New York City Live Music Calendar for July and August 2011 Plus Other Events

As always, weekly events are listed at the bottom of the page, after the last of the daily listings: scroll down and you’ll find them. If you didn’t see anything that struck you as fun this time around, check back later because we update this obsessively.

A few things you should know about this calendar: acts are listed here in order of appearance, NOT headliner first and supporting acts after; showtimes listed here are actual set times, not the time doors open. If a listing here says something like ”9 PM-ish,” chances are it’ll run late. Cover charges are those listed on bands’ and venues’ sites: always best to click on the band link provided or go to the venues page for confirmation since we get much of this info weeks in advance. This is not a list of every band playing every club in NYC; this is a list of good shows, many of which we will go see ourselves. We focus on edgy, entertaining stuff: if you’re looking for Grizzly Bear or Justin Bieber, you’re in the wrong place. We try to be descriptive rather than using all kinds of superlative adjectives.

7/2, 1 and 3 PM Jed Distler leads a 40-piece ensemble playing Terry Riley’s In C on Governors Island, free ferries leave from the old Staten Island ferry terminal every hour on the half hour

7/2 Roy Ayers and the Jazz Mafia Symphony at Central Park Summerstage, get there by 7 PM or else you probably won’t get in.

7/2, 7 PM creepy intense cool chanteuses: Lorraine Leckie solo followed by Carol Lipnik and Spookarama doing her covers project at 8 at Banjo Jim’s

7/2, 7:30 PM lyrical songwriter Niall Connolly plays the big room at the Rockwood

7/2, 8 PM blistering bluegrass jamband Thy Burden’s cd release show at Union Hall, free.

7/2, 8:30 PM torchy noir German songwriter Sophie Hunger at le Poisson Rouge, $15 gen adm.

7/2 intense gypsy punks Bad Buka at Mehanata, 9 PM.

7/2, 10 PM oldschool vallenato/cumbia hellraisers Very Be Carefulat Barbes.

7/3 the reliably intense, charismatic anti-gentrification rockers the Brooklyn What at Fort Tilden in the Rockaways, time TBA.

7/3, 8 PM new music ensemble Transit plays an intriguing evening of new electroacoustic works by Tristan Perich, Lesley Flanigan (very highly recommended) and Daniel Wohl at St. Paul’s Chapel downtown, Broadway at Fulton, free.

7/5, 7:30/9:30 PM Dario Boente & Proyecto Sur play tango nuevo jazz at the Jazz Standard, $20

7/5, 8 PM classic boricua sounds with the Lavoe All Stars and Cantando Renzo Padilla at St. Mary’s Park in the Bronx, St. Ann’s Ave and E 144th Street, 6 train to Brook Ave.

7/6, 6 PM African and Afro-Cuban sounds with the Edmar Castaneda Trio plus special guest Andrea Tierra and then the Lionel Loueke Trio at Madison Square Park, free.

7/6 pianist Osmany Paredes’ latin jazz quartet at the Jazz Standard, 7:30/9:30 PM, $20.

7/6, 7 PM pianist Eugene Marlow’s Heritage Ensemble playing latin/Jewish jazz – real cool stuff – at the Triad Theatre, 158 W. 72nd St., 2nd Fl.., just west of Broadway, $10

7/6, 8 PM intense, powerful Afrobeat/desert blue siren Khaira Arby at the Brooklyn Bowl, $5.

7/7, half past noon trombonist Art Baron leads a small combo at St. Marks Park, 2nd Ave/10th St.

7/7, 5:30 PM Cuban pianist Elio Villafranca at the World Financial Center, free.

7/7, 7 PM My Brightest Diamond at Castle Clinton in Battery Park, free tix avail. 2 per person on the line outside the castle starting at 4 PM.

7/7, 7 PM edgy comedic musical chicks Mel & El (their album is called She’s My Bitch) put on their latest show Mel & El: Our Time of the Month (Flight of the Conchords as done by Tammy Faye Starlite, maybe) at the 92YTribeca, $15.

7/7, 7:15 PM torchy, no-nonsense piano chanteuse Jeanne Marie Boes at Caffe Vivaldi

7/7, 8 PM smartly multistylistic retro keyboardist/singer and Jack White collaborator Rachelle Garniez (whose most recent album we named best of the year) at Barbes followed at 10 by eclectic Virginia hellraisers the No BS Brass Band.

7/7, 8 PM cello rockers Deoro plays Bach, Ravel, Messaien, Bizet, Michael Brecker and Randy Wolff at Bargemusic, $35/$30 srs./$15 stud. On 7/8, same time, same price, the band returns, playing an acoustic set from their Kingston Morning reggae-rock album.

7/7, 8ish hip-hop/rock at the downstairs space at Webster Hall with White House Band, Mickey Factz, Tunde Olaniran, Rocky Business, Nyle vs. the Naysayers, Ra the MC and Mahogany, no idea who’s playing when but if you’re into this stuff, check it out.

7/7, 8:30 PM extraordinary oudist Tareq Abboushi plus percussionist Hector Morales at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10

7/7, 8:30 PM the Court Yard Hounds (that’s sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison of the Dixie Chicks) at Prospect Park Bandshell.

7/7, 9 PM filmmaker/hilarious satirical bandleader Melvin Van Peebles wid Laxative (his funk band feat. members of Burnt Sugar) at Zebulon

7/7, 9 PM quirky, rustic cello rockers Pearl & the Beard at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, $12 adv tix avail. til 7 PM weekdays at the Mercury.

7/7 captivating Americana chanteuse Megan Reilly with her band at Lakeside, 9 PM.

7/7, 9 PM smart, original, eclectic Americana songwriter Kelley Swindall at Banjo Jim’s

7/7 midnight smart oldtimey chanteuse/swing guitarist Miss Tess at the small room at the Rockwood.

7/8, 7:30 PM a killer dark Jewish jazz/instrumental doublebill with Anthony Coleman’s Sephardic Tinge followed by Barbez – whose latest album, a homage to Holocaust poet Paul Celan, is absolutely transcendent – at le Poisson Rouge, $12 gen adm.

7/8 smart new tuneful guitar jazz with the Brent Canter Group: Brent Canter – guitar , Noah Preminger – tenor sax , Adam Klipple – organ , Matt Clohesy – bass , Greg Ritchie – drums, 7:30 PM at Smalls

7/8, 8 PM Noah & the Megafauna play lush Tom Waits-ish stuff at Barbes followed at 10 by the high-energy oldtimey Baby Soda Jazz Band.

7/8, 8 PM Ocote Soul Sounds play trippy live dub cumbia at Bowery Poetry Club

7/8 tight, soaring oldschool honkytonk band Yarn – with a horn section – at Southpaw, 9ish, $12.

7/8 haunting soulful 60s soul/rock lyrical songwriter Dina Rudeen at the Jalopy, 9 PM, $5

7/8, 9 PM badass Australian country songwriter Kasey Chambers at Bowery Ballroom, $25 gen adm.

7/8, 9 PM veteran Cali-Mex rockers Los Lobos at Prospect Park Bandshell.

7/8 dark rock chanteuse Nicole Atkins & the Sea at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, 9 PM, $12 adv tix avail. at the Mercury weekdays til 7 PM.

7/8, 10 PM El Pueblo, one of the most eclectic and dubwise reggae-en-Espanol bands around, at Shrine

7/8 the Jack Grace Band bring their oldschool 60s country cool and crazed antics to Rodeo Bar, 10ish.

7/8 clever, sardonically amusing Nashville gothic band Maynard & the Musties at Kenny’s Castaways, 10 PM

7/8, 11:30 PM a rare and truly intense Ecuadorian skaragga triplebill at Drom with M.A.K.U, rustic frenetic Chota Madre and the psychedelic, reggae-tinged Bachaco at half past one in the morning, $10

7/8, midnight, sly acoustic jam band Tall Tall Trees at the big room at the Rockwood.

