Rhythm Section

The SFJAZZ Collective is an octet comprising a jazz festival's worth of names, each an acclaimed bandleader in his or her own right. One fears that such an all-star aggregation will prove less than the sum of its parts, but at the Berklee Performance center on Friday night, the Collective was a marvel. Each year since its founding in 2004, the Collective has featured works by a post-bop master, supplemented by member's compositions. This year's master is Wayne Shorter, and the concert began with his elegant "Footprints," inventively arranged by pianist Renee Rosnes.

JAZZ The ratio of Thelonious Monk tribute albums to Thelonious Monk compositions is way out of synch. The iconoclastic pianist wrote only 70 tunes, but you know most of them, even if you don't know you know them. Monk tributes are numerous, but trumpeter Jimmy Owens's "The Monk Project" warrants special attention. One reason is the lineup: Aside from Owens (who gigged with Hampton, Mingus, Basie, and others), the septet features Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Marcus Strickland (tenor saxophone)

JAZZ The ratio of Thelonious Monk tribute albums to Thelonious Monk compositions is way out of synch. The iconoclastic pianist wrote only 70 tunes, but you know most of them, even if you don't know you know them. Monk tributes are numerous, but trumpeter Jimmy Owens's "The Monk Project" warrants special attention. One reason is the lineup: Aside from Owens (who gigged with Hampton, Mingus, Basie, and others), the septet features Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Marcus Strickland (tenor saxophone)

CAMBRIDGE — Here’s how much respect Charles Lloyd has for his sidemen. Upon finishing his first solo of the night, the saxophonist sat on the bench next to the piano. Suddenly realizing he was obstructing some people’s views of Jason Moran, he stood and walked behind the drum kit, where he watched the pianist until it was time to reenter. In fact, Lloyd seemed to enjoy himself most when he was listening to his rhythm section play without him. In a jazz combo, nothing is more important than the interaction among the musicians, and this is especially true with Lloyd.

Extreme launched its first tour in more than a decade by hitting home turf and playing to an enthusiastic following Thursday night at the Bank of America Pavilion. What the house may have lacked in numbers it made up for in spirit, welcoming back Extreme (whose members did a test run in a Poughkeepsie, N.Y., nightclub earlier in the week) like returning heroes. The band did not disappoint, uncorking a show that seemed hermetically sealed, simply awaiting this sort of opening.

CAMBRIDGE — Here’s how much respect Charles Lloyd has for his sidemen. Upon finishing his first solo of the night, the saxophonist sat on the bench next to the piano. Suddenly realizing he was obstructing some people’s views of Jason Moran, he stood and walked behind the drum kit, where he watched the pianist until it was time to reenter. In fact, Lloyd seemed to enjoy himself most when he was listening to his rhythm section play without him. In a jazz combo, nothing is more important than the interaction among the musicians, and this is especially true...

CAMBRIDGE -- It's an encouraging sign of fairer days ahead when a Saturday night in Central Square is abuzz with anticipation of a sold-out show. The mood was no less enthusiastic inside the Middle East Downstairs when the lights dimmed and Kaiser Chiefs strode onstage to an amped-up version of the Beatles' "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey. " A punchy keyboard and thumping bass line propelled the set opener, "Na Na Na Na Naaa," from the band's acclaimed new CD, "Employment.

On Saturday, the Maria Schneider Orchestra made its long-overdue Boston debut at the Berklee Performance Center. Schneider, 46, has been widely considered among the most significant bandleaders and composers in jazz for over a decade. She apprenticed with the great arrangers Bob Brookmeyer and Gil Evans, and the latter's lambent clouds of harmony are evident in her writing. Yet her compositions draw less from the traditional materials of jazz than from film scores, Protestant hymns, and Latin music.

The Shins are in a precarious position. With two critically celebrated albums to their credit and an ever-increasing public profile, the band is poised for higher exposure. One of the essential steps on this journey is a move beyond rock clubs to larger venues. For the Albuquerque-bred quartet, Friday night's sold-out show at the Roxy proved an initially daunting, but ultimately achievable, task. Taking the stage, the band members seemed awed by the crowd, and keyboardist Marty Crandall excitedly called out, "We're going to play you some jams.

Extreme launched its first tour in more than a decade by hitting home turf and playing to an enthusiastic following last night at the Bank of America Pavilion. What the house may have lacked in numbers it made up for in spirit, welcoming back Extreme (whose members did a test run in a Poughkeepsie, N.Y., nightclub earlier in the week) like returning heroes. The band did not disappoint, uncorking a show that seemed hermetically sealed, simply awaiting this sort of opening.

