Percussion discussion
Leave it to Khyber Pass curator Davu Seru to remind us that Douglas Ewart, multi-instrumentalist and past president of Chicago's groundbreaking Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), lives in town. Seru went to study at AACM at a formative age. Now he'll share the stage with Ewart for what should be some compelling duets. The musicians are about three decades apart in age, but much closer in sensibility. (9 p.m. Thu., Khyber Pass, St. Paul; $5, khyberpasscafe.com)
Surround sound
A trio of "sound artists" invade Studio Z for a "quadraphonic surround sound performance" presented by the Minneapolis experimental music organization Nada. Michael Flora, Justin Meyers and Casey Deming all have ample credentials and grants to justify their prominence in the relatively cloistered world of experimental music. They're known to bolster the experience with visuals, as well. (7:30 p.m. Fri., Studio Z, St. Paul; $8, studiozstpaul.com)
Young lions
One of the more respected young jazz musicians in town is bassist Charlie Lincoln, home from the Berklee College of Music and ready to joust with stellar young peers including guitarist Will Schmid and drummer Edmund Catlin. On brass and woodwind duties are veterans Greg Lewis and Rose Brezezinski Lewis. The quintet calls itself the Schmid/Lewis Ensemble, and they reveal that the future of jazz is in good hands. (8 p.m. Fri., Jazz Central, Mpls.; $10, $5 for students, jazzcentralstudios.org)
Lester Young tribute
Lester Young was one of the most influential tenor saxophonists in the history of jazz, a stylist who floated like a butterfly instead of stinging like a bee. His work with the Count Basie Band and singer Billie Holiday during the 1930s and '40s made laconic phrasing cool. One of the deans of the local saxophone scene, the venerable Dave Karr, is the right guy to do justice to Lester's legacy, along with guitarist and Clearwater Hot Club founder Sam Miltich. (7 p.m. Sun., Crooners Lounge, Fridley; $10, croonersloungemn.com)