7/9, 1 (one) PM SAS Orchestra – a 12 piece orchestra playing music of legendary Pittsburgh no wave/funk outfit Stick Against Stone at Von King Park in Bed Stuy (Marcy between Greene & Lafayette).

7/9, 4 PM a cool melodic punk triplebill with the Ovens, Homewreckers and Little Victory at ABC No Rio.

7/9, 4 (four) PM an auspicious start to the night with the Jordan Young organ trio with Jordan Young – drums , Joe Sucato – tenor sax , Brian Charette – B3 organ at Smalls

7/9, 5 (five) PM at Barbes: Day in Pictures with Matt Bauder on reeds; Justin Walter on trumpet, Kris Davis on piano, Jason Ajemian on bass and Chad Taylor on drums, followed at 8 by tango bass maven Pedro Giraudo’s sextet. Day in Pictures are also here on 7/16.

7/9, 7 PM politically aware indie rocker Ted Leo & the Pharmacists play South St. Seaport

7/9, 7:30 PM late golden-age hip-hop with Raekwon, Smif-N-Wessun, Joell Ortiz, Skyzoo, Neek the Exotic & Large Professor, no idea who’s opening or headlining, at Prospect Park Bandshell.

7/9, 7:30 PM smart, tuneful, literate, Aimee Mann-inflected chamber pop band Elizabeth & the Catapult at the Mercury, $12 gen adm.

7/9, 8:30 PM torchy jazz/pop pianist/songwriter Abby Payne at Caffe Vivaldi

7/9, 9 PM creepily haunting, intense female-fronted trip-hop/goth band Vespertina – who put on one of the best shows we’ve seen all year – at the Delancey, followed eventually at 11 by hypnotic groovy shoegaze/downtempo band El Jezel

7/9, 9/10:30 PM multi-reed paradigm-shifter Matana Roberts leads a quintet with Daniel Levin – cello, Shoko Nagai – piano, Thomson Kneeland – bass, Tomas Fujiwara – drums, at the Jazz Gallery, $20.

7/9, 9 PM low-key, rustic the Weal and the Woe, haunting newschool bluegrass/gothic Frankenpine and kick-ass country band the Flanks play the tail end of the latest Brooklyn County Fair extravaganza at the Jalopy, $10; the whole thing starts during the day at the Urban Meadow just around the corner around noon with half-hour sets by a ton of bands.

7/9, 9 PM hilarious fake French garage rockers les Sans Culottes at Coco 66, $10

7/9 Jazzimodo – sort of the Chilean Goldfrapp – at Drom, 9:30 PM, only $5.

7/9, 10 PM ferocious female-fronted noise/art-rock/funk powerhouse System Noise at the Parkside, $5.

7/9, 10 PM Rockers Galore play roots reggae at Shrine.

7/9, 10 PM ska jazz sax legend Dave Hillyard & the Rocksteady 7 at Two Boots Brooklyn

7/9, rockabilly/surf/punk legend Simon & the Bar Sinisters at Lakeside, 10:15ish.

7/10 it’s the Mafrika festival at Marcus Garvey Park in Spanish Harlem, an all-day extravaganza of global African-influenced music starting at 10 AM?!!? with Brazil’s Quenia Ribeiro & Samba Samba, rocksteady/reggae band Finotee, Makane Kouyate & Denbaya, the Dakar All-Stars, Afrobeat band Super Hi-Fi, hip-hop with Skotch Davis, kora virtuoso Yacouba Diabate, Sekouba, the Band Droids, eclectic psychedelic funksters the People’s Champs, Soul of Anubis and Ethiopia’s Arki headlining.

7/10 Les Chauds Lapins play a Bastille Day show at E. 60th Street near Park Ave., 2 PM – sultry vocals, chiming ukuleles and lots of innuendo, in French.

7/10, 3 (three) PM the Hard Nips play the Fulton Stall Market at South St. Seaport. Imagine if Shonen Knife had been born 20 years later and were better musicians. Their album is titled I Shit U Not.

7/10, 7 PM hypnotic African sounds on the water: Abdoulaye Alhassane and the Deep Sahara Band at Pier One on the upper west.

7/10, 7 PM Crepuscular Activity with Yukari on flutes and up-and-coming drummer Carlo Costa at Downtown Music Gallery.

7/10, 8 PM the Microscopic Septet’s reliably eclectic, devious Joel Forrester plays the piano to accompany the silent films: Brats with Laurel & Hardy, The High Sigh by Buster Keaton, and Diary of a Rarebit Fiend by Windsor McCay at the Gershwin Hotel, $10

7/10, 9 PM drummer Jordan Young leads his excellent jazz quartet at the Fat Cat.

7/11, 7 PM 40Twenty with Vinnie Sperraza – drums; Jacob Sacks – piano; Jacob Garchik – trombone, and Dave Ambrosio – bass play melodic jazz with third-stream tinges followed at 9:30 PM by incomparably fun, danceable latin soul revivalists Spanglish Fly at Barbes

7/11, 7:30 PM Bjorkestra frontwoman Becca Stevens’ Band at the big room at the Rockwood.

7/11, 9 PM cleverly haunting, intense Americana/art-rock/punk songwriter Raquel Bell at Pete’s.

7/11, 9 PM oldtimey night at Local 269: the Cornell Bros. Washtub Band followed by the Shaggy Dolls at 10.

7/11, 9 PM trombonist David White leads his Jazz Orchestra at Tea Lounge in Park Slope

7/11 hypnotic pensive indie songwriter Bill Callahan f.k.a. Smog at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, 9 PM, $20 gen adm; 7/12 he’s at Bowery Ballroom, same time, same price.

7/12, 7 PM interesting solo guitarists: Tim Heap at Local 269 followed by Homeboy Steve Antonakos. Antonakos is also at Banjo Jim’s solo on 7/25 at 9.

7/12, 7:30 PM a characteristically eclectic cross-pollinating show with string quartet Brooklyn Rider plus shakuhachi virtuoso Kojiro Umezaki at the Schimmel Center at Pace Univ. 3 Spruce St. downtown, free tix avail. starting at 5 PM.

7/12-17 pianist Marcus Roberts leads a trio with Rodney Jordan and Jason Marsalis at Dizzy’s Club, 7:30/9:30 PM, $30 seats avail.

7/12, 8 PM oldschool NYC rock supergroup the Peaceniks – with Patti Rothberg and Utopia’s Moogy Klingman – at Banjo Jim’s

7/12-16, 8:30/11 PM Pablo Zeigler’s tango nuevo project with cantante Sandra Luna at Birdland, $30 seats avail.

7/12, 9:30 PM the Dave Gibson Group play the cd release show for their excellent new soul-jazz cd End of the Tunnel with Dave Gibson – trombone , Julius Tolentino – alto sax , Jared Gold – organ , Anwar Marshall – drums at Smalls

7/13 noirish soul/rock band Shenandoah & the Night at Bryant Park, free, 6 PM

7/13, 7 PM jazz bass powerhouse Christian McBride & Inside Straight at Madison Square Park, free.

7/13, 7 PM a Jonathan Schwartz tribute at Rockefeller Park featuring a huge cast of jazz luminaries incl. John Pizzarelli, Jessica Molaskey, Bill Charlap, Meredith D’ambrosio, Tony DeSare, Rebecca Kilgore, Hilary Kole, Jay Leonhart, Tony Monte, Bucky Pizzarelli, Tierney Sutton and others, no idea who’s playing when but the band should be killer.

7/13, 9 PM blistering improvisational Balkan madness with Raya Brass Band at Radegast Hall

7/13, 10ish tongue-in-cheek, period-perfect early 50s style country from Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. at Rodeo Bar.