Extreme launched its first tour in more than a decade by hitting home turf and playing to an enthusiastic following Thursday night at the Bank of America Pavilion. What the house may have lacked in numbers it made up for in spirit, welcoming back Extreme (whose members did a test run in a Poughkeepsie, N.Y., nightclub earlier in the week) like returning heroes. The band did not disappoint, uncorking a show that seemed hermetically sealed, simply awaiting this sort of opening.

Extreme launched its first tour in more than a decade by hitting home turf and playing to an enthusiastic following last night at the Bank of America Pavilion. What the house may have lacked in numbers it made up for in spirit, welcoming back Extreme (whose members did a test run in a Poughkeepsie, N.Y., nightclub earlier in the week) like returning heroes. The band did not disappoint, uncorking a show that seemed hermetically sealed, simply awaiting this sort of opening.

The SFJAZZ Collective is an octet comprising a jazz festival's worth of names, each an acclaimed bandleader in his or her own right. One fears that such an all-star aggregation will prove less than the sum of its parts, but at the Berklee Performance center on Friday night, the Collective was a marvel. Each year since its founding in 2004, the Collective has featured works by a post-bop master, supplemented by member's compositions. This year's master is Wayne Shorter, and the concert began with his elegant "Footprints," inventively arranged by pianist Renee Rosnes.

Some artists are destined to wander through their musical lives like gypsies, never staying in one place for long and never quite connecting with an audience as deeply or durably as their gifts suggest they should. After a decade searching for a sound in Nashville, country rebel Shelby Lynne seemed to find her footing in 2000 when she released "I Am Shelby Lynne," a collection of roots-rock originals as pointed and purposeful as its title. But she followed it with a slick, forced rock album, and after that a self-penned survey of American popular music (called...

On Saturday, the Maria Schneider Orchestra made its long-overdue Boston debut at the Berklee Performance Center. Schneider, 46, has been widely considered among the most significant bandleaders and composers in jazz for over a decade. She apprenticed with the great arrangers Bob Brookmeyer and Gil Evans, and the latter's lambent clouds of harmony are evident in her writing. Yet her compositions draw less from the traditional materials of jazz than from film scores, Protestant hymns, and Latin music.

Many people who lived through the 1960s profess they don't remember much of it. If only the same were true of "Beehive, the 60's Musical," now at the Cutler Majestic Theatre. Musically, the 1960s was an amazingly adventurous era, from the clean pop of Lesley Gore through the Beatles, Motown, and the psychedelic rock of Jimi Hendrix. Capturing the feel of all this in a musical revue is nearly impossible, so the creator of "Beehive" focuses on the women who stood out. Fair enough; we get to hear songs made famous by Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, the...

Many people who lived through the 1960s profess they don't remember much of it. If only the same were true of "Beehive, the 60's Musical," now at the Cutler Majestic Theatre. Musically, the 1960s was an amazingly adventurous era, from the clean pop of Lesley Gore through the Beatles, Motown, and the psychedelic rock of Jimi Hendrix. Capturing the feel of all this in a musical revue is nearly impossible, so the creator of "Beehive" focuses on the women who stood out. Fair enough; we get to hear songs made famous by Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, the Supremes, Dusty Springfield, Petula...

Some artists are destined to wander through their musical lives like gypsies, never staying in one place for long and never quite connecting with an audience as deeply or durably as their gifts suggest they should. After a decade searching for a sound in Nashville, country rebel Shelby Lynne seemed to find her footing in 2000 when she released "I Am Shelby Lynne," a collection of roots-rock originals as pointed and purposeful as its title. But she followed it with a slick, forced rock album, and after that a self-penned survey of American popular music (called "Identity...

Lewis Taylor STONED Hacktone If you haven't heard of this Brit blue-eyed soul singer don't worry because almost everyone whiffed on "Stoned" when it was released a few months ago. Quite simply, as the year draws to a close, if this is not on lists of the finest records of the 2005, those lists are incomplete. Taylor is a cult artist in Great Britain and this disc is an expanded version of a CD that's only been available in the States as an import. It's a seamless mix of organic soul that is remarkably refreshing to hear in an era of so much processed, vacuum-packed R&B with no, well, soul.

CAMBRIDGE -- It's an encouraging sign of fairer days ahead when a Saturday night in Central Square is abuzz with anticipation of a sold-out show. The mood was no less enthusiastic inside the Middle East Downstairs when the lights dimmed and Kaiser Chiefs strode onstage to an amped-up version of the Beatles' "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey. " A punchy keyboard and thumping bass line propelled the set opener, "Na Na Na Na Naaa," from the band's acclaimed new CD, "Employment.