Fri. Sept. 8 – Nigerian Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar sings sad and spiels wild over camel-humpin beats. Old Gold opens. At Zebulon, 2478 Fletcher Drive, Frogtown 90039; doors 8pm; $15; 21+; www.zebulon.la.
Fri. Sept. 8 – Pianist, composer and conceptualist Lalo Schifrin performs and gets awarded by the L.A. Jazz Society. The young trio of Angelo Velasquez opens. At LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., LA 90036; 6-8pm; FREE; Friday summer jazz schedule here.
Fri.-Sat. Sept. 8-9 – Let Brit keyboardist Brian Auger's Oblivion Express ride ya back to the beginning of this thing called fusion, with singer Alex Ligertwood, drummer Karma D. Auger and bassist Travis Carlton. At the Baked Potato, 3787 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Studio City 91604; 9:30 & 11:30pm; $25; (818) 980-1615; www.thebakedpotato.com.
Sun. Sept. 10 – Relax with the rather Gil Evansish coolness of the Alan Chan Jazz Orchestra. At the Baked Potato, 3787 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Studio City 91604; 9:30 & 11:30pm; $20; (818) 980-1615; www.thebakedpotato.com.
Sun. Sept. 10 – Happy birthday Barbara Morrison, opening up her throat and letting the real blues loose. At Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood 90028; 7:30pm; $30-$40; (323) 466-2210; www.catalinajazzclub.com.
Tues. Sept. 12 – Proto-electro adventurer Carl Stone duets with vocalist AkaiHirume, then they're joined by tuba extremist William Roper and keyboard outman Hans Fjellestad. Visuals by Kio Griffith, too. That's art, all right. At Art Share, 801 E. Fourth Pl., downtown 90013; 7:30 pm; $10; free parking across the street at 321 S. Hewitt; (213) 687-4278; www.artsharela.org.
Thurs. Sept. 14 – Twang & bend till the borders rip with the guitar & drums duo of Carey Fosse & Eric Gardner, a.k.a. Not in the House. At The Battery Books & Music, 26 S. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena 91101; 8pm (two sets); $5 suggested donation; (626) 376-9913.
* * *
Oct. 1-15: Angel City Jazz Festival. This year's fest celebrates Thelonious Monk's centennial via Dee Dee Bridgewater (Oct. 1), Burning Ghosts (Oct. 5), Jeff Parker (Oct. 6), Bennie Maupin / Adam Rudolph (Oct. 7), Mark Dresser (Oct. 8), Taylor Ho Bynum (Oct. 13), Dwight Trible (Oct. 14), Elliott Sharp (Oct. 15) and lots more. We're damn lucky to get a major basting of outsider sauce, so click in and dig it here.
* * *
Read Don Heckman’s jazz picks here. Read John Payne's plutonic Bluefat.com here. Read Brick Wahl's noirish music commentaries here.