Live Music Calendar for August and September 2012 in New York City

by delarue

Daily updates, especially early in the month since some clubs wait til the 11th hour to put their calendars up – check back here to see what’s new. For directions and other information on the venues where these shows are happening, check the exhaustive guide to over 200 New York live music venues at NYMD’s sister blog, Lucid Culture.

Times listed here are set times, not the time doors open – if a listing says “9ish,” that means it’ll probably start later than advertised. Always best to check with the venue for the latest information on set times and door charges, since that information is often posted here weeks in advance. Weekly events first followed by the daily calendar:

Oldschool Chicago style blues guitarist Irving Louis Lattin has a lot of shows coming up. He’s at Terra Blues at 7 PM on 7/28, 8/9, 8/12, 8/28 and 8/31 and at Lucille’s on Aug 10 and 24 at 8.

Mondays starting a little after 7 PM Howard Williams leads his Jazz Orchestra from the piano at the Garage, 99 7th Ave. S at Grove St. There are also big bands here most every Tuesday at 7.

Most Mondays at Rock Shop, 9ish it’s the Gowanus All-Stars feat. brilliant guitarist Chris Erikson (who’s got a great new album out) with a rotating cast of characters from his Americana rock circle, free

Mondays at the Jazz Standard it’s all Mingus, whether with the Mingus Orchestra, Big Band or Mingus Dynasty: as jazz goes, it’s arguably the most exhilarating show of the week, every week. The first-rate players always rise to the level of the material. Sets 7:30/9:30 PM, $25 and worth it.

Also Monday nights Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks, a boisterous horn-driven 11-piece 1920s/early 30’s band play Sofia’s Restaurant, downstairs at the Edison Hotel, 221 West 46th Street between Broadway & 8th Ave., 3 sets from 8 to 11, surprisingly cheap $15 cover plus $15 minimum considering what you’re getting. Even before the Flying Neutrinos or the Moonlighters, multi-instrumentalist Giordano was pioneering the oldtimey sound in New York; his long-running residency at the old Cajun on lower 8th Ave. is legendary. He also gets a ton of film work (Giordano wrote the satirical number that Willie Nelson famously sang in Wag the Dog).

Mondays at Tea Lounge in Park Slope at 9:30 PM trombonist/composer JC Sanford books big band jazz, an exciting, global mix of some of the edgiest large-ensemble sounds around. If you’re anybody in the world of big band jazz and you make it to New York, you end up playing here: what CBGB was to punk, this unlikely spot promises to be to the jazz world. No cover.

Mondays at the Vanguard the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra – composer Jim McNeely’s reliably good big band vehicle – plays 9/11 PM, $30 per set plus drink minimum.

Most Mondays in August (check the Barbes website for updates), 9:30ish Chicha Libre plays their home turf at Barbes. The world’s most vital, entertaining oldschool chicha band, they blend twangy, often noir Peruvian surf sounds with cumbia and other south-of-the-border styles along with swirling psychedelic jams and deep dub interludes. Show up early because they are insanely popular.

Mondays at 10 PM Gato Loco plays Zirzamin. One venues calls them a “psycho mambo band,” but that doesn’t translate their irrrestibly catchy but dark sound. Based in oldtime 1920s Cuban tunes and beats but with an irreverent current-day sensibility, they’re one of the funnest bands in town right now. Depending on who’s available, they may roll out their low-register unit which includes baritone sax, tuba, baritone guitar and bass.

Also Mondays in August Rev. Vince Anderson and his band play Union Pool in Williamsburg, two sets starting around 11:30 PM. The Rev. is one of the great keyboardists around, equally thrilling on organ or electric piano, an expert at Billy Preston style funk, honkytonk, gospel and blues. He writes very funny, very politically astute, sexy original songs and is one of the most charismatic, intense live performers of our time. It’s a crazy dance party til past three in the morning. Paula Henderson from Burnt Sugar is the lead soloist on baritone sax, with Dave Smith from Smoota on trombone, with frequent special guests.

Tuesdays in August clever, fiery, eclectic Balkan/hip-hop/funk brass maniacs Slavic Soul Party play Barbes at 9. Get there as soon as you can as they’re very popular. $10 cover.

Wednesdays at 9 PM Feral Foster’s Roots & Ruckus takes over the Jalopy, a reliably excellent weekly mix of oldtimey acts: blues, bluegrass, country and swing.

Wednesdays at 9:30 Roosevelt Dime plays their unique mix of oldtimey string band music with a dash of classic 60s soul at Brooklyn Winery, 213 North 8th Street, Williamsburg.

Wednesdays at 10 PM Avi Fox-Rosen plays the Way Station in Ft. Greene. He’s one of the two lead guitarists in the completely over-the-top Yiddish Princess, a funky original songwriter with a lyrical bite, and fluent in klezmer as well. One of NYC’s smartest, most original talents

Wednesdays at midnight snarling imaginative lo-fi Bollywood rock band Yankee Bang Bang – who’ve got an intriguing new album out – play Broomies, 921 Broadway in Bushwick.

Thursdays and Fridays in August Bulgarian alto sax star Yuri Yunakov and band play Mehanata starting around 10. One of the most intense and gripping improvisers in gypsy music.

Thursdays in September (that’s September not August), 1 PM Julian Wachner conducts Novus NY performing works by a dozen recent Pulitzer winners in composition at Trinity Church, free.

Fridays in August at 9 Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens play oldschool 1960s style gospel at the Fat Cat.

Saturdays at 3 PM at Bargemusic there are impromptu free classical concerts, usually solo piano or small chamber ensembles: if you get lucky, you’ll catch pyrotechnic violinist/music director Mark Peskanov and/or the many members of his circle. Early arrival advised.

Saturdays eclectic compelling Brazilian jazz chanteuse Marianni and her excellent band at Zinc Bar, three sets starting at 10 PM.

Sundays there’s a klezmer brunch at City Winery, show starts around 11:30 AM – 2 PM, $10 cover, no minimum, lots of good bands.

Sundays from half past noon to 3:30 PM, bluegrass cats Freshly Baked (f.k.a. Graveyard Shift), featuring excellent, incisive fiddle player Diane Stockwell and an A-list of players play Nolita House (upstairs over Botanica at 47 E Houston). Free drink with your entree.

Sundays in August jazz guitarist Peter Mazza – a subtle and soulful player whom Gene Bertoncini has endorsed – leads a series of intriguing trios at the Bar Next Door, 7:30 PM

Every Sunday the Ear-Regulars, led by trumpeter Jon Kellso and (frequently) guitarist Matt Munisteri play NYC’s only weekly hot jazz session starting around 8 PM at the Ear Inn on Spring St. Hard to believe, in the city that springboarded the careers of thousands of jazz legends, but true. This is by far the best value in town for marquee-caliber jazz: for the price of a drink and a tip for the band, you can see world-famous players (and brilliant obscure ones) you’d usually have to drop $100 for at some big-ticket room. The material is mostly old-time stuff from the 30s and 40s, but the players (especially Kellso and Munisteri, who have a chemistry that goes back several years) push it into some deliciously unexpected places.

Sundays in August, 9/11 PM the cutting-edge Arturo O’Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra – a mighty beast that ranks with the Mingus bands as one of the city’s most fascinating jazz orchestras – at Birdland, $30 seats avail., res. req.

7/26, 6 PM multi-wind virtuoso Demetrius Spaneas and pianist Jeffrey Goldberg improvise at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10 + $10 min., followed by hilarious, crazed jazz punks Mostly Other People Do the Killing at 8:30 (separate admission, same deal).

