Fri. May 3 -- Italy's Heavy Psych Records presents an admirable array of slugedelic attractions, including Red Fang, Nebula, Yawning Man, Duel, Fatso Jetson, House of Broken Promises. At the House of Machines, 2028 E. Seventh St., downtown 90021; 7pm; $25 tickets here; la.thehouseofmachines.com.
Fri. May 3 -- Players' player David Binney crafts sax lines with pianist Luca Mendoza, bassist Logan Kane and drummer Justin Brown. 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 $9 underneath off Second Street at the sign of the P in a circle; (213) 620-0908; www.bluewhalemusic.com.
Fri. May 3 -- Shadin' it like Rothko: the flute-viola-bass avant trio of Wilfrido Terrazas, Alexander Bruck & Steuart Liebig. At The Battery Books & Music, 26 S. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena 91101; 8pm; $5 suggested donation; (626) 376-9913.
Sat. May 4 -- Joshua White, one of the most spontaneous and harmonically sophisticated pianists working, leads a trio with bassist Dean Hullet and drummer Tyler Kruetel. At Sam First, 6171 W. Century Blvd., L.A. 90045 (near LAX in front of Marriott Courtyard); 8 & 9:30pm; $20 plus one-drink minimum per set; full bar; snacks; small parking lot in rear, reduced-rate validated parking at nearby Joe's Auto Park; (424) 800-2006; www.samfirstbar.com.
Sat. May 4 -- Kendrick Scott Oracle presents the drummer's forward-thinking but rooted pomo jazz with guitarist Mike Moreno, pianist Taylor Eigsti, bassist Joe Sanders and saxist John Ellis. 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.
Sat. May 4 -- Guitarist Robin Trower has the fluidity, the dark tone, the history and the blues always lurking. Can he still play that tortured solo he did as a kid on Procol Harum's "Repent Walpurgis"? Hey, I'll settle for "Daydream" or "Bridge of Sighs." At the Wiltern, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., LA 90010; 8pm; $20-$80; (213) 388-1400; www.livenation.com.
Sat. May 4 -- Grab the chance to hear modern pianist Vicki Ray play the music of Daniel Lentz and more for free. At Brand Library and Art Center, 601 W. Mountain St., Glendale 91210; 2pm; FREE.
Sun. May 5 -- Try some non-fascistic Asian strings with this edition of multitalented composer Will Salmon's Open Gate Ensemble, featuring pipa player Jie Ma, koto player Kozue Matsumoto, world percussionist Alex Cline, and the abstract visuals of Kio Griffith. Opening is the quintessence of quiet avantitude: drummer Alex Cline, saxist Eric Barber and bassist Miller Wrenn as Rain Trio. At Center for the Arts, 2225 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock 90041; 7pm; $10; (626) 795-4989.
Sun. May 5 -- Wonderfully layered Brooklyn Jazz Underground pianist Randy Ingram teams with bassist Drew Gress, whose lines are surprising compositions in themselves. At Sam First, 6171 W. Century Blvd., L.A. 90045 (near LAX in front of Marriott Courtyard); 8 & 9:30pm; $20 plus one-drink minimum per set; full bar; snacks; small parking lot in rear, reduced-rate validated parking at nearby Joe's Auto Park; (424) 800-2006; www.samfirstbar.com.
Sun. May 5 -- Cure cancer, rock heavy and rev yer hog at Wendy Dio's annual Ride for Ronnie with Bulletboys, Dia and more, closing with Eddie Trunk's All-Star Band (Ricky Warwick, Scott Warren, Simon Wright et multios alios). Ride starts at Harley Davidson Glendale at 11am; concert at Los Encinos State Historic Park, Encino, noon-5pm; $10-$40; details & tix here.
Mon. May 6 -- Don't be deceived; Kira Kira is the all-star mystic avant quartet of longtime teammates Satako Fujii (piano) and Kappa Maki (trumpet), plus keyboardist Al Martin and the the always transcendent drummer Alex Cline. 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.
Wed. May 8 -- Dig the earthy feel of drummer Gene Coye, and double-dig his select trio with pianist Isamu McGregor and bassist Ben Shepherd. At Mr. Musichead Gallery, 7420 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood 90046; 7:30pm; $20-$30; www.justjazz.tv.
Thurs. May 9 -- Singer Cathy Segal-Garcia assembles an intriguing nonstandard ensemble with keyboardist Gary Fukushima, saxist Chuck Manning, guitarist Jeff Richman and percussionist Brad Dutz. At Sunspace, 9683 Sunland Blvd., Shadow Hills 91040; 8-10pm; $10.