Music critics' picks
POP...plusPOP . . . plus The first enticement here is seeing the enigmatic soundscapist Daniel Lanois out and about, leading Black Dub, his new group venture, on guitar - not just holing up in the studio as producer/playmate for the likes of U2, Bob Dylan and Neil Young. No surpr
POP...plus
POP . . . plus
The first enticement here is seeing the enigmatic soundscapist Daniel Lanois out and about, leading Black Dub, his new group venture, on guitar - not just holing up in the studio as producer/playmate for the likes of U2, Bob Dylan and Neil Young. No surprise, Lanois' new project embraces an atmospheric, open-ended approach, a hybrid of soul, New Orleans voodoo blues and its first cousin, Jamaican dub, with the added promise of no-two-performances-alike spontaneity. To fulfill the mission, Lanois is tangling with the highly seasoned Big Easy-based jazz drummer Brian Blade and bassist Daryl Johnson. Plus, they're introducing the sultry vocal sounds of Trixie Whitley, oft evoking the downhome Texas moan of her late date Chris Whitley. Opening the night, a solo Rocco DeLuca.
Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9 p.m. Thursday, $16-$18, 215-739-9684, www.johnnybrendas.com.
- Jonathan Takiff
ALTERNATIVE
Since 1999, Covenant House Pennsylvania has been providing shelter and other services to homeless Philadelphia-area youth.
The Improbables' David Reiss set up this local benefit with some pretty solid bands, including his. The lineup features Adam and Dave's Bloodline, the Successful Failures, Broad Street Blues, Tritone residents Sloe & Shakey and Three-4-Tens offshoot St. James & the Apostles.
Tritone, 1508 South St., 8 p.m. tomorrow, $7, 215–545–0475, www.tritonebar.com.
- Sara Sherr
HIP-HOP
The grand finale to this year's First Person Festival will serve as a tribute to one of Philadelphia's most respected poets, "BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez: A Tribute in Word, Music and Dance." Sanchez has been a driving force in the Black Arts Movement for decades. "BaddDDD's" star-studded lineup is scheduled to include Talib Kweli, Ruby Dee, Rennie Harris, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Evan Solot, Odean Pope and Monette Sudler. Hosted by Lorene Cary
Baptist Temple, 1837 N. Broad St., 6 p.m. Sunday, $36.86, $29.69 for First Person Arts members, 800-298-4200, www.thebaptisttemple.org.
- James Johnson
JAZZ
Legendary fusion guitar god John McLaughlin's latest CD, "To the One," pays tribute to late saxophone legend John Coltrane. But the album is unmistakably McLaughlin, in original compositions chiefly inspired by Trane's masterwork, "A Love Supreme." The two suites have structural and spiritual elements in common, but where Coltrane's work was intense, McLaughlin's is mystical, clear and precise even at its most searching moments.Joining him is his band, 4th Dimension: keyboardist Gary Husband, drummer Mark Mondesir and bassist Etienne M'Bappe.
Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside, 8 tonight, $37.50, 215-572-7650, www.keswicktheatre.com.
- Shaun Brady
CLASSICAL
Geoffrey Deemer, principal oboe in the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia (and the Opera Company of Philadelphia's orchestra) solos in Vaughan Williams' 1944 Concerto for Oboe and Strings. Deeme studied with Richard Woodhams at Curtis, plays with a gorgeous tone ideal for this lush, pastoral and neglected gem. The Philadelphia Orchestra's principal cello Hai-Ye Ni performs the Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme. Chamber Orchestra music director Dirk Brosse also leads the ensemble in Barber's Adagio for Strings and Puccini's "Crisantemi."
Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, 2:30 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Monday, $24-$81. Baptist Temple, Broad Street and Polett Walk, $28, 215-893-1999, www.chamberorchestra.org.
- Tom Di Nardo
