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

Click here for an updated concert calendar for July and August 2011.

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 Lady Gag or Fleet Foxes, you’re in the wrong place. We try to be descriptive rather than using all kinds of superlative adjectives.

6/1, 7:30 PM adventurous pianist Alexandra Joan winds up her entertainingly counterintuitive Kaleidoscope Series with a program of original material and improvisations featuring jazz guitarist Peter Mazza, Thomson Kneeland on bass and Timothy Hayward on sax at WMP Concert Hall, 31 W 28th St., $25

6/1, 7:30 PM dark incisive classical composer/pianist Fernando Otero and cellist Inbal Segev play Bach, Kodály, and Otero at le Poisson Rouge, $15 adv tix rec.

6/1, 8 PM delightfully fun, quirky, counterintuitive all-female indie pop band the Walking Hellos at Fontana’s.

6/1, 10 PM, intense frontwoman Wendy Griffiths and her powerfully tuneful 80s punk/new wave influenced Changing Modes – who recorded our pick for best song of 2010 – at Sullivan Hall, $10.

6/1 midnight-ish big sprawling funk band Turkuaz at Southpaw, $5.

6/2, noon, George Clinton & the P-Funk All Stars at Metrotech Park in downtown Brooklyn, free.

6/2, half past noon Klezmatics violin powerhouse Alicia Svigals’ Klezmer Fiddle Express at St. Marks Park, 2nd Ave./10th St.

6/2, 2:30 PM acoustic guitarist Don DeMarco plays instruments similar to those in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection in their musical instruments section, free w/museum adm

6/2, 7 PM fiery noir cabaret songwriter Sabrina Chap at Banjo Jim’s followed eventually at 9 with the psychedelic folk of the Peaceniks feat. Moogy Klingman and Patti Rothberg at Banjo Jim’s.

6/2, 7 PM gorgeously lyrical jazz quintet the Flail at the Fat Cat. They’re also at Smalls at 9:30 on 6/16.

6/2, 8 PM smartly multistylistic retro keyboardist/singer and Jack White collaborator Rachelle Garniez (whose most recent album we rated best of the year) at Barbes.

6/2, 8 PM legendary, brilliant first-wave Irish punk rockers Stiff Little Fingers make their Brooklyn debut at Europa, $20. They’re at the Gramercy Theatre the following night for an extra $13 – that’s how much Live Nation is ripping you off for this one.

6/2, 8 PM the Da Capo Chamber Players’ 40th anniversary concert at Merkin Concert Hall feat. Pierrot lunaire, OP. 21 by Arnold Schoenberg, with guest soprano, Lucy Shelton; the world premiere performance of Gravity by George Tsontakis (written for the 40th anniversary of Da Capo); the New York premiere of Midnight Rounds by Keith Fitch (written for the 40th anniversary of Da Capo); Tres Lent as well as And…They’re Off! by Joan Tower (who was the ensemble’s founding pianist), $20 adv tix very highly rec., this should sell out.

6/2 country and bluegrass night with the Wicked Messengers, Freshly Baked and Dang-It Bobbys at Freddy’s, 8 PM.

6/2, 8 PM guitar funkmeister Askold Buk followed at 9 by Jimmy Buffett’s legendary first lead guitarist Roger Bartlett at P&G Bar on the upper west.

6/2, 8 PM the New Amsterdam Symphony plays Bizet’s Carmen Suite, Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite and Brahms’ Symphony #2 at Symphony Space, $20

6/2, 8:30 PM trombonist Samuel Blaser leads a quartet with Russ Lossing, piano; Eivind Opsvik, bass; Paul Motian, drums; Samuel Blaser, trombone playing the cd release show for his latest one at Cornelia St. Cafe, $15

6/2, 8:30 PM new music ensemble Sybarite5 play the Lincoln Center Atrium at 65th/Bwy, letting their ipod shuffle choose the pieces they’ll be performing, early arrival advised.

6/2, 9 PM Melvin Van Peebles wid Laxative at Zebulon. The legendary filmmaker also writes absolutely hilarious, subtly provocative, socially aware songs that skewer all kinds of stereotypes. He’s backed by a killer funk band comprised of members of Burnt Sugar.

6/2, 10 PM atmospheric, pensive rock anthems with Hurricane Bells feat. Steve Schiltz (ex-Longwave and Scout) at Culturefix on Clinton St.

6/2, 10 PM a solid oldtime country doublebill with Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues followed by Alex Battles & Whisky Rebellion at the Jalopy, $10

6/2 powerpop/psychedelic guitar monsters Devi at Arlene’s, 11 PM recording a live album! Get your screams on vinyl!

6/2, midnight, dark female-fronted soul band MotherMoon at Spike Hill.

6/3, 7 PM ferocious, hilarious, theatrical, Beatlesque lyrical songwriter Walter Ego at Banjo Jim’s feat. some of NYC’s best guests (secret – we won’t give it away).

6/3, 7:30 PM the Prism Quartet plays world premieres by works by David Rakowski, Lisa Bielawa, Perry Goldstein, Matthew Levy, and Cara Haxo at Symphony Space, $20

6/3, 8 PM filmmakers Suki Hawley, Mike Galinsky and David Beilinson’s documentary the Battle for Brooklyn, which confronts the destructive effects of gentrification, notably the graft and fraud-ridden Atlantic Yards arena and parking-lot project where private property was illegally seized by a real estate swindler through an eniment domain claim. At the Brooklyn Heights Cinema; also screening 6/9 at 9 PM at Myrtle Avenue Hill in Ft. Greene Park, free; and on 6/11, 8 PM at Indie Screen, 285 Kent Ave., Williamsburg. A weeklong run begins on 6/17 at Cinema Village in Manhattan.

6/3, 8 PM torchy noir Americana siren Lily & the Parlour Tricks followed by oldschool soul revivalist/crooner Eli Paperboy Reed at Southpaw, $12 gen adm.

6/3, 8 PM grease up your pompadours: Smokey Hormel’s western swing band, retro rock chanteuse Eilen Jewel and Big Sandy & the Fly-Rite Boys at the Bell House, $12 adv tix rec.

6/3, 9 PM Caithlin De Marrais – one of the most unselfconsciously riveting singers in any style of music – sings her plaintive, tersely compelling songs at Pete’s

6/3, 9/10:30 PM Ingrid Laubrock, tenor sax; Ralph Alessi, trumpet; Kris Davis, piano; Tom Rainey, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $15.

6/3, 10 PM the funniest oldschool country band around, the Jack Grace Band at Rodeo Bar. They’re also at Barbes on 6/10 at 10.

6/3, 10:30ish eclectic Afrobeat/funk band Mamarazzi – whose new album is excellent – at Zebulon

6/3, 10:30 PM organist Jared Gold and trombonist Dave Gibson lead a quintet at the Fat Cat

6/3 ferocious Nashville gothic rockers Ninth House play Sathony in Astoria, 11 PM.

6/3 wry, literate Nashville gothic with Maynard & the Mustiesat Lakeside, 11 PM.

6/3, 11 PM wild intense original bluegrass band Thy Burden at Spike Hill.

6/3, 11 PM horn-driven funk band the Kickdown at Bowery Poetry Club, $10

6/3, 11:30 PM ecstatic Brazilian funk/reggae/maracatu band Dende & Hahahaes at Joe’s Pub $12.

6/4, 3:30 PM charismatic, literate NYC noir rock legend LJ Murphy at the Howl Festival, Tompkins Square Park; on 6/8 he’s at Bar 82 with his trio at 9.

6/4 Blitz the Ambassador at the Brooklyn Museum, free w/museum adm.

6/4, 6:30 PM intriguing dark 80 style dreampop band Teletextile at Ft. Useless in Bushwick

6/4, 6:30 PM, free, the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble play Gershwin: Lullaby for Strings; Barber:Adagio for Strings; Dvorak: String Quartet No. 12, “American” at Flushing Town Hall, tix req., early arrival advised.

6/4, 7 PM Nashville gothic goddess – and indie film star – Lorraine Leckie at Banjo Jim’s

6/4 a blast from the past – legendary oldschool Williamsburg punk/indie rockers FF (which stands for Fat Fuck) at Lakeside, 7 PM.

6/4, 7 PM powerhouse blues guitarist Bobby Radcliff – the rare guy who plays a lot of notes but doesn’t waste any – at Terra Blues.

6/4, 8 PM oldschool rocksteady with the Forthrights, kick-ass third generation ska with the Scofflaws and early 80s British band Bad Manners for those who like their ska on the pop side, $15 at the downstairs studio space at Webster Hall

6/4, 8 PM Bamba Sacko play African roots reggae at Shrine followed at 10 by the reggae/rocksteady of Finotee.

6/4, 8 PM the Moonlighters’ wickedly smart, torchy Bliss Blood plus Jim Fryer on trombone at Rest Au Rant, 30-01 35th Avenue (corner of 30th St.) in Long Island City

6/4, 10 PM catchy powerpop rockers Elk City followed by sprawling acoustic Americana band the Woes at Rock Shop in Gowanus, $10; the Woes are at Sunny’s at 10 the following night for free.

6/4, 8 PM the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma at NJPAC in Newark, $25 seats avail.

6/4, 8 PM bossa jazz siren Sasha Dobson’s country band Chola followed by Banda Sinaloense de los Muertos at Barbes. Chola are also here Mondays in June at 8 PM starting on the 13th.

6/4, 8 PM witty jazz guitar star Matt Munisteri at the Jalopy, $10.

6/4, 8:30 PM hypnotic marimba/cello duo Goli at Caffe Vivaldi followed by bluegrass band the Five Deadly Venoms (who are also here on 6/7 and 6/28 at 9:45)

6/4, 9 PM Unsteady Freddie’s monthly surf rock extravaganza with Connecticut’s surprisingly agile Clams, high-intensity Reverb Galaxy, the diverse, country-tinged Matt Rae Trio and the Octomen (excellent fiery surf trio) at midnight-ish.

6/4 intense gypsy punks Bad Buka at Mehanata, 9 PM

6/4, 9/10:30 PM drummer Ralph Peterson’s brilliant B3 band the Unity Project plays the cd release show for their spectacularly good new one with Pat Bianchi, organ; Josh Evan, trumpet; Wayne Escoffery, tenor sax at Cornelia St. Cafe, $15.

6/4, 10 PM, 90s Detroit rock cult figures the Dirtbombs at the Bell House, $20

6/4, 10 PM cowpunk with the Nightmare River Band at Spike Hill.

6/4, 11 PM eclectic Selegalese flavored roots reggae with Meta & the Cornerstones at the 92YTribeca, $12 adv tix rec.

6/5, repeating on 6/ 12, and 6/19 the NY Scandia Symphony at the Billings Lawn in Ft. Tryon Park uptown, 2 PM. This extraordinary and clever ensemble plays a Frank Foerster piece called Summer in Ft. Tryon Park which has to be heard to be appreciated, along with works by numerous brilliant obscure Scandinavian composers.

6/5, 3 PM harpsichordist Elaine Comparone and The Queen’s Chamber Band play world premieres by Michael Cohen, Stephen Kemp, Elodie Lauten, David J. MacDonald & Eugene W. McBride at St. Mark’s Church, 10th St./2nd Ave., $25.

6/5, 5 PM oldtimey doublebill with irrepressible trombonist J. Walter Hawkes and then his sultry swing bandmate Daria Grace & the Pre-War Ponies at LIC Bar, 5

6/5, 6 PM B3 groove organist Ehud Asherie’s No Bass Hit Trio ft. Harry Allen & Chuck Riggs at the Fat Cat

6/5, 7:30 PM trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith’s Golden Quartet w/ Angelica Sanchez (piano), John Lindberg (bass) and Pheeroan akLaff (drums) at le Poisson Rouge, adv tix $15 rec.

6/5, 8 PM deviously fun new music duo Anti-Depressant (violinist Jennifer Choi and pianist Kathy Supove) play Galapagos, $15/$10 stud.

6/5, 8 PM slinky low-register retro Cuban band Gato Loco – with baritone guitar, baritone sax, tuba and bass – at Bowery Poetry Club

6/5, 8 PM tuneful Americana harmony band the Bowmans at the small room at the Rockwood

6/5, 8 PM composer Eve Beglarian and her new band Brim at Galapagos, $15.

6/5, 8:30 PM bassist Petros Klampanis plays the cd release show for his eclectic new one with a scary-good lineup feat. Megan Gould , violin; Heather Paauwe, violin; Lev “Ljova” Zhurbin, viola; Yoed Nir, cello; Gilad Hekselman, guitar; Magda Giannikou, guest vocalist at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10.

6/5, 9 PM Steve Wynn’s indie rock supergroup the Baseball Project at City Winery , $25 seats avail.

6/5, 9 PM gypsy pop band Occidental Gypsy – “Found somewhere on the music tree between John Pizzarelli and Caravan Palace” – at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd St.

6/5 hilarious, diverse satirical cowpunk rockers Uncle Leon & the Alibis at Rodeo Bar 10ish

6/6, 6:30 PM an interfaith 9/11 commemorative concert at St. Paul’s Chapel downtown with pianist Simone Dinnerstein playing Bach’s English Suite as well as two of his Chorale Preludes – BWV 639 and 147, free but rsvp reqd

6/6, 7:30/9:30 PM Orrin Evans & the Captain Black Big Band at Dizzy’s Club, $20, better reserve now, these guys sell out fast.

6/6 arguably the first-ever guitar jazz triplebill at the Mercury with the astonishingly smart, intense, original, bluesy Marvin Sewell at 8, Liberty Ellman at 9 and then Moroccan-inspired Dave Fiuczynski at 10, $15.

6/6, 8 PM stars of the NYC Balkan underground, trumpeter Ben Holmes and trio followed by at 9:30 by Chicha Libre at Barbes.

6/6, 9 PM the New Yorkestra big band at Tea Lounge in Park Slope

6/6-7 the Melvins at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, 9 PM, $20 adv tix avail. at the Mercury weekdays til 7 PM.

6/6, 9 PM the New Yorkestra big band at Tea Lounge in Park Slope

6/6, 9 PM at Otto’s a screening of the 1982 punk rock movie Ladies & Gentlemen: The Fabulous Stains starring Diane Lane, Laura Dern, Paul Simonon, Steve Jones, Paul Cook and others from the era.

6/6, 10:30 PM Middle Eastern-tinged violist Dina Maccabee and her group at Pete’s

6/7, 6:30 PM, Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble at Central Park Summerstage, early arrival a must.

6/7, 6:30 PM the Tomsk Chamber Orchestra plays Tschaikovsky and Shostakovich at Symphony Space, $30

6/7, 7 PM ICE pianist Jacob Greenberg at Barbes followed at 9 by Slavic Soul Party.

6/7, 7:30ish oldschool hip-hop with EPMD at Betsy Head Playground, Livonia Ave. & Strauss St., Brooklyn, 2/3/4/5 to Saratoga Ave.

6/7, 7:30 PM Rose of the Compass – recorder player Nina Stern, with Glen Velez, frame drum, and Ara Dinkjian, oud – play an intriguing set of music from the Mediterranean to the Balkans at the cd release show for their new one at Drom, $10 adv tix highly rec.

6/7, 8 PM Carol Lipnik & Spookarama play the cd release show for their hypnotic, haunting new one M.O.T.H. at the big room at the Rockwood.

6/7, 8ish energetic lo-fi guitar/drums duo Eleanor followed by the Highway Gimps – the missing link between Motorhead and My Bloody Valentine – at Tammany Hall in the old Annex space on Orchard St., $5

6/7, 8 PM McCoy Tyner – who’s still got the most powerful left hand in jazz – leads a trio with Gary Bartz and Bill Frisell at Highline Ballroom, $35

6/8, 8 PM fiery literate steampunk songwriter Kelli Rae Powell at Southpaw.

6/8, 8 PM 60s soul legend Eric Burdon & the Animals at B.B. King’s, $35 adv tix a must.

6/8, 8 PM soulful, soaring country/rock siren Alana Amram & the Rough Gems at Bruar Falls, $6.

6/8, 9 PM Meschiya Lake & the Little Big Horns at Radegast Hall – if anybody can get all the douches to shut up and listen, this oldtimey New Orleans siren can.

6/8, 10 PM Sistermonk play their high energy gypsy funk at Shrine

6/8, 10ish tongue-in-cheek, period-perfect early 50s style country from Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. at Rodeo Bar.

6/8 Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy makes a rare small room appearance at midnight at the Delancey, $25, this will sell out fast, get adv tix at the club

6/9, half past noon the Arturo O’Farrill latin jazz group at St. Marks Park, 2nd Ave/10th St.

6/9, 7:30 PM intense Balkan-influenced songwriter Alina Simone at Joe’s Pub $12.

6/9, 8 PM irrepressible, fun ska-pop band Across the Aisle at Otto’s

6/9, 9 PM dark compelling historically-fixated songwriter Elisa Flynn at the Way Station, 683 Washington Ave, Brooklyn (at Prospect Place; 2/3 to Grand Army Plaza).

6/9, 9:30 PM lush, atmospheric, socially aware, Radiohead-influenced rockers My Pet Dragon play the cd release show for their new one at the big room at the Rockwood.

6/9 Chicago blues guitar/piano legend Lucky Peterson at 10 PM at Terra Blues

6/9  Afrobeat crew Ikebe Shakedown’s cd release show, 10 PM at Southpaw, $10 gen adm.

6/9, 9 PM honkytonk hellraisers the Steamboat Disasters at Freddy’s

6/9, 10 PM Banda Magda play their cosmopolitan gypsy/Mediteranean/latin accordion-driven songs at Drom, $10 gen adm

6/9, 10ish the twangy, clever Trailer Radio at Rodeo Bar.

6/9, 10:30 PM careening Balkan brass intensity with Veveritse Brass Band at the Jalopy, $10

6/10-12 the global-themed Brooklyn Folk Festival is $20 per day; the best deal if you’re making a weekend out of it is the three-day $55 pass available at the Jalopy, who are hosting night one. Nights two and three are at BWAC, 49 Van Brunt St. in Red Hook. Too many awesome artists to list: Peter Stampfel, the Roulette Sisters, Elizabeth Butters, Uncle Monk, Black Sea Hotel, Radio Jarocho, the Newton Gang and many more, the complete lineup is here.

6/10, 7 PM smart twangy literate Americana rock with Chip Robinson at Lakeside.