7/13, 11 PM golden-age hip-hop stars Pharoahe Monch & Black Rob, OGC (from Fab 5), Helta Skeltah,, Smif & Wessun, Black Moon at B.B. King’s

7/14, 7 PM Patti Smith at Castle Clinton in Battery Park, free tix avail. 2 per person on the line outside the castle starting at 4 PM.

7/14, 8:30 PM haunting noir southwestern gothic chanteuse Kerry Kennedy and Ghostwise, at Public Assembly, free – a good choice if you can’t make it to Patti Smith.

7/14 drummer Tim Kuhl leads a group feat. Michael Formanek, bass; Ben Gerstein, trombone; Jonathan Goldberger, guitar; Frantz Loriot, viola; Jonathan Moritz, saxes playing the cd release show for his new one at 8:30 PM at Cornelia St. Cafe.

7/14, 10 PM melodic adventurous jazz improv with Kris Davis, Ingrid Laubrock and Tyshawn Sorey at the Stone, $10

7/14, 10 PM eclectically captivating Americana chanteuse Julia Haltigan at the small room at the Rockwood. Then she goes next door and plays a set with the Dirty Urchins in the big room at midnight.

7/14, 10 PM scorching, fun glampunk/noiserockers the K-Holes at Union Hall, $8.

/14, 10 PM dubwise Brazilian-influenced roots reggae band Kiwi at Maxwell’s, $8

7/14, 10 PM New Madrid play Spike Hill. Catchy, hook-driven rock en Espanol from this drummer-led band with a genuinely dark 80s feel.

7/14, 10:30 PM wild improvisational Balkan madness with Veveritse Brass Band at the Jalopy, $10.

7/14 the Snow’s clever lyrical frontman Pierre de Gaillande sings his own hilariously accurate translations of classic Georges Brassens songs at 10:30 PM at Barbes.

7/15, 6 PM haunting acoustic Nashville gothic band the Whispering Tree at the small room at the Rockwood.

7/15, 6:40 PM (six forty in the evening) sultry, ferociously lyrical, hilarious oldtimey siren Kelli Rae Powell at the American Folk Art Museum (new location, 2 Lincoln Center, across Amsterdam from the main Lincoln Center plaza)

7/15, 8 PM crazy funky brass band the Underground Horns at Barbes followed at 10 by Brian Carpenter’s Ghost Train Orchestra playing rare 1920s hot jazz classics from Harlem and Chicago from their pretty amazing new album.

7/15, 8 PM art-rock multi-instrumentalist/composer Christina Courtin at Bowery Electric

7/15, 8 PM Colorform followed by Cementhead – awful segue, good bands – at Local 269. The first play chamber pop while a band member paints; the second are an oldschool Williamsburg power trio with savage post-Johnny Marr guitar.

7/15, 8 PM notable free jazz trumpeter Nate Wooley leads a quintet with Josh Sinton (bass clarinet) Matt Moran (vibes) Dan Peck (tuba) Harris Eisenstadt (drums) at the Stone, $10.

7/15, 9 PM indie pop maven Kendall Meade brings her gorgeously tuneful most recent project Mascott out of mothballs at Rock Shop, $10 adv tix rec.

7/15, 9 PM a cool roots reggae doublebill with Khalilah and Melekel at Shrine.

7/15, 9ish Colombian band Frente Cumbiero play live dub cumbia at Sycamore Bar in Ditmas Park.

7/15, 9:30 PM best doublebill of the year? Maybe. Neko Case’s backing band the Sadies followed by the Syd Barrett-ish Black Angels at Maxwell’s, $20 adv tix absolutely required, at either the club or Other Music in Manhatan, this will sell out.

7/15 the Boss Guitars play surf classics and obscurities at 11 at Lakeside.

7/15 ferocious Pogues cover band Streams of Whiskey play Paddy Reilly’s at 11; they’re back here on 7/22 at 8:30 opening for the Prodigals (who are also back here on 7/29 at 11 – got it?)

7/15, half past midnight Kris Davis on piano and Barry Altschul on drums plus guests TBA at the Blue Note, $10, best lineup they’ve had here in months.

7/16, half past noon, classic pop maven Elisa Peimer and her band followed by Americana rockers Whisperado on Governor’s Island, free, follow the sound

7/16, 4 PM C&W/Brazilian dance band Nation Beat, sultry Nina Simone-influenced worldbeat siren Meklit Hadero and then Arturo O’Farrill’s latin jazz quartet at the Stuyvesant Town oval, free, take the 15th St. entrance.

7/16, 5 PM a typical brilliant eclectic triplebill at Barbes: sax player Matt Bauder’s Day in Pictures with Kris Davis on piano followed at 8 by the psychedelic south Asian trance jazz of Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica Quartet and then at 10 by Colombian band Frente Cumbiero who play live dub cumbia

7/16, 7ish PM-ish the Black Angels play their hypnotic eerie psychedelic rock at South St. Seaport.

7/16, 7 PM charismatic, ferociously lyrical NYC noir rock legend LJ Murphy at Banjo Jim’s.

7/16, 7 PM tuneful alto saxophonist Marc McDonald leads his Quartet with the reliably excellent Jim Ridl on piano at Miles Cafe, $20 includes a drink and snacks

7/16, 7:30 PM percussionist/composer Alessandra Belloni leads an all-female quintet with Jessica Valiente on reeds and Eve Sicular on drums playing Belloni’s mystical sea goddess tribute at the NY Open Center, 22 East 30th St., $25.

7/16 as usual, the month’s best rock night is at Trash Bar starting at 8 with the Highway Gimps – the missing link between Motorhead and My Bloody Valentine – quirky upbeat indie duo Eleanor, Let Me Crazy, legendary Dead Milkmen frontman Joe Jack Talcum, the ferociously tuneful, charismatic anti-gentrification rockers the Brooklyn What, and Grand Rapids sometime around midnight.

7/16, 8 PM creepy Nashville gothic siren Lorraine Leckie followed by the quieter but equally captivating Kelley Swindall at Otto’s

7/16, 8 PM high-energy soul legend Andre Williams with Neko Case’s backing band the Sadies at Brooklyn Bowl, $8.

7/16, 8 PM Brother Num, frontman of the Nu Afrika Project plays roots reggae at Shrine.

7/16, 8:30 PM guitarist Travis Reuter – who just put out a tremendously enjoyable new free-ish, atmospheric jazz album – leads a quintet at I-Beam, $10

7/16, 9 PM intense, politically aware, eclectic gypsy punk/latin band Rupa & the April Fishes at the Bell House, $15 gen adm.

7/16, 9 PM, melodically ornate, goth-inflected pianist/songwriter Kristin Hoffmann at Caffe Vivaldi.

7/16, 9:30 PM the recently revamped and reinvigorated retro soul band the One and Nines at Maxwell’s, $8

7/16, 10 PM guitarist Dave Benjoya’s eclectic gypsy/latin/klezmer band Magpie at Freddy’s.

7/16, 10:30 PM Patti Smith guitarist (and powerpop maven) Lenny Kaye followed by garage rock legends the Fleshtones‘ cd release show at the Mercury $12 adv tix rec.

7/16 clever, funny, fiery Americana punk band Spanking Charlene – playing stuff from their auspicious forthcoming Where Are the Freaks album – at Lakeside, 11 PM.

7/16, 11 PM torchy, hypnotic, downtempo keyboard soul/pop trio Mattison in the back room at the Gutter bowling alley in Williamsburg, $5.

7/17, 7 PM free jazz sax legend George Garzone and the Fringe at MOMA’s Summergarden, free with $20 admission.

7/17 noir guitar maven Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog play the Rocks Off Concert Cruise aboard the Half Moon, boarding at 7, leaving at 8 from the 23rd St. heliport and the East River, $20 tix available at the Highline Ballroom box ofc. Ostensibly this is the “danceable” set.

