffle, the lopsided old Jazz pillow being one.

Not long after my dad’s move, the Jazz entered the 2021 playoffs with the NBA’s best record. This was their chance. Mitchell and Mike Conley got hurt, however, and Utah flamed out. After a disappointing 2022 campaign in which the players stopped playing for one another, Snyder resigned and management traded Mitchell and Gobert. Time to start over. Again.    

But building a winner in Utah is much more difficult than in, say, Los Angeles. The Lakers can squander draft picks and make ill-advised trades because free agents like Shaquille O’Neal or LeBron James will still come to L.A. The Jazz have no margin for error. Even when Utah drafts and develops good players, those players can opt to leave.  

My dad passed away last spring, never seeing his favorite team win it all. Perhaps the same fate awaits all who, by choice or inheritance, root for the Utah Jazz. If the Jazz do win a championship someday, I imagine I’ll laugh and scream and cry a few tears of joy. But then I’ll probably get real quiet and think of my dad with his head resting on a basketball pillow somewhere.  

See more stories like this and all of our culture and community coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best of life in Utah. 

Hope you’ve rested up from Chicago Jazz Fest, because that was just the beginning.

From the Englewood Jazz Fest, just around the corner, to Kurt Rosenwinkel at the Jazz Showcase, it’s an especially back-to-back fall for jazz in the city. So back-to-back, in fact, that I’m embarrassed to say I’ve already had to straighten out a couple double bookings. (Mea maxima culpa.) But, as the following listings prove in abundance, it’s a good problem to have.

Do as I say, not as I do, and slot these in your calendar nice and early so they aren’t missed:

Englewood Jazz Festival: Organized by saxophonist and composer Ernest Dawkins, this festival always sets its sights high, and this year is no exception. Dawkins and his Live the Spirit Residency Big Band reprise “Memory in the Center” (2014), an operatic homage to Nelson Mandela timed to the 10th anniversary of his death. Later, omnipresent young pianist Alexis Lombre premieres a large-scale work of her own, her first “Synesthesia” suite. Also on the bill: saxophonist Isaiah Collier and the Chosen Few, vibraphonist Joel Ross, trumpeters Marques Carroll and Sean Jones (sharing a bill), and guitarist Jeff Parker, playing with the New Horizons Ensemble Delmark Allstars. Englewood Jazz Festival is Sept. 14-16, Hamilton Park, 513 W. 72nd St.; free, more information at englewoodjazzfest.org

“Still Listening” to Jahari Stampley: This mega-talented Chicago native began playing the piano at 14; within two years, he was winning competitions on the instrument. Now 23 and a frequent sight on bandstands around the city, Stampley releases a sunny debut album, “Still Listening,” on the same night as this show at Evanston SPACE. “Jahari Stampley presented by WDCB” is 7 p.m. Sept. 17, SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston; tickets $20-$40 at ticketweb.com

Hyde Park Jazz Festival: The last of September’s three-festival run is a real killer: With 13 venues and loads of overlapping acts, it’s nigh impossible to catch all of the worthwhile gigs at this neighborhood-wide bash. But, as with so many music festivals, at some point, you have to embrace the FOMO and plot a path forward. All I know is I’m keen to catch Quince Ensemble and Ensemble Dal Niente playing Courtney Bryan’s heart-stopping “Requiem” live, sampled in a streamed performance by the Chicago Symphony two seasons ago (Hyde Park Union Church, 1 p.m. Sept. 23); poet Nikki Giovanni and saxophonist Javon Jackson, appearing for a live rendition of last year’s “The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni” (Hyde Park Union Church, 3:45 p.m. Sept. 23); Louis Hayes’ quintet (Wagner Stage on the Midway, 8:30 p.m. Sept. 23); Dee Alexander’s all-women project Ancestors Reign (Logan Center Performance Hall, 9:30 p.m. Sept. 23); and Kenny Barron’s solo piano set (Rockefeller Chapel, 11 p.m. Sept. 23). But choose your own adventure — the options are endless. The Hyde Park Jazz Festival is Sept. 23-24 at multiple venues; free with $10 suggested donation; for full lineup and schedule, check hydeparkjazzfestival.org

