Sat. Nov. 21 -- Volto unites Tool drummer Danny Carey with bassist Lance Morrison, guitarist John Ziegler and keyboardist Matt Rohde for heavy-jamming smoked-up retro jollies. At Complex, 806 E. Colorado St., Glendale 91205; 9pm; $20; 21+; full bar; www.complexla.com; (323) 642-7519.
Sat. Nov. 21 -- For something like 20 years, saxist Chuck Manning, guitarist Larry Koonse, bassist Darek Oles and drummer Mark Ferber, a.k.a. L.A. Jazz Quartet, have been accomplishing what others have tried to do and failed: find the quiet intelligence in the Angeleno psyche and channel it into balanced, listenable virtuosity. 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. Nov. 22 -- World percussionist Randy Gloss has been teaching at CalArts for ages, as well as performing with Hands On'Semble, Lian Ensemble, Adam Rudolph and many others, but now he's celebrating his first solo album, ". . . The Ayes Have It." It's worth celebrating: Not only does Gloss tap a sensually appealing range of instruments, he plays each with extraordinary sensitivity and, most important, arranges the multilayered sounds in compositions that draw you in and take you to a place of involvement and peace. Breathe. 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. Nov. 25 -- Singer, percussionist and multi-instrumentalist (he can even jam on a beer bottle) Arto Tuncboyaciyan wails Middle Eastern-flavored folk (etc.) with keyboardist Vardan Ovsepian and cellist Artyom Manukyan, both stalwarts of L.A.'s extended jazz scene. 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.
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Read Don Heckman’s jazz picks here. Read John Payne's plutonic Bluefat.com here.