6/10, 7:30 PM all-girl punk/no wave legends the Bush Tetras at le Poisson Rouge, $12 adv tix rec.

6/10, 8 PM assaultive hilarious Chinatown hip-hop pioneers the Notorious MSG’s cd release show at the Brooklyn Bowl, only $5.

6/10, 8 PM Koleurz play French African roots reggae at Shrine.

6/10 dreamy shoegaze soundscapes from Balun followed by the film NY Non-Fiction at Open Road Rooftop, 350 Grand St. at Essex, 8 PM, $10

6/10, 8 PM Gyan Riley (Terry’s talented guitarist kid) at Barbes followed by the Jack Grace Band at 10

6/10, 8 PM Lisle Atkinson & Neo Bass play bass arrangements of Ellington feat. guests pianists at Symphony Space, $25 adv tix rec.

6/10, 8 PM antique Americana harmony band Ollabelle (all original members) at City Winery, $20 standing room tix avail.

6/10, 8 PM terse oldschool Chicago blues guitarist Irving Louis Lattin at Lucille’s.

6/10, 9 PM sharp, tuneful, Aimee Mann-esque literate rockers Elizabeth & the Catapult at Bowery Ballroom, $15 gen adm.

6/10 Cuban reggaeton siren Telmary Diaz with a live band at BAM Cafe, 9:30 PM – early arrival advised, this will sell out.

6/10 Vietnamese psychedelic rock revivalists Dengue Fever, 10 PM at Highline Ballroom.

6/10 baritone country crooner/bandleader Dale Watson at Maxwell’s 10ish, $10 (note separate admission from earlier NRBQ concert).

6/10, 10 PM the Hard Times play reggae at Two Boots Brooklyn.

6/10 midnight the Peoples’ Champs play their psychedelic mix of funk and Afrobeat at the small room at the Rockwood

6/10, midnight, witty guitar star of a million bands Homeboy Steve Antonakos plays his own wry Americana stuff at Banjo Jim’s

6/10, midnight, clever fun retro 80s synth-disco duo Hank & Cupcakes at the Mercury, $10.

6/11 Jim Black’s AlasNoAxis and Josh Roseman & The King Froopy All Stars at Central Park Summerstage – be aware that they’re opening for a popular, lame jam band from the 90s and that you may not be able to get in unless you show up before 3.

6/11, 4:30 PM baritone Austin honkytonk crooner Dale Watson at Madison Square Park, free

6/11, 6 PM singer-songwriter satirists the Lascivious Biddies at the small room at the Rockwood.

6/11, 7 PM lyrical jazz pianist Mika Pohjola at Miles Cafe with his quartet, $20 includes a drink and “snacks”

6/11, 7:30/9:30 PM eclectic Middle Eastern-tinged jazz guitarist Gilad Hekselman leads a trio at the Bar Next Door.

6/11, 8 PM an amazing psychedelic dub reggae doublebill (say that five times fast) with Dub Is a Weapon and Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad at Brooklyn Bowl, $7.

6/11, 8 PM oldtimey/Americana/indie band Dastardly – sort of very funny version of Mumford & Sons – at Pete’s. They’re at Spike Hill at 9 on 6/12.

6/11, 8 PM psychedelic steampunk/gypsy band the Wyld Old Souls’ cd release show at Drom, $10 adv tix highly rec.

6/11 a good roots reggae doublebill at Shrine starting at 8 PM with Num & Nu Afrika followed at 9 by the Pressers.

6/11, 8 PM Mississippi hill country blues guitar genius Will Scott (who’s got an excellent new album out) plays a NYC show at 68 Jay St. Bar to kick off his latest European tour.

6/11, 9 PM ecstatically fun, intense gypsy punk/metal cumbia/rock en Espanol band Escarioka – one of our favorites – at Mehanata

6/11 haunting noir Americana crooner Mark Sinnis (of Ninth House) plays the cd release for his new one The Undertaker In My Rearview Mirror at Duff’s Bar in South Williamsburg, 9 PM.

6/11, 9 PM Taj Weekes & Adowa – who are about the best thing happening in roots reggae right now – at the 92YTribeca, $14 gen adm.

6/11, 9/10:30 PM the cleverly lyrical John McNeil/Bill McHenry jazz group at Cornelia St. Cafe, $15

6/11, 10 PM oldtime country harmony hellraisers Those Darlins at Maxwell’s, $10.

6/11, 10 PM hellraising Irish band Jameson’s Revenge at Connolly’s

6/11 LES rockabilly/surf/punk legend Simon & the Bar Sinisters at Lakeside, 10:15ish.

6/11, 11 PM clever, funny faux-French garage rockers Les Sans Culottes at Freddy’s.

6/11 high-energy all-girl country harmony band Those Darlins, 11 PM at Maxwell’s.

6/11 we are not making this up – L’il Kim shares the stage with transvestite Amanda Lepore at gay bar Club 57, 311 W 57th St.(8th/9th Ave), $15 before midnight.

6/12 hellraising country harmony women Those Darlins at 2:45 PM followed by the intensely charismatic retro nuevo funkster Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears at 4:30 at Madison Square Park, free.

6/12, 3 PM a toy piano festival at Bargemusic feat. Phyllis Chen, Karlheinz Essl, Konrad Kaczmarek, John McDonald, Matthew Malsky and others, $25/$20 srs/$15 stud.

6/12 ska on the water: Royal City Riot and the Toasters play a concert cruise aboard the Jewel, leaving at 7 PM sharp from behind the heliport at 23rd & the FDR, $25 adv tix. available at the Highline Ballroom box office.

6/12, 7:30 PM cutting-edge string quartet Brooklyn Riderwith Silk Road Project shakuhachi player Kojiro Umezaki at the Schimmel Auditorium at Pace University downtown (Spruce St. between William/Nassau), 2 free tix per person available starting at 5 PM at the box office. Then Brooklyn Rider sprint up to Bleecker St. to le Poisson Rouge where they’re playing with Christina Courtin for $15 at 10:30.

6/12, 8 PM Syrian pop star Omar Souleyman at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, $15 adv tix available at the Mercury til 7 PM weekdays

6/12, 8 PM alt-country pioneer and Flatlanders honcho Joe Ely at B.B. King’s, $25 adv tix rec.

6/12, 8:30-midnight PM Sousalves’ Songwriters from Hell at Banjo Jim’s featuring (in order) Maya Solovey, Katie Dixon, Kerry Davis, Sousalves, Alan Merrill, Benjamin Cartel and finally Liz Tormes headlining at half past eleven.

6/12, 8:30 PM trumpeter Sarah Wilson plays the cd release for her new one with Myra Melford, piano; Ben Goldberg, clarinet; Jerome Harris, bass; Matt Wilson, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10.

6/12, 9 PM killer doublebill: torchy intense chanteuse April Smith & the Great Picture Show plus the phenomenally charismatic soul man/guitarist Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears at Maxwell’s, $18 adv tix highly rec., this will sell out.

6/12, 9 PM cowpunks Nightmare River Band open for nine-piece grasscore jam band Old Man Markley at Union Hall, $10

6/12, 10 PM lyrical, dark Texas Americana rocker John Pinamonti at Sunny’s in Red Hook

6/12, 11:30 PM innovative new big band jazz with Ensemble Denada at Drom, $15 gen adm.

6/13, 6:30 PM an interfaith 9/11 commemorative concert at St. Paul’s Chapel downtown with Bach’s Sonata #2 in D Major for Harpsichord and Cello performed by harpsichordist Kenneth Cooper and cellist Fred Zlotkin, free but rsvp reqd.

6/13, 8:30 PM pianist Melody Fader leads a string trio playing Beethoven, Berio, Chopin, Carter, and Dvorak’s Dumky Trio at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10.

6/13, 9 PM the Asuka Kakitani Jazz Orchestra – one of the world’s most interesting – makes a rare Brooklyn appearance at Tea Lounge in Park Slope. Don’t miss it if big band jazz is your thing

6/13, 10:30 PM Oran Etkin does his West African jazz thing followed by eclectic captivating Moroccan jazz/soul chanteuse Malika Zarra and her band at Joe’s Pub, $12

6/13 gypsy rocker Yula Beeri and the Extended Family at the big room at the Rockwood.

6/14, 6-9 PM the Museum Mile Festival features free admission at most every museum starting at 103rd St.

6/14, 7 PM fearless mostly female klezmer powerhouse Isle of Klezbos at the community garden at 520 E 12th (Ave. A/B); in case of rain, it’s at Bluestockings Bookstore on Allen St. just south of Stanton.

6/14, 8 PM witty, stinging lyrical tunesmith Marcellus Hall (of White Hassle) at Rock Shop in Gowanus, $10

6/14, 8 PM the Sirius Quartet play world premieres by Mikael Karlsson and Fung Chern Hwei at the Gershwin Hotel, $10

6/14, 9:45 PM bluegrass with the Sleepy Hollow String Band at Caffe Vivaldi.

6/14 dark politically aware jazz/pan-Asian chanteuse/pianiast Jen Shyu at Korzo, 10 PM.

6/14, 10:20 PM ethereal dark art-rockers Elysian Fields play the cd release show for their new one at le Poisson Rouge, $15 gen adm.

6/15, 7 PM twangy, tuneful Texas-flavored alt-country band Two Cent Revival play. their cd release show at the Rockwood.

6/15, 7:30 PM adventurous new music quartet Cadillac Moon Ensemble plays Luciano Berio and others including two world premieres at Culturefix, 9 Clinton St., free

6/15 the Dictators’ ageless Andy Shernoff at 7 followed eventually by the soul/garage sounds of the Solid Set at 9 at Lakeside.

6/15, 7:30 PM smartly tuneful jazz pianist Art Hirahara solo at Smalls

6/15, 7:30 PM violinist Veronique Mathieu plays works by Csickso and Shepherd followed by fearless avant ensemble Lunatics at Large performing works by Raoul Pleskow, Frederick Tillis, Elizabeth Bell, Steven Gerber and Marilyn Bliss at Symphony Space, $11.

6/15, 8 PM endlessly surprising, astonishingly intense piano virtuoso Kathleen Supove plays Julia Wolfe – Compassion; Lainie Fefferman – Barnacles (NY premiere); Alvin Curran – Inner Cities (selections); Michael Gatonska – A Shaking of the Pumpkin; Frederic Rzewski – Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues at Bargemusic, $35/$30 srs./$25 stud.

6/15, 8 PM John Zorn plays a rare duo show with Tyshawn Sorey on drums at the Stone, their calendar doesn’t say it’s any more than $10. Could be a lot of fun. Get there early.

6/15, 9 PM New Orleans band the Grand Street Stompers play the cd release show for their new one at Radegast Hall.

6/16 the Northside Festival in Williamsburg kicks off – in reality what that means is that whatever bands all the Williamsburg clubs happened to have on their calendar this week are part of it. Last year’s was badly attended and didn’t have many good bands, pretty much what you’d expect in this part of town. There are a few choice shows including Beirut on 6/16 at 8:30 and Guided by Voices on 6/18 at 7 at McCarren Park, both of which are SOLD OUT but you might be able to get close enough to hear anyway.

6/15, 9:30ish the eclectic, funny, ferociously tuneful instrumental rockers TarantinosNYC at Otto’s.

6/15 a rare non-stadium show by edgy, lyrical powerpop siren Patti Rothberg at the Bitter End, of all places, 10 PM

6/16, half past noon baritone saxophonist Claire Daly leads a quartet at at St. Marks Park, 2nd Ave/10th St.

6/16-19 James Farm (the new quartet with featuring saxophonist Joshua Redman, pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer Eric Harland) at the Jazz Standard, 7:30/9:30 PM, $35, res. very highly rec., this will sell out quickly.

6/16, 7:30 PM the highlight of the American Composers’ Association’s multiple nights at Symphony Space looks to be this one,with works by Christopher Shultis, Jody Rockmaker, Joyce Hope Suskind, Lewis Nielson, Barbara Jazwinski, and Glenn Stallcop. Performers include Esther Lamneck, clarinet, Falko Steinbach, piano, Martin Schuring, oboe, and Lynne Aspnes, harp, $11.

6/16, 7:30 PM violinist Emilie-Anne Gendron and pianist Yelena Grinberg play Liszt, Bartók, Kurtag, Schubert, Saint-Saëns at WMP Concert Hall, $25.

6/16 flutist Ransom Wilson’s new music ensemble Le Train Bleu at Galapagos, 7:30 PM, $15.

6/16-19, 7:30/9:30 PM Jamaican jazz/reggae piano legend Monty Alexander & the Harlem Kingston Express at Dizzy’s Club, $30 seats avail. Note that the 6/15 show is sold out.

6/16, 8 PM eclectic, witty jazz guitarist Matt Munisteri at Barbes followed at 10 by bluegrass mandolin monster Andy Statman ($10 cover).

6/16, 8:30 PM Mamie Minch and Jolie Holland’s oldtimey supergroup Midnight Hours at the Jalopy, $10

6/16, 8:30 PM eclectic electric guitar powerhouse Joel Harrison leads a quartet with Anupam Shobhakar, sarod; Stephan Crump, bass; Satoshi Takeishi, percussion at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10

6/16 subtle, psychedelic, completely original roots reggae/dub/worldbeat band Kiwi  followed by John Brown’s Body – who absolutely slayed on 4/20 at Highline Ballroom – at Maxwell’s, 9 PM $15.

6/16 Esquela – the new Americana rock project from the Yayhoos’ Keith Christopher with powerhouse singer Rebecca Frame – at Lakeside, 9 PM.

6/16, 9 PM Garth Stevenson – who creates songs live from loops using his bass and a pedal – followed by intricate “American mystic music” acoustic guitarist John Shannon at the 92YTribeca, $10 gen adm.

6/16 electric bluegrass/country/rock guitar/mandolin monsters Demolition String Band at Rodeo Bar, 10ish.

6/16 dark lyrical songwriter Daniel Bernstein & the Everybody Knows at Fontana’s, 10 PM.

6/17 the third annual Istanbulive Turkish music festival at Central Park Summerstage features iconic songwriter/freedom fighter/filmmaker Zulfu Livaneli (sort of the Turkish Bob Dylan), early arrival, i.e. 3 PM at the latest, highly advised.

6/17, 7 PM the Shannon Baker/Erica Seguine Jazz Orchestra at Miles Cafe, $20 includes a drink and “snacks”

6/17, 8 PM keyboardist Kate Mattison’s sultry downtempo soul/pop band Mattison opens for Kathryn Calder of the New Pornographers at Rock Shop in Gowanus, $10

6/17, 9 PM soul/groove band the Del-Reys followed by potently politically aware third-wave ska/soul legends the Slackers at Bowery Ballroom, $16 adv tix highly rec.

6/17, 9/10:30 PM dark 80s-style goth/pop pianist/singer Kristin Hoffmann.at Caffe Vivaldi.

6/17 wickedly tuneful, fearless, funny, socially aware all-girl janglerock/folk band Left on Red play Bar 82 at 10

6/17 surf music classics and obscuities with the Boss Guitars at Lakeside, 11 PM.

6/17, 11:30 PM clarinet monster Ismail Lumanovski and his band the NY Gypsy All-Stars at Drom, $15 adv tix rec.

6/18, 7 PM charismatic, literate NYC noir rock legend LJ Murphy at Banjo Jim’s.

6/18, 7 PM Metal Mountains (Helen Rush and Samara Lubelski’s ethereal project) followed by Thurston Moore’s Whiteout and then legendary 1960s psychedelic garage band Bardo Pond, no idea how many original members are left, at le Poisson Rouge, $10 gen adm.

6/18, 7:30 PM tuneful death-obsessed indie pop pianist/songwriter Jeremy Messersmith at the Mercury, $10.

6/18, 7:30 PM salsa dura doublebill: La Excelencia and the Larry Harlow Latin Legends Big Band at Prospect Park Bandshell.

6/18 the highlight of the Northside Festival is at Trash Bar starting at 8 with the Highway Gimps, the Viennagram at 9, Gunfight at 10, the Brooklyn What – NYC’s most intense, funny, socially aware rockers, and the Shapes (the Texas psychedelic pop band?) at midnight.

6/18, 8 PM for all you percussion fans: imagine tarantella sorceress Alessandra Belloni and Bahian groove monster Dende on the same stage. It’s gonna happen – wow. A summer solstice show with John LaBarbera on guitar and Steve Gorn on reeds, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, $25

6/18, 8 PM trumpeter Nate Wooley does double duty: first, premiering Atemwende” by Yugoslavian composer Bojan Vuleticwith the Mivos string quartet, then in a duo cd release performance with fellow trumpeter Peter Evans at Issue Project Room, free.

6/18, 8 PM Irish acoustic punk band Box of Crayons celebrate Bloomsday with the cd release show for their new album Dublin Over at Freddy’s

6/18, 9 PM hauntingly lyrical, intense Americana songwriter James McMurtry at the Bell House, $15. He’s also at Maxwell’s on 6/17 at 7:30 for the same price.

6/18, 9 PM yet another good diverse roots reggae doublebill at Shrine with 6th Degree followed at 10 by Zion Judah.

6/18, 9 PM funny, fearless oldschool style punk rockers the Live Ones, Boston’s Cortez and hilarious metal spoof Mighty High at Cake Shop

6/18 vibraphone-based Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica play the cd release show for their hypnotic, psychedelic new one Third River Rangoon at Otto’s – definitely the classiest band ever to play this dive.

6/18, 9 PM eclectic country juggernaut M Shanghai String Band at the Jalopy, $10.

6/18, 10:30 PM dark gypsy/goth rock and then slinky Cuban sounds with low-register instruments: Yula Beeri & the Extended Family followed by Gato Loco at Littlefield, $10

6/18 fearlessly fun Americana-punk rockers Spanking Charlene – winners of the Sirius/XM best unsigned band contest, now on Little Steven Van Zandt’s label – at Lakeside, 11 PM

6/19, 11 AM this year’s Bang on a Can Marathon – a NYC institution – at the World Financial Center.

6/19 this year’s free Punk Island festival at Governors Island happens two days in advance of Make Music NY as the yuppies are shitting their pants at the thought of loud, nonconformist music being played anywhere near their “luxury” apartments. This year, it’s been put together by the folks at ABC No Rio, a cool, eclectic, completely non-corporate lineup with bands as diverse as Humanwine, Fashion Week, Star Fucking Hipsters and Yula & the Extended Family. Take the free ferry which leaves every hour on the half hour from the old Shaolin ferry terminal (to the north of the new one). This year, they’re letting you bring food and drinks but be careful how you hide that booze, since it’s verboten – security is probably going to paw through your stuff, so wrap it up tight. After all, as the MMNY site reminds you, “The Trust for Governors Island reserves the right to deny access to the island at its discretion.” Let’s take over the island! Bust the trust!

