Fri. Aug. 25 – Groove on the light, bouncy, African side with Ethio Cali; SK Kakraba Band (featuring Ghanaian xylophone) opens; Tropicaza deejays. At Zebulon, 2478 Fletcher Drive, Frogtown 90039; doors 8pm; $10; 21+; www.zebulon.la.
Sat. Aug. 26 – Infinite wailer Dwight Trible fronts Cosmic Vibrations, a rhythm-heavy sextet of seasoned improvisers featuring drummers Derf Reklaw, Christopher Garcia and Breeze Smith, plus bassist John B. Williams and windman Pablo Calogero. Transportational. At the World Stage, 4321 Degnan Blvd., Leimert Park 90008; 9pm (two sets); $20; www.theworldstage.org.
Sat. Aug. 26 – Involving pianist-composer Richard Sears showcases an impressive new septet featuring classic drummer (and regular Sears supporter) Tootie Heath and fine-honed trumpet abstractionist Ralph Alessi, plus alto man Sam Gendel, tenor man Patrick Wolff, bass clarinetist Steve Lugerner and bassist Garret Lang. At the Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena 91105; 5-6pm; free when you buy admission, which you should anyway cuz of the excellent exhibition focusing on the scene around art patron Galka Scheyer, who boosted the careers of exhibitees Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky and Alexei Jawlensky; www.nortonsimon.org.
Sat. Aug. 26 – Hey, it's not just Sun Ra and Art Ensemble who can do "ancient to the future" concepts; keyboardist-beatsman Mark de Clive-Lowe can pull off that journey by tapping his Japanese heritage, here with the help of Shing02, Kaoru Watanabe, Yumi Kurosawa and more. At Grand Performances in California Plaza, 350 S. Grand Ave., downtown 90071; 8pm; FREE; www.grandperformances.org.
Sat. Aug. 26 – Marty Friedman, max shredder on the biggest Megadeth records, supports his current Prosthetic release, "Wall of Sound," via his own nonvocalizing band, incorporating classical, Middle Eastern, folk and space influences (and that's just the first song). With the winding instrumental-metal paths of Scale the Summit, plus The Fine Constant, Incipience. At the Whisky, 8901 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood 90069; doors 8pm; $22; (310) 652-4202; www.whiskyagogo.com.
Sun. Aug. 27 – Darek Oles, the most sensitive, melodious and pocketwise bassist what am, leads a trio with Polish pianist Kuba and Bradford/Golia drummer Tina Raymond. 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 $9 underneath off Second Street at the sign of the P in a circle; (213) 620-0908; www.bluewhalemusic.com.
Sun. Aug. 27 – Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker plugs in, trips out and leads The New Breed; Chicago multi-instrumentalists Ben Lamar Gay & Rob Frye reinforce the Midwest jam tradition; world-class DJ Carlos Niño spins the rare groove. At Zebulon, 2478 Fletcher Drive, Frogtown 90039; doors 8pm; $10; 21+; www.zebulon.la.
Thurs. Aug. 31 – Guitarist Russell Malone (Jimmy Smith, Ron Carter) guides a crack mainstream quartet featuring pianist Rick Germanson, bassist Luke Sellick and Black Note drum champ Willie Jones III. 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; $25; 21+; parking $9 underneath off Second Street at the sign of the P in a circle; (213) 620-0908; www.bluewhalemusic.com.
Thurs. Aug. 31 – Electrobeat + artistic temperament = George Sarah, concluding a bill with J.J. Mellon, Snake Oil Salesmen, LKSD and Liselotte Sandell. At the Mint, 6010 Pico Blvd., LA 90035; first act 8:15pm; $10; (323) 954-9400; www.themintla.com.
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Folks often think of John Abercrombie (1944-2017) as a quiet type because he recorded a lot for ECM, made the famously flowing duo album "Sargasso Sea" with Ralph Towner in 1976, and slipped so elegantly into the spaces with Charles Lloyd, Enrico Rava, Jack DeJohnette, et al. What I remember most: the storytelling quality of his improvisations, the way he would wake you up with a challenging note choice (or three), and the range of dynamic shading he conjured with that ingenious right hand. A fusionist at times but not a shredder, Abercrombie could make you feel as if he were having a conversation with your unspoken thoughts. Something more than a player.
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Read Don Heckman’s jazz picks here. Read John Payne's plutonic Bluefat.com here. Read Brick Wahl's noirish music commentaries here.