7/26-29, 7:30/9:30 PM multi-reed powerhouse Anat Cohen leads a series of combos at the Jazz Standard: 7/26 a duo with guitarist Romero Lubambo,$25; 7/27 a quartet featuring guitarist Howard Alden, $30; 7/28 with her big band Anzaic Orchestra, $30; 7/29 an especially tantalizing duo with pianist Fred Hersch, $25

7/26, 8 PM clever, lushly orchestrated art-rockers the Universal Thump at Barbes followed at 11 by the dark, spare, gypsy-tinged Kotorino.

7/26, 8 PM intense Turkish/klezmer/gypsy rockers Raquy & the Cavemen’s farewell NYC show at Drom, free w/rsvp to (212) 777-1157.

7/26, 8 PM NYC’s original Balkan brass behemoth, Zlatne Uste on the roof of the Manhattan JCC, Amsterdam Ave. and 76th St., discount $10 tix available with promo code CTMDFIDDLE.

7/26, 8 PM Red White & Nuge – “a night of right wing rock for lefties” – at LIC Bar: members of 2 Skinnie J’s, the Losers Lounge band, the Tall Pines and more play songs by right-wing nutjobs Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kid Rock, Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, Grand Funk RR and, of course, The Nuge! $10 contrib. to the LIC for Obama campaign includes free buffet and t-shirt while supplies last. Hey – he’s been less than we hoped for, but at least he’s not Romney.

7/26, 8 PM young Serbian gypsy music/hip-hop ensemble GRUBB at Damrosch Park out back of Lincoln Center, free.

7/26, 8ish noir and lurid Americana: powerhouse lyricist/banjoist Curtis Eller and the Moonlighters’ perennially allusing, increasingly noir Bliss Blood at Waltz-Astoria, 23-14 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria

7/27, 6ish Liz Tormes at the American Folk Art Museum. A couple of years ago she put out a phenomenal gothic Americana rock record; here’s a chance to see how dark and intense she can get in an acoustic setting.

7/27, 6:30 PM a cultural salute to Egypt outdoors at the Queens Museum of Art in Corona Park, with Saidi stick dancing accompanied by a combo provided by the musical hotspot Alwan for the Arts followed at 8 by a screening of Ahmad Abdallahmad Abdalla’s 2010 film Microphone, which explores the music and arts scenes in Alexandria through the eyes of a recently returned expat. 7 train to Shea Stadium, exit across the street from the ballpark

7/27, 8 PM eclectic, shapeshifting saxophonist Ilhan Ersahin’s Wonderland feat. Turkish star Husnu Senlendirici at Drom, $15 adv tix highly rec.

7/27, 8:30 PM Colombian traditional music supergroup Los Irreales de Ondatrópica at Damrosch Park behind Lincoln Center

7/27, 9 PM Impostor Syndrome play dark female-fronted powerpop at Arlene’s.

7/27, 9 PM unaffectedly tuneful Americana rocker Jason Waters and band at Zirzamin

7/27, 10 PM dark 4AD-style dreampop rockers Dead Leaf Echo at Big Snow Buffalo Lodge in Bushwick, $7; they’re also doing a rare acoustic show at Pete’s on 8/2.

7/27, 10 PM psychedelic funk with the People’s Champs at Barbes.

7/27, 10:30ish Karikatura play smart, politically aware gypsy punk, ska and latin rock at Zebulon

7/27, 11 PM dark garage rock with King Khan & the Shrines at Bowery Ballroom, $15.

7/28, 5ish powerhouse electric blues guitarist Guy Clark Jr. at Central Park Summerstage

7/28, 6 PM guitarist Gerard Edery plays Sephardic music from across the diaspora at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10+ $10 min followed by lyrical third-stream jazz pianist Jacob Sacks leading a quintet with Jacob Garchik and Ben Gerstein, trombones; Thomas Morgan, bass; Dan Weiss, drums, separate admission 9/10 PM, same deal

7/28, 6:30 PM Istanbulive a.k.a. “Turkish Woodstock IV” feat. an amazingly eclectic all-Turkish bill with the Secret Trio (an exciting new gypsy/jazz summit withAra Dinkjian, Ismail Lumanovski and Tamer Pinarbasi), trippy saxophonist Ilhan Ersahin’s Wonderland feat. Turkish sax legend Husnu Senlendirici, and then the long-overdue US debut of a folk and protest music legend, chanteuse Selda Bagcan at Damrosch Park, early arrival a must, these events are perennially popular.

7/28, 7:30/9:30 PM eclectic jazz saxophonist Patrick Cornelius leads a trio at the Bar Next Door, $12.

7/28, 8 PM atmospheric loop-friendly art-rockers the Quavers followed at 10 by the haunting pan-latin Las Rubias Del Norte – who have more than a bit of chicha in them – at Barbes.

7/28, 9 PM weird segue, good doublebill: subtle, soulful bossa/samba chanteuse Rachel Brotman and her band followed at 10 by unpredictable indie multi-instrumentalist Kristin Mueller with bluesy violist Karen Waltuch (of the phenomenal Roulette Sisters) at Pete’s.

7/28, 9 PM ferocious, tuneful female-fronted gypsy punk/noir cabaret band Amour Obscur at Mehanata

7/28, 9:30 PM hypnotic Afrobeat jams with Elikeh at Joe’s Pub, $14.

7/28, 11 PM artsy, anthemic, brilliant metal band Of Earth downstairs at the Delancey, $10.

7/29, 2 (two) PM the Horszowski Trio: Jesse Mills, violin; Raman Ramakrishnan, cello; Rieko Aizawa, piano – play Saint-Saens Piano Trio No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18; Shostakovich Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8; Schubert Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat Major, D.929, Op. 100; at Bargemusic $35 ($30 senior, $15 student)

7/29, 6 PM Israeli jazz/metal guitarist Yoshie Fruchter at Downtown Music Gallery – bring earplugs.

7/29, 7 PM the Imani Winds play Mohammed Fairouz’ new composition Jebel Lebnan plus other intriguing works, reception to follow, at Christ & St. Stephen’s Church, 120 W. 69th St., free

7/29, 7 PM Joe Hurley’s annual, high-spirited night of Irish rock, first Hurley playing with the Gents to open and then Joe Hurley’s All-Star Irish Rock Revue co-hosted by sharp, literate crooner Ed Rogers, plus downtown NY legend Willie Nile, members of the Mekons, Cracker, Alice Cooper Group, Bob Dylan’s band, Blue Oyster Cult and others, early arrival advised.

7/29, 8 PM one of the most interesting, smartly politically aware roots reggae bands around, Taj Weekes & Adowa at Springfield Park in Queens.

7/29, 9 PM Commercial Interruption plays ferocious original surf rock at Otto’s.

7/29, 9 PM Ameranouche play gypsy jazz at Red Hook Bait & Tackle.

7/30, 7:30 PM Natasha Paremski, piano with Philippe Quint, violin play works by Prokofiev, Balakirev, Piazzolla and the New York premiere of Fred Hersch’s Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky at le Poisson Rouge, $15 adv tix rec.

7/30, 8ish dark female-fronted dreampop/retro 80s guitar band Beast Make Bomb plays their final show – they’re breaking up – at the downstairs studio space at Webster Hall, $10

7/30, 8:30ish Public Enemy at Wingate Field in Crown Heights, free

7/30, 10 PM a rare small club date by the phenomenal, darkly melodic tenor sax of JD Allen and his Trio with the amazing Gregg August on bass and this era’s greatest extrovert jazz drummer, Rudy Royston, at Smalls

7/31, 5:30 PM Cape Verdean chanteuse Maria de Barros on the plaza out back of the World Financial Center.