7/17 Pink Martini at Central Park Summerstage, early arrival 7 PM highly advised.

7/17 a cool bluegrass doublebill at Rodeo Bar starting at 9ish with Rhode Island’s Filthy Still followed by Brooklyn’s exhilarating Thy Burden at 10:30 or so

7/17, 9:30 PM ferociously literate and side-splittingly funny ukelele siren Kelli Rae Powell at the Jalopy, $10.

7/18, 7 PM concertina virtuoso Padraig Rynne at Barbes followed at 9:30 by Spanglish Fly’s bugalu party.

7/18, 9 PM smart, intense, anthemic noir rocker Alice Texas at LIC Bar.

7/18, 9 PM the Yaozeki Big Band at Tea Lounge in Park Slope

7/18 the K-Holes play fiery dark eclectic punk/garage/swamp rock at Death by Audio, midnight-ish

7/19 the Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra in the parking lot out behind City Winery, 5:30 PM, free.

7/19-24, 7:30/9:30 PM lyrical jazz pianist Fred Hersch leads a trio at the Vanguard

7/19, 7:30ish 80s hip-hop legend (and LL Cool nemesis) Kool Moe Dee at Queensbridge Park, F to 21st St.

7/19, 8 PM two excellent jazz acts for the price of less than half of one: the Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra followed by bassist Ben Williams & the Checkout at the 92YTribeca, $12 gen adm.

7/19, 9 PM dark lyrical rocker Randi Russo – whose new album Fragile Animal is our pick for best of 2011 so far – at Pete’s followed at 10 by the Dive Bar Dukes. Too funny. Not that the Dive Bar Dukes are a bad band – they’re actually a lot of fun – it’s just one extreme to the other.

7/19, 9 PM intense yet subtle pan-Asian jazz chanteuse/composer Jen Shyu at Korzo.

7/19, 10 PM Balkan/jazz trumpeter Ben Syversen’s Cracked Vessel play their assaultive, intense improvs at Local 269, $7

7/19, 10 PM talented avant garde guitarist Gyan Riley with adventurous guzheng virtuoso Wu Fei at the Stone, $10. Fei is also solo at MOMA’s Summergarden on 7/21 at 5:30, free w/$20 museum adm.

7/19 it appears that the Toots & the Maytals show at Brooklyn Bowl is sold out. He’ll also be there on 7/25 and $26 tix are still available.

7/20 haunting psychedelic Iranian/American rock with the Mast, 8 PM at Mehanata; 7/28 they’re at Bar 4 in Park Slope at 9

7/20 eclectic tuneful female-fronted new wave/art-rock band Changing Modes – responsible for our pick for best song of 2010 – 9 PM at Fontana’s

7/20 desert blues legends Tinariwen at Highline Ballroom, 9 PM, $27 adv tix rec.

7/20, 9 PM impressively diverse Hammond B3 organ jazz grooves with the Brian Charette Trio at the Fat Cat.

7/20, 10 PM Baron Misuraca’s Vampire Lounge (twisted versions of “lounge classics”) followed at 11 by the Apehangers playing Joe Meek-style surf music at Otto’s

7/20, 10 PM San Juan Hill play latin soul with funk, Caribbean and Brazilian influences at Bowery Poetry Club, it’s a dance party for sure

7/20 the charming but biting oldtimey swing sounds of Miss Tess & the Bon Ton Parade at Rodeo Bar, 10:30 PM.

7/21-22 the Jazz Passengers’ Bill Ware’s Vibes Trio at Puppets Jazz Bar, 6 PM; on 7/23 they take over the midnight slot.

7/21, 7 PM the Plumbers play “”Tex-Mex-Calypso-billy” at Sinatra Park, Sinatra Dr. btwn 4th & 5th Sts in Hoboken.

7/21, 7 PM purist expat Chicago blues guitarist Irving Louis Lattin at Terra Blues. He’s also here on 7/23 and 7/24, same time.

7/21, 8 PM a killer modern roots reggae triplebill with Ilamawana, Kevin Kinsella (ex-John Brown’s Body) and Groundation at Hiro Ballroom, adv tix $30 at the Highline Ballroom box ofc.

7/21 ecstatic Eastern European dance mashup band Balkan Beat Box, 8 PM at Brooklyn Bowl, $12.

7/21, 8 PM piano virtuoso Nurit Tilles followed at10 by the pipa/sax/komungo wildness of Min Xiao-Fen, Jane Ira Bloom and Jin Hi Kim at the Stone, $10

7/21, 8 PM 21st century style garage rock night with Plastic Traps, the Boom Bang and the Vandelles at Union Hall, $8.

7/21, 8 PM thoughtful guitar jazz with Tin/Bag (Kris Tiner, trumpet & Mike Baggetta, guitar) with the James Ilgenfritz Group at Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, 58 7th Ave, Park Slope), $15 ($10 stud/srs).

7/21, 8 PM free jazz pianist Rema Hasumi plays the Gershwin Hotel, $10.

7/21, 8:30 PM dizzyingly eclectic Deoro feat. world music siren Dina Fanai at the big room at the Rockwood

7/21, 9 PM period-perfect, hilariously literate oldtimey songwriter Al Duvall and sultry 1920s style harmony sirens the Roulette Sisters plus some sideshow freaks (evicted from Coney Island by swindler developers?) at the Jalopy, $10

7/21 Lucinda Williams at the Beacon, 9 PM, $39.50 tix avail. at the box office – most likely sold out by now.

7/21, 10 PM a kick-ass surf music doublebill with the The Tarantinos NYC – who just keep getting better and better and more diverse – followed by the Octomen at Sugarland, 221 N 9th St. in Williamsburg, $5

7/22, 7 PM it’s been a good year for good bands winning contests. WNYC put on a “battle of the bands” contest and Queens Indian jazz band Charanams won! They’re playing the Greene Space to celebrate, $15 cover includes a beer

7/22, 7:30/9:30 PM Cuba’s excellent, original Joven Jazz Quartet – who blend oldschool Afro-Cuban beats and modern arrangements – at Drom, $TBA, adv tix highly rec.

7/22, 8 PM charming, harmony-driven oldtimey Hawaiian swing band the Moonlighters at Barbes.

7/22, 8 PM Los Chantas Tango Quartet play a free show at the Queens Theatre in the Park incl. dance lessons for the milonga-challenged, res. req. to 718-760-0064.

7/22 Brooklyn’s #1 regressive rock act, Spinal Tap style metal spoof Mighty Highat the Fortune Cookie Lounge under Lucky Cheng’s, 9 PM

7/22, 9/10:30 PM bassist Carlo DeRosa’s Cross-Fade with Mark Shim, tenor sax; Vijay Iyer, piano; Marcus Gilmore, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $15.

7/22, 9:45 PM Australian darkwave sensation Wendy Rule at Caffe Vivaldi

7/22 NYC’s pre-eminent alt-country crew Demolition String Band at Rodeo Bar, 10:30 PM.

7/23, 4 PM fast fearless politically-aware hardcore with Desikilibrio, Adelitas and Huasipungo at ABC No Rio.

7/23, the A-Bones and the Greenhornes play a garage rock Rocks Off Concert Cruise aboard the Queen of Hearts, boarding at 7, departing at 8 from Pier 40, Houston St. and the westside highway, adv tix $30 available at the Highline Ballroom box ofc.

7/23, 8 PM sitar virtuoso Ikhlaq Hussain at the Gershwin Hotel, $25/$20 stud.

7/23, 9/10:30 PM intense, smartly lyrical pianist Michael Cain leads a trio with Lonnie Plaxico – bass, Rudy Royston – drums at the Jazz Gallery, $20.

