King Crimson goes big with drum corps

King Crimson (7:30 p.m., Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier of Place des Arts, $93.75 to $210.25). What you get for a top-ticket price north of $200: eight men, including four drummers, with a rabid cult following and a sometimes-dissonant repertoire of brain-teasing compositions that spans almost five decades. Robert Fripp, the only remaining member from the influential band’s formation in 1968, promises more noise than ever. But you won’t take the evidence home: you will be warned to keep your cellphone in your pocket, a rule you will ignore at your own risk. Fripp cut the group’s encore short in Toronto a couple of years ago when a stubborn fan defied the edict.

ALSO

The John Pizzarelli Quartet with Catherine Russell: Billie and Blue Eyes (6 p.m., Gesù, 1200 Bleury St., $64.35). Guitarist Pizzarelli’s three-night Invitation Series begins here, with Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday in the repertoire as Russell, an astonishing singer, joins him on the Gesù stage.

Dawn Tyler Watson (8 and 10 p.m., Rio Tinto Stage, corner of Ste-Catherine and Jeanne Mance Sts., free). The winner of this year’s Memphis International Blues Challenge in the band category — not long after triple bypass surgery — deserves some love in her hometown as well. She rocked it up with the gospel-blues drive of last year’s excellent and stylistically-varied Jawbreaker! album, and that soul spirit can only spread in a live, outdoor setting.

Wax Tailor and Kid Koala (8:30 p.m., Metropolis, 59 Ste-Catherine St. E., $39.25). An upgrade of the Kid’s evergreen Vinyl Vaudeville shows (we’re up to version 3.0). You can probably expect dancers, puppets, paper airplanes and audience participation among the turntable blasts, but one thing is certain: you’ll leave with a huge grin on your face. French DJ and producer Wax Tailor shares the bill.

Bria Skonberg (9 p.m., L’Astral, 305 Ste-Catherine St. W., $35 to $39). The Juno-winning singer and trumpet player from B.C. has been creating serious critical buzz and winning fans with a smartly-arranged repertoire that should manage to satisfy the jazz purists and delight those who seek a less-conventional approach. Case in point: her hushed, melancholic take on Leonard Cohen’s Dance Me To the End of Love. — Bernard Perusse The Montreal International Jazz Festival continues through Saturday. For tickets and more information, visit montrealjazzfest.com.