7/31, 5:30 PM NYC country/hillbilly/gospel stars Ollabelle in the parking lot behind City Winery, free.

7/31, 7 PM Min Xiao-Fen’s astounding avant/jazz/Chinese classical Blue Pipa Trio at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, free

7/31, 8 PM underrated 90s hip-hop lyrical genius Keith Murray at Tappen Park in Staten Island.

7/31, 8/10 PM Motema honcho and stylistic globetrotter Jana Herzen plays original works on guitar, kalimba and percussion with probably numerous special guests at the Stone, $10.

7/31, 9 PM lyrical purist jazz piano with the Jim Ridl Trio feat. John Benitez – bass , Donald Edwards – drums at Smalls

7/31, 9 PM jazz violinist Yoojin Park leads a quintet at Something Jazz Club, no cover, $10 min.

7/31, 9:30 PM quirky, playful, smart cabaret/chamber-pop with Grace McLean and Them Apples at the big room at the Rockwood

7/31-8/4, 11:30 PM powerful oldschool style jazz belter Brianna Thomas with her band at Dizzy’s Club, $5 seats avail!

8/1, 7 PM the Imani Winds play all NYC premiere program plus appearances by the United States Air Force wind quintet and the New Hudson Saxophone Quartet at Advent Lutheran Church, 2504 Broadway at 93rd St, free.

8/1, 7:30 PM Harlem’s original eclectic punk band the Band-Droidz at the downstairs studio space at Webster Hall, $12

8/1-5 veteran soul/jazz tenor saxophonist Lou Donaldson leads a B3 organ quartet at the Jazz Standard, 7:30/9:30 PM, $25 ($30 on the weekend).

8/1, 8 PM the probably assaultive, gypsy-flavored New York Chamber Trio: Eyal Maoz (guitars) Ron Caswell (tuba)Chris Stromquist (drums) followed at 10 by one of the most reliably interesting improvisers around, Marty Ehrlich (reeds) with Drew Gress (bass) and Ches Smith (drums) at the Stone, $10

8/1, 9 PM Israeli Middle Eastern dance-funk orchestra Yemen Blues at Damrosch Park, early arrival advised. If you need to see them in air-conditioned comfort, they’re at City Winery at 8 on 8/4 for $22 and will probably sell out even though this is a free show.

8/1, 8 PM chanteuse/uke player Bliss Blood’s torchy, lurid noir cinematic duo Evanescent at 68 Jay St. Bar.

8/1, 9:30 PM richly twangy Americana rockers Alana Amram & the Rough Gems at the Mercury, $10.

8/1, 9:30 PM cello/drums free jazz duets with Daniel Levin and Juan Pablo Carletti at Culturefix

8/2, noon, Afrobeat hip-hop bandleader Blitz the Ambassador at Metrotech Park in downtown Brooklyn, free.

8/2, 6:30 PM intense, eclectic jazz composer/tenor saxophonist Geoff Vidal with Sean Conly on bass and Jochen Rueckert on drums at the Bar Next Door, free.

8/2, 7 PM eclectic oldtime acoustic blues powerhouse Blind Boy Paxton at Terra Blues

8/2, 8 PM dark, charismatic, deviously witty literate keyboardist/chanteuse Rachelle Garniez at Barbes followed at 10 by New Orleans brass band Tuba Skinny.

8/2, 8 PM multi-instrumentalist Pete Lanctot and band play new oldtimey gypsy-tinged jazz at the Castello Plan in Ditmas Park.

8/2, 9 PM high-energy oldtime swing and blues with Jessy Carolina & the Hot Mess at Radegast Hall. They’re also here on 8/23.

8/2, midnight the Hsu-Nami play Taiwanese art-rock/metal instrumentals with electrified er-hu violin at Trash, $7 – this band is unbelievably intense and a lot of fun.

8/2, midnight, psychedelic downtempo/trip-hop indie pop band Vacationer at Union Hall, $12.

8/2, 8:30 PM the reliably devious, powerhouse Jon Irabagon on alto sax with Mark Helias, bass; Barry Altschul, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10 + $10 min; they’re here again on 8/4 at 9 and 10:30, same deal

8/2, 9ish noir guitar stylist Ben Von Wildenhaus with his band followed by the recently regrouped and amazing Dimestore Dance Band – the missing link between Django Reinhardt and Erik Satie, now more noir than ever - at Zebulon.

8/2, 9 PM hip-hop brass band grooves with PitchBlak Brass Band at Shrine, free. They’re also at Joe’s Pub on 8/19 at 9:30 PM for $12

8/2, 9ish irreverent oldschool Williamsburg vocal jazz crew the Old Rugged Sauce at Brooklyn Rod & Gun Club. They’re also here on the 23rh, same time.

8/2, 9ish the Bad Plus play Stravinsky’s Rites of Spring at Damrosch Park behind Lincoln Center – don’t say you weren’t warned.

8/2, 10 PM Stratospheerius – the original violin metal band, whose new album reputedly shreds (don’t they always) at the Delancey, $10.

8/2, 10 PM saxophonist Jacob Garchik’s tuneful, sometimes brooding 3rd-stream 4twenty project at I-Beam, $10

8/2, 10:30 PM Jack Grace’s edgy, recently reunited, funky jamband Steak – who were a sort of early zeros counterpart to Little Feat – at Bowery Electric, free

8/2, 10:30 PM hilariously filthy, theatrical punk girlgroup pop spoof Cudzoo & the Fagettes at the Mercury, $10.

8/2, 11 PM Spanish jazz guitarist Dave Juarez with his versatile band at Desmond’s of all places.

8/3, 6 PM the Matt Cross Gypsy Jazz Quartet at Radegast Hall

8/3, 7:30 PM psychedelic funk orchestra Turkuaz at the Cameo Gallery, $12.

8/3, 8 PM dark female-fronted 4AD-style dreampop rockers Dead Leaf Echo at the Knitting Factory, $10.

8/3, 8/10 PM bassist Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz’s Abraxas plays the cd release show for their performance of John Zorn’s Masada: Book of Angels Vol. 19 with Aram Bajakian (guitars), Eyal Maoz (guitars), Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz (on gimbri this time), Kenny Grohowski (drums) at the Stone, $10

8/3, 9ish chanteuse/pianist Kate Mattison’s torchy, hypnotic, catchy downtempo/trip-hop soul trio Mattison at the small room at the Rockwood.

8/3, 10:30 PM oldschool 60s organ/trombone soul-jazz with the Jared Gold /Dave Gibson Quintet at the Fat Cat.

8/3, 11 PM edgy, upbeat bluesy original swing tunes with guitarist Miss Tess & the Talkbacks at the 92YTribeca, $10

8/3, 11 PM intriguing dark indie folk group Colorform – who combine live painting with live music – at Culturefix. Colorform at Culturefix – how’s that for 3 syllables?

8/4, sets 1 and 3 PM, the Jack Quartet play works by Guillaume de Machaut, Charles Ives, Brian Baumbush, Ken Thomson, Payton MacDonald and David Crowell on Colonels Row on Governors Island, free

8/4 well-loved Malian bandleaders/crooner-and-chanteuse duo Amadou & Mariam at Central Park Summerstage, 5ish, early arrival advised.

8/4, 6:30 PM oldtime and bluegrass night with Spirit Family Reunion, Cahalen Morrison & Eli West and Del McCoury and band at Prospect Park Bandshell.

