thursday31
Thursday31
Julian Lage Group
Skull Defekts
Friday1
Ben Allison Band
Lil Wayne
Kurt Vile & the Violators
Yan Jun, Li Jianhong, and Wang Fan
Saturday2
Ben Allison Band
Death and the Powers
Off!
Sunday3
Blue Cranes, Dave Bryant
Monday4
Dave Bryant
Tuesday5
Adventure
Wednesday6
Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso UFO
Death and the Powers
Tamaryn
BEN ALLISON BAND Bassist, composer, and bandleader Ben Allison has recorded nine albums of original music, and with each one he finds a new focus; among other things, he’s hybridized jazz and Malian music with kora player Mamadou Diabate, played modern chamber jazz with his group Medicine Wheel, and experimented with rock concision. His tenth album, Action-Refraction (due from Palmetto Records on April 12), is the first devoted mostly to music he didn’t write himself. There’s a knotty, prog-rock feel to his band’s version of Thelonious Monk’s “Jackie-ing,” where Michael Blake’s bass clarinet slaloms through a sideways groove, and their take on the meditative Donny Hathaway ballad “Some Day We’ll All Be Free” slowly intensifies thanks to old-school synth lines from Jason Lindner and roiling, lacerating feedback from guest guitarist Brandon Seabrook. The liner notes claim that the album’s version of Samuel Barber’s “St. Ita’s Vision” is a nod to Sun Ra, though it sounds more like a post-ELP fantasia; on their cover of the Carpenters hit “We’ve Only Just Begun,” Allison and his band play simultaneously in three different tempos and keys, only locking in during the chorus. Other songs they tweak include PJ Harvey’s “Missed,” Neil Young’s “Philadelphia,” and Allison’s own “Broken.” For these shows Allison will perform with his regular quartet: reedist Blake, guitarist Steve Cardenas, and drummer Rudy Royston. See also Saturday. 9 PM, Green Mill, 4802 N. Broadway, 773-878-5552, $12. —Peter Margasak
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saturday2
BLUE CRANES, DAVE BRYANT On their new self-released EP, Cantus Firmus, Portland instrumental quintet BLUE CRANES tackle tunes by Blonde Redhead, Red House Painters, and David Bazan without a whiff of the crossover crassness or postmodern cleverness that typically infect jazz versions of indie-rock songs. They’re a jazz band in name, but the indie rock they grew up with defines their sensibilities; the original tunes on last year’s Observatories have hooky melodies and strong backbeats all over them. Saxophonists Reed Wallsmith and Joe “Sly Pig” Cunningham handle the lion’s share of the melodic exposition and improvisation, but soloing isn’t Blue Cranes’ focus. They prefer an ensemble approach that relies on carefully charted arrangements—three of which include a string trio. For this U.S. tour Blue Cranes are traveling by rail, a choice sure to bolster their indie bona fides.
DAVE BRYANT See Sunday. Bryant plays in a trio with bassist Devin Hoff and drummer Marc Riordan. 10 PM, Skylark, 2149 S. Halsted, 312-948-5275, donation requested.
DEATH AND THE POWERS See Saturday. 7:30 PM, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph, 312-334-7777, $40-$120.
