The official start of summer is still a week away, but who are we kidding? We’ve already been in a summer state of mind — just consult our Summer Music Guide. In the near term, over the next several days, you’ll find plenty of reasons to hit the scene. Here are our curated picks. (Remember that you can get ’em in your inbox for free!)
Spotlight: Alden Hellmuth: ‘Tether’ — Saturday, Solar Myth
When alto saxophonist and composer Alden Hellmuth decided to call her new album Tether, she was presumably thinking about a tensile line of connection, rather than some kind of leash or restraint. That’s how the album sounds, anyway — like the byproduct of dynamic forces that can either expand or contract at any given moment. It’s expressive and often exhilarating, and it represents a confident step forward in a young but already accomplished career.
Hellmuth was born and raised in Hartford, Conn., where she studied at the Hartt School, before earning a master’s from the Herbie Hancock Institute at UCLA. While she’s now based in New York, she enlisted musicians from Los Angeles — bassists Logan Kane and Miller Wrenn, and drummer Justin Brown — to execute her vision on the album.
Drawing from it here, Hellmuth enlists one of the album’s guest contributors, pianist Paul Cornish, along with bassist Or Bareket and drummer Timothy Angulo. And what she says about the album should be no less true here: “We’re always bending and pulling to make something new out of the music in the present moment, and even in the improvising world you have to stay tethered to other people in the band.”
June 20 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 S Broad Street, $25; tickets and information.
Josh Lee and the Extended Family — Tuesday, Not So Latin
Perhaps you already know Josh Lee as the host of Jazz Through the Night at WRTI, Saturdays from 2 to 6 a.m. and Sundays from Midnight to 6 a.m. You should also know him as a baritone saxophonist, in the Count Basie Orchestra and elsewhere, and as the leader of the Extended Family, a little big band with pre-modern flair. The band is never more at home than here, at Notsolatin in South Philly, where they’ll be recording this show for a forthcoming live album.
June 16 at 7:30 p.m., Notsolatin, 1440 West Ritner Street, $10-$25 suggested donation; more information.
Ari Hoenig Trio – Friday and Saturday, Chris’ Jazz Cafe
Drummer-bandleader Ari Hoenig forged his reputation on the New York scene, but he’s a true Philly cat, and always a returning hero at Chris’ Jazz Cafe. His recent trio albums, including last year’s Tea for Three, have featured the Israeli piano virtuoso Gadi Lehavi, who joins him here alongside the versatile bassist Ben Tiberio.
June 19 and 20 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $25-$30, with dinner packages; tickets and information.
Digba Ogunbiyi Quartet — Saturday, Triumph Brewery, Princeton
Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria and now based in Philadelphia, pianist Digba Ogunbiyi moved stateside for advanced studies in jazz, notably at the Eastman School of Music. His beautifully assured new album, Stay Still, reflects a handful of sleek contemporary influences. And while he has already played album-release gigs in his adopted hometown, he’ll set up shop this weekend at the Triumph Restaurant & Brewery in Princeton.
June 20 at 6 p.m., Triumph Restaurant & Brewery, 20 Palmer Square East, Princeton, NJ, no cover; tickets and information.
Kahil El’Zabar / David Murray Duo — Sunday, June 21, Solar Myth
Kahil El’Zabar and David Murray first met in Chicago about half a century ago. They have shared many sonic vibrations since, including the mesmerizing 2020 album Spirit Groove, which featured them in a quartet setting. Their return to Solar Myth as a duo promises to strike a rousing balance of spiritual inquiry and physical abandon, with Murray on tenor saxophone and El’Zabar on drums, mbira and cajón.
June 21 at 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 S Broad Street, $35; tickets and information.