7/23, 10 PM authentic oldschool rocksteady band the Bluebeats at Two Boots Brooklyn

7/23, midnight, hilarious theatrical hip-hop personality Schaffer the Darklord at Arlene’s.

7/24, 6 (six) PM AwShockKiss play fiery tuneful female-fronted anthemic rock with an 80s vibe that’s not cheesy at LIC Bar

7/24, 7 PM eclecic violist Ljova joins Octavio Brunetti’s Apeadero Sur Tango Orchestra for a night of tangos on Pier 84, free.

7/24, 8 PM a killer doublebill at le Poisson Rouge with reliably menacing retro rocker Reid Paley followed by Frank Black, and probably some collaboration between the two. This will sell out – $20 adv tix a must.

7/24 Susan Mitchell – violinist to the stars, and a star in her own right – with ubiquitous guitar genius Homeboy Steve Antonakos at Caravan of Dreams, E. 6th St. off 1st Ave., 8 PM.

7/24, 8 PM LES powerpop vets Beat Rodeo at the small room at the Rockwood

7/24, 8:30 PM fiery, lyrical jazz pianist Bobby Avey leads a quartet with Dave Liebman, alto saxophone; Thomson Kneeland, bass; Jordan Perlson, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10.

7/24, 8:30 PM hypnotic cello/vibraphone duo Goli at 9:30. followed at 9:30 by Petaluma Vale’s classical harp stylings at Caffe Vivaldi.

7/25 one of the most captivating, underrated composers in jazz, alto flugelhornist Scott Reeves leads a jazz orchestra at Tea Lounge in Park Slope, 9 PM – free and highly recommended.

7/25, 9 PM David Honeyboy Edwards – the last guy to see Robert Johnson alive – at B.B. King’s, $20 adv tix rec.

7/25, 10 PM guitarist Joel Harrison and sarodist Anupam Shobhakar lead an adventurous south Asian jazz quintet at 55 Bar.

7/25, 10:30 PM Cuban jazz legends Sierra Maestra at SOB’s, $20 adv tix highly rec.

7/25 Daria Grace and the Pre-War Ponies play charming oldtimey and country songs at Rodeo Bar, 10:30 PM

7/26 Brazilian nocturnes and grooves with Forro in the Dark in the parking lot out behind City Winery, 5:30 PM, free.

7/26, 7 PM NYC’s only black old time string band, the Ebony Hillbillies at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City.

7/26 Grupo Los Santos with saxophonist Paul Carlon and Hazmat Modine’s Pete Smith on guitar at Miles Cafe, 7 PM, $20 includes a drink and snacks

7/26-31 understatedly soulful chanteuse Claudia Acuna leads her amazing quintet with Marc Cary on piano and Juancho Herrera on guitar at Dizzy’s Club, 7:30/9:30 PM, $30 seats avail.

7/26, 7:30 PM the Matt Herskowitz Trio plays Bach, Schumann and Chopin at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park, early arrival advised if you want a seat.

7/26, 8:30 PM clever lyrical songwriters Joe McGinty and Ward White at Bowery Electric.

7/26, 9 PM the Five Deadly Venoms play bluegrass at Caffe Vivaldi.

7/26 guitarslinger/janglemeister Sam Sherwin plays the cd release show for his new one Iodine Cocktails at Sullivan Hall, 9:30 PM

7/27, 6 PM clever, comedic Erin & Her Cello at Bryant Park, 6 PM, free

7/27, 7:30 PM dark hypnotic songwriter Marissa Nadler at the Mercury; 7/30, 9 PM she’s at at Littlefield, both shows are $12

7/27 rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson at Central Park Summerstage, early arrival 7 PM highly advised.

7/27, 7:30 PM the Black Earth Boys feat. kora virtuoso Juldeh Camara followed by Billy Bragg at Damrosch Park out back of Lincoln Center.

7/27, 8 PM powerhouse classical guitarists Thomas Flippin and Rupert Boyd team up as a duo, and share the bill with the cutting-edge flute/efx duo Flutronix at the Gershwin Hotel, $10

7/27, 8 PM smartly aware, tuneful Americana rocker Amy Speace at the small room at the Rockwood.

7/27, 8:30 PM Ollabelle spinoff the Silver Hollers play oldtime Americana at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10.

7/27, 9 PM deliciously creepy noir psychedelic soundtrack instrumentals with Mojo Mancini (feat. John Leventhal from Rosanne Cash’s band plus Brian Mitchell from Dylan’s touring band) at the big room at the Rockwood, $10

7/27, 9 PM eclectic powerhouse Malian chanteuse Oumou Sangare at City Winery, $35 tix avail.

7/27,9 PM Niger’s desert blues legends Etran Finatawa at the 92YTribeca, $22 adv tix highly rec.

7/27, 9 PM trumpeter Ben Syversen’s noisy, intense free jazz outfit Cracked Vessel at Freddy’s.

7/27, 9:30 PM arguably the most ecstatically fun live band in NYC, “turbo tropical cumbia tangomuffins (?)” Escarioka at Bowery Electric.

7/28, the Roulette Sisters’ sultry oldtime music maven Mamie Minch at MOMA’s Summergarden, 5:30 PM, free w/$20 museum adm.

7/28, 8 PM trombonist Joseph Bowie’s legendary Defunkt – who tore up clubs all over town in the 80s, and are reputedly as groovalicious as ever – at Drom, $10 adv tix highly rec.

7/28, 8 PM Pauline Oliveros (accordion) Rosi Herlein (violin, voice) at the Stone, $10, get there early if you want to get in.

7/28 Budos Band play a concert cruise aboard the Queen of Hearts, leaving from 40. West Houston St. at West Side Highway at 8 PM sharp, adv tix $30 avail. at the Highline Ballroom box ofc.

7/28, 8 PM vocal jazz quintet Detour Ahead butcher schlocky pop hits by Lady Gag, Duran Duran, Kiss and others at the Gershwin Hotel, $10 – could be hilarious, could be hell.

7/28 first-class up-and-coming country siren Drina and the Deep Blue Sea, 9 PM at Banjo Jim’s

7/28, 9 PM smart, funny, female-fronted, indelibly NYC urban pop band Delusions of Grand Street at Fontana’s.

7/28, 9:30 PM powerhouse melodic postbop jazz with Ralph Bowen – tenor sax , Jim Ridl – piano , Kenny Davis – bass , Billy Drummond – drums at Smalls.

7/28, 10:30 PM big buzz band New Atlantic Youth – a powerpop spinoff of the Brooklyn What – at Rock Shop, $8

7/29, 7:30 PM brilliant, soulful Lebanese multi-instrumentalist/composer Bassam Saba and his ensemble followed by eclectic, fearless Malian siren Oumou Sangare at Prospect Park Bandshell.

7/29, 7:30 PM hilarious, virtuosic oldtimey/grasscore band The Devil Makes Three at the Mercury, $12 adv tix very highly rec.

7/29, 8 PM excellent eclectic danceable doublebill: Brazilian/C&W band Nation Beat followed by the Mexican-American Go-Go’s, Pistolera, playing the cd release for their new one El Desierto y La Ciudad at Drom, $10 adv tix highly rec.

7/29, 8 PM the monthly ska extravaganza returns to Trash Bar with the Fighting 405, Big Shots, Scrapers, 45 Adapters, Unit 6 and Hub City Stompers sometime around midnight.

7/29, 8 PM in case you can’t make it out to Barbes for deliriously fun, danceable latin soul bugalu revivalists Spanglish Fly‘s Monday residency this month, they’re playing SOB’s for just $10

7/29, 8 PM avant garde piano star Sarah Cahill plays the world premiere of Paul Dresher’s new piece “Two, Entwined” at the Stone.

