Edition: U.S. / Global


Published: March 14, 2003


* ANTIBALAS, Maxwell's, 1039 Washington Street, Hoboken, N.J., (201) 653-1703. Antibalas gives a New York makeover to Fela Kuti's Afro-Beat, a Nigerian funk propelled by burly saxophones, fierce percussion and righteous anger, by updating both the funk and the political messages. Regular local appearances keep tightening up the band, which recently released its second album, ''Talkatif'' (Ninja Tune). It's a show just watching more than a dozen musicians cram themselves onto a club stage and still find room to dance. Tomorrow night at 10, playing two sets; tickets are $12 (Jon Pareles).

* JOSEPH ARTHUR, ELYSIAN FIELDS, Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey Street, near the Bowery, Lower East Side, (212) 533-2111. Faith and despair grapple in the somber songs of Joseph Arthur. When he's quiet, he harks back to 1960's songwriters like Bob Dylan and Neil Young; when he's riled, he picks up the sullen momentum of grunge. Elysian Fields plays languid songs that sound best in a late-night haze as Jennifer Charles's breathy voice hints at decadence and vulnerability, while Oren Bloedow wraps the songs in slinky, deadpan guitar. Tomorrow night at 9; tickets are $12 (Pareles).

* THE BELLRAYS, Mercury Lounge, 217 East Houston Street, at Ludlow Street, Lower East Side, (212) 260-4700. Combine the urgency of the early Jefferson Airplane with hopped-up garage-rock and the result is the Bellrays, whose songs encompass both hurtling momentum and streaks of entropy. Tomorrow night at 8:30, with the Star Spangles, the Little Killers and Runner and the Thermodynamics opening; admission is $12 (Pareles).

* DAVID BERKMAN QUARTET, Smoke, 2751 Broadway, at 106th Street, (212) 864-6662. A smart, fluid pianist and part of the true New York mainstream jazz underground, Mr. Berkman also plays for keeps: he has a hard, decisive touch. His bands are particularly well conceived, and this one includes three excellent musicians: the drummer Nasheet Waits, the bassist Ugonna Okegwo and the saxophonist Dick Oatts. Tonight and tomorrow night at 9, 11, and 12:30 a.m.; cover charge is $18 (Ben Ratliff).

STEVEN BERNSTEIN'S MILLENNIAL TERRITORY ORCHESTRA, Tonic, 107 Norfolk Street, near Delancey Street, Lower East Side, (212) 358-7501. Mr. Bernstein, the trumpeter, leads his nine-piece mini-big band through Midwestern and Southwestern music of the 1930's with a revisionist, excitable cast of mind. Tonight at 8 and 10; admission is $10 (Ratliff).

CLUB SHELTER ANNIVERSARY PARTY, Shelter, 20 West 39th Street, Manhattan, (212) 719-4479. For 12 years a party called Shelter has brought the deep, thumping beat and utopian visions of house music to various clubs around New York City. A year ago Shelter settled into its own place, and it's celebrating its first and 12th anniversaries with an all-star lineup of disc jockeys, including its founder, Timmy Regisford, along with Merlin Bobb, David Morales, Little Louie Vega, DJ Spinna, Danny Krivit, François Kevorkian and Frankie Feliciano, joined by live vocalists in a night that should stretch well into the next day. Tomorrow night at 10; admission is $25 (Pareles).

CHRIS BUTLER, CHRIS BARRON, LACH AND THE SECRETS, Northsix, 66 North Sixth Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, (718) 599-5103. From Tin Huey to the Waitresses, Chris Butler has been a songwriter who is equally fascinated by musicianly games and the pleasures of pop. Chris Barron was the lead singer of the Spin Doctors, while Lach has maintained the punky spirit of what he has long called anti-folk. Tonight at 9 (Pareles).

* VINICIUS CANTUARIA BAND, Tonic, 107 Norfolk Street, near Delancey Street, Lower East Side, (212) 358-7503. A Brazilian expatriate in New York, Vinicius Cantuaria can't help looking homeward. He is steeped in the bossa nova: its gently brushed guitar chords, its quietly elaborate melodies, its shades of sensuality and melancholy. He knows it well enough to stretch the form without losing its essence. Tomorrow night at 8 and 10; admission for each set is $12 in advance or $15 at the door (Pareles).

* JAMES CARTER BAND, Iridium, 1650 Broadway, at 51st Street, (212) 582-2121. Since dissolving his quartet, Mr. Carter has been getting into one interesting situation after another. One fleet band was convened to play Django Reinhardt music; another to play funky, jagged backbeats; then, more recently, he was extroardinary in Hamiet Bluiett's Baritone Nation ensemble. This week he reminds us that it is relatively easy to create a new sound: start with instrumentation. For instance, no soul-jazz groups, for some reason, use a trombonist. Why not hire one and throw him into the mix? Mr. Carter will have Dr. Lonnie Smith on organ, Rodney Jones on guitar, Steve Turre on trombone and Eli Fountain on drums. Tonight through Sunday night at 8 and 10, with an 11:45 set tonight and tomorrow; cover charge is $27.50 (Ratliff).