Fri. Nov. 16 -- A treasure in our small community of vocal extenders, Anna Homler does all kinds of stuff you don't expect abetted by drummer Rich West (who's knocked the kit with practically everybody in town including Dottie Grossman, Vinny Golia and his own ensembles) and clarinetist Chris Cundy (in town with Cold Specks). Pick up Homler's current CD with Sylvia Hallett, "The Many Moods of Bread and Shed," which organizes Homler's extraterrestrial languages into an intriguing electronified mix of loops, whoops and Japanese-Amerindian ceremonial chants. At the Last Bookstore, 453 S. Spring St. (ground floor, entrance on Fifth Street), downtown 90013; 7pm; FREE; street and lot parking.
Fri. Nov. 16 -- The Ralph Penland Polygon lets the ubiquitous drummer (Freddie Hubbard, Ahmad Jamal, Eddie Harris) loose in a colorful post-traditional playground. At LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., LA 90036; 6-8pm; FREE; Friday summer jazz schedule here.
Fri. Nov. 16 -- The surprisingly delicate voice of Simone Simon fronts the grandiose operatic metal of the Netherlands' Epica. With pagan kings Alestorm, plus Insomnium, System Divide and another band whose name is so bad I won't even list it. At House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood 90069; 8:30pm; $28; (323) 848-5100; www.livenation.com.
Fri.-Sat. Nov. 16-17 & Thurs. Nov. 22 -- Keep the Afro-soul quartet of Azar Lawrence, Theo Saunders, Henry Franklin & Alphonse Mouzon on the agenda as they hit the halfway mark in their every-Thursday-thru-Saturday stand. At the RG Club, 2536 Lincoln Blvd., Venice 90291; 9pm; cheap.
Fri.-Sat. Nov. 16-17 -- Jazz. Blues. Rock. Fusion. Brit keyboardist Brian Auger was doing all that years before Miles plugged in. This version of his Oblivion Express features vocalist Savanna Auger, drummer Karma Auger (I'm sensing a pattern), guitarist Julian Coryell and bassist Les King. At the Baked Potato, 3787 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Studio City 91604; 9:30 & 11:30pm; $20; (818) 980-1615; www.thebakedpotato.com.
Sat. Nov. 17 -- Since nobody else has the balls (or something) to celebrate the music of Yes, King Crimson and Pink Floyd, this "Prog Angeles" event has to do it, aided by members of Weezer, Incubus, Yes, Circa and more. No, they don't say what members, but call me if Rick Wakeman turns up. It's a benefit for McSweeney's founder Dave Eggers' 826LA, which hooks unsuspecting children on that most destructive of addictions, writing. At the Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park 90023; 6-9pm; $7; (213) 413-8200; www.attheecho.com.
Sun. Nov. 18 -- The Proverb Trio mines unlikely gold when Cuban drummer Dafnis Prieto (Steve Coleman, Henry Threadgill) hooks up with poet-singer Koyaki and keyboardist Jason Lindner to groove and tweak in postmodern fashion. A presentation of the Jazz Bakery's Movable Feast at the Musicians Institute, 1655 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood 90028; 8pm; $25, students $15; www.jazzbakery.org.
Mon. Nov. 19 -- My band shared something like three drummers with Andy & the Rattlesnakes back in the early '80s, so least I can do is plug a rare West Coast reunion of Mr. Krikun's fine roots & soul outfit. You can even pick up a copy of the Springsteinian new single by the EAST COAST lineup of the Rattlesnakes, pending the West Coast version's next recorded output while Andy's out here researching his Ph.D. thesis on whether education is good for you. At the Trip, 2101 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica 90405; 8pm; cheap; www.tripsantamonica.com; (310) 396-9010.
Tues. Nov. 20 -- Ohm is guitarist Chris Poland's way of saying that his early stint in Megadeth was just a stepping stone to funkier science-fictional worlds of fusion. With bassist Rob Pagliari and drummer David Eagle. At the Baked Potato, 3787 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Studio City 91604; 9:30 & 11:30pm; $15; (818) 980-1615; www.thebakedpotato.com.
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Read Don Heckman’s jazz picks here and MoshKing's metal listings here. Read John Payne's plutonic Bluefat.com here.