Sounds of Cairo

Thu., Oct. 21, 8 p.m., free, Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., arsnovaworkshop.org.

by A.D. Amorosi

[ jazz ]

Though associated with NYC's downtown avant-garde, saxophonist Andy Laster is a Loowng Islandahr whose compositional largesse comes from modern chamber/classical music. His sound is free, rhythm-wise, but also deeply scored and succinct. None of this, necessarily, plays into his performing early-20th-century Egyptian secular songs by Jewish composers Dawud Husni, Zaki Murad and such. But certainly there's precision in these stoic sweet songs. Once upon a time, this music was played in social clubs, on flutes, zithers, fiddles and bits of percussion, but Laster has corralled cellist Alex Waterman (Elliott Sharp), trombonist/guitarist Curtis Hasselbring (Jazz Passengers) and bassist Kermit Driscoll (John Zorn) for a new view of the urban desert.

Thu., Oct. 21, 8 p.m., free, Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., arsnovaworkshop.org.