Bid farewell to Bad Plus’ edgy pianist
The Bad Plus with Kurt Rosenwinkel (6 p.m., Gesù, 1200 Bleury St., $54.35). The edgy piano trio ends its three-night Invitation Series at the Gesù by teaming up with another fest favourite, VIP guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. The sounds should rock cerebrally, but this is also an opportunity to say “So long” to Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson, who leaves the group in December after 17 years.
ALSO
The Bluebell Sisters (5 and 7 p.m., Place Heineken, corner of Ste-Catherine and Bleury Sts., free). Specializing in the roots of (roughly pre-Beatle) rock n’ roll, this high-energy band is narrowing its focus for Heartbreak Hotel, a tribute to Elvis Presley. Here’s your chance to get in on their kinetic mix of rockabilly, country and pop, while celebrating the classics waxed by El, gone 40 years this summer.
Tigran Hamasyan and Colin Stetson (7 p.m., Maison symphonique, $47.25 to $52.25). An unusual coupling. Sax player Stetson’s daring, challenging music can be thrillingly unsettling, maybe even terrifying. Meanwhile, Armenian musician Hamasyan’s An Ancient Observer, a solo piano project he showcases tonight, is often stately, delicate and meditative.
Christian McBride and Tip City (8 p.m., MonumentNational, 1182 St-Laurent Blvd., $47.75). McBride, a Philadelphia-born bass virtuoso, is a 25-year veteran of the festival. He has a love of jazz that has led him to explore its many different sub-genres — but you can always expect whatever he does to be pure and direct.
Selwyn Birchwood (9 and 11 p.m., Bell Stage, corner of de Montigny and Clark, free). An explosive soloist in the post-Hendrix tradition, Birchwood is a modern bluesman through and through. And yet, when he opens his mouth, the 32-year-old guitar-slinger sings like one of the veterans. String-bending proof that the blues live outside of time.