November 13th, 2009
This Weekend In Shows
Tonight:
Jim Snidero
8pm and 10pm, $15. Chris’ Jazz Cafe.
Alto saxophonist Jim Snidero is part of an elite straightahead jazz contingent in New York—stone beboppers and consummate pros who have never bowed to prevailing fashion and never will. A lithe and forceful soloist and a prized educator as well, he has a discography stretching back to 1984, featuring sidemen on the order of Mulgrew Miller and Tom Harrell. Such is the fund of authority that Snidero brings to every gig. His latest outings, Tippin’ and Crossfire, feature the tight, inventive guitar of Paul Bollenback. This week he’ll bring another guitarist, Peter Bernstein, whose complex, bluesy phrases sound like they’ve been aged underground in oak casks. (David R. Adler)Also, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies swing by World Cafe Live [7:30pm/$25-$35]; Reckless Kelly and Scott Miller play the North Star [9pm/$10-$12]; White Denim drops by Kung Fu Necktie along with Brazos and My Mind [7:30pm/$10]; and Kill You in the Face headlines the Khyber [9pm/$8].
Saturday:
Chris Smither and the Motivators
7:30pm, $27-$40. World Cafe Live.
Chris Smither doesn’t look like the kind of guy who would kick your ass. At 65, the New Orleans native still has a worn, gentle face and soft eyes … but listen to his acoustic blues picking and his gravel-voiced rumble, and it’s clear he’s got sorrow, sadness and rage out to here. His latest Time Stands Still harkens back decades, with stripped-down angst and a rough, slurry baritone that betrays what Chris Smither sounds like, even if he doesn’t look like it: a mean ol’ bluesman just lookin’ to get his. Guess you better give it to him. (Jeffrey Barg)
New York Hieroglyphics
8pm, $25. Painted Bride Art Center.
He’s nearing 50, but Berkeley-born saxophonist and composer Peter Apfelbaum doggedly retains the spark of youth. During his Bay Area years he led the Hieroglyphics Ensemble, landing a Grammy nomination and gigs opening for the Grateful Dead. He moved to Brooklyn in 1998 and soon put together the 10-piece New York Hieroglyphics, which debuted in 2005 with the knotty jazz-worldbeat affair It Is Written. Apfelbaum is also super-busy with bands led by trumpeter Steven Bernstein and Cuban drum whiz Dafnis Prieto (a Hieroglyphics member), so catch this troupe while you can. Abdoulaye Diabate, who sang on the Hieroglyphics’ recent premiere “Aural Histories—Nine Lives,” will be there as well. (David R. Adler)Also, the O’Jays play the Liacouras Center [6pm/$55-$75]; First Unitarian Church hosts Hit the Lights, There for Tomorrow, Vinnie Caruana, Sparks the Rescue, and I Rival [2:30pm/$12]; Max Tundra and Deastro team up for a show at Kung Fu Necktie [7;30pm/$10]; Kyle Hollingsworth (of the String Cheese Incident) and band plays the Khyber [9pm/$15]; and the Philly Laptop Battle goes down at the North Star [9pm/$10].
Sunday:
Star Wars in Concert
6pm, $32-$72. Wachovia Center.
The Star Wars movie saga possesses the epic sweep of opera from its Faustian antagonist to John Williams’ Wagnerian score, an aspect highlighted by this national concert tour. Employing a full symphony, sixty-person choir, narration by Anthony Daniels (C3PO), and an enormous movie screen, this audio-visual spectacle pares the iconic franchise’s story arc to two hours, reiterating the essential threads with admirable concision. It’s a peculiarly appropriate tribute given the centrality of the soundtrack to the film’s action—from continuing character and plot leitmotivs to the cantina band and scoring of the fight scenes. The bite-size format makes it ideal for series newbies, while the accompanying memorabilia showcase will thrill diehard fans. (Chris Parker)Also, Brand New and Glassjaw play a sold-out show at Electric Factory [8:30pm]; Times New Viking plays Kung Fu Necktie along with Axemen, the Mad Scene, and US Girls [8pm/$10]; and the North Star hosts the “Art of Prog XII” with Going for the One and Damn Fine Coffee [7pm/$10].
