Wayne Shorter will commemorate his 80th birthday with a concert at the Kennedy Center on Thursday. >> Celebrated drummer Billy Hart is a D.C. native who will be leading a world class quartet tonight at the Atlas. This performance marks the first time Hart will lead a group in his hometown. Read more about the show in the extensive interview with Hart that ran yesterday on DCist. 8 p.m. Tickets $20 to $32.
>> Saxophonist Karl Denson got his big break playing with rocker Lenny Kravitz over 25 years ago. For much of the past two decades, he has been leading his own band, Tiny Universe, that brings together the improvisational fire of jazz with booty shaking grooves. Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe will be at The Hamilton tonight. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $30.50.
>> The Bob Schwartz Quartet celebrates the release of its new album, Look for the Silver Lining, tonight at Twins Jazz. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $10 plus food and drink minimum.
>> Bassist William Parker teams up with performance artist Patricia Nicholson Parker on Thursday at the Atlas for They Put Vision in Handcuffs, a new piece that explores how the arts and creative energy can nurture peace. 7:30 p.m. $10. The pair will also be conducting a 6 p.m. workshop the following day at Union Arts. The workshop will conclude with a 9 p.m. performance featuring workshop participants.
>> In the 1970s, Tower of Power was a pioneer of the jazz-funk sound that brought together the instrumental sophistication of jazz with hard-driving funk grooves. The band’s current lineup will be at the Birchmere on Monday for a 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets $49.50 + fees.
>> Wayne Shorter is quite simply one of the great jazz musicians of all time. Over a career that spans nearly 60 years, he has penned many of the genre’s most famous songs and has broken new ground playing with Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Weather Report and now his amazing quartet. Shorter celebrated his 80th birthday in August and the Kennedy Center has arranged a special program on Thursday to commemorate the occasion. The concert will feature Shorter’s quartet, a guest performance from Esperanza Spalding and a performance of Shorter’s Gaia, an orchestral piece that he will perform with the NSO Pops. 8 p.m. Tickets $20 to $85.
>> Vibraphonist Roy Ayers is a soul-jazz legend, and next to James Brown, considered hip-hop’s most sampled artist. On Thursday, Ayers will begin a four night stand of 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley. Tickets $35 plus minimum/surcharge.
>> Saxophonist Herb Scott leads group of excellent young musicians on Friday at Jazz Night in Southwest. 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets $5.
>> Guitarist Glenn Wiser leads his trio on Friday at Takoma Station. 7 to 9 p.m. No cover.
>> Warren Wolf, a talented area multi-instrumentalist whose main instrument is the vibraphone, leads his band, WOLFPACK, on Friday at the Mansion at Strathmore. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $27 to $30.
>> Baltimore-based saxophonist Tim Green is earning a strong reputation for his gospel influenced sound. He will be leading an all-star lineup of area musicians on Friday and Saturday at Twins Jazz. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $16 plus food and drink minimum.
>> Jeremy Pelt was instantly a rising sensation on the trumpet when he first arrived in New York, fresh out of music school. Now, fifteen years later, he is an established performer who continues to put out high quality music. Pelt will lead a group on Friday and Saturday at Bohemian Caverns. 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. sets. Tickets $20 in advance/$25 at the door.
>> HR-57 hosts regulars Antonio Parker (Friday) and Alfredo Mojica (Saturday). 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets $15.
>> Malian guitarist Sidi Touré performs at Artisphere on Saturday. 8 p.m. Tickets $15.
>> The G40 Art Summit continues this weekend, bringing together visual artists and musicians. On Sunday, CapitalBop presents a 4 p.m. performance by Kneebody, a band that is generating huge amounts of buzz in jazz circles. The Grammy nominated group shifts effortlessly between genres ranging from post-modern minimalism to indie rock to straight-ahead jazz. The $10 ticket includes a cocktail.
>> Tropicalia presents three influential West African vocalists on Sunday. The bill includes Mamadou Kelly and Leila Gobi from Mali along with Noura Mint Seymali from neighboring Mauritania. 7 p.m. Tickets $10.
>> Guitar alchemist John Lee will join saxophonist Bobby Muncy‘s band on Sunday at Twins Jazz. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $10 plus food and drink minimum.
>> Blue Monday Blues hosts the Blue Steele Blues Band. 6 to 9 p.m. $5.
>> The Meters is one of the most iconic bands to come out of the rich musical gumbo that is New Orleans. The quartet of musicians rarely performs in its original lineup, but two or three members will often get together to perform the classics. On Monday, organist Art Neville and bassist George Porter, Jr. from The Meters will form half of the The Funky Meters They’ll be at The Hamilton for a 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets $33 in advance/$36 at the door.
>> Miller’s is a Charlottesville bar that famously gave rise to the Dave Matthews Band. Trumpeter John D’Earth has held a Thursday night residency at the bar for over twenty years and has become a pillar of that city’s music scene, not only through his playing, but through his work as the director of UVA’s jazz program. D’Earth will lead a group on Monday at Blues Alley to celebrate the release of his latest album. 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets $20 plus minimum/surcharge.
>> Pianist Alan Jay Palmer will be leading a group every Tuesday in October at Bohemian Caverns. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. sets. Tickets $15 online/$20 at the door.
>> Nicole Henry is a jazz singer in the most classic sense. She will perform 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Blues Alley on Tuesday. Tickets $25 plus minimum/surcharge.