8/4, 7ish one of the year’s most unlikely but best triplebills: reliably hilarious faux-French garage rockers les Sans Culottes, psychedelic country/blues/bluegrass band American String Conspiracy and the unstoppably ferocious noir/ghoulabilly monster that is the Reid Paley Trio at Rocky Sullivan’s in Red Hook, $12

8/4, 8 PM “Music of Early Spain and beyond… bridging the ancient to the present with exotic songs, compelling dances and virtuosic improvisations, ALBA perform early Mediterranean music on traditional instruments. ALBA evokes the haunting melodies and dynamic rhythms of the Iberian peninsula as well as music from its Middle-Eastern and European neighbors. Through the time of La Convivencia when Christian, Jewish and Muslim cultures flourished together to the Golden Age of Spain, ALBA makes this passionate music contemporary. With Margo Gezairlian Grib, voice, vielle; Rex Benincasa, percussion; Haig Manoukian, oud; Christopher Morrongiello, lute, guitarra Española at Bargemusic, $35 ($30 senior, $15 student).

8/4, 8 PM “an international quartet of improvisers dedicated to charming the Snake with sounds inspired by the Berber trance music of a real and imaginary Morocco: Satoshi Takeishi: percussion, Mat Maneri: viola, Brahim Frigbane: oud, Michaël Attias: alto saxophone” at Barbes followed at 10 by high-energy Mexican style Banda Sinaloense De Los Muertos playing polkas and more.

8/4, 8 PM atmospheric, haunting soundscapes by Spooky Ghost at the small room at the Rockwood.

8/4, 8 PM a rare Brooklyn appearance by purist bluegrass/honkytonk rockers Demolition String Band at 68 Jay St. Bar.

8/4, 8 PM B3 grooves with the Masami Ishikawa Organ Quartet at Cleopatra’s Needle, free

8/4, 8:30 PM fiery avant accordion music with Kimmo Pohjonen & Helsinki Nelson at Damrosch Park.

8/4, 9 PM at Otto’s it’s Unsteady Freddie’s monthly surf music shindig and this is one of the best, with the Initials, the ferocious, Link Wray inspired Howlin Thurstons, the eclectic TarantinosNYC at 11 and George Sempepos’ phenomenally good, psychedelic Middle Eastern surf rockers the Byzan-tones at around midnight.

8/4, 9ish intense gypsy punk with Bad Buka at Mehanata

8/4, 9 PM M Shanghai String Band - NYC’s original citybilly band, with a lead singer who pla,ys spoons – at the Jalopy, $10

8/4, 9:30 PM thoughtful, terse desert blues guitar star Sidi Toure at Joe’s Pub, $18.

8/4, 10 PM smart, funny, female-fronted, indelibly NYC urban pop band Delusions of Grand Streetat Trash, $8

8/4, 10 PM Jerry Adler of the Blam’s latest excellent project, lush dreampop rockers Wave Sleep Wave at at the Stone, $10.

8/4, 11ish PM hilarious cowpunk satirists Uncle Leon & the Alibis at Union Hall, $8.

8/4, half past midnight brilliant, cruelly satirical soul/funk man/filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles wid Laxative at the Blue Note, $10

8/5, 3 PM the Imani Winds play world premieres by emerging composers Joelle Zigman, Matt Siffert, Phil Taylor, Alex Weston, Matthew Taylor, Sam Parrilla, Molly Joyce, and Yuan-Chen Li at the Concert Hall at Mannes College of Music, 150 W 85th St.,hosted by Mohammed Fairouz, free.

8/5, 4:45 PM organist Stephen Fraser plays a recital at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

8/5, 6 PM creepy jazz improvisation with a couple of guys from creepy improvisers Dollshot: bassist Giacomo Merega, tenor saxophonist Noah Kaplan, plus guitarist Andy Bianco and trumpeter Joe Moffett at Downtown Music Gallery, free

8/5, 7 PM Que Vlo-Ve (Wade Ripka & Nick DiFeo, guitars; Quince Marcum, vocals) play classic Greek rembetiko followed at 9 by the Hot Club of Flatbush pinchhitting for the temporarily AWOL Stephane Wrembel at Barbes

8/5, 7:30 PM a tribute to salsa composer Tite Curet Alonso with Viento de Agua feat. special guest Lalo Rodríguez plus the NYC debut of Grupo Esencia de Ponce at Damrosch Park behind Lincoln Center, early arrival advised.

8/5, 8:30 PM tenor saxophonist Tom Tallitsch - whose new album has swing and bite – at Caffe Vivaldi with his group.

8/5, 8:30 PM jazz violinist Scott Tixier with his group: Frank Locrasto , piano; Matt Parker, saxophone; Burniss Earl Travis II, bass; Gerald Cleaver, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10 + $10 min.

8/5, 9 PM the Red Hook Ramblers playing their own hot jazz soundtracks to Fatty Arbuckle in “A Reckless Romeo” (1917) and two of his funniest silent comedies with Buster Keaton: “The Cook” (1918), and “Coney Island” (1917).at the Jalopy, $10.

8/5, 10 PM guitarist Yoshie Fruchter’s delightful klezmer metal/surf rock band Pitom at the Stone, $10

8/6, 7:30 PM weird segue, great show: slamming salsa with the Pedrito Martinez Group followed by Malian desert blues guitarist Sidi Toure at Marcus Garvey Park.

8/6, 7:30/9:30 PM tuneful third-stream original jazz compositions with composer Marshall Gilkes, trombone; Donny McCaslin, saxophones; Adam Birnbaum, piano, Yasushi Nakamura, bass; Eric Doob, drums at Dizzy’s Club, $25

8/6, 8 PM freak-folk legend Brute Force and Daughter of Force open with a cameo before NYC’s original gypsy punk brass band, Hungry March Band at Brooklyn Bowl, $8, free before 7 PM.

8/6, 8 PM popular 90s roots reggae crooner Barrington Levy at B.B. King’s, $25 adv tix rec.

8/6, 8:30 PM cerebral, intense latin jazz pianist/composer Arturo O’Farrill leads a trio at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10 + $10 min.

8/6, 9 PM swirling, hard-hitting dreampop/garage rockers the K-Holes at the Knitting Factory, $10.

8/6, 9 PM the tuneful, atmospheric, purist retro 50s Behn Gillece Vibraphone Quintet at the Fat Cat – if you can imagine anything approaching “atmosphere” at the Fat Cat…

8/6, 9 PM Swingadelic play their monthly show at Maxwell’s, free

8/6-7, 10 PM Lucinda Williams at Bowery Ballroom, $35 tix have not sold out yet as of 7/25.

8/6, 10:15 PM dark female-fronted new wave/punk band Ingrid & the Defectors at Trash, $10

8/7, 7 PM the queen of Coney Island phantasmagorical noir rock and soul, Carol Lipnik & Spookarama at Barbes.

8/7, 7 PM trombonist Michael Dease leads his tuneful, purist Big Band at the Garage Restaurant in the west village

8/7, 7:30 PM violinist Lara St. John and friends celebrate the 25th anniversary of Astor Piazzolla’s 1987 Central Park concert at the Naumburg Bandshell, early arrival advised if you want a seat.

8/7, 7:30 PM six-piano new music powerhouse Grand Band – whose titanic performance was one of the highlights of this year’s Bang on a Can Marathon – playing Steve Reich’s ‘Six Pianos’ and Julia Wolfe’s Aretha Franklin-inspired ‘my lips from speaking…’ plus works by Philip Glass and Kate Moore at le Poisson Rouge, $15 adv tix highly rec.

