As for the concerts:

Thursday, Jan. 5
Age is one of 82-year-old Mose Allison’s lyrical preoccupations...and one of his distinctions. The singer/pianist was born in Mississippi at a time when jazz and blues were more or less interchangeable—and in his music, they still are, along with R&B and even postwar pop crooning. Though Allison says his genre-blurring has made it difficult to maintain a steady audience, those who’ve remained loyal include Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Leon Russell, The Who, and The Pixies. It's a long string of generations that's been listening to Mose—but that says everything about his consistency and nothing about his energy. Allison’s got a furiously rhythmic, blindingly piano technique, and his voice, wise but youthful, has the knowing wink of a southern man who still knows how to get down. He makes the advancing years seem all but irrelevant. Allison performs with his trio at 8 and 10 p.m. at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $25.

Saturday, Jan. 7
Setlist hearts Elijah Balbed. Did you notice? We get excited about his work as a leader, as a sideman, and as the vanguard of the youngest generation of DC jazz saxophonists, and we're not shy about saying so. We are thrilled to hear the new album he's promised for 2012 (more on that story as it develops), and just as thrilled about his new band, a quintet. It's a—relatively straightahead assemblage that features Samir Moulay on guitar, Andrew Adair on piano, Gavin Fallow on bass, and Lee Pearson II on drums. That "relatively" is an important qualifier, though: Balbed often leads the group through a set of standards, but they don't let it restrain them from taking the music in strange and adventurous new directions. The Elijah Balbed Quintet performs at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. at Bohemian Caverns, 2001 11th St. NW. $15.

Sunday, January 8
It may seem strange to recommend Eric Johnson, a guitarist who flaunts his debt to Jimi Hendrix and his blues-guitar-pioneer predecessors loudly and proudly, in this column. In fact, it's not too far-fetched at all. Johnson's breakthrough came when he was the guitarist for Austin area fusion band The Electromagnets—and in fact, his artistic development stems less from Hendrix than from John McLaughlin, the man who adapted Hendrix's innovations for the Fusion Era. You can hear it in his clear, tasteful, deceptively complex lines, even when he's singing blues-rock songs: This man is a craftsman, a technician, a guitarist's guitarist made for the delicacy and details of jazz, and it shows. Eric Johnson performs at 7:30 p.m. at The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Avenue in Alexandria. $35.

Wednesday, January 11

Rodney Richardson is one of the area's premiere jazz guitarists. He has regular gigs in the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra with the Funk Ark, last year co-conducted a sharp experiment with trumpeter Joe Herrera via the "Sunday Jazz Lounge," and is a favorite sideman around the city. But his own major project, the Rodney Richardson Organ Trio, has been on the sidelines recently. That changes in 2012, with the organ trio roaring back into Twins Jazz to take its rightful place as the cream of D.C.'s soul-jazz crop. Richardson is accompanied by Will Rast, easily the organ king of Washington, and Larry Ferguson, the hard-driving drummer who proves that you can lay out soul on the trap kit. And admit it, you've been longing for that gritty, churchy, irresistably groovy sound of the organ trio to hit your ears again. The Rodney Richardson Trio performs at 8 and 10 p.m. at Twins Jazz, 1344 U St. NW. $10.

Photo: Allie Carroll.

Saturday, Jan. 8
There are two Roy Hargroves, and they often command the same bandstand together. One of them is the aloof, distant trumpet master who plays the finest bebop horn of his generation, then stalks around the stage moodily while the next solo gets going. The other is the one who basks in his rapport with the crowd, does a little step when his solo hits its rhythmic peak, and pulls the mouthpiece away to spontaneously throw in a funny dash of scat. But which side will take the stage, and when will the other take over? Does it matter? Hargrove is a master of his craft, and one to throw in the fervor of gospel and the grooves of funk and hip-hop just to throw off your expectations...and then surpass them. He's also got a fabulous working quintet that currently includes Washingtonian native Ameen Saleem (another in the seemingly endless line of great D.C. bass players). The Roy Hargrove Quintet performs at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater, 2700 F St. NW. $35.

