Earl Klugh at Ferst Center for the Arts
This long-serving jazz guitarist has been nominated for a Grammy 12 times, including for his two most recent albums, 2005’s “Naked Guitar” and 2008’s “The Spice of Life.” He’s won only once, back in 1980 for “One On One," which he recorded with Bob James. Klugh, who was first inspired to pick up a guitar after seeing legend Chet Atkins on television, has been an Atlanta resident about a decade now.
8 p.m. March 3. $36-$61. Ferst Center for the Arts, 349 Ferst Drive N.W., Atlanta. 404-894-2787, www.ferstcenter.gatech.edu.
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis at Atlanta Symphony Hall
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and, arguably, jazz’s best known living trumpeter returns to Atlanta for a performance with the venerable ensemble, for which he serves as artistic director. Since this year mark’s Marsalis’s 50th birthday, the show that comes to Symphony Hall this year will feature a retrospective of his past big band compositions and the orchestras modern take on some classic jazz favorites.
8 p.m. March 3. $30-$90. Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-733-5000, www.atlantasymphony.org.
Robert Glasper Experiment at Variety Playhouse
Texas-born pianist Glasper is at the forefront when it comes to merging jazz with hip-hop and contemporary R&B. As many jazz fusionists and experimentalists of the past can attest, it can be tricky territory, blending popular forms with jazz traditions. Glasper is navigating just fine, creating challenging and engaging music that can reference Herbie Hancock, Radiohead and Duke Ellington within the space of a single piece. His latest album, “Black Radio,” is out Feb. 28 and features appearances by Erykah Badu, Bilal, Lupe Fiasco, Lalah Hathaway and many more, including Chrisette Michele, who will join him for this show.
8 p.m. March 4. $35; $29.50 in advance. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-524-7354,www.variety-playhouse.com.
Pancho Sanchez and Terence Blanchard: “Cubano Be! Cubano Bop! A Tribute to Chano Pozo and Dizzy Gillespie” at the Rialto Center for the Arts
Conga master Sanchez teams with one of today’s finest trumpeters to pay tribute to a long-ago collaboration with the album “Chano y Dizzy,” a 2011 release that inspired this tour. Chano Pozo was the first in a long line of Latin percussionists in Dizzy Gillespie’s band and despite the fact that he was with Gillespie for barely a year, it was one of the seminal moments in Latin jazz and Pozo’s influence on Gillespie’s work would be felt for years.
8 p.m. April 28. $41-$67. Rialto Center for the Arts, 80 Forsyth St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-413-9849, www.rialtocenter.org.
-- Shane Harrison
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