8/7, 9ish eclectic tuneful indie folk from multi-instrumentalist Alice Bierhorst and another multi-instrumentalist, hauntingly anthemic neoromantic/rock songwriter Serena Jost at Freddy’s.

8/7, 9 PM the Simple Minded Predators play bluegrass at Pete’s.

8/7-12, 9/11 PM vibraphonist and Christian McBride bandmate Warren Wolf - whose latest album is superb – at the Vanguard with Allyn Johnson on piano, Eric Wheeler on bass and Billy Williams on drums, $30

8/7, 9:30 PM Ethiopian jazz powerhouse Either/Orchestra – whose marathon concert last year at the New School featured a lot of recently unearthed stuff from Ethiopia and was absolutely off the hook – at the Jazz Standard, $20

8/8, 7 PM retro soul sensation Bettye LaVette at Madison Square Park.

8/8, 7 PM Marty Hroncich Co. mix old Italian favorites from the Istria & Kvarner region at Athens Square Park in Astoria, N to 30th Ave., free.

8/8, 9 PM tuneful, intense alto saxophonist Patrick Cornelius leads an equally intense quintet with Orrin Evans – piano; Ben Wolfe – bass, Rudy Royston – drums, Nick Vayenas – trombone at Smalls

8/8, midnight, lead guitarist to the stars of the underground Thad Debrock – a brilliant, eclectic player on his own stuff too – at the small room at the Rockwood

8/9 cumbia party monsters Chico Trujillo plays the Rocks Off Cruise aboard the Harbor Lights, boarding at 6, leaving at 7 from behind the heliport at 23rd St. and the FDR, $25.

8/9 6 PM Frankie Bambara’s ageless, perennially fresh salsa jazz grooves at Shrine

8/9, 7:30 PM dark Americana with Kelli Scarr and Alana Amram with Jim Campilongo at le Poisson Rouge, $15.

8/9, 8 PM smart artsy retro 80s keyboard-driven rockers Overlord at Union Hall, $8.

8/9, 9 PM Veveritse Brass Band- as intense as Slavic Soul Party but without the hip-hop influence, and more improvisational, at the Jalopy, $10.

8/9, 9 PM Kurt Neumann leads a Sam Llanas-less version of literate heartland rock legends the BoDeans at City Winery, $25 standing room avail. Avoid the 8 PM opening act at all costs: she plays putrid Aaliyah-style corporate “R&B” disguised as country.

8/9, 9:30 PM the Brian Charette Organ Sextette – whose new album is one of this year’s most enjoyable jazz releases – at Smalls with Brian Charette – organ, Mike DiRubbo – alto sax, Seamus Blake – tenor sax, Itai Kriss – flute, John Ellis – clarinet, Jochen Rueckert – drums at Smalls

8/9, 10 PM a solo show by brilliantly lyrical pianist Brian Marsella of the Flail and Cyro Baptista’s band (and also a foppish indie band, and that hasidic stoner reggae abomination – hey, rent isn’t cheap) at the Stone, $10

8/10, 8 PM East African chanteuse Alsarah & the Nubatones followed at 10 by the self-explanatory Cumbiagra at Barbes.

8/10, 8 PM powerpop bandleader Mikal Evansplays the small room at the Rockwood followed eventually at 10 by surfy Colombian rock duo Il Albanico; next door the self-explanatory NY Funk Exchange plays the big room there at half past midnight

Bard Summerscape Festival starts August 10. Yeah, it’s out of town, but this year’s program is pretty amazing, an examination of the world of Camille Saint-Saens and his turbulent artistic world. Transportation from NYC for ticketholders is available via a $30 shuttle from Lincoln Center or a free shuttle from the Poughkeepsie Metro North commuter train station.

8/10, 9 PM psychedelic Americana and blues with American String Conspiracy at Freddy’s

8/10, 9:30 PM Choban Elektrik – who put a keyboard-driven psychedelic rock spin on Balkan music – at Rock Shop in Gowanus

8/10, 10 PM Ianbassa play roots reggae at Shrine.

8/10, midnight, amazing, high-energy gypsy punk brass monstrosity March Fourth Marching Band at Brooklyn Bowl, $10

8/11, 3 PM banjoist/folksinger Abigail Washburn at Central Park Summerstage. Buckwheat Zydeco headlines afterward.

8/11, 8 PM Kamala Sankaram’s hot surfy Bollywood project, Bombay Rickey at Barbes.

8/11, 8 PM the Avalon String Quartet play Beethoven String Quartet No. 14, Op. 131 in C-sharp minor; String Quartet No. 16, Op.135 in F Major at Bargemusic, $35/$30srs/$15 stud.

8/11, 8:30 PM Lyle Lovett at Prospect Park Bandshell- you might have to listen from outside the arena for this one unless there’s a lot of rain beforehand.

8/11, 10 PM diverse Americana songwriter/blues guitar genius Will Scott at 68 Jay St. Bar

8/12, 1 PM haunting, politically fueled, powerfully relevant klezmer band Daniel Kahn & the Painted Bird on the plaza at Lincoln Center

8/12, 3 PM eclectic steel pan virtuoso/cinematic composer Andy Akiho and ensemble at the Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd. at Vernon Blvd. in Long Island City, free w/museum adm ($10/$5 stud). N/Q to Broadway or F to Queensbridge/21st St.

8/12, 5:30 PM Afrobeat band Toubab Crewe in the parking lot behind City Winery, free.

8/12, 6 PM Jose Valente on viola, Daniel Levin on cello and Jason Hwang on violin improvise at Downtown Music Gallery, free.

8/12, 9 PM badass alt-country siren and Neko Case collaborator Carolyn Mark at Red Hook Bait & Tackle

8/12, 9 PM the LES Hot Club play classic gypsy jazz at Barbes.

8/13, midnight the sly oldschool 60s C&W sounds of the Jack Grace Band at the Ear Inn

8/14, 7 PM jazz guitarist David Ullmann’s quintet play the cd release show for their reputedly excellent new one, Falling at Barbes with Chris Dingman – vibes; Karel Ruzicka Jr. – sax; Vinnie Sperrazza – drums and Gary Wang – bass followed at 9 by Slavic Soul Party (whose new album is more than reputedly excellent).

8/14, 8:30/10:30 PM tasteful, eclectic jazz guitarist Mike Baggetta with Cameron Brown on bass and Jeff Hirschfield on drums at the Bar Next Door

8/14, 9ish the self-explanatory, horn-driven, psychedelic NY Funk Exchange at Lucille’s. A good room for this band. They’re also at Groove on 8/22 at 8 and 8/25 at 9.

8/14, 9ish a promising improvisational night: Mike Pride, drums + compositions; Jon Irabagon, alto & tenor sax; Alexis Marcelo, piano; Peter Bitenc, bass; Jonathan Moritz, tenor sax; Jason Stein, bass clarinet at Korzo.

8/14, 10 PM intense Armenian-tinged improvisations with Lou Reed lead guitarist Aram Bajakian and singer Julia Ulehla at the Stone, $10

8/15-16,7:30ish a mini bachata nueva festival at Highbridge Park uptown. On the 15th it’s Henry Santos from Aventura; the 16th has K Rose and 24 Horas.