6/19, 2 PM, free, extraordinary painter/performance artist Theresa Byrnes, guitarist Ronny Drayton, curator/producer Shantrelle Lewis, and actress Marie Claudine Mukamabano address issues of survival over adversity: sexual assault, illness, genocide, and a son’s incarceration, exploring the question of “how we continue after facing the unthinkable.” Moderated by musician K. Neycha Herford at Danny Simmons’ Corridor Gallery, 334 Grand Ave btwn Gates & Greene, Ft. Greene, Brooklyn, C to Clinton-Washington (G train not running)

6/19 a rare solo set by saxophone adventurer Matana Roberts at Downtown Music Gallery, 6 PM.

6/19, 8 PM Abbie Gardner of Red Molly does her gorgeously torchy jazz stuff at the Jalopy followed at 9:30 by haunting oldtime Nashville gothic/bluegrass band Bobtown

6/19, 9:30 PM rustic, lyrical Americana songwriter Andrew Vladeck’s dual cd/book release show at Joe’s Pub, $12.

6/19 soaring Americana with banjo player Hilary Hawke & the Flipsides at Rodeo Bar 10ish

6/19, 10 PM terrorist jazz with Peter Evans, Trumpet; Moppa Elliot, bass; Kassa Overall, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10.

6/20 indie classical orchestra the Knights play the world premiere of Lisa Bielawa’s Templehof Etude, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony plus a Morton Feldman piece at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park, 7:30 PM, early arrival advised.

6/20 Piaf scholar/noir accordion siren Marni Rice at 9 at Small Beast at the Delancey followed eventually at 11 by the magnificently intense, ferocious, gypsy rock/art-rock of Vera Beren’s Gothic Chamber Blues Ensemble.

6/20, 9 PM the JC Sanford Orchestra at Tea Lounge in Park Slope. They absolutely killed here last fall.

6/20, 10 PM tuneful danceable funk/Afrobeat band Mamarazzi at the Mercury, $15.

6/21 is Make Music NY. We’ve cherrypicked the best shows and put up a separate page here since there are so many of them. Nice to see that the very last band on the list is Zion Judah, one of our favorite reggae bands.

6/21, 1 PM Louis Andriessen’s Hoketus performed by two groups TBA at Federal Hall downtown

6/21, 7ish Talib Kweli at Red Hook Park (bordered by Hicks and Henry in Red Hook – same directions as if you’re going to the Jalopy: F to Carroll St., exit front of Brooklyn-bound train. Left on Smith, right on 1st Place, continue as 1st Place becomes Summit. Go over the BQE, make a U-turn, continue on Summit).

6/22, 7 PM at Alwan for the Arts, a panel discussion: Detained Without Cause – Muslims’ Stories of Detention and Deportation in America. “The post-9/11 emergence of Islamophobic media hysteria, oppressive law enforcement tactics and increasing surveillance in the name of security is a package sold to the public as the inevitable cost of freedom. Learn what that cost really means in human terms: the stories of fellow New Yorkers disappeared from our communities during the first months after the terrible events of 9/11.” Free and open to the public, early arrival advised.

6/22, 7 PM alt-country chanteuse Tift Merritt at Madison Square Park, free.

6/22, 7:30/9:30 PM eclectic pan-latin bassist Pedro Giraudo leads his jazz orchestra at the Jazz Standard,  $20.

6/22, 8 PM eclectic, poignant yet quirkly funny art-rock keyboardist Greta Gertler solo at the Gershwin Hotel, a benefit for the homeless, $15

6/22, 8 PM Pete Rock (of Pete Rock & CL Smooth) opens for psychedelic vibraphone jazz legend (and brilliant film composer) Roy Ayers at Highline Ballroom, $25 gen adm.

6/22, 8 PM a Roy Nathanson doublebill at the Stone: first his Sotto Voce quintet, then his Akhenaten Ensemble featuring vibroharp and trumpet, $10. He’s a NYC institution and an unbeatable raconteur, somebody you should see at least once.

6/22, 9 PM the Japonize Elephants play gypsy punk at Freddy’s.

6/22, 9 PM powerhouse soul-infused songwriter Jo Williamson at LIC Bar.

6/23 this year’s four-day Undead Jazz Festival begins. Some amazing shows: 6/23 at le Poisson Rouge with pianist Satoko Fuji’s lyrical Ma-Do quartet followed by Marc Ribot solo and Orrin Evans’ gritty, cerebral, intense Tarbaby; also on 6/23, haunting trumpeter Amir ElSaffar as well as lyrical pianists Kris Davis and Gerald Clayton each leading a band at Sullivan Hall; 6/25 pipa virtuoso Min Xiao-Fen’s Dim Sum and then later Jeremy Udden’s plaintive Americana jazz band Plainville at Homage Skate Park, 151 Smith St., in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn; and all kinds of great stuff scattered around on closing night. They’re doing it by neighborhood: West Village on day one, Gowanus for the next two and then Williamsburg. Your best bet the best deal is the four-day pass for $50 which works out to $12.50 a night, a real steal for these A-list shows. There are also two-day passes ($35), single-day passes ($25) and single tix to the 6/24 show at the Bell House (not included in the two-day pass), all available at the Poisson Rouge box office. Too many acts to list individually: the full calendar is here.

6/23, 7 PM the Vijay Iyer Quintet at Castle Clinton in Battery Park, free tix avail. 2 per person on the line outside the castle starting at 4 PM.

6/23, 7:15 PM oboeist Keve Wilson leads an ensemble at Caffe Vivaldi.

6/23 Greensboro, NC’s deliriously fun, lickety-split, witty oldtimey banjo/euphonium band Holy Ghost Tent Revival at Littlefield, 8 PM, $10; they’re at the Rockwood at midnight on 6/24.

6/23, 8 PM clever, entertaining toy piano expert Phyllis Chen at Barbes at 8 followed at 10 by Nation Beat drummer Scott Kettner’s Forro Brass Band.

6/23, 8 PM drummer Mike Pride’s always interesting, psychedelic jazz band From Bacteria To Boys at the Stone, $10

6/23, 8/10:30 PM vocal jazz legend Little Jimmy Scott celebrates his 85th birthday at the Blue Note, $20 “seats” avail. His show last year at the Charlie Parker Festival was characteristically shattering – he’s still got it.

6/23-24, 8 PM this era’s biggest surf band, Los Straitjackets at City Winery, $20.

6/23, 8 PM hypnotic, sometimes lush, sometimes austere new music quintet Build play the Gershwin Hotel, $10.

6/23, 9 PM one of the year’s best doublebills – haunting, hypnotic duo AE (Eva Primack and Aurelia Shrenker) who interpolate Appalachian and Balkan music, followed by badass oldtimey sirens the Roulette Sisters at 10:30 at the Jalopy, $10

6/23 Shane Endsley, trumpet; Gerald Clayton, piano; Matt Brewer, bass; John Ellis, tenor sax at Cornelia St Cafe, 9/10:30 PM, $15.

6/23, 9:30 PM Palestinian-American oudist Tareq Abboushi’s Shusmo project at Joe’s Pub, $15.

6/24, 6 PM coy, fun Israeli dance-pop duo Hank & Cupcakes at Union Square on the south side of the park

6/24, 7 PM cinematic Microscopic Septet pianist Joel Forrester’s Secret Identity with Claire Daly on baritone sax, Vito Dieterle on tenor, David Hofstra on bass, and Matthew Garrity on drums at the Gershwin Hotel, $5.

6/24, 7 PM Octavio Brunetti’s Apeadero Sur Tango Orchestra at Hudson River Park, 44th St. and the Hudson

6/24, 7:30 PM Badwagon (the Bad Plus plus Jason Moran’s Bandwagon) make their world premiere followed by Roy Hargrove’s quintet at Prospect Park Bandshell.

6/24, 8 PM unstoppably romantic, effervescent, razor-sharp Hawaiian swing band the Moonlighters at Barbes followed at 10 by the Jug Addicts.

6/24, 8ish swirling dreampop band Zaza, Quiet Light and noir psychedelic rock legend Martin Bisi at Littlefield, $8.

6/24, 8 PM new music ensemble Transit play world premieres by Pat Muchmore, Daniel Felsenfeld and Ryan Brown at St. Peter’s Church, 346 W 20th St. (8th/9th), $15

6/24, 8:30 PM Canadian darkwave/goth chanteuse NLX at Caffe Vivaldi.

6/24, 9ish intense, potently lyrical, dark songwriter Erin Regan at Goodbye Blue Monday.

6/24, 9 PM Greta Gertler’s lush, gorgeously tuneful orchestrated rock band the Universal Thump at Bowery Electric, $12

6/24, 9 PM cult legend soul/blues harpist/belter Syl Johnston at the Bell House, $20.

6/24, 9 PM garage rock night with Electric Mess and the Insomniacs at Union Hall, $8

6/24, 10 PM intense Irish party band Shilelagh Law at Connolly’s.

6/24, 10 PM Tall Tall Trees at Pete’s followed at 11 by Tumbling Bones and their similar ramshackle oldtimey country/blues sound.

6/24 original 2/3 female (2 girls, 1 guy) rockabilly/surf rockers Catspaw at the Fortune Cookie Lounge under Lucky Cheng’s, 10:30 PM, $5

6/24 kick ass Americana rockers Tom Clark & the High Action Boys at Lakeside, 11 PM

6/25 popular British soul revivalists Fitz & the Tantrums followed by James Brown-influenced soul/funk vet Lee Fields & the Expressions at Central Park Summerstage, early arrival, i.e. 4 PM at the latest highly advised.

6/25, 5:30 PM alto sax powerhouse Jacam Manricks leads a trio at Miles Cafe, $20 includes a drink and “snacks”

6/25, 7:15 PM chamber-pop band BoxFive followed by cello/marimba duo Goli at Caffe Vivaldi.

6/25, 7:30 PM snarling garage-punk band Des Roar – of Ted Bundy Was a Ladies Man notoriety – at the Mercury

6/25, 8 PM slinky, haunting vintage Middle Eastern/East African group Sounds of Taraab at Barbes.

6/25, 8 PM the Undead Jazz Festival at Littlefield is sort of the Stone transplanted to the Gowanus, with Jeff Lederer’s Sunwatcher, Sylvie Courvoisier & Mark Feldman, the Darius Jones Trio, Anthony Coleman Trio w/ Brad Jones and Satoshi Takeshi, and Jamie Saft’s New Zion Trio, $25 adv tix rec.

6/25, 8 PM the London Souls’ third-rate fifth-generation garage rock followed by the Heavy, who do oldschool funk/soul vamps with lots of loops and samples, at Prospect Park Bandshell.

6/25, 8 PM the CCB Reggae Allstars play Marley’s Rastaman Vibration in its entirety plus other Marley hits at the Brooklyn Bowl, $5.

6/25, 8ish tuneful, high-energy ska-punk with King Django at Shrine.

6/25, 10:30 PM ornate, intense, amazingly tuneful art-rock/metal band Of Earth – fresh off a world tour opening for Guns & Roses?!? at Local 269, $7. Their excellent album is now available for free download.

6/26, 3 PM Renaissance ensemble Parthenia play “an intimate collection of early English art songs for voice, viols and lute, illustrating Renaissance life and love” including music by Dowland, Purcell and Henry VIII at Bargemusic, $35/$30 srs/$15 stud.

6/26, 7 PM a characteristically eclectic triplebill at Barbes – Yukie and Ryoji playing classic tango and tango nuevo on bandoneon and guitar followed by at 8 by Ben Holmes, Curtis Hasselbring and Marcus Rojas playing brass trio improvisations and then at 10 gypsy punk band the Japonize Elephants.

6/27, 7 PM the Ossia Chamber Players perform interesting new works by Rubin Kodheli, Theo Bleckmann, Michael Gatonska, Daniel Wohl and Kono Michi at le Poisson Rouge.

6/27, 8 PM eclectic, always interesting jazz bassist Dave Holland leads a quintet at the Highline Ballroom, $25.

6/27 charming oldtimey swing and hillbilly sounds with Daria Grace & the Prewar Ponies at Rodeo Bar, 9ish.

6/27, 9 PM the Schumacher Group plays innovative third-stream big band jazz at Tea Lounge in Park Slope.

6/27, 9:30 PM drummer Ari Hoenig leads an intriguing quartet with intense, Middle Eastern influenced guitarist Gilad Hekselman at Smalls

6/28, half past noon up-and-coming jazz pianist Emmet Cohen at 1 NY Plaza downtown, free. He’s also at the World Financial Center plaza at 5:30 on 6/30.

6/28, 5:30 PM the NY Gypsy All-Stars in the parking lot out back of City Winery, free.

6/28, 7 PM maverick viola virtuoso Ljova with the Fernando Otero Quintet at Klavierhaus, 211 W 58th St., $20. Moody Argentinian pianist Otero tore up le Poisson Rouge his last time there; Ljova is always up for a challenge and maybe some serious jousting.

6/28-7/3, 7:30/9:30 PM the Kenny Garrett Quartet at Dizzy’s Club, $30 seats avail.

6/28, 10 PM dark steampunk siren Jolie Holland plays the cd release show for her latest one at Bowery Ballroom, $15 adv tix highly rec.

6/28-7/2, 11 PM alto saxophonist Sharel Cassity leads a quartet at Dizzy’s Club, $10 seats avail.

6/29, 7 PM a spectacularly good new music doublebill at Galapagos: Mivos Quartet play world premieres by Tristan Perich and Samson Young followed by Redshift Ensemble’s highly anticipated Arctic Sounds suite incorporating found sounds from the rapidly disappearing great white north, $15 gen adm., early arrival highly rec.

6/29, 7 PM short sets by powerpop goddess Patti Rothberg and ex-Utopian Moogy Klingman followed by two sets by the Peaceniks at the big room at the Rockwood, $10

6/29, 7 PM latin jazz piano legend Larry Harlow & Latin Legends Big Band at Soundview Park in the Bronx, 6 train to Morrison Ave/Soundview

6/29, 7 PM cellist Marika Hughes at the small room at the Rockwood.

6/29, 7 PM a Bernard Herrmann 100th Birthday celebration conducted by Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (?!?) conductor John Mauceri at the Greene Space, $20 includes a glass of wine.

6/29, 8 PM Brian Carpenter’s Ghost Train Orchestra – who just put out a sizzling album of classic/obscure 1920s swing jazz tunes – at Highline Ballroom, $10 adv tix very highly rec.

6/29, 8 PM hard-hitting psychedelic powerpop trio Devi play outdoors at the Grove St. Path train station in Jersey City, free

6/29, 8:30 PM the monthly ska-xtravaganza has found a new home at Southpaw. This month’s lineup is the Big Takeover, Cosmolingo, The Rudie Crew, the Times and King Django, $10, note that this is 21 and over

6/29-7/3 the annual Django Reinhardt gypsy jazz festival at Birdland, sets 8:30/11 PM, $30 seats avail., too many artists to list here but it’s a good lineup as always.

6/29, 10 PM Beninghove’s Hangmen play the release show for their new noir jazz cd at Drom, $10 gen adm

6/29 Paleface – the original sardonic 90s white funk/hip-hop guy – at Rodeo Bar 10ish. 6/30 he’s at Southpaw at 10:30 followed by dark soul/rock chanteuse Shenandoah & the Night for $10.

6/30, 7 PM Ehud Asherie plays solo piano followed at 9:30 PM by tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger’s fascinating, tuneful Quintet at Smalls.

6/30, 7 PM Laurie Anderson and Bill Laswell at Castle Clinton in Battery Park, free tix avail. 2 per person on the line outside the castle starting at 4 PM.

6/30-7/3 one of the leading lights of jazz piano, Gerald Clayton leads a trio at the Jazz Standard, sets 7:30/9:30 PM, $25 ($30 Fri-Sat).

6/30, 8 PM Burritos-style country band Whisperado followed by a birthday show by classic pop maven Elisa Peimer at Kenny’s Castaways, free, birthday cake also available (we think).

6/30, 8 PM film historian/Yiddish culturist Eve Sicular (Metropolitan Klezmer’s awesome drummer) presents “The Celluloid Closet of Yiddish Film: A Yingl Mit a Yingl Hot Epes a Tam?” addressing gay subtext in classic Yiddish celluloid. Free outdoor video/multimedia presentation at Le Petit Versailles Garden, 346 E Houston at Ave C.

6/30, 8:30 PM intense, crystalline-voices singer/composer Sara Serpa leads a quintet with Andre Matos, guitar; Pete Rende, piano; Matt Brewer, bass; Tommy Crane, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10.

6/30, 9 PM fearless charismatic dark oldtimey siren Kelli Rae Powell at Freddy’s followed at 10 by a one-off NYC show by Wytchhyker, Electric Six frontman Joshua Darsky’s old “stoner pop” band.

6/30, 9:30 PM Nellie McKay’s surreal, twisted one-woman biographical show about the execution of convicted murderer Barbara Graham (who was probably innocent) in California in 1956, $20, this will sell out, adv tix a must. “Good people think they’re always right.”

6/30, 10:15 PM tuneful Americana siren Julia Haltigan plays the big room at the Rockwood

If you’re looking for weekly events for June or July, scroll down to the bottom of this page.

7/1, 8:30 PM roots reggae legends Steel Pulse at Prospect Park Bandshell.

7/1, 9 PM a clever melodic trio with JD Allen, tenor sax; Michael Bates, double bass; Jeff Davis, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $15.

7/1, 9 PM dark intense rock songwriter Elisa Flynn at Banjo Jim’s playing new “19th Century Songs” from her ep and a bunch of new ones “about bears, speaking in tongues, and murder…nothing but murder.”

7/1, 10 PM oldschool vallenato/cumbia hellraisers Very Be Careful at Bowery Poetry Club; they’re at Barbes 7/2 at 10.

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.

7/3 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, 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 midnight smart oldtimey chanteuse/swing guitarist Miss Tess at the small room at the Rockwood.

7/8 tight, soaring oldschool honkytonk band Yarn – with a horn section – at Southpaw, time TBA $12

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

7/8, 9 PM 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 midnight sly acoustic jam band Tall Tall Trees at the big room at the Rockwood.

