Bill Mays
Sat., Apr. 24, 8 & 10pm. $20. Chris’ Jazz Café, 1421 Sansom St. 215.568.3131 www.chrisjazzcafe.com
Bill Mays was once a Hollywood session hand, but he rose to become a fine jazz piano modernist, paying dues with the likes of Bud Shank and Shelly Manne and recently succeeding Bill Charlap in the eminent Phil Woods Quintet. His discs for Concord in the ’90s and Palmetto in the ’00s have brought him higher visibility, but don’t let Mays’s second-tier fame deceive you. His commanding swing and fine-cut improvisation can inspire awe. Mays at the Movies, his latest, might suggest Hollywood nostalgia, but it’s a hard-boiled trio session, and a sign of what Mays will be up to this week with bassist Martin Wind and drummer Tim Horner. — David R. Adler
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