8/15, 8 PM at the Stone: Louie Belogenis (soprano and tenor saxes) Russ Lossing (piano) Kenny Wollesen (drums)followed at 10 by Project Fukushima NYC, a benefit for Japan with Kaoru Watanabe (fue, taiko) Shanir Blumenkranz (bass, oud) Yuka (voice, taishogoto, ukulele, electronics); Pet Bottle Ningen: Dave Scanlon (guitar) Nonoko Yoshida (sax) Dave Miller (drums); Aya Nishina + Miho Hatori’s NEW OPTIMISM: Miho Hatori (vocal) Timo Ellis (bass) Shoko Nagai (key) Ahmed Gallab (drums) Aya Nishina (piano).”The benefit marathon concert in NYC hosted by three bands (20 minutes each) dedicates all its proceeds to Project Fukushima in Japan.”

8/15, 9ish the jaunty, oldtimey Two Man Gentlemen Band - whose new album of drinking songs is surprisingly loud and hard-hitting – at Rodeo Bar; 8/16 they’re at Rock Shop at 8ish, $10.

8/16, 7:30 PM the jaunty, oldtimey Two Man Gentlemen Band – whose new album of drinking songs is surprisingly loud and hard-hitting – at Rock Shop in Gowanus, $12.

8/16, 8 PM John Zorn improv night with bassist Shanir Blumenkranz plus a parade of usual suspects at the Stone, $25, get there early.

8/16, 8:30ish the Gentlemen Callers play oldschool honkytonk followed by the amusing but spot-on all-female Dolly Parton cover band Doll Parts at Union Hall, $7

8/17, 7 PM Colombian Caribbean jazz with Pablo Mayor’s Folklore Urbano Orchestra and the Alejandro Zuleta Vallenato Collective with special guests Gregorio Uribe and Alejandro Florez at le Poisson Rouge, $15

8/17, 7 PM indie classical ensemble Percussia -whose name pretty much defines their repertoire – at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, free.

8/17, 7:30 PM Roberto Prosseda, piano plays”Midsummer Nocturnes” by Mendelssohn, Chopin, John Field, Debussy and Scriabin at le Poisson Rouge, $15 adv tix rec.

8/17, 8:30ish a mixed bag of funk and soul with Austin’s exhilarating New Orleans-flavored Mingo Fishtrap, John Legend-ish smoov G Tre Williams & the Revelations and then the oldschool JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound at Brooklyn Bowl, $10

8/17, 10 PM creepy noir guitar soundtrack magic with Stephen Ulrich and Itamar Ziegler at Barbes.

8/17, 10 PM two of NYC’s best-loved bluegrass crews with Demolition String Band followed by Freshly Baked Bluegrass at the Jalopy, $10.

8/17, 10 PM the queen of rockabilly, Wanda Jackson at Maxwell’s, $20 adv tix avail. at the club and in Manhattan at Other Music

8/17, 10ish entrancing cello/marimba duo Goli at Caffe Vivaldi.

8/17, 10 PM Royal Khaoz play roots reggae at Shrine.

8/17, 10ish stoner hip-hop/punkmetal legends the Kottonmouth Kings at B.B. King’s, $25 gen adm. “You will find no traces of tight jeans or trendy indie trash!”

8/17, 10:30 PM raucous, high-energy country blues and hillbilly stuff with Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band at Hill Country, $12

8/18, 5 PM Lee Feldman at Something Jazz Club. He’s got a fascinating, often haunting album of piano/cello duets of traditional Jewish music out as well as a playful album of original songs. For fans of chamber pop and Steely Dan.

8/18, 8 PM violinist/singer Mireya Ramos, frontwoman of Mariachi Flor de Toloache - NYC’s only all-female mariachi band – plays Barbes followed at 10 by the ferocious, wild Balkan sounds of Raya Brass Band (whose new album might be the year’s best).

8/18, 8:30 PM the aptly titled Argentinian J.P. Jofre Hard Tango Chamber Band at le Poisson Rouge, $15

8/18, 11:30 PM exhilarating retro 60s latin soul revivalists Spanglish Fly at Brooklyn Bowl $5

8/19, 3 PM get to Central Park Summerstage when the gates open if you want to see roots reggae harmony legends the Mighty Diamonds and Israeli Vibration. What’s left of Inner Circle play afterward (one can only imagine what the late Jacob Miller would have thought of the Fox network using a song by his old band as the theme for the most racist show on tv).

8/19, 4:45 PM organist David Christopher plays a recital at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

8/19, 7 PM Albuquerque band Le Chat Lunatique mix gypsy jazz with reggae and other unexpected sounds at Barbes followed at 9 by newschool gypsy jazz virtuoso Stephane Wrembel. Le Chat Lunatique court tres tres vite to the Jalopy afterward for a 9 PM set.

8/19, 9 PM arguably the most haunting triplebill of 2012: Twin Peaks guitar duos with Ulrich Ziegler, the equally cinematic klezmer-tinged chamber-rock of Barbez – whose Paul Celan tribute from a couple of years ago is amazing- and then dark sweeping female-fronted art-rockers Bee & Flower at the Gutter bowling alley in Williamsburg, $10.

8/20 versatile oldschool/newschool soul avatar and saxophone powerhouse Lakecia Benjamin at Ginny’s Supper Club, 310 Lenox Ave (125/126), time/$TBA. 8/21 she’s at the big room at the Rockwood.

8/20-28 New Orleans piano titan Henry Butler plays solo “early blues” followed by the reliably entertaining Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra at the Jazz Standard, 7:30/9:30 PM, $25/$30 on the weekend.

8/21, 8/10 PM two generations of avant garde legends: Pauline Oliveros (digital accordion) with Susie Ibarra (drumset, percussion) at the Stone. At 10 they’re joined by Thollem McDonas (piano), $10.

8/21, 10 PM eclectic, brilliant Nation Beat violinist Skye Steele’s Glorious Sunshine Band at Pete’s

8/21, 10 PM Bow Wow Wow - yup, the latest incarnation of Annabella Lwin’s sassy, badass new wave band from the 80s – at B.B. King’s, $22.50 adv tix rec.

8/22, 7:30 PM pianist Anthony Tobin celebrates Debussy’s 150th birthday with a solo concert and premiere of his film Claude Debussy: The World Will Change In His Sound at WMP Concert Hall, $20

8/22, 8 PM jazz vocals with Tammy Scheffer and her Sextet followed by guitarist Assaf Kehati and his Trio at 9:30 at Shapeshifter Lab, 18 Whitwell Pl., Park Slope, $10.

8/22, 9 PM the atmospheric indie classical Portland Cello Project at City Winery, $15 standing room avail.

8/22, 11 PM torchy Americana chanteuse Megan Reilly at Zirzamin

8/22, midnight Stringbean & the Stalkers play dark eerie chromatic harp blues at the Ear Inn.

8/23, 7 PM eclectic psychedelic funk band Mamarazzi open for reggae/Afrobeat stars the Refugee All-Stars of Sierra Leone at East River Park, free.

8/23, 8 PM klezmer/bluegrass legend Andy Statman at Barbes, $10.

8/23, 8 PM the reliably charming, politically aware, theatrical, harmony-driven Ukuladies at Freddy’s

8/23, 8:30 PM clarinetist Josh Rutner leads a klezmer jazz sextet at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10 + $10 min.

8/23, 9:30 PM Wendy Rule at Caffe Vivaldi. If you’re too broke for (or want something darker than) Missing Persons and Gene Loves Jezebel at B.B. King’s, this is cheaper (it’s free) and it’s a lot better.

8/23, 10ish Charlene Kaye & the Brilliant Eyes at the Gramercy Theatre, $15. The new album is slick and overproduced, but the songs rock, they’re smart and she’s a hell of a guitarist.

