Tradition might call this week the Dog Days of Summer, but for jazz fans around northeast Ohio, it’s time for The Cats. That’s the name that serious practitioners of the art of improvised music in the Black American tradition give to the ones who can really play.
By any measure, the musicians listed below fit that description and all are on bandstands around the area this week. Here’s what you can expect:
Dan Bruce Trio
By now, OHM!, the electrified trio of Dan Bruce, Jordan McBride and Gabe Jones, is something of a known quantity. So, with apologies to the late Armando Corea, let’s call this project the guitarist’s Akoustic Trio. Surely Bruce, bassist Aidan Plank and drummer Steve Renko have played together before, but this has the feel of something novel. Of course, every time three master improvisors gather, something new and interesting is bound to happen, something that might best be savored in the company of someone special. Thursday is the new Friday, right?
Dan Bruce Trio Thursday, August 6, 7 p.m., BOP STOP, 2920 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, tickets $25 available here.
Chris Coles’ Gleam Featuring Floco Torres
Earlier this year, Chris Coles was honored as a Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Hero. The recognition is given for achievements off the bandstand and Coles’ work at the University of Akron and on other settings made him an obvious choice. Sometimes, though, education and performance can come together, and this concert by Coles’ Gleam ensemble is one of them as the teacher invites talented Akron students to join him and Akron hip-hop artist Floco Torres on the BOP STOP stage for a taste of the big time.
Chris Coles’ Gleam Friday, August 7, 7:30 p.m., BOP STOP, 2920 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, tickets $25 available here.
Bobby Selvaggio 4
The “stage” at Nightjar, Sam Friedman’s recently opened jazz bar at Eton Chagrin, is really just a corner of the balcony. It’s smaller than your bathroom, yet in the right hands, it can be a launchpad for a lot of music. Saxophonist Bobby Selvaggio always beings the fire and his trio with bassist Kevin Martinez and drum powerhouse Zaire Darden is road tested by a series of recent gigs and jam sessions in Akron and environs. Adding Bruce to the mix only ups the ante. So, if you’re interested (and why wouldn’t you be?), reservations are recommended. Prime seating is on the balcony and it can get crowded up there.
Bobby Selvaggio 4 Saturday, August 8, 8 p.m. Nightjar, 28867 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere
Tommy Lehman & The Common Thread
It’s a very cool band name, but c’mon, Tommy! There’s nothing common about a band that brings together saxophonist Johnny Cochran, bassist Kip Reed, Bruce and Darden. Despite being a relatively new band, the personnel list tells you everything you need to know about what to expect. That’s a lot of improvisational firepower on one stage. Not many of us were around to hear Freddie Hubbard at his best, but Lehman’s MMA-fighter swagger brings you pretty close.
Tommy Lehman & The Common Thread Wednesday, August 12, 7 p.m., BOP STOP, 2920 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, tickets $25 available here
For the most complete listing of jazz and jazz-adjacent events., look to Jim Szabo’s essential, weekly Northeast Ohio jazz calendar.
