Edition: U.S. / Global


Published: March 23, 2001


ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, Beacon Theater, 2124 Broadway, at 74th Street, (212) 496-7070. The archetypal Southern rock band is still on the road, though one of its founders and defining voices, the guitarist Dickey Betts, is estranged from the band. His replacement is Warren Haynes, who has been in and out of the band and its spinoff, Government Mule; he'll be sharing the twin-guitar passages with Derek Trucks, nephew of the band's drummer Butch Trucks. Tonight through Sunday night at 8; tickets are $49.95 to 69.95; tonight and tomorrow's shows are sold out (Jon Pareles).

PETER BERNSTEIN QUARTET WITH BRAD MEHLDAU, Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Manhattan, (212) 581-3080. Back at the dawn of the 90's, Mr. Bernstein, the guitarist, and Mr. Mehldau, the pianist, were often found in each other's company -- sometimes with Josh Redman, who also did well for himself by the end of the decade. Together, they have communication, vigor and intelligence, and there are times when one needs no more than that. Tonight and tomorrow at 9 and 11 p.m.; cover charge is $25; $10 minimum (Ben Ratliff).

* JEFF BECK, Roseland, 239 West 52nd Street, Manhattan, (212) 777-6800. In the 1960's Jeff Beck forged his wailing, slicing guitar style in blues bands. Since then, he has applied to it hard rock and jazz-rock while disappearing for years at a time. For his new album, ''Who Else!'' (Epic), Mr. Beck is backed by the unswerving rhythms of drum machines and programmed riffs by the keyboardist Tony Hymas. But it's not dance-floor electronica; as in his previous collaborations with Mr. Hymas, there's still blues in the songs, and his guitar still screams and sighs. Tonight, doors open at 6:30; tickets are $35 in advance; $40 day of show (Pareles).

ANDY BEY, Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, Manhattan, (212) 576-2232. Mr. Bey possesses a skyscraper voice: bass-baritone lows, accurate falsetto highs. He is ferociously talented, and his recent comeback is one of the more welcome developments in recent jazz. Tonight and tomorrow night at 8, 10:30 and midnight, with a $25 cover for 8 and 10:30 shows and $18 for midnight show; Sunday at 7 and 9 p.m., with an $18 cover; $10 minimum all nights and shows (Ratliff).

* SOLOMON BURKE AND THE UPTOWN HORNS REVIEW, Village Underground, 130 West Third Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 777-7745. At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction dinner on Monday, Mr. Burke, one of the great soul emoters of the 60's, found a new fan in Kid Rock, who openly admired Mr. Burke's kingly robe, dazzling blue suit and personal onstage manservant. Fresh from having brought the house down with an unbelievable performance of ''Everybody Needs Somebody'' with the Rolling Stone Keith Richards on guitar and Kid Rock on accompanying vocals, Mr. Burke will deliver a full show of sweet, heart-melting soul. Tonight at 8:30 and 11:30; admission is $20 (Neil Strauss).

* JOHN BUTCHER, Roulette, 228 West Broadway, at White Street, TriBeCa, (212) 219-8242. The English saxophone improviser John Butcher plays extremely abstractly, in the sort of style where successes are difficult to quantify. It's not jazz, though it may draw a crowd that knows about jazz. But his recent recordings -- some of them duets with other musicians improvising on electronic instruments -- have been top-notch, and he never seems to play in New York. Tonight at 8:30; tickets are $10 (Ratliff).

RON CARTER-BILL FRISELL DUO, BILL FRISELL QUARTET, Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 475-8592. The bassist Ron Carter and the guitarist Bill Frisell have played together before, in a group led by Joey Baron. As lead players go, Mr. Frisell is a patient, rigorous listener, and in the peaceful setting of solo or duo he can be jaw-on-table impressive. The quartet, on the other hand, is his more practiced band. Even if you find his Americana-tinged jazz shrunken-down or quaint, it's hard not to see his brilliance. Tonight through Sunday night at 9 and 11:30; cover charge is $35 for tables; $20 for the bar; $5 minimum (Ratliff).

* CHRIS CUTLER, Roulette, 228 West Broadway, at White Street, TriBeCa (212) 219-8242. Mr. Cutler is one of the most interesting, unsung intellectual heroes of modern music. He is a label head (Recommended Records), an author (the classic 1985 tome ''File Under Popular''), a legend in progressive music circles (as a member of the long-defunct Henry Cow), a self-taught percussion innovator and a free-thinker who has been trying to urge musicians to seize hold of the production, distribution, management and even concert booking of their music for some three decades. He is to perform on his homemade electro-acoustic drum kit tomorrow at 8:30 p.m.; admission is $10 (Strauss).

* ORRIN EVANS TRIO, Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson Street, South Village (212) 242-1063. The young pianist Orrin Evans, from Philadelphia, conceives his sets so that they leave a lot of room for ad-libbed group interplay, but in his music there isn't one single joint between composition and improvisation; there are many. The band is trained to snap back together with connective phrases, so the listener is kept off balance, wondering what is purely undirected and what is basically premeditated. Mr. Evans is exciting, and he works with the great new rhythm-section players -- here with the bassist Eric Revis and the drummer Nasheet Waits. Tonight at 9 and 10:30; admission is $10 (Ratliff).