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, 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.

7/11, 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 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

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

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, 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 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.

7/16, 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-ish PM the Black Angels at South St. Seaport.

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

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.

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

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

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.

7/19-24 lyrical jazz pianist Fred Hersch leads a trio at the Vanguard, 9/11 PM

7/19, 10 PM Toots & the Maytals at Brooklyn Bowl, $26. He’ll also be here on 7/25.

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

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

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 Lucinda Williams at the Beacon, 9 PM, $39.50 tix avail. at the box office – may be sold out by now.

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.

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

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

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

7/26-31 7:30/9:30 subtle, soulful latin chanteuse Claudia Acuna leads her brilliant intense quintet at Dizzy’s Club, $30 seats avail.

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

7/26, 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

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

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.

7/29, 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, 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.

7/30, 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, 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

7/31 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.

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

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

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

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

8/4, 7:30 PM Vietnamese psychedelic rockers Dengue Fever at Damrosch Park out back of Lincoln Center, free

8/4, a twangy guitar summit with the eclectic Bill Kirchen and surf rockers Los Straitjackets at Maxwell’s $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 Bassam Saba and the NY Arabic Orchestra at Damrosch Park out back of Lincoln Center, free.

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

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

8/9 classic roots reggae with the Abyssinians and Black Uhuru’s Mykal Rose at Highline Ballroom

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.

8/10, 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.

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

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

8/16, 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.

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

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.

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

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

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

8/27, 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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 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 in June at 9 PM at the Brooklyn Bowl Afrobeat band Zongo Junction and funk orchestra Turkuaz play a doublebill, sometimes with an opening act at 8; 6/13 the opener is reggae band Buru Style. $5 cover.

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.

Also Mondays in June the Barbes house band, Chicha Libre plays there starting around 9:30. They’ve singlehandedly resurrected an amazing subgenre, chicha, which was popular in the Peruvian Amazon in the late 60s and early 70s. With electric accordion, cuatro, surf guitar and a slinky but boisterous rhythm section, their mix of obscure classics and originals is one of the funnest, most danceable things you’ll witness this year.

Also Mondays in June 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 from May through 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. May artists include Michael Brown on May 3; Evan Shinners on May 10; Tanya Bannister on May 17; Gregg Kallor on the 24th and William McNally on the 31st.

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

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.

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

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

Saturdays in June through August, 1 PM there are free concerts at Bargemusic – early arrival advised. Usually these are piano recitals, with the occasional string ensemble. Note that there is no concert on August 13.

Saturday nights in June, 9:30 PM Tammy Faye Starlite stars in Chelsea Madchen: An Evening with Nico at the Duplex, Duplex (61 Christopher St. at 7th Ave.), $15 plus 2 drink min. Less one of Starlite’s venomously hilarious parodies than an exploration of Nico the individual: “Nico was, and remains, a heroine and emblem for these dark days of civil unrest and our unceasing fascination with sybaritic self-destruction and the willful deconstruction and annihilation of beauty,” says Tammy Faye. “I’ve got the songs, the accent and the hair down and am working tirelessly on the cheekbones.” Let’s see if she’s learned to sing flat.

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

New York City Live Music Calendar for May and June 2011 Plus Other Events

Once again, 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 constantly.

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 edgy, entertaining stuff – if you like Lady Gag or Fleet Foxes, you should stay at home and hide under the covers, this is music for intelligent people. We try to be descriptive rather than using all kinds of superlative adjectives.

5/1 an amazing free outdoor lineup at the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival (two blocks from the Path station – just follow the sound to Washington St.) – intense, smart chamber-rockers Bern & the Brights at 1 PM, Tammy Faye Starlite’s hilarious Blondie cover band the Pretty Babies at 2, Steve Wynn’s hall-of-fame caliber Baseball Project at 3 and the legendary Ian Hunter – still going strong at 72! at 4.

5/1, 4:45 PM organist Scott Foppiano plays a welcome NYC return engagement at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

5/1, 6 PM a fun, entertaing new music/third-stream jazz doublebill with cellist Jody Redhage followed by the playful Steve Hudson Chamber Ensemble at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10

5/1, 7 PM smart, edgy, lyrical indie rock songwriter Tara Jane O’Neil at the Mercury, $12.

5/1, 8 PM at Union Pool: Apocalypse Five and Dime presents We Shall Not Be Moved: The New York Five & Dime Sit Down Strikes of 1937, A One-Act Musical written by Phil Andrews starring Josh Lerner and Kate followed by the Stagger Back Brass Band – the Spinal Tap of brass band music –  plus singers Xavier, Sara Lucas, Sarah Gordon (of Yiddish Princess) and Michele Hardesty doing socialist song classics.

5/1, 8 PM psychedelic African soul duo Amadou & Mariam, free, at the Cooper Square Hotel, 25 Cooper Sq., one assumes in the lobby.

5/1, 8 PM oldschool and new rustic Cuban sounds on low-register instruments by Gato Loco at Bowery Poetry Club

5/1 the hilarious Uncle Leon & the Alibis – NYC’s answer to David Allan Coe – at Rodeo Bar, 9ish.

5/2, 7 PM at the Greene Space, free: “Even as violent crime rates in New York have dropped dramatically in the past 15 years [due to NYPD brass’ manipulation of crime stats and their refusal to investigate crimes, rather than any real drop in crime], this controversial police procedure continues to divide law enforcement and community groups. Is ‘stop-and-frisk’ an effective preemptive strategy for crime prevention or a case of racial profiling? The Greene Space presents panelists on both sides of the issue in a discussion about how ‘stop-and-frisk’ affects New Yorkers in their everyday lives.”

5/2, 7 PM eclectic trombone god Josh Roseman’s Water Surgeons feat. Josh Roseman – trombone, bass guitar; Curtis Hasselbring – trombone, guitar; Jacob Garchik – trombone, accordion and Barney McAll – keyboards at Barbes followed at about 9:30 by Chicha Libre. They’re also here on 5/9, same time.

5/2, 8 PM Gutbucket and Pitom play gypsy/klezmer/jazz-tinged noisy groove stuff at Rock Shop in Gowanus, $8 “includes snacks.”

5/2, 8/10:30 PM Jane Wiedlin of the Go Go’s joins the surviving members of the Les Paul Trio at Iridium, $30. A crazy idea that just might work – she’s fun and always had the best voice in the band.

5/2, 9 PM Gary Morgan & Pan-Americana play eclectic big band jazz at Tea Lounge in Park Slope

5/2 at the big room at the Rockwood, 10:30 PM the Chris Morrissey Group – Ben Wendel- sax, Nir Felder- guitar, Mark Guiliana- drums, Pete Rende- piano, Chris Morrissey- bass followed by Sean Hutchinson’s Still Life at 11:30 – Henry Hey- keys, Chris Tarry- bass, Sean Hutchinson- drums

5/3, 7 PM Phil Kline and an A-list of downtown indie classical types – Matt Boehler on bass, Kathleen Supove on piano, Todd Reynolds on vionlin, Ashley Bathgate on cello – play songs by Kline, David Lang, Meredith Monk, Elliott Sharp at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, 450 W 37th St. betw 9th and 10th Aves., free, res. req. to 212-868-4444.

5/3, 7:30 PM darkly retro eclectic accordionist/chanteuse Rachelle Garniez – whose most recent album we rated best of the year – at Doma Cafe, 17 Perry St. at 7th Ave

5/3, 7:30 PM guitar orchestra Los Angeles Electric 8 play Javanese songs, Balinese kecak chants, and music by Mantle Hood and Wayne Siegel at the Tank, $10

5/3-8 7:30/9:30 PM Ron Carter, bass; Rodney Jones, guitar; Frank Kimbrough, piano; Carl Allen, drums; Ron Blake, tenor saxophone at Dizzy’s Club, $30 seats avail.

5/3, 8 PM Bulgarian accordion monster Peter Ralchev and his quartet play a very rare NYC show at Drom, $15 adv tix very highly rec.

5/3-4, 8 PM Bruce Cockburn & Jenny Scheinman at City Winery, $35 seats avail.

5/3 the completely original tuneful hip-hop-jazz marching brass band Hypnotic Brass Ensemble at SOB’s, 9:30 PM $15 adv tix highly rec.

5/3 Americana banjo star Hilary Hawke & the Flipsides at Rodeo Bar, 10ish.

5/3, 10ish hypnotic, pounding dreampop/goth/psychedelic instrumental trio the Big Sleep at Glasslands, $10

5/4, 7:30 PM the American String Quartet play Beethoven, Schubert and Shostakovich at the lovely old-world Fabbri Library, 7 E 95th St., $35.

5/4, 7:30 PM, free, the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism proudly presents the 4th annual concert, Korea 21: Music Here and Now at Symphony Space – it seems to be more corporate pop-oriented, but might be worth stopping in to see what the buzz is about.

5/4, 7:30 PM drummer Mike Pride’s imaginative, psychedelically tuneful From Bacteria to Boys at the Knitting Factory, $10.

5/4, 8 PM dark female-fronted dreampop/shoegaze Teletextile followed by lyrical anthemic Canadian band Wintersleep – who are a singer short of greatness – at Union Hall, $10.

5/4, 8 PM guitar funk virtuoso Askold Buk at P&G Bar on the upper west

5/4, 8 PM the Dan Weiss Trio featuring Jacob Sacks and Eivind Opsvik at Littlefield, $10.

5/4, 9 PM intense improvisational Balkan group Raya Brass Band at Radegast Hall

5/4 cutting-edge conscious Senegalese/American hip-hop with Blitz the Ambassador and his Afrobeat band playing their cd release show at SOB’s, 9 PM $12 adv tix rec.

5/5, 1 PM Isabelle Demers plays the organ at Trinity Church, free

5/5, 7:30 PM catchy jangly rock en Espanol outfit Cordero at Rock Shop in Gowanus, $10.

5/5, 8 PM retro keyboard goddess Rachelle Garniez – arguably the most cleverly amusing and charismatic accordion-wielding songwriter on the planet – followed at 10 by Matuto who are sort of an acoustic Nation Beat, mixing Brazilian and bluegrass influences.

5/5, 8 PM this year’s funnest Cinco de Mayo show with Chicha Libre and Banda de los Muertos de Quisqueya at Littlefield, $10.

5/5, 8 PM the all-female 17-piece Main Squeeze Orchestra conducted by Walter Kuehr, the self-styled “Hugh Hefner” of the accordion world plays Kurt Weill at Drom, $15 adv tix highly rec.

5/5, 8 PM the Curtis Institute of Music’s 20/21 ensemble plays a Joan Tower retrospective at the Miller Theatre at Columbia, 116th/Bwy., $20.

5/5, 8 PM devious songwriters Maria Sonevytsky and Susan Hwang (both of the Debutante Hour), and World Inferno’s Franz Nicolay among others at Goodbye Blue Monday

5/5, 8:30 PM Lebanese trumpet star Ibrahim Malouf and oud virtuoso Brahim Fribgane at the Lincoln Center Atrium at 65th and Broadway, early arrival advised. Malouf is also playing a duo show with pianist Frank Woeste at Alwan for the Arts on 5/6 at 9 PM, $20/$15 stud/srs.

5/5, 9 PM third-wave and second-wave ska with the Hub City Stompers and playful 80s ska-pop vets Bad Manners at Maxwell’s, $16 adv tix avail.

5/5, 9 PM menacing instrumental Israeli heavy metal/surf music with Eyal Maoz’ Edom at Tea Lounge in Park Slope

5/5, 9:30 PM torchy noir rock with Mad Juana at Bowery Electric.

5/5, 10 PM compelling, frequently creepy art-folk chanteuse Larkin Grimm at Union Pool.

5/5, 10 PM Roger Bartlett at P&G Bar on the upper west – is this the the guitarist who was Jimmy Buffett’s one-man road band back in the 70s?

5/5, 11:30 PM Spanglish Fly with their sultry retro 60s latin soul vibe at Southpaw for Cinco de Mayo

5/6 Tift Merritt at City Winery is sold out – good for her.

5/6, 7 PM subtle, vivid classic tango chanteuse Maria Cangiano followed by Gabriel Alegria’s Afro-Peruvian Septet’s weekly Friday gig at Tutuma Social Club on 56th St.

5/6, 7 PM Esquivel revivalists Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica Quartet at Miles Cafe, $20 includes a drink and “snacks”

5/6, 7:30 PM the NOW Ensemble playing Judd Greenstein, Patrick Burke, Mark Dancigers, and Sean Friar followed by the Chiara String Quartet playing Jefferson Friedman quartets with electronic efx at le Poisson Rouge, $20

5/6, 7:30 PM the Cassatt String Quartet and pianist Ursula Oppens in a joint appearance tackling the Brahms Piano Quintet, the world premiere of Fang Man’s Images of Lake Erie, Joan Tower’s Dumbarton, and Gabriela Lena Frank’s Ghosts in the Dream Machine. at Symphony Space, $30.

5/6, 8 PM two reverends who have nothing to do with religion: Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band play rustic acoustic Americana followed by Rev. Horton Heat playing semi-urban electric Americana at the Bell House, $22 adv tix rec. Rev. HH is also at Highline Ballroom on 5/8.

5/6 a tres bon cajun festival at the Jalopy starting with a Leadbelly style guitar workshop at 6:30 followed at 8 by the Big Road Blues Band, Catahoula Cajun Band, Empty Bottle Ramblers, Magnolia Cajun Band and then a midnight jam, $12 adv tix rec., $25 for the workshop.

5/6  MotherMoon -a smart, tuneful, sometimes haunting soul-influenced female-fronted band, like Cat Power but less precious, or Katie Elevitch in a less amped moment, at Spike Hill, 8 PM, note that there is a $6 cover.

5/6, 8:30 PM at Coco 66 a slamming triplebill with gypsy punks Kagero followed by Raya Brass Band at 9:30 and the equally ferocious West Philadelphia Orchestra at 10:30, $10

5/6 Caithlin De Marrais – one of the most unselfconsciously riveting singers in any style of music – sings her plaintive, thoughtful, compelling songs at 8:30 PM at Littlefield, $12. Sort of like a more rocking My Brightest Diamond.

5/6, 9 PM noir-tinged 2/3 female original rockabilly/surf trio Catspaw at Otto’s

5/6, 9 PM the wry, funny uke/bass project 2 Man Gentlemen Band and the ecstatic, improvisational Infamous Stringdusters at Bowery Ballroom, $15 gen adm.

5/6, 9/10:30 PM fiery, innovative pianist Gerald Clayton leads a quintet with Dayna Stephens – saxophone, Chris Dingman – vibraphone, Joe Sanders (Fri)/Matt Brewer(Sat) – bass, Marcus Gilmore – drums at the Jazz Gallery, $20

5/6, 9 PM Doll Parts (accordion-driven Dolly Parton covers with three-girl harmonies) followed by twistedly funny all-girl country parody band Menage a Twang at Union Hall, $10

5/6, 10 PM a killer dark triplebill at Banjo Jim’s with haunting, vivid Americana siren Jan Bell’s band the Maybelles followed at 11 by equally haunting, harmony-driven Nashville gothic band Bobtown and then the Just Desserts playing killer gypsy jazz at midnight. Wow.

5/6 the hellraising Jack Grace Band play classic 60s style country from their excellent most recent album Drinking Songs for Lovers at Barbes, 10 PM. They’re also at Rodeo Bar on 5/14 at 10ish.

5/6, 10 PM scorching, fun glampunk/noiserockers the K-Holes’ cd release show at Cake Shop

5/6, 10 PM Brooklyn’s own intense man in black, John Pinamonti at Sunny’s in Red Hook.

5/6 eerie electric bluespunk with the Five Points Band at Rodeo Bar 10ish.

5/6, 11 PM the wild, intense Pitch Black Brass Band at Bowery Poetry Club, $10

5/7, 4 (four) PM fearlessly lyrical pop/rock siren Elaine Romanelli at the small room at the Rockwood.

5/7, starting at 6 PM Rachael Bell and Derrick Barnicoat (frontwoman and brilliant percussionist of late great ominous psychedelic art-rockers Norden Bombsight) atat the Red brick school house on the corner of Prince and Mott providing a soundtrack to Daphane Park’s ambitious tea ceremony art/performance installation. Part of some New Museum series. Bell says “Art/Food/Drink/Music/Tea/Other, wash your feet.”

5/7, 7 PM a killer Americana quadruple bill starting with Apocalypse Five and Dime, the Roulette Sisters at 8, Roosevelt Dime at 9 and the Wiyos at 10 at Bowery Electric, $8.

5/7, 7 PM Nashville gothic maven – and indie film star – Lorraine Leckie & Her Demons at Banjo Jim’s.

5/7, 7 PM supersonic yet soulful electric blues guitarist Bobby Radcliff at Terra Blues.

5/7, 7 PM the Gregorio Uribe Big Band at the Fat Cat.

5/7 starting at 7 the NYC Ukefest at the Ailey Theatre, 405 W 55 St (9th Ave) feat all kinds of global ukulele talent including les Chauds Lapins.

5/7, 8 PM Romanian gypsy siren Sanda Weigl – whose intense new album Gypsy in a Tree is one of the year’s best – at Barbes followed by faux Mexican banda Banda Sinaloense De los Muertos (a bunch of jazz luminaries having fun with banda themes) at 10ish

5/7, 8 PM up-and-coming Americana multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Sarah Jarosz’s cd release show at the big room at the Rockwood, $10.

5/7 the cajun festival at the Jalopy continues with a bunch of workshops for stringed and accordion musicians followed by Cleoma’s Ghost at 8, Jesse Lege & the Bayou Brew at 9:15 and Zydegroove at 10:45, $12 adv tix rec., $25 for the workshops.

5/7, 8 PM comedic, smart Texas ukelele cover girl Julia Nunes at Rock Shop in Gowanus $15

5/7, 8 PM repeating 5/8, 3 PM Mark Peskanov, violin, Eric Jacobsen, cello and Steven Beck, piano play Haydn – Piano Trio in C minor; Ravel Piano Trio in A minor; Schubert: Piano Trio at Bargemusic, $35.

5/7, 8 PM, repeating on 5/8, 3 PM the Chelsea Symphony plays The Whydah Returns (world premiere) by Aaron Dai; Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 in D and Tschaikovsky’s 5th Symphony at St. Paul’s Church, 315 West 22nd St., sugg don. $20

5/7 haunting original bluegrass/Americana band Frankenpine at the Brooklyn Museum.

