In the new Philadelphia Weekly:
Improvisers for the Abolition of Wayne Newton
Fri., Feb. 12, 9pm. $10 ($8 advance). With Resistance Message. Moonstone Arts Center, 110 S. 13th St. 215.735.9600 www.moonstoneartscenter.org
Wayne Newton is not the name to be concerned with here. Rather, it’s trumpeter Herb Robertson, a close associate of Tim Berne and Mark Helias during the ’80s, and a leader and sideman of distinction in countless avant-garde jazz settings to this day. Obviously this particular trio, with Dave Kaczorowski on bass and Adrian Valosin on drums, will sound nothing at all like Mr. Las Vegas. But it’ll also sound nothing like Resistance Message, a tripped-out funk unit sharing the bill, featuring nonconformist guitar slinger Jef Lee Johnson with bassist Chico Huff, keyboardist Jeff Bichaylo and drummer Adam Guth. Kudos to the Lucky Old Souls series for this inspired pairing. — David R. Adler
Jack Rose Memorial Concert
Sat., Feb. 13, 7pm. $18. Latvian Society of Philadephia, 531 N. 7th St. 215.922.9798 settingsuns.org/luckinthevalley
This is one of three memorials — in Philly, New York and London — to honor Jack Rose, who died at 38 in early December. A Philadelphian since 1998, Rose (“Dr. Ragtime”) made bewitching “neo-primitive” acoustic guitar music, fusing elements of pre-war Americana, bluegrass, Indian classical and other traditions into a modern, individual sound. His posthumous Thrill Jockey release Luck In the Valley sings with joy and evokes a mysterious faraway world, timeless and uncorrupted. Friends and admirers, including Thurston Moore and Rose’s former associates the Black Twig Pickers and Pelt, will gather in sadness but also celebration of this nonpareil performer and lost American treasure. — David R. Adler
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