A bassist to the front: Christian Dillingham straddles the jazz and classical realms about equally: You can spot him as a section bassist in most Chicago orchestras and he is just as ubiquitous as a sideman, playing with, to name a few, saxophonists Greg Ward and Chico Freeman, trumpeters Marques Carroll and Sean Jones, singer Dee Alexander and drummer Mike Reed. He just released his first record, “Cascades,” marking the occasion with an album release party at Green Mill later this month. If you can’t make that one, he’ll be playing with the same group for a one-night-only engagement at Jazz Showcase in October. Christian Dillingham Quartet is 8 p.m. Sept 22 and 23 at Green Mill, 4802 N. Broadway; $20 cover; greenmilljazz.com; 8 p.m. Oct. 9 at Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Ct.; tickets $15-$30 at jazzshowcase.com

Vonski at 100: The great Von Freeman would have been 100 on Oct. 3 — something we know for certain, by the way, thanks to former Tribune jazz critic Howard Reich, who uncovered Freeman’s birth certificate in 2011. To celebrate, a quintet of former collaborators (guitarist Mike Allemana, trumpeter Brad Goode, bassist Matt Ferguson, drummer Mike Raynor and his sax-playing son Chico Freeman) ring in Freeman’s centenary in style at one of the tenor saxophonist’s old stomping grounds. “Von Freeman’s 100th Birthday Bash” is 8 p.m. Oct. 6 and 7 at Green Mill, 4802 N. Broadway; $20 cover; more information at greenmilljazz.com

Alone behind the piano: The ever-searching Craig Taborn — equally at home in acoustic and electronic settings, in improvised and through-composed music — commands a solo set like no other. Lucky us, it’s his second here in a year: Taborn, who performed on Constellation’s very first season, last appeared in April to celebrate the audacious venue’s 10th anniversary. Craig Taborn is 8:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at Constellation, 3111 N. Western Ave.; tickets $20 at constellation-chicago.com

SCP Jazz’s big year: It’s hard to believe the Symphony Center Presents jazz series turns just 30 this year. It commemorates the milestone with a full-to-bursting season, starting with Grammy-laureled vocal phenom Samara Joy, in her SCP jazz debut, and Symphony Center regulars Brad Mehldau and his trio (with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard). At Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; Samara Joy is 8 p.m. Oct. 27, tickets $49-$299; Brad Mehldau Trio is 8 p.m. Nov. 17, tickets $39-$199 at cso.org

The Arkestra touches down: The only thing that could keep the Sun Ra Arkestra from returning regularly to its birthplace, in Chicago, was COVID-19. Happily, the cosmic jazz unit is back again for a two-night engagement at Constellation. They’re led, intrepidly, by saxophonist Marshall Allen — who, in Earth years, is turning 100 next May. Sun Ra Arkestra is 8:30 p.m. Nov. 2 and 3 at Constellation, 3111 N. Western Ave.; tickets $40 at constellation-chicago.com

Tuba like you’ve never heard it before: I first learned about Theon Cross through his work with the hard-driving (and now tragically disbanded) Sons of Kemet. He brought a mad scientist’s daring and a decathlete’s inexhaustibility to that quartet — and on an unconventional instrument, to say the least. It made a disciple out of me. We’ll see what Cross pulls out of his bell for this UChicago Presents appearance. Theon Cross is 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at Logan Center Performance Hall, 915 E. 60th St.; tickets $10-$40 at chicagopresents.uchicago.edu

Kurt Rosenwinkel: In recent years, this guitar magician has tossed a couple of curveballs: a solo album (on baritone guitar, no less), a set of Chopin adaptations and even a piano record. So it’s anyone’s guess what Rosenwinkel has planned for these shows, a three-night run at the Jazz Showcase with his quartet. Kurt Rosenwinkel is Nov. 17-19 at Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Ct.; ticket pricing forthcoming, more information at jazzshowcase.com

Tune in on September 7 at 7:30 PM (ET) for a special concert celebrating the importance of Costa Rica’s indigenous Bribri people

We’re coming to you live from Lincoln Center in New York City this week for a special concert performance with Costa Rican composer and pianist José Soto.

Entitled “The Ancestral Call,” the contemporary jazz program showcases the ancestral cultural importance of Costa Rica’s indigenous Bribri people. This concert is a project celebrating Soto’s first-hand engagement with the Bribri and will feature Cuban drummer Francisco Mela, Boston saxophonist George Garzone, Spanish flugelhornist Milena Casado, as well as José Soto at the piano.

Meanwhile, some of the capital’s most exciting emerging talents are found on the jazz scene. Take south London-based Ella Knight, the 25-year-old singer who founded Madame Jazz as an events platform for young women. “There are many amazing jazz communities and events in and around London,” says Knight. “But the percentages of women on these stages are very small. Madame Jazz aims to abolish this ideology.”