Fri. Aug. 22 -- Trombonist, composer and oldtime rad Detroit community organizer Phil Ranelin leads a soulful ensemble that will encourage you to enjoy life the way he does. At LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., LA 90036; 6-8pm; FREE; Friday summer jazz schedule here.
Fri. Aug. 22 -- You can't fool me, Joeless Shoe (saxist Matt Otto, guitarist Jamie Rosenn, drummer Jason Harnell) is actually a coolly swinging introduction to the weekend festival perpetrated by the L.A. Jazz Collective, of which these guys are members. At the Blue Whale on the third level of Weller Court Plaza, south of East First Street between South Los Angeles Street and South San Pedro Street, Little Tokyo 90012; 9pm-midnight; $10; 21+; parking $5 underneath off Second Street at the sign of the P in a circle; (213) 620-0908; www.bluewhalemusic.com.
Fri.-Sun. Aug. 22-24 -- Michael Landau has got the badass guitar tone, the studio chops and the inclination to fuse, along with trio mates Gary Novak (drums) and Jimmy Johnson (bass). That's Fri.-Sat. On Sun., Landau hits a whole different acoustic stride with singer Karen Landau and pedal-steel player Greg Leisz in the spooky folk outfit Hazey Jane. At the Baked Potato, 3787 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Studio City 91604; 9:30 & 11:30pm; $25 ($15 Sun.); (818) 980-1615; www.thebakedpotato.com.
Sat.-Sun. Aug. 23-24 -- L.A. Jazz Collective hosts a wonderful summer festival. Saturday (in order of appearance, I think) it's Leonard Thompson Trio, superbassist Darek Oles' tribute to Charlie Haden, Matt Otto Group and the psychedelic intellectual groove of Daniel Rosenboom Quintet. Sunday it's singer (and Whale harpooner) Joon Lee, bass all-star Putter Smith, trombone genius Joey Sellers, Peter Schlamb Group and Michael Mull Octet. At the Blue Whale on the third level of Weller Court Plaza, south of East First Street between South Los Angeles Street and South San Pedro Street, Little Tokyo 90012; 9pm-midnight; $15; 21+; parking $5 underneath off Second Street at the sign of the P in a circle; (213) 620-0908; www.bluewhalemusic.com.
Sun. Aug. 24 -- The World Stage celebrates its 25th anniversary and pays tribute to late founder Billy Higgins in a venue a lot bigger than the Leimert Park closet it's been operating in all these years. Music director John Beasley presents a fantastic lineup with something for everybody: Bennie Maupin, Hubert Laws, Patrice Rushen, Ambrose Akinmusire, Carmen Lundy, Dwight Trible, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Kamau Daáood, Kamasi Washington, Jaha Zainabu, and the S.H.I.N.E. Mawusi Women’s African Drum Circle. The vibe will be extraordinary, and the heat of summer is the perfect time to experience this great open-air location; see you there. At the John Anson Ford Amphitheater, 2180 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood 90068; 6pm; $35-$65 (students $15) tickets here.
Tues. Aug. 26 -- Tortoise guitar extrapolator Jeff Parker is one of the dudes Nels Cline likes to jam with; his group tonight features saxist Josh Johnson, bassist Paul Bryan and drummer Jamire Williams. At the Blue Whale on the third level of Weller Court Plaza, south of East First Street between South Los Angeles Street and South San Pedro Street, Little Tokyo 90012; 9pm-midnight; $15; 21+; parking $5 underneath off Second Street at the sign of the P in a circle; (213) 620-0908; www.bluewhalemusic.com.
Wed. Aug. 27 -- You call that jazz? Who cares? Guitar/beatbox atmo-man G.E. Stinson presents two duos: The Velvet Frequencies (with singer Karrie Benoit) and Halfmonk (with bass torturer Steuart Liebig). Visual projections by Kio Griffith, and there may be a special appearance by a sumo wrestler named Gautama. At Grand Star Jazz Club, 943 N. Broadway, Chinatown 90012; 9:30pm (arrive early); $10; www.grandstarjazzclub.
Wed. Aug. 27 -- The original erratic genius of Jamaican dub and reggae, Lee "Scratch" Perry, does who knows what with Subatomic Sound System, plus Lloyd Hemmings and the Awah Band, and of course the club's exceptional DJs. Dub Club at the EchoPlex, 1154 Glendale Blvd., Echo Park 90026; doors 9pm; $15 in advance here, $20 at the door if it's not sold out; 21+; www.attheecho.com.
Wed. Aug. 27 -- Punk and metal intersect powerfully (without Pepper Keenan these days) in the long-running Corrosion of Conformity, plus Bl'ast, Brant Bjork & Low Desert Punks, Lord Dying. At the Roxy, 9009 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; 7:30pm; $27; (310) 278-9457; www.theroxy.com.
Thurs.-Fri. Aug. 28-29 -- Beat Music: The Los Angeles Improvisations is a record and project of drummer Mark Guiliana; this electronified freakster thing wears a modern urban hat rather than a poetry beret and includes skilled fusionists Tim Lefebvre (bass), Jeff Babko (keys) and Troy Zeigler (electronics). At the Blue Whale on the third level of Weller Court Plaza, south of East First Street between South Los Angeles Street and South San Pedro Street, Little Tokyo 90012; 9pm-midnight; $20; 21+; parking $5 underneath off Second Street at the sign of the P in a circle; (213) 620-0908; www.bluewhalemusic.com.
NOW'S THE TIME to start planning for the Angel City Jazz Fest, September 19-28, this year featuring Anthony Braxton, Toshiko Akiyoshi, a tribute to Arthur Blythe and many more thrillifications. Check the schedule here.
* * *
Read Don Heckman’s jazz picks here and MoshKing's metal listings here. Read John Payne's plutonic Bluefat.com here.