Youing and talented pianist Robert Glasper has been living a double life for a while. On the big public stage, he's musical director for top R&B acts such as Kanye West and Erykha Badu. On a more intimate scale, he's a solid straightahead jazz player with a growing body of worthy solo work and stints backing heavy hitters such as Terence Blanchard and Christian McBride.
The two side of Glapser come together on his recent CD, "Black Radio," a collection of neo-soul nuggets featuring guest appearance by former employers and other big-name singers. The album has attracted big sales, major media appearance and plenty of "But is it jazz?" hand-wringing. Glasper is back down to a quartet, however, for an SFJAZZ performance likely to highlight his subtler qualities. The show starts at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Palace of Fine Arts, and tickets are $25 to $60.
Also worth noting on the Bay Area jazz calendar this week:
- Several generations of keyboard aces -- Lonnie Liston Smith, Mark Adams and Brian Jackson -- cook up a big mess of soul jazz, 8 p.m. Thursday and 8 and 10 p.m. Friday at Yoshi's San Francisco. $22-$28
- Nimble guitarist Earl Klugh, who carved a place for nylon strings and acoustic bodies in the jazz idiom, performs 8 and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 6 and 8 p.m. Sunday at Yoshi's Oakland. $25-$35
- Ever-impressive multi-instrumentalist Roger Glenn cuts loose with his Latin jazz combo, 8 p.m. Saturday at Berkeley's Jazzschool. $12-$15
- Cuban charanga heroes Orquesta Aragon show why everybody love to chachacha in an SFJAZZ show, 7 p.m. Sunday at the Palace of Fine Arts. $25-$65
- Iconoclastic vocalist Dwight Trible, whose voice has decorated the works of fellow free spirits Pharoah Sanders and Horace Tapscott, performs with his ensemble, 7 p.m. Sunday at Yoshi's San Francisco. $18
- Four of the Bay Area's top vocalists -- Will Hull, Angharad Jones, Lisa Lindsley and Larry Smith -- take a stroll with their favorite Irving Berlin tunes, 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Berkeley's Jazzschool. $12-$15
- Trombonist, educator and all-around go-to guy Wayne Wallace has a ball with his Latin jazz quintet, 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society near Half Moon Bay. $35
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