5/7, 9 PM Unsteady Freddie’s monthly surf rock extravaganza at Otto’s starting with Tsunami of Sound, Jason James & the Bay State Houserockers, the Tarantinos NYC and then sometime after midnight the Spytones.

5/7, 9 PM fearlessly funny Williamsburg punk rock vets the Live Ones at at the Gutter bowling alley in Williamsburg

5/7, 9/10:30 PM Dave Liebman, saxophone; Dan Tepfer, piano; Drew Gress, bass; Rob Garcia , drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $15.

5/7, 10 PM eclectic Selegalese flavored roots reggae with Meta & the Cornerstones at the 92YTribeca, $12 adv tix rec.

5/7, 10 PM ska trombone star Kevin Batchelor’s Grand Concourse feat. featuring members of the Skatalites, Rocksteady 7, Stingers & Westbound Train at Two Boots Brooklyn

5/7 LES rockabilly/surf/punk legend Simon & the Bar Sinisters at Lakeside, 10:15ish

5/7 crazy, virtuosic Capt. Beefheart cover band Admiral Porkbrain at Freddy’s, 11 PM.

5/7, midnight, cello metal with Stratospheerius at P&G Bar on the upper west

5/8, 6 PM amazing, improvisational, soulful pianist Jean-Michel Pilc plays an extremely rare small club duo show with Perry Smith on guitar at Caffe Vivaldi

5/8, 6 PM eclectic Ethiopian/jazz/Middle Eastern instrumentalists Blue Moon Ensemble play Drom, $10 adv tix rec.

5/8, 6 PM the Brooklyn Salsa Orchestra at the Brooklyn Bowl; they’re also here on 5/15

5/8, 7 PM stars of the NYC free jazz underground: Andy Haas (who has an excellent new album out), Will McEvoy on bass and David Gould on drums – at Downtown Music Gallery.

5/8, 7:30/9:30 PM the Juilliard Jazz Quintet w/Ron Carter, Rodney Jones, Frank Kimbrough, Carl Allen & Ron Blake at Dizzy’s Club, $30 seats avail.

5/8, 8 PM Americana rock crew the Felice Bros at the Bell House, $20.

5/8, 10 PM hilarious, scathingly aware hip-hop parody Schaffer the Darklord at Cake Shop

5/8, 10 PM up-and-coming Americana chanteuse Cal Folger Day at Spike Hill.

5/9, 6:30 PM a screening of the powerful documentary Gasland, a terrifying look at how hydrofracking – a dangerous natural gas drilling technique whose legalization was spearheaded by Dick Cheney in 2006 – pollutes drinking water nationwide with radioactive waste including radium. At the Museum of the City of NY, tix $12/$8 stud/srs, res req to 917-492-3395

5/9, 7 PM Michaela Anne sings down-to-earth, smart, tuneful Americana at Banjo Jim’s. She’s also at Caffe Vivaldi on 5/17 at 7:15 PM.

5/9, 7:30/9:30 PM oldschool soul/jazz siren Catherine Russell and phenomenal band at Dizzy’s Club, $20

5/9, 8/10:30 PM Matt Guitar Murphy at the Blue Note, $10 seats avail. Octogenarian Chicago blues guitar legend who suffered a stroke onstage a few years ago and finished the song before he decided to take a break. If he’s even a fraction of his old self he’s worth seeing.

5/9, 9 PM the Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra at Tea Lounge in Park Slope

5/10, 7 PM the king of the catchy literate rock anthem, Willie Nile and his band at Joe’s Pub, $25.

5/10, 7:30 PM opening night of the Mata new music Festival  at le Poisson Rouge with ACME , L’Arsenale and Hu Jianbing and Bao Jian, $20.

5/10 drummer Jamire Williams’ large-ish band Erimaj with ERIMAJ featuring Jamire Williams, Jason Moran, Corey King, Chris Turner, Matt Stevens, John Ellis and Vicente Archer at the Jazz Standard, sets 7:30/9:30, $20

5/10 Monty Python/Bonzo Dog Band’s Neil Innes at Highline Ballroom, 8 PM.

5/10, 8 PM a solid hip-hop extravaganza feat. DP One, J Period, Boogie Blind, Jean Grae and Pharaoh Monche at the Brooklyn Bowl, $15

5/10, 11 PM the Gowanus Reggae and Ska Society aka GRASS play instrumental Marley covers at Spike Hill; 5/14 they’re at Rodeo Bar, 9ish.

5/10, 11 PM powerfully tuneful, catchy, lyrical acoustic rocker Jennifer O’Connor at Rock Shop in Gowanus, $10; she’s also at Maxwell’s on 5/15 at 6 PM for two bucks less.

5/10, 5/12, 5/14 Pharaoh Sanders leads a quartet at Birdland, $30 seats avail.

5/11 the NY Funk Exchange plays 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.

5/11, 7:30 PM day two of the Mata Festival at le Poisson Rouge continues with Angelica Negrón, the Dither guitar quartet, Cantori NY, Chris Danforth and the Danforths, bassist Florent Ghys, hosted by everybody’s favorite Q2 personality, Nadia Sirota.

5/11 up-and-coming trumpeter Dominick Farinacci leads a quintet with Dan Kaufman – piano; Yashushi Nakamura – bass; Lawrence Leathers – drums; Keita Ogawa – percussion at the Jazz Standard, sets 7:30/9:30, $20

5/11, 8:30 PM Jacam Manricks – first-rate composer and alto player – and band at Miles Cafe, $20 includes a drink and “snacks”

5/11, 9 PM third-wave NYC garage rock legends the New Dynasty Six (presumably without Johnny Chan) at Lakeside.

5/11 Mike LeDonne leads a B3 trio at the Fat Cat, 9 PM.

5/11, 10 PM chanteuse/pianist Lorrie Doriza’s noir/goth art-rock band Vespertina – like the Dresden Dolls, but genuinely menacing instead of cute – play the cd release show for their highly anticipated new one The Waiting Wolf at Bowery Poetry Club, $10.

5/11, 10 PM up-and-coming rock guitar star Rony Corcos – sort of an Israeli version of early Thalia Zedek – at Banjo Jim’s followed at 11 by torchy Americana singer Cal Folger Day.

5/11 tongue-in-cheek, period-perfect early 50s style country from Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. at Rodeo Bar, 10ish

5/12 Renee Anne Louprette at the organ at Trinity Church, 1 PM, free.

5/12, 7:30 PM dark rustic klezmer-tinged rockers Barbez plays songs from their new cd Force of Light, guitarist/frontman Dan Kaufman’s homage to Holocaust survivor and poet Paul Celan at the ACFNY auditorium, 11 E 52nd St (between 5th and Madison), free but res. req. to 212-319-5300 ext. 222.

5/12, 7:30 PM closing night of the Mata Festival at le Poisson Rouge features Metropolis Ensemble, $20.

5/12, 8 PM fiery, brilliantly lyrical, politically fearless Iraqi-American rocker Stephan Said and His Magic Orchestra at Drom, $10 adv tix highly rec.

5/12, 8 PM Cuarteto La Catrina play Mexican and Puerto Rican composers at Symphony Space, $30 adv tix rec.

5/12, 8:30 PM Melvin Van Peebles with Laxative at Zebulon – the great filmmaker (Sweet Sweetback’s Badass Song) is also an extraordinarily funny, charismatic presence on the mic, and the funky band behind him (Paula Henderson of Burnt Sugar on baritone sax!) is kick-ass.

5/12, 8:30 PM unpredictably brilliant sax titan Jon Irabagon leads a quintet with Jon Ralph Alessi, trumpet; Jacob Sacks , piano; John Hebert , bass; Mike Pride, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10.

5/12, 9ish olschool East Coast hardcore hip-hop with Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and Mobb Deep at the Nokia Theatre, $35 tix avail.

5/12, 10 PM noir cabaret/gypsy punk band Not Waving but Drowning at Drom playing the cd release show for their mysterious new one on a killer bill with slinky Middle Eastern/trance string band Copal, $10 adv tix rec.

5/12, 9/10:30 PM amazing Middle Eastern jazz with Hafez Modirzadeh – saxophones, Amir ElSaffar – trumpet, Vijay Iyer – piano, Ken Filiano – bass, Royal Hartigan – drums at the Jazz Gallery, $20.

5/12, 10 PM sly acoustic jamband Tall Tall Treesat the small room at the Rockwood; they’re also here on 5/26

5/12, 10 PM torchy smart bossa/jazz chanteuse Sasha Dobson plays with a trio at Barbes.

5/12, a very cool doublebill at Drom: 10:30 PM, hauntingly psychedelic violin-driven Middle Eastern/Balkan flavored dancefloor grooves with Copal and theatrical gypsy/steampunk band Not Waving But Drowning at Drom, $10 adv tix highly rec., not sure who’s playing when but they’re both good.

5/12, 10:30 PM blazing chromatic Balkan tonalities with Veveritse Brass Band at the Jalopy, $10.

5/13 Americana guitarmeister Chris Erikson & the Wayward Puritans at Lakeside, 7ish

5/13, 7 PM cello-driven world music band Deoro  feat. chanteuse Dina Fanai at the small room at the Rockwood – their show here in December was off the hook.

5/13, 7:30 PM oldtime hokum blues and hillbilly music with the Second Fiddles at Hill Country

5/13 sharply literate, often hilarious Americana charmer Robin Aigner with her band at Barbes 8 PM followed by lush “historical orchestrette” Pinataland’s cd release show

5/13, 8 PM Mara Milkis – violin; Jerzy Wujtewicz – cello; and RAfal Lewandowski – cello – play works by F.Chopin, K. Szymanowski, W. Lutoslawski, K. Penderecki, R. Twardowski, Alicja. Jonas at Bargemusic, $35, you know the Greenpoint classical posse will be out in effect for this one.

5/13, 9 PM phantasmagorical noir siren Carol Lipnik & Spookarama at Banjo Jim’s.

5/13, 9 PM amazingly period-perfect retro 60s Bakersfield country band the Dixons at the Gutter bowling alley in Williamsburg

5/13, 9 PM Kiwi play Brazilian-flavored psychedelic dub reggae at Shrine.

5/13, 9 PM Canadian goth siren NLX at Tea Lounge in Park Slope

5/13, 10:30 PM adventurous bassist Joris Teepe with his combo at the Fat Cat.

5/13, midnight, witty guitar star of a million bands Homeboy Steve Antonakos plays his own wry Americana stuff at Banjo Jim’s

5/14, 11 AM (yes, starting an hour before noon) the free Wall to Wall Sonidos festival at Symphony Space feat. Arturo O’Farrill’s Sacred Concert for his Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra based on settings of Jewish, Islamic, Gospel, and Afro-Cuban texts; a work for shakuhachi and string quartet [Colorado Quartet] from Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez; a world premiere of Roberto Sierra’s Cuarteto para cuerdas no. 2 [La Catrina Quartet]; Tania León [Harlem Quartet]; new works by Fernando Otero (with dancers); and performances by Continuum, Damocles Trio, Poulenc Trio, Ray Vega, Gabriel Alegria, and many others.

5/14, 6 (six) PM dark Americana songwriter Abbie Barrett at the small room at the Rockwood.

5/14, 7:30 PM terse, intense classical/jazz pianist Michel Reis leads a trio at Puppets Jazz Bar in Park Slope

5/14, 8 PM the Underground Horns – a “6 piece brass band that plays afro funk bhangra new orleans salsa grooves” – at Barbes followed at 10 by Smokey Hormel’s western swing thing.

5/14, 8 PM Hell’s Kitchen Country: Gene Yellin (guitar), Mark Farrell (mandolin) and Bill Christophersen (fiddle) play bluegrass classics and obscurities at Orchard House Cafe, 58th St/1st Ave., $10

5/14 dark 80s goth/art-rock influenced chanteuse Kristin Hoffmann at Caffe Vivaldi, 9:30 PM

5/14, 9 PM one of the year’s best triplebills: sultry, funny oldtimey harmony crew the Roulette Sisters at 9, ferociously literate, witty, psychedelic/new wave rockes the Larch at 10 and Pinataland’s Dave Wechsler’s solo Tyranny of Dave project at 11 at the new Freddy’s.

5/14 dark original bluegrass/Nashville gothic band Frankenpine at 9 PM at the Jalopy followed at 10:30 by M Shanghai String Band,$10.

5/14, 9/10:30 PM allstar postbop ensemble the Cookers – who absolutely tore up the Charlie Parker Festival last year – at Iridium, $30.

5/14, 9 PM percussionist Najib Bahri’s El Amal plays a musical/dance tribute to Tunisia at Alwan for the Arts, $20/$15 stud/srs.

5/14 carnivalesque Luminescent Orchestrii frontman Sxip Shirey does his solo thing Joe’s Pub, 9 PM, $15.

5/14, 9/10:30 PM Marty Ehrlich, reeds; Ray Anderson, trombone; Brad Jones, bass; Matt Wilson, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $15.

5/14, 9/10:30 PM the Oliver Lake Big Band at the Jazz Gallery, $20

5/14, 10 PM Fish Out of Water play ska at Shrine followed at 11 by punk dub band the Band-Droidz.

5/14, 11:30 PM clarinet monster Ismail Lumanovski and his band the NY Gypsy All-Stars at Drom, $10 adv tix rec; they’re also here on 5/19 at 10:30

5/15, 3 PM the Greenwich Village Orchestra plays Handel – Music for the Royal Fireworks; Haydn – Concerto in C major for Cello and Orchestra; Beethoven – Symphony No. 5 at Washington Irving HS Auditorium, $20 sugg don, reception to follow.

5/15, 3 PM the East of the River accordion-and-recorder ensemble play an intriguing Balkan/Middle Eastern/Appalachian/avant program at Bargemusic, $35

5/15, 6 PM Trio Caveat feat. free jazz trombone monster Steve Swell, James Ilgenfritrz and Jay Rosen followed at 7 by guitarist Xander Naylor’s fiery PinkBrown trio at Downtown Music Gallery.

Bill Christophersen (fiddle) play bluegrass classics and obscurities at Orchard House Cafe, 58th St/1st Ave., $10

5/15, 7 PM Mari Kamura, violin and Svetlana Bukvich-Nichols, keyboards play the world premiere of Bukvich-Nichols’ Sabih’s Dream, inspired by an Arabian horse farm plundered during the Balkan wars and then repopulated by the surviving horses. At the American Festival of Microtonal Music, at the Church of St. Luke-in-the-Fields, 487 Hudson St., $12/$10 stud/srs.

5/15, 7 PM the Four Bags – Mike McGinnis: sax/clarinet Brian Drye: trombone Jacob Garchik: accordion Sean Moran: guitar at Barbes followed at 9 by Stephane Wrembel

5/15, 7:30 PM Geogian slide guitarist Ilusha Tsinadze – who blends traditional sounds from his home country with jazz and blues – doing a cd release show at Joe’s Pub, $15.

5/16, 8 PM Koran Agan plays gypsy jazz at Banjo Jim’s.

5/16, 9 PM the Floor Models (baritone guitarist Val Opielski of the Walking Hellos, plus electric cellist Meg Schedel) plus worldbeat group Citizen Casey  at 10 at Small Beast upstairs at the Delancey

5/16, 9ish austere, smart chamber-pop band Pearl & the Beard at Littlefield, $5.

5/16, 9 PM latin/third stream big band Michael Webster’s Leading Lines at Tea Lounge in Park Slope

5/17 frontwoman/guitarist Debra of scorching powerpop/jamband Devi at Lucky 7 Tavern in Jersey City.

5/17, 7 PM Meredith Monk performs with vocal ensemble and violinist Todd Reynolds’ quartet at the cd release show for her new one Songs of Ascension at the Greene Space, $20, also streaming live on Q2.

5/17 one of our favorite bands, the sly, irrepressible, ur-NYC Jazz Passengers celebrate Roy Nathanson’s 60th birthday with special guests Marc Ribot and Marty Ehrlich at the Jazz Standard, sets 7:30/9:30, $25

5/17 Tariq Ali, renowned author of From Cairo to Madison: The Arab Revolution and a World in Motion discusses the ongoing revolution throughout the Arab world, 8 PM at Galapagos, free.

5/17, 8:30 PM intriguing, captivating jazz trio Minerva’s cd release show feat. JP Schlegelmilch, piano; Pascal Niggenekemper, bass; Carlo Costa, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10.

5/18, 7:30 PM the most intensely focused, most powerful jazz composer of the moment, tenor saxophonist JD Allen and his Trio play the cd release show for their new one Victory! following a screening of Mario Lathan’s documentary short film about the album at le Poisson Rouge, $15, adv tix necessary, this will sell out. Wish you were alive to see Coltrane in 1963? Don’t miss this one. We have heard the forthcoming album and it is amazing.

5/17, 7/9 PM the prototypical downtown NYC accordion chanteuse, Phoebe Legere with her quintet playing the cd release show for her new one Ooh La La Coq Tail at Iridium, $20.

5/17, 8 PM “international vocalist night” at Local 269 starting at 8 with jazz singer Seung-Hee, Afro-Peruvian jazz specialist Sofia Rei at 9, bop-tinged Israeli chanteuse Tammy Scheffer at 10 and Hildegunn Gjedrem at 11, $7

5/18-22 ancient ageless drummer Roy Haynes’ Fountain of Youth band with Jaleel Shaw – alto saxophone; Martin Bejerano – piano; David Wong – bass at the Jazz Standard, sets 7:30/9:30, $35

5/18 lyrical janglerock songwriter Paula Carino with her velvet voice, double entendres and wickedly catchy tunes plays with her new trio at 8 at Fontana’s.

5/18, 8 PM Kris Davis – one of the most original, emotionally vivid and lyrical pianists in jazz or anything – plays Barbes with Ingrid Laubrock -saxophone; Matt Maneri -viola; Trevor Dunn -bass, and Tom Rainey – drums, note that there is a $10 cover.

5/18, 8 PM avant percussion luminary Lukas Ligeti’s cd release show at Issue Project Room, $10

5/18 and 5/19 at 8 PM, concluding on 5/21 at 8:30 PM, violinist Aaron Berofsky and pianist Phillip Bush perform the complete Beethoven sonatas for piano and violin at Merkin Concert Hall, $18 single concert tix avail., $40 for a three-day pass

5/18 jazz guitar monster Matt Munisteri’s new band the Syncopatin’ Detonators at Hill Country, 8:30 PM.

