The San Diego concerts you can't miss this week and next – San Diego Union-Tribune

Marquis Hill in the Loft

It's been 10 years since Marquis Hill won the 204th edition of the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, and the Chicago-based trumpeter, composer and bandleader has hardly looked back.

At age 27, he won the Monk competition with two time-honored classics, “If I Were a Bell” and “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” exceeding all expectations. Hill impressed the judges — including Quincy Jones, Roy Hargrove, Arturo Sandoval and Randy Brecker — with his heady combination of virtuosity and nuance, improvisational ingenuity and precise dynamic control. By this time, he had already released four albums.

Over the past decade, Hill has recorded another 11 albums showcasing his love of jazz, hip-hop, funk, Afrobeat, neo-soul, spoken word and more. All of these styles can be heard on his expansive new album, Composers Collective: Beyond the Jukebox.

It contains 18 pieces ranging in length from just 27 seconds (the luminous a cappella number “Step on Step”) to 6 minutes and 36 seconds (the album openers “A Star is Born” and “Joseph Beat,” which feature a grid-like arrangement, terrific solos by Hill and vibraphonist Joel Ross, and some recorded words of wisdom from the late saxophone icon Wayne Shorter, one of Hill's greatest inspirations as a composer and a towering musical force).

The album mixes original compositions by Hill with pieces by Ross, guitarist Jeff Parker, drummer Makaya McCraven, bassist Junius Paul, keyboardist Mike King and others. The emphasis is on crisp ensemble work and sensitive interplay, rather than on flashy showmanship.

The four musicians from Hill's touring band – Ross, King, Paul and McCraven – all appear on “Beyond the Jukebox,” suggesting that the music on the album will be a starting point rather than the destination at her San Diego concert.

Next Wednesday, October 2, 8 p.m. The Loft @ UC San Diego, 3151 Matthews Lane, La Jolla. $35. artpower.ucsd.edu

Kittel & Company

Led by former Turtle Island String Quartet violinist Jeremy Kittle, this genre-bending trio features two equally gifted instrumentalists: mandolin player Josh Pinkham and Canadian guitarist Quinn Bachand.

Together they mix elements of classical, bluegrass, swing, Celtic music and more to create an inviting mix that sounds both fresh and traditional.

Music fans who read the album's liner notes carefully will recognize Kittel's name. He has done string arrangements for everyone from Renee Fleming, My Morning Jacket and the Yo-Yo Ma-led Silk Road Ensemble to Laura Viers, Fleet Foxes and Aoife O'Donovan (who performs at the Epstein Family Amphitheatre on October 4 with the La Jolla Symphony and the San Diego Children's Chorus).

Friday, 7 p.m. UC San Diego's Park & ​​Market, 1100 Market St., downtown. $25-$35. (858) 534-1010; parkandmarket.ucsd.edu/events/

Kacey Musgraves, with Nickel Creek and Father John Misty

Talk about an inspired triumvirate of Grammy-winning artists!

Just as Kacey Musgraves has skillfully left her country roots behind to explore a broader range of sounds, San Diego band Nickel Creek has left its bluegrass foundations far behind to create a stunning stylistic synthesis. Father John Misty is no less adept at avoiding stereotyping.

Led by mandolin master Chris Thiele and siblings Sara and Sean Watkins on violin and guitar, Nickel Creek is a real showstopper in any musical setting. The three were all in elementary school when the group made its public debut at That Pizza Place in Carlsbad in 1989.

In 2007, the trio became the first band to perform at Coachella and the Stagecoach Festival in Indio on two consecutive weekends, where the group easily won over audiences at both events. Nickel Creek's latest album, last year's Celebrants, is the most ambitious and successful of their career.

Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. Pechanga Arena San Diego, 3500 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway District. $76.63-$307. pechangasd.com

Adam Nussbaum with the SDSU Jazz Ensembles and faculty members Brian Levy, Gilbert Castellanos, Anthony Smith and Luca Alemanno

Adam Nussbaum is a drummer's drummer and has worked with many musicians in the past, from James Moody, Gil Evans, Sonny Rollins and John Scofield to Lee Konitz, Miroslav Vitous, John Abercrombie and Morgana King.

In 2018, Nussbaum released his first album as a bandleader: “The Lead Belly Project”. It is a great, purely instrumental homage to the American folk-blues pioneer Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, whose songbook includes classics such as “Midnight Special”, “Rock Island Line”, “Good Night, Irene” and “Black Betty”.

Nussbaum's appearances in San Diego are rare, but they leave an indelible impression, as anyone who saw his rousing concert with saxophonist Michael Brecker in 1989 can attest.

His return next week will be as welcome as it is overdue. Nussbaum will be a guest artist with several student jazz ensembles at SDSU on Tuesday night, where he will also play a set with such notable SDSU jazz teachers as trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos, vibraphonist and pianist Anthony Smith, bassist Luca Alemanno and saxophonist Brian Levy, who is the university's director of jazz studies and a force of energy.

Tuesday, 7 p.m. Smith Recital Hall, 5500 Campanile Drive, SDSU. $10-$15. music.sdsu.edu/calendar#event-details/8f03c75c-fe4a-491e-bf40-3eb67c2b24f8

Originally published: September 25, 2024 at 6:01 am