All in the current Philadelphia Weekly (with minor modifications):
Wed., June 24, 8pm. $12. Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 S. 18th St. 215.545.4302 www.arsnovaworkshop.com
Jim Black, a pillar of New York’s avant-jazz scene for some 15 years, has developed one of the most identifiable drumset approaches in all of music, his dry thuds and thwacks stirring up a riot of urgent, unpredictable sound. AlaxNoAxis is his indie-rockish project (sans vocals), and Houseplant is the group’s fifth album, a worthy statement featuring Black’s fellow Seattle native Chris Speed on tenor sax and two Icelanders — guitarist Hilmar Jensson and bassist Skúli Sverrisson — completing the picture. The four have worked together in many other combos and contexts, including Tyft, Pachora and Tim Berne’s Bloodcount. Here they get down to exploring details of texture, melody and electro-space at high volume. — David R. Adler
David Gibson
Wed., June 24, 8-11pm. $10. Chris’ Jazz Café, 1421 Sansom St. 215.568.3131 www.chrisjazzcafe.com
Trombonist and Oklahoma native David Gibson has accomplished much since arriving in New York in 1999 and debuting on record in 2003. He’s an improviser armed with chops and a sense of melodic nuance — all well demonstrated on Maya, The Path to Delphi and G-Rays. The new one, A Little Somethin’, departs from previous piano-based settings and features the DG Organ 4tet, in which Gibson joins Julius Tolentino on alto sax, Jared Gold on organ and Quincy Davis on drums. Trombone and organ are two of jazz’s underdog instruments, and what’s more, they’re not often heard together. But Gibson and the guys know how to shake up our assumptions. — David R. Adler
Tia Fuller
Thu., June 25, 8pm. $10. Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus, 847 N. 3rd St. 215.922.1035 www.ortliebsjazzhaus.com
With two CDs as a leader (Pillar of Strength and Healing Space) and stints with the likes of Ralph Peterson, Rufus Reid and Jon Faddis under her belt, Tia Fuller is building a rep as a tough, fiery alto saxophonist, a credit to New York’s modern jazz mainstream. She also happens to be a member of Beyoncé’s all-female horn section, and she hits Ortlieb’s the night before Beyoncé hits the Wachovia Center — which comes on the heels of a Father’s Day show at, oh, Madison Square Garden. Fuller has come quite a way from Aurora, Colorado. But jazz players of her stripe are uniquely able to keep it real. — David R. Adler
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