5/18, 9 PM saxophonist Benjamin Drazen – whose latest cd Inner Flights is one of the year’s best – at the Fat Cat with his quartet

5/18 solid oldschool garage rock and soul with the Solid Set at Lakeside, 9 PM

5/18 The Devil Makes Three’s hilarious, satirical, tuneful grasscore at Maxwell’s,9 PM, $10.

5/18, 10 PM Jon Irabagon’s Outright feat. Ralph Alessi (trumpet) Jacob Sacks (piano) John Hebert (bass) Tom Rainey (drums) at the Stone, $10

5/19, 7:30 PM the Trinity Choir sings music of Elena Ruehr at Trinity Church.

5/19, 8 PM an auspicious duo show with jazz singer/composer Sara Serpa and pianist/composer Kris Davis at the Gershwin Hotel, $10. Serpa’s recent album with Ran Blake was shatteringly poignant, but she can also be playful and fun (her last solo album was titled “Beach” in Portuguese). Davis is the rare performer who gets good reviews in the NY Times and deserves them – she pushes the envelope but never loses sight of the tune or the emotion she’s set out to capture.

5/19 the NY debut of genre-busting Belgian big band Flat Earth Society at the Lincoln Center Atrium, free, 8:30 PM, early arrival (i.e. an hour early) advised. 5/20 at 8 PM they play the US premiere of their original score to Ernst Lubitsch’s silent film the Oyster Princess plus improvisations accompanying archival film clips at Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave (at 37th St) in Astoria, Queens, $15.

5/19, 8:30 PM pianist Dan Tepfer and tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger in an intriguing duo show at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10.

5/19, 9 PM powerful soul/Americana chanteuse Jo Williamson at the small room at the Rockwood.

5/19, 9 PM a solid Americana rock triplebill with Trailer Radio, the Lonesome Prairie Dogs and American String Conspiracy at Banjo Jim’s

5/19, 9:30 PM clever, tongue-in-cheek faux torch-song trio the Debutante Hour followed by gypsy rocker Yula Beeri and the Extended Family at Party Xpo in Bushwick, $8

5/19, 9:30 PM alt-country chanteuse Karen Hudson with her band at Lakeside playing songs from her forthcoming Late Bloomer cd.

5/19, 10 PM this era’s finest country music voice, Laura Cantrell plays the cd release show for her new one at Hill Country, $15.

5/19, 10 PM a solid oldschool country doublebill with Alex Battles & the Whisky Rebellion followed by Hilary Hawke & the Flipsides at Southpaw, $10

5/19, 10 PM klezmer/bluegrass legend Andy Statman at Barbes.

5/20, 7 PM tuneful alto saxophonist Alexander McCabe and quartet at Miles Cafe, $20 includes a drink and “snacks.”

5/20, 7:30 PM flutist Margaret Lancaster performs Steenhuisen, and Kampela works presenting “varying states of psycho-emotional, romantic, and spiritual deprivation,” and Wil Smith, Matthusen and JacobTV works offering the “proactive responses” of redemption and enlightenment. Plus Eric km Clark’s Deprivation Choir playing a choral work requiring the singers to perform both blindfolded and unable to hear each other or themselves. At First Presbyterian Church, 124 Henry St, Brooklyn Heights, 2/3 to Clark St.; A/C to High St.; R/4/5 to Borough Hall, $10.

5/20 Boston New Orleans brass band hellraisers the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble with Josh Roseman and Kenny Wollesen at Barbes, 8 PM; 5/22 they’re at the Stone at 10.

5/20, 8 PM Frank Kimbrough – piano; Scott Robinson – reeds; Ray Drummond – bass’ Matt Wilson – drums; play a Monk-themed concert at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center at BMCC, on Chambers just east of the Highway, $25/$15 stud/srs.

5/20, 8 PM Shelley Nicole’s Blakbushe play their guerrilla funk stuff at Banjo Jim’s – hope the cops aren’t going by with the decibel meter on.

5/20, 9 PM artsy cello-rock band Colorform play Teneleven – “at live performances and rehearsals, NYC artist Sarah Valeri draws and paints her unique artwork.” That’s one way to get a lot of painting done!

5/20, 9 PM multistylistic, deliriously fun, danceable all-purpose Brazilian/country band Nation Beat at the 92YTribeca, $12 gen adm.

5/20, 9 PM adventurous Tiptons sax quartet leader Jessica Lurie with her own Ensemble at BAM Cafe.

5/20, 9:30 PM killer triplebill: oldschool latin soul revivalists Spanglish Fly, funky Afrobeat innovators Ikebe Shakedown and classic Fania era salsa stylists Bio Ritmo at Sullivan Hall, $10 gen adm.

5/20, 10 PM Black Lion & the Akinyoumba band play African roots reggae at Shrine.

5/20, 10:30 PM organist Jared Gold leads a quintet at the Fat Cat

5/20 surf music classics and obscuities with the Boss Guitars at Lakeside 11 PM

5/20 Boston New Orleans brass band hellraisers the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble with special guest trombonist Josh Roseman and drummer Kenny Wollesen at Barbes, one assumes after 11; 5/22 they’re at the Stone.

5/20, 11:30 PM NYC’s answer to Spinal Tap, Satanicide at the Mercury, $12 adv tix rec.

5/20, midnight, long-running NYC blues guitar vets Loyoyo play a reunion gig of sorts at Banjo Jim’s

5/21 the Master Gnaoua Musicians plus sintir star Hassan Hakmoun at the Alliance Francaise is sold out.

5/21, 7 PM charismatic, literate NYC noir rock legend LJ Murphy at Banjo Jim’s.

5/21, 7ish original gypsy punks World Inferno at Webster Hall, $21 adv tix rec.

5/21, 7:30 PM hypnotic, intense, rustic minor-key blues/klezmer/reggae jam band Hazmat Modine play the cd release for their new one Cicada at le Poisson Rouge, $12 adv tix rec

5/21, 7:15 PM killer songwriter triplebill: blue-eyed soul siren Meg Braun, lyrically intense Americana chanteuse Carolann Solebello (ex-Red Molly) at Caffe Vivaldi followed at 9:45 by sharp, often haunting countrypolitan singer Hope DeBates & North Forty.

5/21, 8 PM fearless, funny, intense anti-gentrification rockers the Brooklyn What -our pick for NYC’s best rock band right now – play their monthly show at Trash starting at 8 with No One & the Somebodies, Space Ghost Cowboys and then the Brooklyn What at around 10.

5/21, 8 PM legendary bassist Bob Cunningham and his quartet at First Acoustics Coffeehouse in Brooklyn Heights, $25 adv tix rec

5/21, 8:30 PM the latest Brooklyn County Fair starts at 8:30 with southern soul siren Dina Rudeen’s cd release show for her spectacularly good new one The Common Splendor followed eventually at 10:30 by JD Duarte’s ferocious, fun, intense country/paisley underground crew  the Newton Gang.

5/21, 8:30 PM cult favorite Bulgarian art-rockers Diana Express play Symphony Space, $30 adv tix rec.

5/21, 9 PM stark acoustic southern gothic with the Handsome Family at the 92YTribeca, $16 adv tix rec.

5/21, 9 PM the Cookers’ legendary pianist George Cables leads a trio at Puppets Jazz Bar, $20 plus $10 min.

5/21, 9/10:30 PM the Alan Ferber Big Band at the Jazz Gallery, $20.

5/21, 9 PM an intriguing quartet at the Cornelia St. Cafe with Mike Baggetta – guitar; Jason Rigby – saxes; Eivind Opsvik – bass; George Schuller – drums, $15.

5/21 Spanking Charlene – playful and clever X-inflected LES Americana rockers at Lakeside, 11 PM

5/22, 2 PM future stars of the avant garde Face the Music plays Missy Mazzoli’s masterpiece Death Valley Junction, Judd Greenstein’s hip-hop indie classical piece What They Don’t Like; Gregory Huebner’s Cuban Impressions; Jacob TV’s Syracuse Blues string quartet mashup plus gospel-tinged chamber piece by Paul Schoenfield at PS 142, 100 Attorney St., $15, all proceeds to benefit the school.

5/22, sets at 3 PM and 7 PM composer Ellen Fullman at Issue Project Room’s new digs at 110 Livingston St. in downtown Brooklyn. Accompanied by David Gamper, Theresa Wong, David Douglas, & Sean Meehan, Fullman plays her “long stringed instrument” consisting of wires extended from wall to wall for an otherworldly sound that’s sort of a cross between a harp and a church organ, $15, early arrival highly advised.

5/22, 7 PM Saints and Tzadiks – that’s Susan McKeown, Oran Etkin and Erik Della Penna – at Barbes followed at 9 by Stephane Wrembel

5/22, 8 PM NYC’s very own competitive gamelan orchestra, Gamelan Dharma Swara with the Momenta Quartet and bassist/multi-instrumentalist all-around good guy Shahzad Ismaily at le Poisson Rouge, 8 PM $15 adv tix rec.

5/22 the NYCity Slickers play soaring bluesgrass with harmonies at Rodeo Bar 9ish

5/23 chamber music ensemble Time for Three at Advent Church, 93rd and Broadway, 7:30 PM.

5/23 new music string quartet adventurers ETHEL plus special guest piano powerhouse Kathleen Supové play world premieres by Andy Akiho, Rick Baitz, Anna Clyne, Judd Greenstein, Matt Marks, Randal Woolf at Merkin Concert Hall, 8 PM, $25 seats avail., $15 stud/srs.

5/23 charming oldtimey swing and hillbilly sounds with Daria Grace & the Prewar Ponies at Rodeo Bar, 9ish.

5/23, 9 PM the playful, eclectic Joshua Shneider Easy-Bake Orchestra at Tea Lounge in Park Slope.

5/23, 11 PM smart, lyrical soul chanteuse Stephanie Rooker and guitarist Ben Tyree at the small room at the Rockwood.

5/24-29 vocal jazz vet Ernestine Anderson with Houston Person, Lafayette Harris, Lonnie Plaxico & Willie Jones III at Dizzy’s Club, 7:30/9:30 PM, $30 seats avail.

5/24 trumpeter David Weiss’ Point of No Departure with J.D. Allen – tenor saxophone; Nir Felder – guitar; Matt Clohesy – bass at the Jazz Standard, sets 7:30/9:30, $20

5/24, 8 PM Eliza Rickman plays her haunting hypnotic intense songs at the small room at the Rockwood. She’s also at Goodbye Blue Monday on 5/25 at 11.

5/24, 8 PM Booker T. Jones – you know who he is, right? – without the MGs at the Bell House, $25.

5/24-26, 8 PM the Keys to the Future piano festival: 14 new composers, 8 pianists – at the Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street (at Pitt), $20. The 5/24 lineup is pianists Marina Lomazov, Stephen Gosling, Blair McMillen, Tatjana Rankovich and Joseph Rubenstein playing Tobias Picker, Nikolai Kapustin, Jacob Ter Veldhuis aka Jacob TV, Bruce Stark, Heather Schmidt, Joe Dudell, Karen Tanaka and Joseph Rubenstein; the 5/25 program is Amy Briggs, Marina Lomazov, Lisa Moore and Jenny Chai performing works of György Ligeti, George Crumb, Timothy Andres, Martin Bresnick, Frederic Rzewski, Lera Auerbach and Nikolai Kapustin; closing night, 5/26 features Stephen Gosling, Eric Huebner, Molly Morkoski and Joseph Rubenstein playing John Adams, György Ligeti, Magnus Lindberg, Gerard Beljon, Josquin des Prez (arr. Wuorinen), Barbara White, Nikolai Kapustin, Tobias Picker and Joseph Rubenstein.

5/24 hypnotic postpunk guitar legends Band of Outsiders at Lakeside, 9 PM.

5/24, 10 PM dark fearless surrealistically funny former Norden Bombsight frontwoman Raquel Bell does a solo show at Pete’s.

5/24, midnight, El Pueblo play Caribbean/Puerto Rican influenced dub reggae at Sullivan Hall, $10

5/25 consistently captivating yet completely unpredictable indie classical orchestra the Knights at Lincoln Center’s Kaplan Penthouse.

5/25, 7:15 PM lyrical, tuneful, Aimee Mann-inflected songwriter Andrea Wittgens at Caffe Vivaldi.

5/25 pianist Emilio Solla Y La Inestable De Brooklyn presents Suite Piazzollana with a killer nonet feat. John Ellis, Alan Ferber, Sara Caswell, accordionist Victor Prieto and others at the Jazz Standard, sets 7:30/9:30, $20

5/25, 7:30 PM wild gypsy punks Kagero, Kendra Morris, YC the Cynic, Afrobeat band Zongo Junction and funk orchestra Turkuaz at the Knitting Factory, $8 tix highly rec., this may sell out.

5/25, 8 PM austere hypnotic imaginative composer/violinist Ana Milosavljevic at the Stone followed by eclectic ex-Ethel violin powerhouse Todd Reynolds, $10.

5/25-28 piano jazz titan Kenny Barron leads a quartet at Birdland, 8:30/10:30 PM, $30 seats avail.

5/25, 8:30 PM trombonist David White leads his jazz orchestra at Symphony Space, $25 adv tix rec.

5/25, 9 PM Diana Jones – Americana singer who follows in Jan Bell’s footsteps, but mining more of the traditional than the original – at Joe’s Pub $12.

5/25-26, 9:30 PM ferocious bassist Omer Avital returns to his old stomping grounds, Smalls with his band

5/26, 1 PM Yoon-Kyung Shin, viola plus others TBA, program TBA, at Trinity Church, free.

5/26, 7 PM haunting indie rock siren Elisa Flynn – who has an auspicious new album examining 19th century historical events – at Banjo Jim’s.

5/26, 7:30 PM Deviant Septet – who are hell-bent on fulfilling Igor Stravinsky’s dream of creating a repertoire for violin, bass, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, and percussion – play Stravinsky’s complete L’histoire du Soldat plus world premieres by Ruben Naeff and Stefan Freund at at Greenwich Music House School, 46 Barrow St. (Bedford and Bleecker), $15

5/26, 8 PM arguably the two most vital, original new music ensembles in NYC: the swirling, psychedelic Dither guitar quartet and austere, ghostly, gorgeously atmospheric Redhooker at Merkin Concert Hall, $25.

5/26, 8 PM NYC’s most popular big band, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society and bassist Ben Allison and band at Littlefield, $16

5/26, 8 PM playful, clever toy piano specialist Phyllis Chen at Barbes.

5/26, 10 PM hilariously filthy punk/garage rockers Custard Wally at Don Pedro’s

5/26, 10:30 PM gypsy punks the West Philadelphia Orchestra followed by haunting, hypnotic, psychedelic Turkish band Raquy & the Cavemen at Drom, $12 adv tix rec.

5/26, 11 PM Radiohead-influenced art-rockers My Pet Dragon at the big room at the Rockwood.

5/28, 8 PM the new oldtimey supergroup with Mamie Minch, Jolie Holland and JC Hopkins at 68 Jay St. Bar

5/28, 8 PM roots reggae, Afrobeat, desert blues and soul with the inspiring Refugee All-Stars of Sierra Leone at the Bell House, $20.

5/28, 8 PM Transit (Daniel Wohl (composer), David Friend (piano), Joe Bergen (percussion), Andie Springer(violin), Evelyn Farny (cello), and Sara Budde (clarinet) play an intriguing lineup of works including 3 world premieres by Christopher Mayo, Charlie Piper, Marc Bowden, Ryan Carter, Jason Cady and Daniel Wohl at Tenri Cultural Institute, 34A W. 13th St., $15

5/28, 9 PM gypsy rock/skaragga/metal cumbia monsters Escarioka at Mehanata. We’ve been calling them the best live band in NYC for a couple of years, now the rest of the world is finally starting to catch on.

5/28, 9 PM Brooklyn stoner rock avatars Strange Haze – who have yet another great new single out – at Matchless, $5

5/28, 9 PM exhilarating, anthemic, sweepingly majestic, socially aware Radiohead-influenced art-rockers My Pet Dragon at Bowery Electric.

5/28 sly, funky chanteuse Shayna Zaid & The Catch, 10 PM at the small room at the Rockwood

5/28, 10:30 PM ukelele player/lyricist/sultry chanteuse Kelli Rae Powell at the Jalopy, $10.

5/28 dark female-fronted noir soul band Shenandoah & the Night play their ep release show at Spike Hill, 11:30 PM, note the $7 cover.

5/30, 6:30 PM an interfaith 9/11 commemorative concert at St. Paul’s Chapel downtown with the Chiara String Quartet performing Robert Sirota’s riveting, haunting, iconic 9/11-themed Triptych, free but rsvp reqd

5/30, 7:30/9:30 PM Mexican chanteuse Magos Herrera leads a quintet playing classic torchy Mexican film songs from the 1930s and 40s at Dizzy’s Club, $20

5/30 Alan Gilbert conducts the NY Phil playing Barber: Adagio for Strings; Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, free, time TBA (guessing 8ish), early arrival advised.

5/30, 8:30 PM eclectic, often haunting pan-Asian-tinged Jen Shyu’s Jade Tongue with Jen Shyu, compositions, vocals, piano, moon lute, erhu, lakado, dance; David Binney, alto saxophone; Thomas Morgan, bass; Dan Weiss, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10

5/31, 7:30 PM spectacular percussionist Nathan Davis with his cutting-edge crew International Contemporary Ensemble at le Poisson Rouge, free with rsvp

5/31, 7 PM George Clinton & the P-Funk Allstars at B.B. King’s, $37.50 adv tix rec.

5/31-6/1 trumpeter Sean Jones leads a quintet at the Jazz Standard, sets 7:30/9:30, $20

5/31, 8 PM new music ensemble Tribeca Monsters! feat. music of Steward Copeland, Michael Gandolfi, Dylan Mattingly, Marc Mellits, Daniel Bernard Roumain, and Jacob TV at Galapagos, $15.

If you’re looking for weekly events for May or June, scroll down to the bottom of this page.

6/1, 7:30 PM adventurous pianist Alexandra Joan winds up her entertainingly counterintuitive Kaleidoscope Series with a program of original material and improvisations featuring jazz guitarist Peter Mazza, Thomson Kneeland on bass and Timothy Hayward on sax at WMP Concert Hall, 31 W 28th St., $25

6/1, 7:30 PM dark incisive classical composer/pianist Fernando Otero and cellist Inbal Segev play Bach, Kodály, and Otero at le Poisson Rouge, $15 adv tix rec.