7/29 an amazing lineup led by guitarist Mary Halvorson: Jonathan Finlayson, trumpet; Jon Irabagon, alto saxophone; John Hebert , bass; Ches Smith, drums, 9/10:30 PM at Cornelia St. Cafe, $15.

7/29, 9/10:30 PM percussionist Adam Rudolph leads a globally astute octet with Joseph Bowie – trombone; Graham Haynes – cornet/flugelhorn; Brahim Fribgane – oud; Kenny Wessel – guitars; Peter Apfelbaum – flute/tenor saxophone; Jerome Harris – acoustic bass guitar/slide guitar; Matt Kilmer – percussion at the Jazz Gallery, $20

7/29-30 the Eels at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, 9 PM, $30 gen adm., adv tix avail. at the Mercury weekdays til 7, this may sell out.

7/29, 9ish the Night Beats play ominous lo-fi psychedelic garage rock at Maxwell’s

7/29, 9 PM Iranian indie rock with Raam (frontman of Hypernova) and Radio Tehran at the 92YTribeca, $10 adv tix rec.

7/29, 9 PM Big Star-influenced janglerockers the Nu-Sonics at Freddy’s.

7/29 Canadian bluegrass stars Luther Wright and the Wrongs – the folks responsible for the bluegrass version of Pink Floyd’s The Wall – at Rodeo Bar 10ish

7/30, 4 PM psychedelic, rustic, horn-driven blues/klezmer/minor-key band Hazmat Modine followed by Steven Bernstein’s Millennian Territory Orchestra (no idea if they’re doing their Sly Stone set or not) at the World Financial Center plaza.

7/30, 6 PM a cool country doublebill: Rhett Miller followed by the always hilarious Hayes Carll at the Stuyvesant Town oval, free, take the 15th St. entrance

7/30, 6 PM Indian brass band Red Baraat, go-go godfather Chuck Brown and Dr. John & the Lower 9/11 at Prospect Park Bandshell.

7/30, 7:30 PM comedic and virtuosic Erin & Her Cello at the big room at the Rockwood.

7/30, 7:30/9:30 PM a cool B3 trio with Jacam Manricks – alto sax; Gary Versace – organ; Matt Wilson – drums at the Bar Next Door

7/30, 9 PM ecstatically fun, intense gypsy punk/metal cumbia/rock en Espanol band Escarioka – one of our favorites – at Mehanata.

7/30, 9/10:30 PM Ralph Alessi – trumpet, Kris Davis – piano, Ingrid Laubrock – saxophone, Tom Rainey – drums at the Jazz Gallery, $20.

7/30, 9:30 PM baritone western swing crooner Sean Kershaw & the New Jack Ramblers at Hill Country

7/30, 10 PM Kiwi plays roots reggae with dub and Brazilian tinges at Shrine.

7/30 the Pretty Babies (Tammy Faye Starlite’s twisted, funny Blondie cover band) at Lakeside, 11 PM

7/31 French gypsy rockers Watcha Clan followed by Israeli Middle Eastern/Indian jam band Yemen Blues at Central Park Summerstage, early arrival 3 PM highly advised.

7/31, 4 PM the Raveonettes at the Beekman Beer Garden (formerly Water Taxi Beach) at Pier 17 at South St. Seaport.

7/31, 4:45 PM a dual organ recital by Steven Distad and Robert Frazier playing Eben, Paulus, Widor and Liszt at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

7/31 the NJMH Afro-Cuban All Stars play sizzling salsa jazz at 6:30 PM at Grant’s Tomb, 122nd St. and Riverside Drive, free. When’s the last time you saw a concert at Grant’s Tomb?

7/31, 7 PM stars of the NYC Balkan underground: Patrick Farrell (accordion) and Ben Holmes (trumpet) at Barbes followed at 9 by gypsy guitar genius Stephane Wrembel.

7/31, 9ish oldtime hot jazz with the Dysfunctional Family Jazz Band at Rodeo Bar.

7/31, 1 AM (actually wee hours of 8/2) El Pueblo plays eclectic dub reggae en Espanol at the small room at the Rockwood

8/1, 8:30 PM alto sax powerhouse Jon Irabagon and brilliant free jazz drummer Barry Altschul, probably revisiting Irabagon’s recent Pharaoh Sanders homage at Cornelia St. Cafe $10 followed at 10 by his much funnier, satirical band Mostly Other People Do the Killing (separate admission, $10).

8/1 midnight-ish the Kottonmouth Kings – yeah, they’re sort of the reggae version of Cypress Hill, but they’re still fun – at Highline Ballroom, $22 adv tix highly rec.

8/2 the CCB Reggae Allstars in the parking lot out behind City Winery, 5:30 PM, free.

8/2 gamelan orchestra Yowana Sari play 7 PM at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City.

8/2, 7:30/9:30 PM veteran bassist Rufus Reid leads a killer quartet including Bobby Watson and JD Allen playing the cd release show for his new one at Dizzy’s Club, $30 seats avail., this will sell out

8/2, 8 PM the Mingus Orchestra plays Washington Square Park, free.

8/2, 10 PM smart guitar-driven Sephardic-tinged rock with Sway Machinery at the 92YTribeca, $10 adv tix rec

8/3 Ethiopian groove unit Budos Band at Tappen Park in Staten Island, Staten Island train to Stapleton.

8/3, 8 PM intense, ferocious Americana/paisley underground rockers the Newton Gang at Union Hall, $10

8/3, 10 PM Cambodian psychedelic pop revivalists Dengue Fever  at Southpaw $15 gen adm.; 8/4 they’re at Damrosch Park out back of Lincoln Center for free

8/4, 6:30 PM Balkan powerhouse Raya Brass Band on the Broadway plaza at Lincoln Center, free.

8/4 Chilean cumbia sensation Chico Trujillo at MOMA’s Summergarden, 5:30 PM, free w/$20 museum adm.; they’re at le Poisson Rouge at 11ish the same night for $8 less if you get advance tix.

8/4, 8 PM charming yet badass Americana harmony sirens the Sweetback Sisters at the big room at the Rockwood

8/4, a twangy guitar summit with the eclectic Bill Kirchen and surf rockers Los Straitjackets at Maxwell’s, 9ish, $15.

8/5, 7 PM Tom Waits-ish Nashville gothic singer Mark Growden at the small room at the Rockwood

8/5, 7:30 PM one of the western world’s premier Middle Eastern ensembles, Bassam Saba and the NY Arabic Orchestra at Damrosch Park out back of Lincoln Center, free.

8/5, 8 PM a roots reggae triplebill with the Rootsetters, Tronika and the Hard Times at Shrine.

8/5, 9:30 PM noir Americana pop band Little Embers followed by exhilarating Radiohead-influenced art-rockers My Pet Dragon playing their cd release show at the Mercury, $10 gen adm.

8/5 kick ass Americana rockers Tom Clark & the High Action Boys at Lakeside, 11 PM.

8/6 jazz trumpeter Leron Thomas – a fearless, charismatic, frequently hilarious performer – plays the cd release show for his characteristically eclectic new cd Dirty Draws Volume Three at the 92YTribeca, 9 PM, $10 adv tix highly rec.

8/6, 9 PM satirical Chinese-American hip-hop crew the Notorious MSG play the cd release show for their new one at the Mercury, $10 gen adm.

8/7, 7 PM haunting hypnotic Sephardic soundscapes and rock songs with Galeet Dardashti and Divahn at Pier One on the upper west

8/7, 9:30 PM hip-hop/Afrobeat innovator/bandleader Blitz the Ambassador at Damrosch Park out back of Lincoln Center, free.

8/7, 10ish excellent Boston honkytonk rockers Girls Guns & Glory play songs off their highly anticipated forthcoming album Sweet Nothings at Rodeo Bar

8/8, 8:30 PM bassist Chris Tordini’s Tiger Blood with Jeremy Viner , tenor sax, clarinet; Sasha Brown, guitar; Kris Davis, piano; Jim Black, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10

8/9 noir retro rock bandleader Nicole Atkins in the parking lot out behind City Winery, 5:30 PM, free.

