Math appeal
When you're the son of an Indian-American professor of theoretical particle physics, of course you turn out to be a … jazz musician. Rudresh Mahanthappa, 35, is a highly decorated alto saxophonist based out of Brooklyn who imbues his take on "America's classical music" with elements from India and, yes, mathematics. His latest CD, Codebook (Pi Recordings), incorporates influences from math and cryptography into a challenging but listenable effort. The disc was named one of the Top Jazz Albums of 2006 by The Village Voice and Jazztimes. Despite its debt to nonmusical disciplines, the disc brims with frenetic passion, as if Rudresh were biting large chunks of notes, chewing up and spewing them out in speedy, tart-toned figures. For this concert, he'll be joined by his regular band: pianist Vijay Iyer, bassist Francois Moutin and durmmer Damion Reid. These kind of (post)modern jazz performances have become increasingly rare in the Bay area, so jazzbos take heed, and take advantage when you can.
Rudresh Mahanthappa Quartet, 8 p.m. Sat., March 1, (pre-concert discussion with the artist at 7 p.m.), St. Petersburg College Music Center (66th Street and Fifth Avenue N., St. Pete), $10. emitseries.org. —Eric Snider
Sultry chanteuse
She has a way of turning a 2,000-seat venue into her living room. Relaxed, confident and funny, k.d. lang has an engaging stage presence. Then she sings, and it gets better from there. Her dusky contralto is one of the best, most expressive, instruments in adult pop. With a splendid new album, Watershed, under her belt, lang should find a little extra juice to highlight her new material. The Canadian singer/songwriter began as an acolyte of Patsy Cline (she once had a backup band called the Reclines), but over several decades she has transcended the country genre.
k.d. lang w/Dustin O'Halloran, 8 p.m. Mon., March 3, $85, $49.50, $43.50, rutheckerdhall.com. —ES
Do right man
Singer/songwriter/producer Dan Penn ranks high among the oft-overlooked, behind-the-scenes operatives who played an integral role in the golden era of soul — especially vintage Southern soul. His greatest contributions are co-writing the chestnuts "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" (Aretha Franklin's 1967 classic) and "Dark End of the Street." In subsequent decades, both songs have become soul standards, covered by everyone from Willie Nelson to Elvis Costello. Penn's ragged-but-right vocal approach has distinguished him as a white soul singer of considerable merit — Penn's 1994 album Do Right Man is one of my personal faves. In recent years, Penn has shown he still has the magic touch, co-writing the title track to Solomon Burke's glorious 2002 comeback album, Don't Give Up on Me.
WMNF and Suncoast Blues Society present Dan Penn w/T.C. Carr/Lenny Austin, 8 p.m. Sat., March 1, Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg, $20. —Wade Tatangelo
This article appears in Feb 27 – Mar 4, 2008.