6/1, 8 PM delightfully fun, quirky, counterintuitive all-female indie pop band the Walking Hellos at Fontana’s.

6/1, 10 PM, intense frontwoman Wendy Griffiths and her powerfully tuneful 80s punk/new wave influenced Changing Modes – who recorded our pick for best song of 2010 – at Sullivan Hall, $10.

6/1 midnight-ish big sprawling funk band Turkuaz at Southpaw, $5.

6/2, noon, George Clinton & the P-Funk All Stars at Metrotech Park in downtown Brooklyn, free

6/2, 7 PM fiery noir cabaret songwriter Sabrina Chap at Banjo Jim’s followed eventually at 9 with the psychedelic folk of the Peaceniks feat. Moogy Klingman and Patti Rothberg at Banjo Jim’s.

6/2, 8 PM smartly multistylistic retro keyboardist/singer and Jack White collaborator Rachelle Garniez (whose most recent album we rated best of the year) at Barbes.

6/2, 8 PM legendary, brilliant first-wave Irish punk rockers Stiff Little Fingers make their Brooklyn debut at Europa, $20. They’re at the Gramercy Theatre the following night for an extra $13 – that’s how much Live Nation is ripping you off for this one.

6/2, 8 PM the Da Capo Chamber Players’ 40th anniversary concert at Merkin Concert Hall feat. Pierrot lunaire, OP. 21 by Arnold Schoenberg, with guest soprano, Lucy Shelton; the world premiere performance of Gravity by George Tsontakis (written for the 40th anniversary of Da Capo); the New York premiere of Midnight Rounds by Keith Fitch (written for the 40th anniversary of Da Capo); Tres Lent as well as And…They’re Off! by Joan Tower (who was the ensemble’s founding pianist), $20 adv tix very highly rec., this should sell out.

6/2, 8:30 PM trombonist Samuel Blaser leads a quartet with Russ Lossing, piano; Eivind Opsvik, bass; Paul Motian, drums; Samuel Blaser, trombone playing the cd release show for his latest one at Cornelia St. Cafe, $15

6/2, 8:30 PM new music ensemble Sybarite5 play the Lincoln Center Atrium at 65th/Bwy, letting their ipod shuffle choose the pieces they’ll be performing, early arrival advised.

6/2, 9 PM Melvin Van Peebles wid Laxative at Zebulon. The legendary filmmaker also writes absolutely hilarious, subtly provocative, socially aware songs that skewer all kinds of stereotypes. He’s backed by a killer funk band comprised of members of Burnt Sugar.

6/2, 10 PM atmospheric, pensive rock anthems with Hurricane Bells feat. Steve Schiltz (ex-Longwave and Scout) at Culturefix on Clinton St.

6/2 powerpop/psychedelic guitar monsters Devi at Arlene’s, 11 PM recording a live album! Get your screams on vinyl!

6/2, midnight, dark female-fronted soul band MotherMoon at Spike Hill.

6/3, 7 PM ferocious, hilarious, theatrical, Beatlesque lyrical songwriter Walter Ego at Banjo Jim’s feat. some of NYC’s best guests (secret – we won’t give it away).

6/3, 8 PM filmmakers Suki Hawley, Mike Galinsky and David Beilinson’s documentary the Battle for Brooklyn, which confronts the destructive effects of gentrification, notably the graft and fraud-ridden Atlantic Yards arena and parking-lot project where private property was illegally seized by a real estate swindler through an eniment domain claim. At the Brooklyn Heights Cinema; also screening 6/9 at 9 PM at Myrtle Avenue Hill in Ft. Greene Park, free; and on 6/11, 8 PM at Indie Screen, 285 Kent Ave., Williamsburg. A weeklong run begins on 6/17 at Cinema Village in Manhattan.

6/3, 8 PM torchy noir Americana siren Lily & the Parlour Tricks followed by oldschool soul revivalist/crooner Eli Paperboy Reed at Southpaw, $12 gen adm.

6/3, 8 PM grease up your pompadours: Smokey Hormel’s western swing band, retro rock chanteuse Eilen Jewel and Big Sandy & the Fly-Rite Boys at the Bell House, $12 adv tix rec.

6/3, 9/10:30 PM Ingrid Laubrock, tenor sax; Ralph Alessi, trumpet; Kris Davis, piano; Tom Rainey, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $15.

6/3, 10 PM the funniest oldschool country band around, the Jack Grace Band at Rodeo Bar. They’re also at Barbes on 6/10 at 10.

6/3 ferocious Nashville gothic rockers Ninth House play Sathony in Astoria, 11 PM.

6/3 wry, literate Nashville gothic with Maynard & the Mustiesat Lakeside, 11 PM.

6/3, 11 PM wild intense original bluegrass band Thy Burden at Spike Hill.

6/3, 11 PM horn-driven funk band the Kickdown at Bowery Poetry Club, $10

6/3, 11:30 PM ecstatic Brazilian funk/reggae/maracatu band Dende & Hahahaes at Joe’s Pub $12.

6/4 Blitz the Ambassador at the Brooklyn Museum, free w/museum adm.

6/4, 6:30 PM, free, the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble play Gershwin: Lullaby for Strings; Barber:Adagio for Strings; Dvorak: String Quartet No. 12, “American” at Flushing Town Hall, tix req., early arrival advised.

6/4, 7 PM Nashville gothic goddess – and indie film star – Lorraine Leckie at Banjo Jim’s

6/4 a blast from the past – legendary oldschool Williamsburg punk/indie rockers FF (which stands for Fat Fuck) at Lakeside, 7 PM.

6/4, 8 PM Bamba Sacko play African roots reggae at Shrine followed at 10 by the reggae/rocksteady of Finotee.

6/4, 8 PM sprawling acoustic Americana band the Woes at Rock Shop in Gowanus, $10; they’re at Sunny’s at 10 the following night for free.

6/4, 8 PM the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma at NJPAC in Newark, $25 seats avail.

6/4, 8 PM bossa jazz siren Sasha Dobson’s country band Chola followed by Banda Sinaloense de los Muertos at Barbes. Chola are also here Mondays in June at 8 PM starting on the 13th.

6/4, 9/10:30 PM drummer Ralph Peterson’s brilliant B3 band the Unity Project plays the cd release show for their spectacularly good new one with Pat Bianchi, organ; Josh Evan, trumpet; Wayne Escoffery, tenor sax at Cornelia St. Cafe, $15.

6/4, 8:30 PM hypnotic marimba/cello duo Goli at Caffe Vivaldi followed by bluegrass band the Five Deadly Venoms (who are also here on 6/7 and 6/28 at 9:45)

6/4, 10 PM, 90s Detroit rock cult figures the Dirtbombs at the Bell House, $20

6/4, 10 PM cowpunk with the Nightmare River Band at Spike Hill.

6/5, repeating on 6/ 12, and 6/19 the NY Scandia Symphony at the Billings Lawn in Ft. Tryon Park uptown, 2 PM. This extraordinary and clever ensemble plays a Frank Foerster piece called Summer in Ft. Tryon Park which has to be heard to be appreciated, along with works by numerous brilliant obscure Scandinavian composers.

6/5, 3 PM harpsichordist Elaine Comparone and The Queen’s Chamber Band play world premieres by Michael Cohen, Stephen Kemp, Elodie Lauten, David J. MacDonald & Eugene W. McBride at St. Mark’s Church, 10th St./2nd Ave., $25.

6/5, 7:30 PM trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith’s Golden Quartet w/ Angelica Sanchez (piano), John Lindberg (bass) and Pheeroan akLaff (drums) at le Poisson Rouge, adv tix $15 rec.

6/5, 8 PM deviously fun new music duo Anti-Depressant (violinist Jennifer Choi and pianist Kathy Supove) play Galapagos, $15/$10 stud.

6/5, 8 PM slinky low-register retro Cuban band Gato Loco – with baritone guitar, baritone sax, tuba and bass – at Bowery Poetry Club

6/5, 8 PM tuneful Americana harmony band the Bowmans at the small room at the Rockwood

6/5, 8 PM composer Eve Beglarian and her new band Brim at Galapagos, $15.

6/5, 8:30 PM bassist Petros Klampanis plays the cd release show for his eclectic new one with a scary-good lineup feat. Megan Gould , violin; Heather Paauwe, violin; Lev “Ljova” Zhurbin, viola; Yoed Nir, cello; Gilad Hekselman, guitar; Magda Giannikou, guest vocalist at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10.

6/5, 9 PM Steve Wynn’s indie rock supergroup the Baseball Project at City Winery , $25 seats avail.

6/5, 9 PM gypsy pop band Occidental Gypsy – “Found somewhere on the music tree between John Pizzarelli and Caravan Palace” – at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd St.

6/5 hilarious, diverse satirical cowpunk rockers Uncle Leon & the Alibis at Rodeo Bar 10ish

6/6, 6:30 PM an interfaith 9/11 commemorative concert at St. Paul’s Chapel downtown with pianist Simone Dinnerstein playing Bach’s English Suite as well as two of his Chorale Preludes – BWV 639 and 147, free but rsvp reqd

6/6, 7:30/9:30 PM Orrin Evans & the Captain Black Big Band at Dizzy’s Club, $20, better reserve now, these guys sell out fast.

6/6 arguably the first-ever guitar jazz triplebill at the Mercury with the astonishingly smart, intense, original, bluesy Marvin Sewell at 8, Liberty Ellman at 9 and then Moroccan-inspired Dave Fiuczynski at 10, $15.

6/6, 8 PM stars of the NYC Balkan underground, trumpeter Ben Holmes and trio followed by at 9:30 by Chicha Libre at Barbes

6/6-7 the Melvins at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, 9 PM, $20 adv tix avail. at the Mercury weekdays til 7 PM.

6/7, 6:30 PM, Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble at Central Park Summerstage, early arrival a must.

6/7, 7 PM ICE pianist Jacob Greenberg at Barbes followed at 9 by Slavic Soul Party.

6/7, 7:30ish oldschool hip-hop with EPMD at Betsy Head Playground, Livonia Ave. & Strauss St., Brooklyn, 2/3/4/5 to Saratoga Ave.

6/7, 7:30 PM Rose of the Compass – recorder player Nina Stern, with Glen Velez, frame drum, and Ara Dinkjian, oud – play an intriguing set of music from the Mediterranean to the Balkans at the cd release show for their new one at Drom, $10 adv tix highly rec.

6/7, 8 PM Carol Lipnik & Spookarama play the cd release show for their hypnotic, haunting new one M.O.T.H. at the big room at the Rockwood.

6/8, 8 PM fiery literate steampunk songwriter Kelli Rae Powell at Southpaw.

6/8, 8 PM 60s soul legend Eric Burdon & the Animals at B.B. King’s, $35 adv tix a must.

6/8, 8 PM soulful, soaring country/rock siren Alana Amram & the Rough Gems at Bruar Falls, $6

6/8, 10 PM Sistermonk play their high energy gypsy funk at Shrine

6/8, 10ish tongue-in-cheek, period-perfect early 50s style country from Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. at Rodeo Bar

6/9, 7:30 PM intense Balkan-influenced songwriter Alina Simone at Joe’s Pub $12.

6/9, 9 PM dark compelling songwriter Elisa Flynn at the Way Station, 683 Washington Ave, Brooklyn (at Prospect Place; 2/3 to Grand Army Plaza)

6/9 oldschool Fania-style salsa band Bio Ritmo followed by Afrobeat crew Ikebe Shakedown’s cd release show, 9 PM at Southpaw, $10 gen adm.

6/9, 10 PM Banda Magda play their cosmopolitan gypsy/Mediteranean/latin accordion-driven songs at Drom, $10 gen adm

6/9, 10ish the twangy, clever Trailer Radio at Rodeo Bar.

6/10, 7 PM smart twangy literate Americana rock with Chip Robinson at Lakeside.

6/10, 8 PM assaultive hilarious Chinatown hip-hop pioneers the Notorious MSG’s cd release show at the Brooklyn Bowl, only $5.

6/10, 8 PM Koleurz play French African roots reggae at Shrine

6/10, 8 PM Gyan Riley (Terry’s talented guitarist kid) at Barbes followed by the Jack Grace Band at 10

6/10, 8 PM Lisle Atkinson & Neo Bass play bass arrangements of Ellington feat. guests pianists at Symphony Space, $25 adv tix rec.

6/10, 8 PM antique Americana harmony band Ollabelle (all original members) at City Winery, $20 standing room tix avail.

6/10, 8 PM terse oldschool Chicago blues guitarist Irving Louis Lattin at Lucille’s.

6/10, 9 PM sharp, tuneful, Aimee Mann-esque literate rockers Elizabeth & the Catapult at Bowery Ballroom, $15 gen adm.

6/10 Cuban reggaeton siren Telmary Diaz with a live band at BAM Cafe, 9:30 PM – early arrival advised, this will sell out.

6/10 Vietnamese psychedelic rock revivalists Dengue Fever, 10 PM at Highline Ballroom.

6/10 baritone country crooner/bandleader Dale Watson at Maxwell’s 10ish, $10 (note separate admission from earlier NRBQ concert).

6/10, midnight, witty guitar star of a million bands Homeboy Steve Antonakos plays his own wry Americana stuff at Banjo Jim’s

6/10, midnight, clever fun retro 80s synth-disco duo Hank & Cupcakes at the Mercury, $10.

6/11 Jim Black’s AlasNoAxis and Josh Roseman & The King Froopy All Stars at Central Park Summerstage – be aware that they’re opening for a popular, lame jam band from the 90s and that you may not be able to get in unless you show up before 3.

6/11, 6 PM singer-songwriter satirists the Lascivious Biddies at the small room at the Rockwood.

6/11, 7:30/9:30 PM eclectic Middle Eastern-tinged jazz guitarist Gilad Hekselman leads a trio at the Bar Next Door.

6/11, 8 PM an amazing psychedelic dub reggae doublebill (say that five times fast) with Dub Is a Weapon and Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad at Brooklyn Bowl, $7

6/11, 8 PM psychedelic steampunk/gypsy band the Wyld Old Souls’ cd release show at Drom, $10 adv tix highly rec.

6/11 a good roots reggae doublebill at Shrine starting at 8 PM with Num & Nu Afrika followed at 9 by the Pressers.

6/11, 8 PM Mississippi hill country blues guitar genius Will Scott (who’s got an excellent new album out) plays a NYC show at 68 Jay St. Bar to kick off his latest European tour

6/11 haunting noir Americana crooner Mark Sinnis (of Ninth House) plays the cd release for his new one The Undertaker In My Rearview Mirror at Duff’s Bar in South Williamsburg, 9 PM.

6/11, 9/10:30 PM the cleverly lyrical John McNeil/Bill McHenry jazz group at Cornelia St. Cafe, $15

6/11, 10 PM oldtime country harmony hellraisers Those Darlins at Maxwell’s, $10.

6/11, 10 PM hellraising Irish band Jameson’s Revenge at Connolly’s

6/11 LES rockabilly/surf/punk legend Simon & the Bar Sinisters at Lakeside, 10:15ish.

6/12, 3 PM a toy piano festival at Bargemusic feat. Phyllis Chen, Karlheinz Essl, Konrad Kaczmarek, John McDonald, Matthew Malsky and others, $25/$20 srs/$15 stud.

6/12, 7:30 PM cutting-edge string quartet Brooklyn Rider with Silk Road Project shakuhachi player Kojiro Umezaki at the Schimmel Auditorium at Pace University downtown (Spruce St. between William/Nassau), 2 free tix per person available starting at 5 PM at the box office.

6/12, 8 PM alt-country pioneer and Flatlanders honcho Joe Ely at B.B. King’s, $25 adv tix rec.

6/12, 8:30-midnight PM Sousalves’ Songwriters from Hell at Banjo Jim’s featuring (in order) Maya Solovey, Katie Dixon, Kerry Davis, Sousalves, Alan Merrill, Benjamin Cartel and finally Liz Tormes headlining at half past eleven.

6/12, 8:30 PM trumpeter Sarah Wilson plays the cd release for her new one with Myra Melford, piano; Ben Goldberg, clarinet; Jerome Harris, bass; Matt Wilson, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10.

6/12, 9 PM killer doublebill: torchy intense chanteuse April Smith & the Great Picture Show plus the phenomenally charismatic soul man/guitarist Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears at Maxwell’s, $18 adv tix highly rec., this will sell out

6/12, 9 PM wry, often brilliantly funny Chicago oldtimey/Americana/indie band Dastardly at Spike Hill.

6/12, 10:30 PM string driven smart eclectic doublebill: violinist/composer Christina Courtin and our favorite string quartet, Brooklyn Rider at le Poisson Rouge, $15 gen adm.

6/12, 11:30 PM innovative new big band jazz with Ensemble Denada, $15 gen adm.

6/13, 6:30 PM an interfaith 9/11 commemorative concert at St. Paul’s Chapel downtown with Bach’s Sonata #2 in D Major for Harpsichord and Cello performed by harpsichordist Kenneth Cooper and cellist Fred Zlotkin, free but rsvp reqd.

6/13, 8:30 PM pianist Melody Fader leads a string trio playing Beethoven, Berio, Chopin, Carter, and Dvorak’s Dumky Trio at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10

6/13, 10:30 PM Oran Etkin does his West African jazz thing followed by eclectic captivating Moroccan jazz/soul chanteuse Malika Zarra and her band at Joe’s Pub, $12

6/13 gypsy rocker Yula Beeri and the Extended Family at the big room at the Rockwood.

6/14, 9:45 PM bluegrass with the Sleepy Hollow String Band at Caffe Vivaldi.

6/14 dark politically aware jazz/pan-Asian chanteuse/pianiast Jen Shyu at Korzo, 10 PM.

6/14, 10:20 PM ethereal dark art-rockers Elysian Fields play the cd release show for their new one at le Poisson Rouge, $15 gen adm.

6/15, 7 PM twangy, tuneful Texas-flavored alt-country band Two Cent Revival play. their cd release show at the Rockwood.

6/15 the Dictators’ ageless Andy Shernoff at 7 followed eventually by the soul/garage sounds of the Solid Set at 9 at Lakeside.

6/15, 7:30 PM violinist Veronique Mathieu plays works by Csickso and Shepherd followed by fearless avant ensemble Lunatics at Large performing works by Raoul Pleskow, Frederick Tillis, Elizabeth Bell, Steven Gerber and Marilyn Bliss at Symphony Space, $11.

