Branford Marsalis Since his days as Jay Leno’s musical director on “The Tonight Show,’’ saxophonist and composer Branford Marsalis has recommitted himself to jazz in various configurations, but most often with his fluent, powerful quartet: pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Justin Faulkner (the band’s “new’’ member, since 2009). Sept. 20. $59-$89. Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport. 978-546-7391, www.rockportmusic.org
Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet The exuberant composer and cornettist Taylor Ho Bynum releases a new CD, “The Ambiguity Manifesto,’’ on Sept. 20, the day before convening his formidable longtime sextet for this show in Jamaica Plain: alto saxophonist Jim Hobbs, guitarist Mary Halvorson, bass trombone and tuba player Bill Lowe (Bynum’s former teacher at Wesleyan), bassist Ken Filiano, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara. Sept. 21. $20. Hope Central Church, Jamaica Plain. 617-615-9467, www.mandorlamusic.net
Aardvark Jazz Orchestra Boston’s magnificent Aardvark Jazz Orchestra opens its 47th season with a tribute Duke Ellington, exploring the full panoply of his oeuvre, from hits like “Satin Doll’’ and “Solitude’’ to works from his Sacred Concerts, featuring the choir of the First Parish Church of Concord, and Aardvark’s vocal soloists, Grace Hughes and Jerry Edwards. Sept. 22. $25 ($20 advance). First Parish Church, 20 Lexington Road, Concord. 978-369-9602, www.brownpapertickets.com
Tyshawn Sorey The 39-year-old composer, multi-instrumentalist, and MacArthur “genius’’ Fellow Tyshawn Sorey offers this multi-faceted free concert as part of his New England Conservatory residency. The pieces will include an orchestral tribute to two avant-garde jazz heroes, “For Bill Dixon and A. Spencer Barefield,’’ the piano piece “Movement,’’ Sorey’s “noise project’’ LOUD, featuring NEC faculty member Joe Morris, and a duo performance with NEC faculty member Anthony Coleman and excerpts from a Yiddish Theatre project featuring Sorey’s arrangements and orchestrations. Oct. 3. Free (tickets required). Jordan Hall, Boston. 617-585-1100, www.necmusic.edu
John Coltrane Memorial Concert The 42nd annual John Coltrane Memorial Concert will be especially poignant this year, as it celebrates one of the event’s cofounders — saxophonist, composer, and Northeastern University professor Leonard Brown, who died in March at the age of 72. The concert will feature a performance of the title track from Coltrane’s posthumously released “Transition.’’ The 14-piece ensemble includes saxophonists Bill Pierce, Stan Strickland, Billy Thompson, Bobby Tynes, and JCMC musical director Carl Atkins. Oct. 5. $25-$35. Blackman Auditorium, Northeastern University, Boston. 617-373-4700, www.friendsofjcmc.org
John Scofield One of the “big three’’ of influential jazz guitarists in his generation (along with Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell), John Scofield this time out is performing two rare solo-guitar club performances. Oct. 11-12. $40, $35 (students). Regattabar, Cambridge. 617-395-7757, www.regattabarjazz.com
Jazz Advance: The Legacy of Cecil Taylor In the late ’50s and early ’60s, the visionary pianist and composer Cecil Taylor, a New England Conservatory graduate, overturned existing conceptions of what constituted jazz, and he never looked back. For this show, NEC faculty and alumni pay tribute to Taylor with solo piano performances by Ran Blake, Bruce Brubaker, Ethan Iverson, Matthew Shipp, and Dan Tepfer; an ensemble performance of “Rain’’ (written by former Taylor bandmate — and NEC prof — Steve Lacy); as well as an ensemble led by NEC faculty member Joe Morris. Oct. 18. Free (tickets required). Jordan Hall, Boston. 617-585-1100, www.necmusic.edu/jazz
Chick Corea Trilogy Last fall, the master pianist (and composer of several now-standard jazz compositions) Chick Corea played a historic four-night stand at Scullers with his Vigilette Trio (bassist Carlitos Del Puerto and drummer Marcus Gilmore). Now he’s returning for a show at Symphony Hall with bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade. Oct. 20. $55-$95. Symphony Hall, Boston. 617-482-2595, www.celebrityseries.org
Pedrito Martinez Group The Havana-born singer and percussionist Pedrito Martinez’s credits include gigs with Cuban reed master Paquito D’Rivera, pianist Arturo O’Farrill, and Bruce Springsteen. Martinez’s driving, varied rhythms, with their elemental folkloric roots, are at the core of his exciting group. Oct. 20. $28-$36. City Winery, Boston. 617-876-4275, www.globalartslive.org
The Bad Plus A couple of decades ago, the Bad Plus transformed the idea of what a jazz piano trio could be, eventually encompassing everything from Black Sabbath and Nirvana to Ornette Coleman (“Science Fiction’’) and Stravinsky (“The Rite of Spring’’), as well as provocative originals. Following the departure of founding member Ethan Iverson in 2017, bassist Reid Anderson and drummer Dave King have continued with Orrin Evans in the piano chair. Oct. 25-26. $35-$85. Scullers Jazz Club, Boston. 866-777-8932, www.scullersjazz.com
Dee Dee Bridgewater Back in August, the charismatic singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, now 69, gave one of the standout performances at the Newport Jazz Festival — historically informed without being didactic, and beautifully sung. If you missed her then, you get another chance, as part of Berklee’s Signature Series. Oct. 30. $20-$35. Berklee Performance Center, Boston. 617-747-2261, www.berklee.edu/events/signature-series
Darrell Katz’s OddSong A founding member of Boston’s Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra, Darrell Katz has drawn on that group for the unusual instrumentation in the chamber-vocal group OddSong: voice (Rebecca Shrimpton), sax quartet (Melanie Howell Brooks, Lihi Haruvi, Phil Scarff, Rick Stone), violin (Helen Sherrah-Davies), marimba and vibraphone (Vessela Stoyanova). The texts draw on the poetry of Katz’s late wife, Paula Tatarunis, a lifelong collaborator. The music includes pieces by Astor Piazzola and Julius Hemphill, and Katz’s own mix of strong grooves, meditative delicacy, and playful, beguiling abstraction. Nov. 8. $20. St. John’s Episcopal Church, Jamaica Plain. 617-910-0854, www.theopentheatre.com
Wynton Marsalis Quintet Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis makes regular stops at Symphony Hall with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (of which he is the artistic director). This is his first trip in recent memory with his quintet. Though unconfirmed at press time, the band will probably include regulars Walter Blanding on saxophone and clarinet, pianist Dan Nimmer, and drummer Jason Marsalis. Nov. 10. $50-$95. Symphony Hall, Boston. 617-482-2595, www.celebrityseries.org
Allison Miller Trio Another highlight of this year’s Newport Jazz Festival was drummer Allison Miller’s quartet with violinist Jenny Scheinman, Parlour Game. Miller, a fine writer with a compositional attention to texture and detail as well as groove, leads this group with the wonderful pianist Carmen Staaf and Boston’s essential trumpeter, Jason Palmer. Nov. 23. $18, $15 (students). Lilypad, Cambridge. 617-800-7255, www.lilypadinman.com
UPDATE: One of the shows included in the original version of this story has been canceled.
