Jeremy Pelt | photo by Gulnara Khamatova | courtesy of the artist
Jeremy Pelt hits up Orrin Evans’ “What’s Happening Wednesdays” at South
For their new restaurant and jazz club South, the Bynum Brothers have smartly turned over the booking of a couple of weeknights to two well-known Philadelphians with wide-ranging contacts. Thursdays belong to bassist Gerald Veasley, whose Unscripted series features big names from the smooth and contemporary jazz worlds. Hump days are the province of pianist Orrin Evans, whose “What’s Happening Wednesdays” are typically diverse, each week of the month dedicated to a different theme from veterans to vocalists to newcomers.
Fourth Wednesdays are dedicated to bandleaders currently at the peak of their powers, and Thanksgiving eve will offer one of the strongest entries to date: trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, who has worked alongside Evans in the Mingus Big Band and in groups led by saxophonist J.D. Allen. For the occasion he’ll lead a pianoless trio featuring local sidemen Madison Rast (bass) and Anwar Marshall (drums). It’s a unique opportunity to see Pelt in such a pared-back format; he’s more often found fronting his quartet, and recent CDs have supplemented that line-up with larger and more inventive ensembles.
While Pelt is at his core a post-bop player with a bold, Miles-influenced sound and a knack for laid-back swing, he’s also game for stretching his boundaries. In recent years he’s played with incorporating electric elements into his music, and his 2014 CD Face Forward, Jeremy uses a multi-hued palette that also brings cello and harp into the fold. His most recent, Tales, Musings and Other Reveries, is a return to a pure acoustic setting, though with two high-caliber drummers (Billy Drummond and Victor Lewis) providing muscular propulsion.
Tickets and information for Jeremy Pelt at South can be found here.