6/15, 8 PM endlessly surprising, astonishingly intense piano virtuoso Kathleen Supove plays Julia Wolfe – Compassion; Lainie Fefferman – Barnacles (NY premiere); Alvin Curran – Inner Cities (selections); Michael Gatonska – A Shaking of the Pumpkin; Frederic Rzewski – Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues at Bargemusic, $35/$30 srs./$25 stud.

6/16 flutist Ransom Wilson’s new music ensemble Le Train Bleu at Galapagos, time/$ TBA.

6/16-19, 7:30/9:30 PM Jamaican jazz/reggae piano legend Monty Alexander & the Harlem Kingston Express at Dizzy’s Club, $30 seats avail. Note that the 6/15 show is sold out.

6/16, 8 PM eclectic, witty jazz guitarist Matt Munisteri at Barbes followed at 10 by bluegrass mandolin monster Andy Statman ($10 cover).

6/16, 8:30 PM eclectic electric guitar powerhouse Joel Harrison leads a quartet with Anupam Shobhakar, sarod; Stephan Crump, bass; Satoshi Takeishi, percussion at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10

6/16 John Brown’s Body – who absolutely slayed on 4/20 at Highline Ballroom – at Maxwell’s, 9 PM $15.

6/16 Esquela – the new Americana rock project from the Yayhoos’ Keith Christopher with powerhouse singer Rebecca Frame – at Lakeside, 9 PM

6/16 electric bluegrass/country/rock guitar/mandolin monsters Demolition String Band at Rodeo Bar, 10ish.

6/16 dark lyrical songwriter Daniel Bernstein & the Everybody Knows at Fontana’s, 10 PM.

6/17 the third annual Istanbulive Turkish music festival at Central Park Summerstage features iconic songwriter/freedom fighter/filmmaker Zulfu Livaneli (sort of the Turkish Bob Dylan), early arrival, i.e. 3 PM at the latest, highly advised.

6/17, 9 PM soul/groove band the Del-Reys followed by potently politically aware third-wave ska/soul legends the Slackers at Bowery Ballroom, $16 adv tix highly rec.

6/17, 9/10:30 PM dark 80s-style goth/pop pianist/singer Kristin Hoffmann.at Caffe Vivaldi

6/17 surf music classics and obscuities with the Boss Guitars at Lakeside, 11 PM.

6/17, 11:30 PM clarinet monster Ismail Lumanovski and his band the NY Gypsy All-Stars at Drom, $15 adv tix rec.

6/18, 7 PM charismatic, literate NYC noir rock legend LJ Murphy at Banjo Jim’s.

6/18, 7 PM Metal Mountains (Helen Rush and Samara Lubelski’s ethereal project) followed by Thurston Moore’s Whiteout and then legendary 1960s psychedelic garage band Bardo Pond, no idea how many original members are left, $10 gen adm.

6/18, 7:30 PM tuneful death-obsessed indie pop pianist/songwriter Jeremy Messersmith at the Mercury, $10.

6/18, 7:30 PM salsa dura doublebill: La Excelencia and the Larry Harlow Latin Legends Big Band at Prospect Park Bandshell.

6/18, 9 PM James McMurtry at the Bell House, $15. He’s also at Maxwell’s on 6/17 at 7:30 for the same price.

6/18, 9 PM yet another good diverse roots reggae doublebill at Shrine with 6th Degree followed at 10 by Zion Judah.

6/18, 9 PM funny, fearless oldschool style punk rockers the Live Ones, Boston’s Cortez and hilarious metal spoof Mighty High at Cake Shop

6/18 vibraphone-based Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica play the cd release show for their hypnotic, psychedelic new one Third River Rangoon at Otto’s – definitely the classiest band ever to play this dive.

6/18 fearlessly fun Americana-punk rockers Spanking Charlene – winners of the Sirius/XM best unsigned band contest, now on Little Steven Van Zandt’s label – at Lakeside, 11 PM

6/19, 11 AM this year’s Bang on a Can Marathon – a NYC institution – at the World Financial Center

6/19 this year’s free Punk Island festival at Governors Island happens two days in advance of Make Music NY as the yuppies are shitting their pants at the thought of loud, nonconformist music being played anywhere near their “luxury” apartments. Free ferries leave on the half hour from the old Staten Island Ferry terminal; here’s a public facebook page about it.

6/19 a rare solo set by saxophone adventurer Matana Roberts at Downtown Music Gallery, 6 PM

6/19, 9:30 PM rustic, lyrical Americana songwriter Andrew Vladeck’s dual cd/book release show at Joe’s Pub, $12.

6/19 soaring Americana with banjo player Hilary Hawke & the Flipsides at Rodeo Bar 10ish

6/19, 10 PM terrorist jazz with Peter Evans, Trumpet; Moppa Elliot, bass; Kassa Overall, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10.

6/20 indie classical orchestra the Knights play the world premiere of Lisa Bielawa’s Templehof Etude, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony plus a Morton Feldman piece at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park, 7:30 PM, early arrival advised

6/20, 10 PM tuneful danceable funk/Afrobeat band Mamarazzi at the Mercury, $15.

6/21 is Make Music NY. We’ll cherrypick the best shows and put up a separate page once the official calendar is up.

6/21, 1 PM Louis Andriessen’s Hoketus performed by two groups TBA at Federal Hall downtown

6/21 Talib Kweli at Red Hook Park (bordered by Hicks and Henry in Red Hook – same directions as if you’re going to the Jalopy: F to Carroll St., exit front of Brooklyn-bound train. Left on Smith, right on 1st Place, continue as 1st Place becomes Summit. Go over the BQE, make a U-turn, continue on Summit).

6/22, 7 PM at Alwan for the Arts, a panel discussion: Detained Without Cause – Muslims’ Stories of Detention and Deportation in America. “The post-9/11 emergence of Islamophobic media hysteria, oppressive law enforcement tactics and increasing surveillance in the name of security is a package sold to the public as the inevitable cost of freedom. Learn what that cost really means in human terms: the stories of fellow New Yorkers disappeared from our communities during the first months after the terrible events of 9/11.” Free and open to the public, early arrival advised

6/23, 7 PM the Vinay Iyer Quintet at Castle Clinton in Battery Park, free tix avail. 2 per person on the line outside the castle starting at 4 PM.

6/23, 7:15 PM oboeist Keve Wilson leads an ensemble at Caffe Vivaldi.

6/23, 8 PM clever, entertaining toy piano expert Phyllis Chen at Barbes at 8 followed at 10 by Nation Beat drummer Scott Kettner’s Forro Brass Band.

6/23, 8/10:30 PM vocal jazz legend Little Jimmy Scott celebrates his 85th birthday at the Blue Note, $20 “seats” avail. His show last year at the Charlie Parker Festival was characteristically shattering – he’s still got it.

6/23-24 8 PM this era’s biggest surf band, Los Straitjackets at City Winery, $20

6/23 Shane Endsley, trumpet; Gerald Clayton, piano; Matt Brewer, bass; John Ellis, tenor sax at Cornelia St Cafe, 9/10:30 PM, $15

6/24, 7:30 PM Badwagon (the Bad Plus plus Jason Moran’s Bandwagon) make their world premiere followed by Roy Hargrove’s quintet at Prospect Park Bandshell.

6/24, 8 PM unstoppably romantic, effervescent, razor-sharp Hawaiian swing band the Moonlighters at Barbes followed at 10 by the Jug Addicts.

6/24, 8ish swirling dreampop band Zaza, Quiet Light and noir psychedelic rock legend Martin Bisi at Littlefield, $8.

6/24, 8:30 PM Canadian darkwave/goth chanteuse NLX at Caffe Vivaldi

6/24, 9 PM cult legend soul/blues harpist/belter Syl Johnston at the Bell House, $20.

6/24, 10 PM intense Irish party band Shilelagh Law at Connolly’s

6/24 kick ass Americana rockers Tom Clark & the High Action Boys at Lakeside, 11 PM

6/25 popular British soul revivalists Fitz & the Tantrums followed by James Brown-influenced soul/funk vet Lee Fields & the Expressions at Central Park Summerstage, early arrival, i.e. 4 PM at the latest highly advised.

6/25, 7:15 PM chamber-pop band BoxFive followed by cello/marimba duo Goli at Caffe Vivaldi

6/25, 8 PM slinky, haunting vintage Middle Eastern/East African group Sounds of Taraab at Barbes

6/25, 8 PM the London Souls’ third-rate fifth-generation garage rock followed by the Heavy, who do oldschool funk/soul vamps with lots of loops and samples, at Prospect Park Bandshell.

6/25, 8 PM the CCB Reggae Allstars play Marley’s Rastaman Vibration in its entirety plus other Marley hits at the Brooklyn Bowl, $5.

6/25, 8ish tuneful, high-energy ska-punk with King Django at Shrine.

6/26, 3 PM Renaissance ensemble Parthenia play “an intimate collection of early English art songs for voice, viols and lute, illustrating Renaissance life and love” including music by Dowland, Purcell and Henry VIII at Bargemusic, $35/$30 srs/$15 stud.

6/26, 7 PM a characteristically eclectic triplebill at Barbes – Yukie and Ryoji playing classic tango and tango nuevo on bandoneon and guitar followed by at 8 by Ben Holmes, Curtis Hasselbring and Marcus Rojas playing brass trio improvisations and then at 10 gypsy punk band the Japonize Elephants.

6/27, 8 PM eclectic, always interesting jazz bassist Dave Holland leads a quintet at the Highline Ballroom, $25.

6/27 charming oldtimey swing and hillbilly sounds with Daria Grace & the Prewar Ponies at Rodeo Bar, 9ish.

6/28, half past noon up-and-coming jazz pianist Emmet Cohen at 1 NY Plaza downtown, free. He’s also at the World Financial Center plaza at 5:30 on 6/30.

6/28, 5:30 PM the NY Gypsy All-Stars in the parking lot out back of City Winery, free.

6/28-7/3, 7:30/9:30 PM the Kenny Garrett Quartet at Dizzy’s Club, $30 seats avail.

6/28, 10 PM dark steampunk siren Jolie Holland plays the cd release show for her latest one at Bowery Ballroom, $15 adv tix highly rec.

6/28-7/2, 11 PM alto saxophonist Sharel Cassity leads a quartet at Dizzy’s Club, $10 seats avail.

6/29, 7 PM a spectacularly good new music doublebill at Galapagos: Mivos Quartet play world premieres by Tristan Perich and Samson Young followed by Redshift Ensemble’s highly anticipated Arctic Sounds suite incorporating found sounds from the rapidly disappearing great white north, $15 gen adm., early arrival highly rec.

6/29, 7PM latin jazz piano legend Larry Harlow & Latin Legends Big Band at Soundview Park in the Bronx, 6 train to Morrison Ave/Soundview

6/29, 7 PM cellist Marika Hughes at the small room at the Rockwood.

6/29, 7 PM a Bernard Herrmann 100th Birthday celebration conducted by Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (?!?) conductor John Mauceri at the Greene Space, $20 includes a glass of wine.

6/29, 8 PM Brian Carpenter’s Ghost Train Orchestra – who just put out a sizzling album of classic/obscure 1920s swing jazz tunes – at Highline Ballroom, $10 adv tix very highly rec.

6/29-7/3 the annual Django Reinhardt gypsy jazz festival at Birdland, sets 8:30/11 PM, $30 seats avail., too many artists to list here but it’s a good lineup as always.

6/29, 10 PM Beninghove’s Hangmen play the release show for their new noir jazz cd at Drom, $10 gen adm

6/29 Paleface – the original sardonic 90s white funk/hip-hop guy – at Rodeo Bar 10ish

6/30, 7 PM Laurie Anderson and Bill Laswell at Castle Clinton in Battery Park, free tix avail. 2 per person on the line outside the castle starting at 4 PM.

6/30, 8:30 PM Sara Serpa leads a quintet with Andre Matos, guitar; Pete Rende, piano; Matt Brewer, bass; Tommy Crane, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $10.

7/1, 8:30 PM roots reggae legends Steel Pulse at Prospect Park Bandshell.

7/1, 9 PM a clever melodic trio with JD Allen, tenor sax; Michael Bates, double bass; Jeff Davis, drums at Cornelia St. Cafe, $15

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

7/5 classic boricua sounds with 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, 8 PM intense, powerful Afrobeat/desert blue siren Khaira Arby at the Brooklyn Bowl, $5

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, 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, 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.

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

7/8, 9 PM 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.

7/9, 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.

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

7/12, 9 PM hypnotic literate indie songwriter Bill Callahan f.k.a. Smog at Bowery Ballroom, $20 gen adm.

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 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

7/16, 5 PM-ish PM the Black Angels at South St. Seaport.

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

7/16, 10:30 PM garage rock legends the Fleshtones cd release show at the Mercury $12 adv tix rec.

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

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

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

7/19, 10 PM Toots & the Maytals at Brooklyn Bowl, $26. He’ll also be here on 7/25.

7/21 Balkan Beat Box, 8 PM at Brooklyn Bowl, $12.

7/21 Lucinda Williams at the Beacon, 9 PM, $39.50 tix avail. at the box office.

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

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

7/26-31 7:30/9:30 subtle, soulful latin chanteuse Claudia Acuna leads her brilliant intense quintet at Dizzy’s Club, $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

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

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

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.

7/29-30 the Eels at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, 9 PM, $30 gen adm.

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.

7/31 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.

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

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

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

8/4, 7:30 PM Dengue Fever at Damrosch Park out back of Lincoln Center, free

8/4, Bill Kirchen and Los Straitjackets at Maxwell’s $15.

8/5, 7:30 PM Bassam Saba and the NY Arabic Orchestra at Damrosch Park out back of Lincoln Center, free.

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

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

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.

8/10, 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.

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

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

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

8/16, 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

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

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

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

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

8/27, 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.

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

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

WEEKLY EVENTS

5/4-7 and 5/12-14, avant garde opera Time: A Complete Explanation in Three Parts – “A documentary chamber opera” influenced by John Cage and Gerard Grisey’s chance-based compositions as well as Husserlian and Heideggerian philosophy, and more, 8 PM at the Brick Theatre, 575 Metropolitan Avenue (between Union and Lorimer), Williamsburg, $18.

5/6-14, 8 PM Carnegie Hall’s Spring for Music – a showcase for seven regional innovative ensembles: the Albany, Dallas, Montreal, Oregon, and Toledo Symphony Orchestras, and the Orpheus and St. Paul Chamber Orchestras streams on WQXR at 105.9 FM and at WQXR.org.

5/10, 5/18 and 5/26 smart, matter-of-fact, soulful Chicago blues guitarist Irving Louis Lattin plays Terra Blues at 7. He’s also at Lucille’s on 5/13 and 5/27 at 8

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 May 1, 8, 15 and 22 there are free classical organ concerts at St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 4:45 PM sharp.

Through May of 2011, the series of free organ concerts at 5:15 PM continues most every week (holidays excepted) at St. Thomas Church, 53rd St. and 5th Ave.

Sundays in May, 6 PM, former New Familiars guitarist E-S Guthrie plays the Rockwood: tuneful lyrically driven Americana.

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

Stephane Wrembel plays Sundays at Barbes at 9. He’s something of an institution here, plan on arriving EARLY, 45 minutes early isn’t too soon since the whole bar gets packed fast. The guitarist has few if any equals as an interpreter of Django Reinhardt, but it’s where he takes the gypsy jazz influence in his own remarkably original, psychedelic writing – and what he brings to the Django stuff – that makes all the difference. One of the most interesting players in any style of music, anywhere in the world.

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 May the Arturo O’Farrill Latin Jazz Orchestra at Birdland, 9/11 PM, $30 seats avail.

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.

Sundays in May at midnight Thad Debrock plays the small room at the Rockwood. The club calendar says he once played with the Jonas Bros., but if that’s true, don’t hold it against him. A highly sought-after sideman, multi-instrumentalist and film composer, he has a purist touch, a laserlike sense of melody and a deep list of good musicians to choose from.

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 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 in June at 9 PM at the Brooklyn Bowl Afrobeat band Zongo Junction and funk orchestra Turkuaz play a doublebill, sometimes with an opening act at 8; 6/13 the opener is reggae band Buru Style. $5 cover.

Mondays 5/2, 9 and 16 Gringoman (that’s Americana rock guitar legend and Lakeside honcho Eric “Roscoe” Ambel solo) at Lakeside 9 PM

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.

Also Mondays in May the Barbes house band, Chicha Libre plays there starting around 9:30. They’ve singlehandedly resurrected an amazing subgenre, chicha, which was popular in the Peruvian Amazon in the late 60s and early 70s. With electric accordion, cuatro, surf guitar and a slinky but boisterous rhythm section, their mix of obscure classics and originals is one of the funnest, most danceable things you’ll witness this year.

Also Mondays in May 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.

The second and fourth Tuesday of the month there are free organ concerts at half past noon at Central Synagogue, 652 Lexington Ave @ 55th St. curated by celebrated organ adventurer Gail Archer, a global mix of veteran and up-and-coming talent.

Tuesdays at 7 PM from May through 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. May artists include Michael Brown on May 3; Evan Shinners on May 10; Tanya Bannister on May 17; Gregg Kallor on the 24th and William McNally on the 31st.

Tuesdays in May brass maniacs Slavic Soul Party play Barbes at 9. Get here as soon as you can as they’re very popular.

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

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.

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

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

Thursdays in May hard-rocking nuevo latin soul man Rene Lopez plays Nublu. The club calendar says 9, which probably means 11.

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 May at 9 Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens play the Fat Cat.

Saturdays in June through August, 1 PM there are free concerts at Bargemusic – early arrival advised. Usually these are piano recitals, with the occasional string ensemble. Note that there is no concert on August 13.

Saturday nights in June, 9:30 PM Tammy Faye Starlite stars in Chelsea Madchen: An Evening with Nico at the Duplex, Duplex (61 Christopher St. at 7th Ave.), $15 plus 2 drink min. Less one of Starlite’s venomously hilarious parodies than an exploration of Nico the individual: “Nico was, and remains, a heroine and emblem for these dark days of civil unrest and our unceasing fascination with sybaritic self-destruction and the willful deconstruction and annihilation of beauty,” says Tammy Faye. “I’ve got the songs, the accent and the hair down and am working tirelessly on the cheekbones.” Let’s see if she’s learned to sing flat.

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