8/24, 6ish smart, literate, oldtime western noir songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Karen Dahlstrom at the American Folk Art Museum, free

8/24, 7 PM the theme of this year’s Charlie Parker Festival at Marcus Garvey Park is Bird with Strings, a supposedly all-star lineup recreating pieces of that classic record. Then on the 25th, same place, same time it’s Jamire Williams’ Erimaj project, Derrick Hodge, singer Rene Marie and the presumably immortal Roy Haynes.

8/24, 9 PM Junior Toots (Toots Hibbert’s kid) and the Top Shotta Band followed by the CCB Reggae All-Stars at Brooklyn Bowl, $10.

8/24, 9ish suave baritone western swing crooner Sean Kershaw & the New Jack City Ramblers at Brooklyn Rod & Gun Club

8/24, 10 PM eclectic, smart latin jazz bassist Pedro Giraudo leads a sextet at Barbes.

8/25, 4 and 8 PM keyboardist Michael Hearst’s Songs for Unusual Creatures at Barbes. Playful, psychedelic instrumentals about weird animals from around the world, suitable for kids, pray that the yuppie contingent with their whiny brats doesn’t show up.

8/25, 8 PM, repeating on 8/26 at 2 PM the St. Petersburg String Quartet play Tchaikovsky: String Quartet in B-flat Major, “ Unfinished” Op. Post.1865) (1); Schubert: String Quartet in A minor, Op. 29, D. 804 “Rosamunde”; Ravel: String Quartet in F Major at Bargemusic, $35/$30srs/$15 stud.

8/25, 8:30 PM psychedelic Middle Eastern/Balkan/Asian jamband Tribecastan at Sullivan Hall, $15 adv tix rec.

8/25, 8:30 PM Mostly Other People Do the Killing’s bassist Moppa Elliott leads a sextet version of the insane, amazingly fun jazz terrorists at I-Beam, $10.

8/25, 9ish hypnotic retro psych-rockers Brian Jonestown Massacre at Webster Hall, 9ish, $30.50 tix avail. at the Irving Plaza box ofc.

8/25, 9:30 PM dark 80s style keyboardist/songwriter Kristin Hoffmann at Caffe Vivaldi.

8/26, 1 PM intense Scottish bagpipe music with Great Highland Bagpipes and Mor, “The Pied Pipers of New York” at Flushing Town Hall, free, early arrival advised.

8/26, 6ish this year’s bill at the Charlie Parker Festival at Tompkins Square Park is uncharacteristically weak – although it’s nice to see chanteuse/organist Ernestine Anderson get the headline spot she’s deserved for a long time.

8/26, 8 PM goth legend and Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy at the Well, 272 Meserole St. in Bushwick, $25 adv tix rec.

8/27, 8 PM avant pianist Taka Kigawa tackles Bach’s Art of the Fugue at le Poisson Rouge, $20 adv tix rec.

8/27, 8:30 PM pianist Melody Fader and violinist Emily Popham play Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” sonata plus works for solo piano by Debussy and Chopin at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10 + $10 min

8/28, 7 PM eclectic pan-latin chanteuse Marta Topferova at Barbes.

8/28-9/2 the Ron Carter Big Band – enough said, right? – at the Jazz Standard, 7:30/9:30 PM, $30.

8/28-9/2, 9/11 PM jazz/Americana violinist/composer Jenny Scheinman leads a killer quartet with Jason Moran on piano, Greg Cohen on bass and Rudy Royston on drums at the Vanguard, $30

8/28, 9:30 PM dazzlingly eclectic virtuoso string ensemble Trio Tritticali play originals, Latin, Middle Eastern, jazz and clever pop/rock arrangements at Caffe Vivaldi.

8/28, 11ish dark intense minimalist Persian-flavored indie rock duo the Mast at Glasslands

8/29, 7 PM Italian folk music of the Istria region by Damir and Joe and band at Athens Square Park in Astoria, N to 30th Ave., free.

8/29, 8 PM, a latin jazz summit: Jerry Gonzalez & the Commandos de la Clave plus the Pedrito Martinez Group featuring Ariacne Trujillo at Highline Ballroom, $25 adv tix rec.

8/29, 9 PM Sean Wayland leads his B3 organ jazz band at Freddy’s

8/29, 8:30 PM original, eclectic bossa-tinged chanteuse Nina Moffitt leads a quartet with Chris Pattishall, piano; Jackson Hill, bass; Alex Ritz, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10 + $10 min.

8/30, 7:30 PM blue-eyed soul crooner Don Piper and his excellent, jangly band followed by eclectic, literate Britpop/glam/art-rock songwriter Ed Rogers - whose latest album Porcelain is amazing – at Zirzamin

8/30, 8 PM Chicago style blues powerhouse Bobby Radcliff plays a rare Brooklyn gig with his band at Freddy’s

8/30, 8 PM psychedelic funksters Groove Collective at Brooklyn Bowl, $10.

8/30, 8:30 PM down-to-earth Chilean jazz vocal stylist Camila Meza leads a quartet with Glenn Zaleski, piano; Sam Anning, bass; Greg Ritchie, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10 + $10 min.

8/30, 10:15 PM haunting, lush art-rockers the Snow - whose new album is reputedly as excellent as their last two – at Joe’s Pub, $15.

8/31, 7:30 PM funk orchestra Burnt Sugar (feat. many Melvin Van Peebles collaborators) “freaks every other song in the book- a JB, Steely, Ra, Jimi, Bowie, Miles, Van Peebles and BS Monsta-Mosh” at Le Poisson Rouge, $10 adv tix rec.

8/31, 8 PM badass resonator guitarist/blues chanteuse Mamie Minch followed at 10 by psychedelic funk with the People’s Champs at Barbes.

8/31, 9 PM hilarious, satirical Merle Haggard cover band Bryan & the Haggards – who do sick jazz versions of honkytonk classics – at Red Hook Bait & Tackle

8/31, 1 AM (actually wee hours of 9/1) explosive two-sax-and-drums funk/trip-hop instruental band Moon Hooch at Brooklyn Bowl, $10.

9/1, 9 PM reggae singer Dahlia Dumont plays with her roots band at Shrine.

9/1, 9ish crazy gypsy punk with Bad Buka at Mehanata

9/1, 10 PM bouncy Mexican polkas and more with Banda Sinaloense De Los Muertos at Barbes.

9/2, 7 PM long-running, eclectic jazz/chamber pop quartet the Four Bags at Barbes followed at 9 by gypsy guitar virtuoso Stephane Wrembel.

9/2, 11 PM charismatic frontman Sekouba and his huge, intense, politically charged African roots reggae band at Shrine

9/3, sets at 1 and 3 PM pyrotechnic, unpredictable avant violinist Todd Reynolds with Jordan Tice on guitar, Jonny Rodgers on glass harmonica andspecial guests play new arrangements of American folk music on Colonels Row on Governors Island, free.

9/4, 7 PM the king of the downtown NYC literate rock anthem, Willie Nile at Joe’s Pub, $25

9/7, 8 PM a rare evening of chamber and film music by David Amram featuring an all-star cast including Amram himself on French horn and piano at Symphony Space, $20 adv tix very highly rec.

9/4, 8:30 PM the Toomai String Quintet play two sets, the second a performance of Jessica Pavone’s understatedly haunting Hope Dawson Is Missing with guitarist Mary Halvorson at I-Beam, $10.

9/6, 8 PM eclectic desert blues guitar star Bombino and his jamband at Highline Ballroom,$15 adv tix rec.