8/9, 7 PM vibraphone/harp/percussion new music ensemble Percussia at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City.

8/9-13, 7:30/9:30 PM guitarist Ed Cherry leads an intriguing trio with killer B3 organist Pat Bianchi at Dizzy’s Club, $30 seats avail.

8/9, 7:30 PM members of the Jupiter Symphony play Schubert, Mozart and Dvorak at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park, early arrival advised if you want a seat.

8/9, 8 PM classic roots reggae with the Abyssinians and Black Uhuru’s Mykal Rose at Highline Ballroom, $18 adv tix rec.

8/9, 8 PM purist new jazz with saxophonist Marcus Strickland with drummer Eric Harland at the 92YTribeca, $12 adv tix rec.

8/10, 7 PM oldschool latin soul stars Johnny Colon and Joe Bataan at Central Park Summerstage

8/10, 7:30 PM violinist/composer Todd Reynolds, beatboxer Adam Matta and vaudevillian Luminescent Orchestrii bandleader Sxip Shirey with Caleb Burhans, Conrad Harris, Pauline Kim Harris, Yuki Numata, Courtney Orlando, and Ben Russell followed by Laurie Anderson at Damrosch Park out back of Lincoln Center, free.

8/11, 7 PM two generations, two continents of Ethiopian grooves with Fendika and Debo Band at Damrosch Park out back of Lincoln Center, free.

8/10, 11 PM eclectic, completely original psychedelic funk/Afrobeat band the Peoples Champs at the big room at the Rockwood.

8/11, 5:30 PM highly regarded Americana songwriter James Maddock on the plaza at the World Financial Center.

8/11, 8 PM oldschool soul duo Dwight & Nicole at the big room at the Rockwood. He plays purist Steve Cropper-style guitar; she works the ethereal sultry tip for an classic wee-hours vibe.

8/11, midnight, North Carolina’s Kickin Grass play sizzling modern bluegrass at the small room at the Rockwood

8/12, 8:30ish the Detroit Cobras at the Bell House, $15 gen adm.

8/12, 9 PM Tris McCall at Littlefield. By day, he chronicles boring corporate pop music for a suburban New Jersey newspaper; at night, he sheds his skin, plugs in his keyboard and becomes one of the most acerbic, tuneful songwriters out there.

8/12, 9 PM Korean vocalese chanteuse Seung-Hee with Adam Kolker, tenor sax, bass clarinet; Ike Sturm, bass; George Schuller, drums; Seung-Hee, voice, compositions; Toru Dodo, piano at Cornelia St. Cafe, $15.

8/12, 10 PM clever, funny hip-hop/Americana band Under the Elephant at the small downstairs studio space at Webster Hall

8/13, 1 and 3 PM pioneering new-music string quartet Ethel play a free show on Governors Island, free ferries leave from the old Staten Island ferry terminal every hour on the half hour

8/13 clawhammer banjo player/songwriter Abigail Washburn at 4 PM at the plaza on the northwest side of Lincoln Center, free.

8/13, 7 PM Brooklyn’s best band, tuneful anti-gentrification punk rockers the Brooklyn What – sort of the teens equivalent of what the Dead Boys were in the 70s – at Europa, dirt cheap, $8

8/13, 7 PM 1950s rockabilly legend Sonny Burgess followed by Marty Stuart at Damrosch Park out back of Lincoln Center, free.

8/13, 9 PM a monster triplebill at Freddy’s: Americana chanteuse Rebecca Turner, Brooklyn’s own man in black, John Pinamonti and charismatic noir rocker Tom Warnick & World’s Fair at Freddy’s.

8/13, 9 PM soundtrack mini-orchestra Morricone Youth at the big room at the Rockwood.

8/14, 4:45 PM Michael Bower plays an organ recital at St. Patrick’s Cathedral

8/14, 7 PM the Bar-Kays plus Steve Cropper with Bettye LaVette, Ellis Hooks and Dylan Leblanc at Damrosch Park out back of Lincoln Center, free.

8/14, 7 PM Cuban son montuno powerhouse Los Soneros de Oriente at Pier One on the upper west

8/15 Queen Latifah at Wingate Field in Crown Heights, early arrival 6:30 PM highly advised.

8/15 and 8/17 Sameer Gupta’s Namaskar trio play hypnotic Indian jazz at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10

8/16, 7ish Bachata Heightz at Highbridge Park in Harlem, 171st and Amsterdam, A/C to 168th St.

8/17, 7 PM legendary 70s psychedelic art-rock band Nektar – who were sort of a cross between Pink Floyd and the Grateful Dead – with original members Roye Albrighton and Ron Howden at B.B. King’s, $25.

8/18, 8 PM one of the year’s best triplebills with Bakersfield-style country twanglers Alana Amram & the Rough Gems, the Texas honkytonk and zydeco of the Doc Marshalls and haunting intense original acoustic Nashville gothic/bluegrass of Frankenpine at Union Hall, $7.

8/18, 8 PM deviously fun, virtuoso art-rock piano chanteuse Greta Gertler solo at Waltz-Astoria, 24th and Ditmars Blvd., Astoria, N to Ditmars Blvd. and a six block walk

8/19, 7 PM torchy oldtime Americana quartet the Dirty Urchins at the small room at the Rockwood

8/19, 9 PM wild crazy female-fronted gypsy band Fishtank Ensemble at Union Hall, $10.

8/19 torchy intense theatrical oldtimey chanteuse April Smith & the Great Picture Show at Bowery Ballroom, 9 PM, $15 gen adm.

8/19, midnight, African roots reggae legend Tiken Jah Fakoly at SOB’s $25 adv tix highly rec., this will probably sell out. He’s also headlining Central Park Summerstage on 8/20 around 5:30, early arrival around 3 PM a must.

8/20 African reggae with Meta & the Cornerstones and Ivoirien star/freedom fighter Tiken Jah Fakoly at Central Park Summerstage, 3 PM early arrival a must.

8/20 ageless ska/rock/soul party machine the Slackers play a Rocks Off Concert Cruise aboard the Star of Palm Beach, boarding at 7, leaving at 8 from Pier 40, Houston St. and the westside highway, $30 adv tix avail. at the Highline Ballroom box ofc.

8/20, 8 PM a killer oldtimey/Americana acoustic night at the Bell House with the Resurrectionists, Woodpecker and satirical faux-country girls Menage a Twang.

8/21 oldschool hip-hop stars EPMD at Central Park Summerstage, 3 PM early arrival highly advised.

8/22 really oldschool soca with Mighty Sparrow and oldschool 80s dancehall reggae with Shaggy at Wingate Field in Crown Heights, early arrival 6:30 PM highly advised

8/22, 7:30 PM the Knights play Schubert and Liszt at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park, early arrival advised if you want a seat.

8/22 creepy indie band Deerhunter at Webster Hall, 10ish. If you’re going to miss the Eels, these guys are very similar.

8/23, 7ish Tito Rojas at East River Park, Grand St. and the river, F to East Broadway or J/M to Delancey.

8/23-28 the JD Allen Trio at the Vanguard, 7:30/9:30 PM. This is a good year for good artists and composers winning awards: tenor sax powerhouse Allen has been long, long overdue for his Downbeat #1 Rising Star award this year. His trio with Gregg August on bass and Rudy Royston on drums hit a lot of transcendent notes back in May at le Poisson Rouge.

8/24, 7ish the Cold Crush Brothers at East River Park, Grand St. and the river, F to East Broadway or J/M to Delancey.

