Art Ensemble in Philly

Art Ensemble of Chicago
Sat., Mar. 6, 8pm. $20. International House, 3701 Chestnut St. 215.895.6546 www.arsnovaworkshop.org

With their face paint and other onstage accoutrements, the Art Ensemble of Chicago was one of the splashier bands to come out of the mid-’60s milieu of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. “Great black music, ancient to the future,” their jazz philosophy and rallying cry, remains in force, highlighted by recent Pi discs The Meeting, Sirius Calling and Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City. Although Joseph Jarman is not currently on board, and Lester Bowie and Malachi Favors have passed on, reedist Roscoe Mitchell and drummer Famoudou Don Moye steer the ship with newer members (trumpeter Hugh Ragin, bassist Harrison Bankhead) who are strong enough to approach the band’s distinguished legacy on their own terms. — David R. Adler