Photo: Bob Travis.

Sunday, Jan. 9
There's no shortage of piano players in this town—though even in that crop Will Rast stands out as something special with his taste for lyrical beauty and freakishly in-the-pocket rhythms. He's also an organ player, and in that regard he is surely the king in this town. He cover the gamut from soul to funk to fusion jazz on that device, and lays down thick textures that can't be imitated by anyone else. He's also got a jones for electronic music that he does extremely unusual and interesting things with. Why mention all of this? Well, Rast performs Sunday night at Bossa in Adams Morgan...and the website lists him as simply "Will Rast." No mention of his trio, quartet, or his Funk Ark project; even the space on their schedule that lists the genre of the musicians is mysteriously blank. Rast does tend to fall back on a jazzy framework, though, even in his external exercises, so go see him. The gig happens at 9 p.m. at Bossa, 2463 18th St.t NW. Free.

Monday, Jan. 11
These days, John Kocur’s steadiest gig is not in the clubs but in the classroom, teaching music at Northern Virginia Community College and directing the school’s repertory jazz ensemble. But when he does find time to pick up his alto saxophone and hit the bandstand, Kocur remains one of the D.C. scene’s best musicians. He’s got a big, slippery sound and a love of melody that makes his solos joyous and his compositions smart and exciting. Though Kocur’s educational endeavors occupy most of his time these days, he hasn’t abandoned his writing: He’s got a brand new crop of compositions, and he’s been woodshedding them with his quartet to prep them for performance in the new year. Who says teaching is for those who can’t do? The John Kocur Quartet performs at 8 and 10 p.m. at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $20.

Photo: Darrell Jennings.

For fans of  Latin and Brazilian sounds, Friday and Saturday nights offer a number of appealing choices.  Earlier in the week I highlighted the Monday appearance of Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Alexis y Fido, and now Friday brings another Puerto Rican reggaeton duo, Rakim y Ken-y (also known as  R.K.M. y Keny), who will be at El Boqueron II.  Together since 2004, these two offer a more pop-romantic take on the genre than Alexis y Fido. While Rakim offers standard, speedy Spanish-language rapping, Ken-y sings catchy melodies that are influenced by the lush feel of contemporary bachata and R&B.

The Strathmore has commissioned a different sort of romantic Latin evening. “Danzon” unites the Chicago-based Luna Negra Dance Theater with Cuban composer/saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera and jazz/classical outfit the Turtle Island Quartet. Danzon is an Afro-Cuban couples dance and music form with roots going back hundreds of years. Now considered a slow, classy style of movement to flute, horns, and percussion, this art form was criticized in the early 20th century because the folks dancing to it (occasionally prostitutes and their johns) engaged in  risqué touching and lascivious hip movements to African-derived rhythms. Reviews of earlier performances and a video trailer  of “Danzon” suggest that the program’s choreography will merge aspects of traditional pairs dancing with modern art-rooted theatrical dance techniques. Expect D'Rivera to blow up a storm as accompaniment.

Saturday night brings Puerto Rican salsa singer extraordinaire Victor Manuelle to the Galaxy Night Club in Takoma Park. A leading light of “salsa romantica” in the '90s, Manuelle was big enough just a few years ago to play D.A.R. Constitution Hall. But since the growth of reggaeton, bachata, and Latin pop, Manuelle’s popularity has diminished a bit. Since 2000 he has tried multiple approaches—crossover pop, duets, and old-school salsa—some with greater success than others. Still known for his ability to improvise vocally, this is a good opportunity to listen and dance to him in a room that’s not too large.

