Cuong Vu Quartet

Sat., Oct. 10, 8 p.m., $10, with Planet-Y, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, arsnovaworkshop.com.

by Shaun Brady

	print	email	reply	rss feed

Published: Oct 7, 2009

jazz

Vietnamese-born trumpeter Cuong Vu's greatest renown has come from his membership over the past several years in the Pat Metheny Group. His arrival has coincided with a burst of experimentation in that long-running, ever-morphing ensemble, culminating in 2005's hourlong epic The Way Up. Which means either that Vu has rubbed off on his boss or that Metheny simply recognized a kindred spirit in Vu's own explorations. His latest, the 2007 quartet date Vu-Tet (ArtistShare), exists in a hazy cloud of jazz, rock and electronica influences, an expansive vision that is consistently gorgeous even at its edgiest. Vu has a knack for composing catchy complexity, dense thickets of sound that remain eminently hummable.

Flame On
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
Third Man Trio
Thee Oh Sees
Kraak & Smaak/Fort Knox Five
Tarbaby
Le Loup
Lou Barlow