In the new Philadelphia Weekly:
Wed., Feb. 17, 9pm-2am. $5. Tritone, 1508 South St. 215.545.0475 www.tritonebar.com
Jazz has its titanic Ellingtons and Coltranes, but delving into material by such under-the-surface geniuses as Steve Lacy and Herbie Nichols can be just as all-consuming. The Wilmington quartet 53 Stations — saxophonist Jason Shapiro, trumpeter Bob Meashey, bassist Dylan Taylor and drummer Skip Rohrich — came together in 2004 to explore these late masters’ seldom-heard compositions and write new music in a likeminded spirit (hear Live In Wilmington and The Hilltop Sessions). This Avant Ascension installment will also feature The Scriptors, drummer Mike Szekely’s trio project with Shot x Shot members Bryan Rogers (tenor saxophone) and Matt Engle (bass), who share a galvanizing approach to free yet in-the-pocket improv. — David R. Adler
Haroon Bacha
Sun., Feb. 21, 7:30pm. $10-$30. Crossroads Music, 48th and Baltimore (Calvary United Methodist Church) 215.729.1028 www.crossroadsconcerts.org
The Taliban would have us believe they’re waging war to defend Pashtun culture. In fact, they’re destroying it by targeting musicians like Haroon Bacha, one of Pakistan’s great Pashto-language vocalists, who had to flee his native Northwest Frontier province in 2008 for safe harbor in New York. Bacha’s American welcome involved a bittersweet New York Times profile, which, among other things, told of a Pashtun-organized benefit at the Forest Hills Jewish Center in Queens. (That, Alanis, is ironic.) Now Crossroads Music and Penn have joined forces to bring Bacha to West Philly, where he’ll offer his mesmerizing take on classical sung poetry, rural folk tradition and modern variations. — David R. Adler
The English Beat/Fishbone
Tue., Feb. 23, 7:30pm. $28-$40. With Outlaw Nation. World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400 www.worldcafelive.com
Two politically minded ’80s bands, two divergent takes on neo-ska, both bursting beyond the confines of the genre. The English Beat, a multicultural troupe from Birmingham, gained fame in the U.S. with the impeccable “Save It for Later,” an early MTV staple. They split up to become General Public and Fine Young Cannibals, but frontman Dave Wakeling has revived the group with new personnel. Same goes for Angelo Moore and Norwood Fisher, the two remaining original members of LA-based Fishbone, whose hard funk-rock edge inspired some of the more insane mosh pits of the day, along with allies like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Advantage: English Beat (more timeless, somehow). — David R. Adler
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