Richmond’s Bio Ritmo is headlining a dance party in an even smaller room, the Rock & Roll Hotel. With a great horn section, pianist, and percussionist, they should have folks moving late into the night to their classic salsa dura (hard salsa). Opening for them will be local act Funk Ark, an afrobeat-inspired combo led by keyboardist Will Rast,  and Hãhãhães ( led by Afro-Brazilian percussionist Dendê), who merge Bahian rhythms with Afrobeat and jazz.

Rakim y Ken-Y (Latin pop) perform Friday night 3-19 at El Boqueron II, 1330 East Gude Drive, Rockville, MD 301-424-0745. $30.

Danzón:  A special tribute to Cuban dance with the Luna Negra Dance Theater, Turtle Island Quartet, and Paquito D'Rivera is on Friday 3-19 at the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD. (301) 581-5100. $27 – $67.

Victor Manuelle (salsa singing star) and Zone D’Tambura perform at 10 p.m.  Saturday 3-20 at the Galaxy Nightclub, 2031 University Blvd East, Hyattsville, Maryland, 301.439.6666 Age(s): 21+.  $25.

Bio Ritmo (Richmond salsa), Funk Ark, and Hãhãhães( led by Afro-Brazilian percussionist Dendê) perform Saturday 3-20 at  9:30 pm at the Rock n Roll Hotel, 1353 H Street, NE, Washington, DC USA – (202) 388-ROCK. $10 – 12.

Nov. 5
Once upon a time it seemed that New Orleans trumpeter Nicholas Payton was the reincarnation of Louis Armstrong, with his bright virtuosic phrases and Big Easy swing. Then came 2003's Sonic Trance and last year's Into the Blue, which transplanted Payton into slow, spacy fusion jams that had more in common with Bitches Brew than Satchmo Plays W.C. Handy. Though he now grounds himself with electronics (and occasionally even techno beats), Payton hasn't sacrificed his roots in blues, lyricism, and swing—he just lifts them into the stratosphere. Payton performs with his quartet at 8 and 10 pm at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Avenue NW. $30.

Nov. 7
On the other hand, Marcus Strickland jumps freely back and forth between acoustic and electric musical projects. The tenor saxophonist has worked with drummers Roy Haynes and Jeff "Tain" Watts as well as the two (equal and opposite) major trumpeters of the era, the traditionalist Wynton Marsalis and experimentalist Dave Douglas, and finds a comfortable and unique niche in all settings. That also applies to his own bands – Strickland leads both the Twi-Life group, which flirts with electro-funk and hip-hop, and a straight-ahead trio. It's the latter that appears at Bohemian Caverns at 9 and 11 pm, featuring Strickland's identical twin brother E.J. on drums and DC native and this year's Thelonious Monk Competition winner Ben Williams on bass. Don't be fooled: the acoustic trio will offer plenty of surprises from the other side of the fence.

Nov. 8
Despite Art Blakey’s admonition that “jazz doesn’t have a damn thing to do with Africa,” musicians everywhere have never stopped trying to establish the link. Americans usually think of African music in terms of traditional percussion and tribal rhythms; guitarist Lionel Loueke, who’s from Benin, fuses his jazz with melodic West African pop. Its primary effect is to generate music of startling beauty. Loueke is an acoustic player, and the new songs often sound like folk music at first (an impression that Loueke reinforces with soft humming and tongue-clicking); the harmonic labyrinths and the focused interplay are the jazz element. Loueke performs with his trio at the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Stadium Drive and Route 193 in College Park. $37.

November 11
They sometimes call them "organ-grinder groups" — the soul-inflected jazz trios centered around a Hammond B-3 organ, in the tradition of players like Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff. D.C.'s contribution is the Rodney Richardson Trio. Richardson is actually the guitarist; Will Rast is the organist (and Larry Ferguson is the drummer). But it's Richardson's subtle, delicate touch that pushes the trio into its idiosyncratic sound. Rast pulsates and explores, doesn't jam, and Ferguson punctuates and makes surprisingly careful fills. It keeps audiences guessing, but also intrigued. Find them at Twins Jazz, 1344 U Street NW. $15.