9/7 is Brazilian World Music Day, check their blog for NYC happenings.

9/7, 7:30 PM atmospheric noir art-rockers Elysian Fields at le Poisson Rouge, $15 adv tix rec.

9/8, 7ish an eclectic lineup, killer triplebill: barrelhouse blues band the 4th St. Nite Owls, ska punks the Hub City Stompers and then eventually around 10 intense noir ska/swing band Tri-State Conspiracy at the downstairs studio space at Webster Hall, $12

9/8, 8:30ish the Atomic Duo: “some Flatt, a little Scruggs, and a whole lot of Gil Scott-Heron” – at 68 Jay St Bar

9/8, 8:30 PM a kick-ass doublebill at I-Beam with perennially tuneful pianist Russ Lossing leading a trio followed by the Two Bass Band with Ben Street and Masa Kamaguchi plus trombonists Scott Reeves and Bryan Dye plus many others, $10; drummer Jeff Davis leads a trio with Lossing at 10 PM on the 14th.

9/8, 9:30 PM a killer Balkan/klezmer doublebill with Litvakus and Raya Brass Band at Joe’s Pub, $TBA

9/9, 3 PM indie classical guitarist Gyan Riley (Terry’s kid) at the Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd. at Vernon Blvd. in Long Island City, free w/museum adm ($10/$5 stud). N/Q to Broadway or F to Queensbridge/21st St.

9/10 the CCB Reggae All-Stars play the Rocks Off Concert Cruise aboard the Jewel, boarding at 6, departing at 7 from the heliport at 23rd St. and the FDR, $20 adv tix available at the Highline box office.

9/10, 7:30 PM duo pianists Christina & Michelle Naughton play Mendelssohn, de Falla, Milhaud, Rachmaninoff and Nancarrow at le Poisson Rouge, $15 adv tix rec. followed at 11 by lutenist Jozef Van Wissem and electroacoustic indie chamber ensemble Noveller for $8 (adv tix, separate adm.)

9/11, 8 PM violinist Elmira Darvarova, hornist Howard Wall of the New York Philharmonic and pianist Tomoko Kanamaru play music of Brahms, Schumann and their contemporaries at Symphony Space, free, early arrival advised.

9/11, 10:30 PM pianist Orrin Evans’ ferociously smart, tuneful postbop combo Tarbaby with Oliver Lake, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits at le Poisson Rouge, $15

9/12, 7 PM violin virtuoso Gil Morgenstern’s reliably enlightening, thematic Reflections Series opens at WMP Concert Hall with a program titled Stravinsky, The Violin Years: 1930-1935 feat. pianist J.Y. Song, $35/$15 stud.

9/12, 8 PM the New York Piano Quartet performs musix of Austrian composers Joseph Marx, Erich Korngold, Gernot Wolfgang and others at Symphony Space, $20 adv tix rec.

9/12, 9ish fiery, intense, lyrical art-rocker Spottiswoode at the big room at the Rockwood, $12 adv tix rec.

9/12, 10 PM one of the original gypsy rock bands, Firewater at the Knitting Factory, $14 – note that the new incarnation is minus piano genius Paul Wallfisch and works a more hypnotic, south Asian vein. They’re also at le Poisson Rouge on 9/15 at 8:30 for an additional six bucks.

9/12, 10 PM Judah Tribe plays roots reggae at Shrine.

9/13, 8 PM pianist Octavio Brunetti and violinist Elmira Darvarova play Piazzolla at Symphony Space, $20 adv tix rec.

9/14, 8 PM literate glamrock legend Ian Hunter at Highline Ballroom, $30 adv tix rec.

9/14-15, 10 PM stark, intense gypsy rock with Devotchka at Bowery Ballroom, $25 gen adm. They’re also at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, same time same price, on 9/16.

9/14, 10 PM Random Test plays roots reggae at Shrine.

9/16, 10 PM long-running indie/Americana rockers the Silos at the Mercury, $10 adv tix rec. at the club 5-7 PM M-F.

9/17, 7:30/9:30 PM hot newschool melodic jazz playing and compositions: the Young Lions Quintet with Stacy Dillard, the Curtis Brothers, and E.J. Strickland at Dizzy’s Club, $25.

9/17, 11 PM Deerhoof - sort of a zeros/teens version of the Eels – at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, $17.

9/21 powerful, politically aware Irish-American punk/anthemic literate rock legends Black 47 play the Rocks Off Concert Cruise aboard the Half Moon, boarding at 7, departing at 8 from the heliport at 23rd St. and the FDR, $25 adv tix available at the Highline box office

9/22 scorching Romanian gypsy brass orchestra Fanfare Ciocarlia at the Schimmel Center at Pace University downtown on Spruce St.

9/23, 6 PM drum/cello improvisations with Juan Pablo Carletti and cellist Daniel Levin at Downtown Music Gallery, free

9/23, 8 PM torchy, smart Americana chanteuse Tift Merritt plays the album release show for her new one Travelling Alone at City Winery, $28 standing room avail.

9/23, 9 PM hilarious, smart grasscore/C&W band the Devil Makes Three at the Gramercy Theatre, $19 adv tix avail. at the Irving Plaza box ofc.

9/25, 7:30 PM haunting gypsy chanteuse (and Bertold Brecht niece) Sanda Weigl at Joe’s Pub, $TBA.

9/26, 8 PM Mariel Roberts premieres new works for solo cello by Andy Akiho, Sean Friar, Alex Mincek, Tristan Perich, and Daniel Wohl at Issue Project Room, $15.

9/27 funky bhangra orchestra Red Baraat at at le Poisson Rouge, $15 adv tix rec.

9/27, 11 PM My Wooden Leg plays gypsy punk at Freddy’s.

9/28, 8 PM oldschool soul legend Bettye LaVette at Highline Ballroom, $26 adv tix rec.

9/28, 8:30 PM nimble but atmospheric vibraphonist/composer Tyler Blanton and his group at I-Beam, $10.

10/4, 7:30 PM exhilarating, clever, eclectic Russian/gypsy/cinematic string band Ljova & the Kontraband - whose 2008 album is a genuine classic – at Symphony Space, $30 gen adm includes a drink.

10/11, 7:30PM Angela & Jennifer Chun play music for two violins by Béla Bartók and Luciano Berio, and, joined by pianist Nelson Padgett, perform the rarely heard Phantasy for two violins and piano by British composer Edmund Rubbra at Symphony Space, $30 adv tix rec

10/11 at Issue Project Room: an all-Mohammed Fairouz concert with the Borromeo Quartet playing the NY premiere of The Named Angels plus the Cygnus Ensemble as well as pianists Kathleen Supové, Taka Kigawa and Blair McMillen.

10/12 rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson at Highline Ballroom

10/28, 7:30 PM at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall the Tokyo String Quartet joined by the Jasper Quartet for a farewell show featuring Webern: Five Movements for String Quartet; Mozart: String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515; Mendelssohn: Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20, $15 adv tix highly rec.

10/28 at Merkin Hall, Yoon Jae Lee leads Ensemble 212 in the NY premiere of Mohammed Fairouz’s Akhnaten, Dweller in Truth, a double concerto with soloists Nicholas Canelakkis (cello) and the conductor leading from the piano.

10/28 Yasiin Bey f.k.a. Mos Def – whose unpredictably brilliant career now has him doing Gil Scott-Heron style soul and dark indie classical music – at the Apollo Theatre.

11/10 70s punk-pop legends the Rezillos at Bowery Electric.