April 7-13, 2005

musicpicks

John Tchicai Trio

jazz

Danish saxophonist John Tchicai's contributions to avant-garde jazz are too often overlooked despite his status as the go-to guy for '60s jazz pioneers in search of a sympathetic improviser. He recorded with John Coltrane (on 1965's Ascension), Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, and even John Lennon and Yoko Ono. But most important were his co-founding memberships in the New York Contemporary Five (with Shepp and Don Cherry) and the New York Art Quartet, a powerhouse loft-scene combo who released three expansive free-jazz records in their too-short career. Tchicai possesses an unfailing melodic instinct that turns his every improvisation into a miniature act of spontaneous composition. This current trio teams him with drummer Harvey Wirth and guitarist Garrison Fewell, whose ethereal playing brings out a more lyrical side in Tchicai. Fewell seems to drift along beneath his collaborators, providing a fluid bed over which they can serenely flow.

Sat., April 9, 8 p.m., $12, Slought Foundation, 4017 Walnut St., 215-922-9050, www.slought.org.

—Shaun Brady