Dec. 31--The first week of the year will be rich with jazz offerings. Following is a guide to the highlights:
Ari Brown: A magisterial saxophonist, Brown carries forward the legacy of the Chicago tenor tradition in distinctive ways. The sheer heft of his sound and muscularity of his approach to swing rhythm build upon the work of earlier generations of saxophonists, but Brown enriches all of that. For starters, the questing spirit of late-period John Coltrane courses through Brown's work, as does a keen sensitivity to blues expression. From mainstream to experimental, from Rahsaan Roland Kirk to the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Brown draws on an uncommonly wide palette of sonic inspiration. Then, too, when so inclined he'll play the piano, pushing past listener expectations. 8 p.m. Friday at the Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave.; $15; 312-801-2100 or promontorychicago.com
Roy Hargrove: The eminent, pervasively lyrical trumpeter closes out his turn-of-the-year engagement with a final weekend of performances in Chicago's top jazz room. A musician of Hargrove's stature could spend the holidays playing just about anywhere in the world he wishes, and he consistently chooses Chicago. There likely are many reasons, but surely one of them is Hargrove's long and deep connection with the Chicago audience, which turns out in large numbers for this appearance -- and for good reason. He leads a quintet with alto saxophonist Justin Robinson. 8 and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 4, 8 and 10 p.m. Sunday; at the Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Court; 312-360-0234 or jazzshowcase.com
Battle of the Saxes: Combat began on New Year's Eve and continues this weekend, with former Chicago tenor saxophonist Edward Petersen in one corner and lifelong Chicago tenor man Eric Schneider in the other. No doubt Petersen, a music professor at the University of New Orleans, commands the bigger, beefier sound; but Schneider swings as hard as anyone and sports an uncommonly nimble technique, as well. 9 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday at the Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway; $15; 773-878-5552 or greenmilljazz.com
Jon Deitemyer Quartet: Anyone who has admired the music of vocalists Patricia Barber and Grazyna Auguscik, bassist-bandleader Matt Ulery and many other major Chicago figures likely has heard Deitemyer at the drums. He provides remarkably flexible, empathetic accompaniment in all these settings, his playing generally light, lithe and keenly responsive to the music around him. On this occasion, however, we'll have the rare opportunity to hear him leading a group of his own, Deitemyer sharing the stage with Ulery and pianist Rob Clearfield (both longtime collaborators of his) plus vocalist Leslie Beukelman. Also on the double-bill: the Caroline Davis/Paul Bedal Quartet, led by saxophonist-vocalist Davis and pianist Bedal. 9:30 p.m. Friday at Constellation, 3111 N. Western Ave.; $10; constellation-chicago.com
Sabertooth Organ Quartet: Chicago does not lack for musicians and ensembles that have become institutions in their own right, and Sabertooth surely qualifies, with more than two decades in residence at the Green Mill. More important, these musicians do not kick back and relax, saxophonists Cameron Pfiffner and Pat Mallinger playing hard, with drummer Ted Sirota and organist Pete Benson egging them on. Midnight Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday (late Saturday night) at the Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway; $5 cover from midnight to 2 a.m.; no cover from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m.; 773-878-5552 or greenmilljazz.com
Bill McFarland's Chicago Horns: Trombonist McFarland has been leading this fiery outfit for years, and though the band hasn't accrued quite the fame it deserves, the sonic power and surging rhythmic drive of its performances are undeniable. The band will be playing the weekly sessions presented by the non-profit Hyde Park Jazz Society, about as welcoming an environment as any in Chicago jazz -- and moreso than most. 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Sunday at Room 43, 1043 E. 43d St.; $10; hydeparkjazzsociety.com
Patricia Barber Quartet: It's easy to take Chicago jazz treasures for granted when they play our jazz rooms weekly, something we should not do -- especially in the case of Barber. A globally admired singer-pianist-songwriter, Barber long has used her Monday-night shows as a kind of laboratory in which she tests new material, recasts old songs and otherwise stretches the definition of what jazz pianism, vocals and songwriting can be. An air of unpredictability and palpable are apparent whenever Barber takes the stage, which lures listeners into leaning in a bit closer -- a very good thing. She will be joined by bassist Larry Kohut, drummer Jon Dietemyer and guitarist Neal Alger. 9 p.m. Monday at the Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway; $7; 773-878-5552 or greenmilljazz.com
Charles "Rick" Heath: There's a new lineup of attractions for the winter season at Andy's Jazz Club, and one of the most promising is the Tuesday-night booking featuring superb Chicago drummer Heath. He'll be leading a band of young musicians, giving listeners a chance to check out up-and-coming talent and Heath a chance to inspire them. That mentor-prot駩 relationship, which has been unfolding in Chicago for roughly a century, explains why this city remains a cauldron of emerging talent. Heath aptly calls the band The Future. 7 and 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays at Andy's Jazz Club, 11 E. Hubbard St.; $10; 312-642-6805 or andysjazzclub.com
Juli Wood: The Chicago saxophonist has been coming up with fascinating thematic projects looking at the work of past masters. For this engagement, Wood offers a "Tribute to Dexter Gordon and Jackie McLean," bebop giants who played Chicago often in an earlier era. Wood, on tenor saxophone, will front a strong lineup: alto saxophonist Caroline Davis, pianist Dennis Luxion, bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Greg Artry. The four-night engagement opens with shows at 8 and 10 p.m. Thursday; at the Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Court; $20-$35; 312-360-0234 or jazzshowcase.com
hreich@tribpub.com
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"Portraits in Jazz": Howard Reich's e-book collects his exclusive interviews with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald and others, as well as profiles of early masters such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday. Get "Portraits in Jazz" at chicagotribuen.com/ebooks.
