The sax/bass/drums trio format is one of the most intriguing in jazz. Without a chordal instrument, such as a guitar or piano, each remaining instrumentalist is given extra room to fill up that aural space, but must at the same time improvise in a way that gives the audience some clues as to the song’s structure. So with the extra freedom comes the responsibility of maintaining some framework that the harmony instrument would normally provide. Last week, we saw Joshua Redman‘s trio excel with this lineup. Tonight and tomorrow, area fans who missed that show will get a chance to see up-and-coming talents explore this avenue of expression, in the intimate setting of the historic Bohemian Caverns.

Saxophonist J.D. Allen, a Detroit native who will lead his trio at the club, cut his teeth in the early 1990s, playing a lengthy stint with legendary vocalist Betty Carter.

“The first time that I played the Kennedy Center with Betty Carter, I was scared as hell,” Allen recalled in a recent interview with DCist.

During that time, he also performed with many of jazz’s finest, including bassist Ron Carter, trumpeter Dave Douglas, and drummer and D.C. native Winard Harper, with whom Allen began his recording career. The 37-year-old saxophonist spent most of that decade touring and recording as a sideman, but found time to release two recordings as a leader, beginning with his 1996 debut, In Search Of…