8/25, 5:30 PM NYC’s own hypnotic Balinese gamelan orchestra, Gamelan Dharma Swara at MOMA’s Summergarden, 5:30 PM, free w/$20 museum adm.

8/26 smart, lyrical Irish-American rock legends Black 47 play a Rocks Off Concert Cruise aboard the Half Moon, boarding at 7, leaving at 8 from the heliport at 23rd St.and the FDR, $25 adv tix avail. at the Highline Ballroom box ofc.

8/26, 7 PM cellist Marika Hughes at the small room at the Rockwood.

8/26, 8 PM deviously fun, virtuoso art-rock piano chanteuse Greta Gertler followed at 1 by lush “historical orchestrette” Pinataland playing the cd release show for their long-anticipated new one Hymns for the Dreadful Night at Barbes

8/26, 9 PM garage punk guitar genius Deniz Tek of Radio Birdman in a rare trio show with Art and Steve Godoy, at the Bell House, $10 adv tix rec., this will sell out.

8/27, 1 PM day one of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival has Tia Fuller and James Carter at Marcus Garvey Park in Spanish Harlem

8/28, 1 PM day two of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival with the Gerald Clayton trio, Ali Jackson and the Archie Sheppp Quartet at Tompkins Square Park.

8/28, 3 PM accordion-driven klezmer quintet Danzanova at Bargemusic $25/$20 stud/srs.

8/30, 11 PM sultry chanteuse Marilyn Carino – Paula’s big sister – does her Little Genius project at the small room at the Rockwood

8/31 cutting edge melodic jazz with the John Farnsworth Quintet at Bryant Park, 6 PM, free.

8/30-31 fascinating tuneful piano-based free jazz with Pilc/Moutin/Hoenig at the Blue Note, 8/10:30 PM, $10 seats avail.

9/4, 1 and 3 PM pianists Blair McMillen and Pam Goldberg play Bach, John Adams and others with a string ensemble on Governors Island, free ferries leave from the old Staten Island ferry terminal every hour on the half hour.

9/4 Manu Chao at Terminal 5 is sold out but the 9/5, 8 PM show still has $35 tix avail.

9/8-9 plus 9/15-16, 9 PM Ian Hunter at City Winery, $35 tix avail.

9/9 Chinese-American hip-hop sensations the Notorious MSG at Southpaw, 10 PM, $10.

9/11, 7 PM at Symphony Space, free, a 9/11 memorial concert, “will feature appearances by some of New York’s most illustrious artists, actors, athletes and politicians!” How about Melora Creager of Rasputina, one of the few artists unafraid to acknowledge that 9/11 was an inside job engineered by Dick Cheney? How about Mike Piazza and John Kerry? And if there are any politicians in the house who benefited from the police state tactics that the Bush regime put into effect that fall, we encourage you to vent your frustration as sadistically as possible.

9/13, 8 PM Steve Earle at the Town Hall, $35 tix avail. at the Irving Plaza box ofc.

9/15, 8 PM the recently regrouped Klezmatics at Highline Ballroom.

9/16-17 majestic yet funk jazz piano titan Marc Cary’s Focus Trio at Smoke uptown

9/20 interestingly weird avant/indie/pop band Deerhoof at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, 11 PM, $17 gen adm.

9/21-22 Beirut at Terminal 5, 8 PM, $27 adv tix onsale 7/8.

9/23 Sameer Gupta’s amazing, hypnotic Indian-flavored jazz group with Marc Cary on piano at Baruch College Auditorium, 23rd St. and Lex., time/price TBA

9/27, 8 PM Malian guitar legend Boubacar Traore at the Bell House, $17 adv tix very highly rec.

9/27, 8 PM dark Middle Eastern-tinged instrumentalist Sir Richard Bishop opens for the Swans at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, $30 adv tix avail. at the Mercury weekdays til 7 PM, this may sell out.

9/28, 8:30ish a killer eclectic triplebill with desert blues-influenced Chicago band Pillars and Tongues, Bay area gypsy/balkan supernova A Hawk & a Hacksaw and gypsy punk band Dark Dark Dark at the Bell House, $13 adv tix very highly rec.

10/1, 10ish long-runnning original punk-pop band the Vibrators at Union Hall – the venues keep getting smaller, they keep playing the nostalgia angle – $13 adv tix rec.

10/22, 8 PM popular Americana chanteuse Gillian Welch at the Beacon Theatre, $35 tix avail.

11/17 well-loved harmony-driven Americana trio Red Molly – whose new lineup is just as captivating as the previous one – at the big room at the Rockwood, 7:30 PM

12/21 it’s Make Music Winter. Inspired by Phil Kline’s famous Gulf War-era interactive antiwar composition Unsilent Night, the Make Music NY organizers are working to schedule another citywide day/night of interesting, free live music. Pure genius. Watch this space for updates.

WEEKLY EVENTS

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 play Nolita House (upstairs over Botanica at 47 E Houston). Free drink with your entree.

Sundays at 7:30 at Theatre 80 St. Marks the world’s most socially aware “reverend” and activist, Rev. Billy and his wild, ecstatic 30-piece gospel Church of Earthalujah Choir, $10 cover but “no one turned away.”

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.

Every Sunday, hip-hop MC Big Zoo hosts the long-running End of the Weak rap showcase at the Pyramid, 9 PM, admission $5 before 10, $7 afterward. This is one of the best places to discover some of the hottest under-the-radar hip-hop talent, both short cameos as well as longer sets from both newcomers and established vets.

Mondays at the Fat Cat the Choi Fairbanks String Quartet play a wide repertoire of chamber music from Bach to Shostakovich starting at 7.

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.

Mondays in August the Quavers – who mix trippy downtempo art-rock with indie pop – play Barbes early at 7 PM

Mondays at the Jazz Standard it’s all Mingus, whether with the Mingus Orchestra, Big Band or Mingus Dynasty: you know the material and the players are all first rate. 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 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.

Mondays in July Spanglish Fly, with their sultry retro 60s latin soul vibe, play Barbes at 9:30 PM while Chicha Libre is off doing other things

Also Mondays in July Rev. Vince Anderson and his band play Union Pool in Williamsburg, two sets starting around 11 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 and the Fela pit band on trombone, with frequent special guests.

Tuesdays at 7 PM in July it’s a classical piano series playfully titled Upright Piano Brigade, an A-list of classical talent playing the brand-new Sauter piano at Barbes.

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

Tuesdays in July the Dred Scott Trio play astonishingly smart, dark piano jazz at the smaller room at the Rockwood at midnight.

Wednesdays in July Andy Shernoff of the Dictators and the Masterplan plays Lakeside early at 7 PM. Working up new material, no doubt. Worth checking out if edgy oldschool NYC rock is your thing

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 in July at midnight, multi-instrumentalist Thad Debrock plays the small room at the Rockwood. He’s played brilliantly on so many Americana and singer-songwriter albums it’s not funny; it’ll be interesting to hear him do his own stuff.

Every Thursday the Michael Arenella Quartet play 1920s hot jazz 8-11 PM at Nios, 130 W 46th St.

Thursdays and Fridays in July at Mehanata it’s Bulgarian sax powerhouse Yuri Yukanov and the Grand Masters of Gypsy Music, 10 PM, $10.

Fridays at 8:30 PM adventurous cellist/composer Valerie Kuehne books an intriguing avant garde/classical/unclassifiable “weekly experimental cabaret” at Cafe Orwell in Bushwick, 247 Varet St. (White/Bogart), L to Morgan Ave. It’s sort of a more outside version of Small Beast, a lot of cutting-edge performers working out new ideas in casual, unstuffy surroundings. Kuehne promises “never a dull moment.”

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

Saturdays at 1 PM continuing through August (except for August 13), at 1 PM there are free concerts at Bargemusic – early arrival advised. Usually these are piano recitals, with the occasional string ensemble.

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