Fall music scene reaching fever pitch
 
Howard Reich 
Arts critic
October 22, 2010

The fall jazz season started last month, but now it goes into overdrive.

Consider the next seven days:

Asian American Jazz Festival: Can this illuminating event possibly be celebrating its 15th anniversary? Apparently so — time flies when you're smashing cultural barriers. Chicago's Asian American Jazz Festival long has shown where East and West meet, and this year's installment underscores the point, with concerts this weekend and next.

First up: Saxophonist Jeff Chan's explosive big fUn philharmonic, a big band featuring reedists Ari Brown and Edward Wilkerson Jr., pianist Kirk Brown and drummer Avreeayl Ra. 1 p.m. Saturday in the Claudia Cassidy Theater of the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.; free; 312-744-6630

Next up: The Cultural Arts Quartet will merge musical traditions of Japan with techniques of the South Side avant-garde, the band staffed by saxophonist Chan and Wilkerson, bassist Tatsu Aoki and percussionist Ra. 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the Velvet Lounge, 67 E. Cermak Road; $15; 312-791-9050 or velvetlounge.net

Hugh Masekela: Trumpeter-bandleader-composer Masekela has led many lives, his biography bound up with the tragic history of South African apartheid, and its eventual downfall. Though Masekela left South Africa in his youth, his music always has exuded its folkloric spirit, which he celebrates. Through the decades, Masekela — a musician of many facets — has veered between pop and jazz idioms. He has played Chicago before, but, surprisingly, never at Symphony Center. 8 p.m. Friday at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; $21-$50; 312-294-3000 or cso.org

Tom Harrell: A trumpeter and flugelhorn player of remarkable gifts, Harrell also happens to be one of the most melodically inspired composers in jazz. To hear him play his own music is to gain a deeper understanding of how those sinuous phrases of his are meant to work. Trumpeter Nicholas Payton originally had been scheduled for this slot, but Harrell stands as a more-than-worthy replacement. 8 and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 4, 8 and 10 p.m. Sunday; at the Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Court; $20-$25; 312-360-0234 or jazzshowcase.com

Von Freeman: He just celebrated his 88th birthday, and recent performances suggest that saxophonist Freeman still sounds like no one else in jazz. The brilliance of his improvisations and the idiosyncrasies of his tone have made him revered around the world, but he mostly plays late Tuesday nights at the New Apartment Lounge, on East 75th Street. So his periodic ventures downtown and uptown open up his music to other audiences. For this engagement, he'll lead a quintet staffed by pianist Ben Paterson, guitarist Mike Allemana, bassist Matt Ferguson and Freeman's longtime drummer, Michael Raynor. 9 p.m. Friday at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway; $12; 773-878-5552 or greenmilljazz.com

Victor Goines: Chicago listeners lucked out when Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music engaged reedist Goines to head its jazz department, which he joined in 2008. A top-flight virtuoso who also plays a key role in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by Wynton Marsalis, Goines has made it a point to push outside the ivory tower and into Chicago's vibrant jazz milieu. There may be no more intimate way to hear him than in this engagement, where he'll join the friendly and freewheeling Sunday-night sessions at Room 43, organized by the nonprofit Hyde Park Jazz Society. 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Sunday at Room 43, 1043 E. 43d St. or hydeparkjazzsociety.com

Chicago Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble: Trumpeter Victor Garcia and pianist Darwin Noguera's band has been gaining momentum and attention in recent years, and not only for each musician's skill as instrumentalist. Both pen intriguing compositions. Their newest work has been showcased in the CD "Blueprints" (Chicago Sessions), which has been receiving considerable airplay. Andy's has become a kind of home for this band, which is headed in one direction: up. 9 p.m. Tuesday at Andy's Jazz Club, 11 E. Hubbard St.; $10; 312-642-6805 or andysjazzclub.com

Chris Foreman: No show at the Green Mill is quite like Foreman's Friday afternoon sessions, which he calls "The Flip Side." The title refers to the B-side of old vinyl discs, meaning Foreman explores lesser-known jazz titles that need to be heard. Beyond the repertoire, though, it's the tone of the sets that distinguishes Foreman's work here, the musician seated at the Hammond B-3 organ behind the bar and trading ripostes with his (regular) listeners. The audience calls a lot of the tunes, and jazz doesn't get less pretentious or more accessible than this. 5 to 8 p.m. Fridays at the Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway; free; 773-878-5552

Jeff Lindberg's Chicago Jazz Orchestra: That a big band of this caliber plays every Monday night in a small jazz room remains one of the wonders of music in this city. Though Lindberg's CJO also plays concerts around the city and across the country, this year the band launched a weekly engagement in a room that makes it sound more explosive than ever. The CJO brings new verve to classics by Ellington and Basie but also serves up originals by its instrumentalists. A run like this doesn't last forever, so it's worth seizing while it's there. Sets from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. and 7 to 8:15 p.m. Mondays at Andy's Jazz Club, 11 E. Hubbard St.; $10; 312-642-6805 or andysjazzclub.com

Phil Woods: The veteran alto saxophonist crystallizes bebop principles as concisely as anyone playing today, but he seems particularly inspired when collaborating with the students of the DePaul Jazz Ensemble. That goes double for the youngsters, who never work harder than in Woods' company. As always, DePaul professor Bob Lark guides the students and leads the proceedings. 8 and 10 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 30; 4, 8 and 10 p.m. Oct. 31; at the Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Court; $20-$25; 312-360-0234 or jazzshowcase.com