POP & ROCK
BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE The beloved local ska-rockers continue their annual tradition of Halloween shows, scaring up some big-time fun in advance of the big day with an all-ages show in support of their superb new album, “Fluent in Stroll.’’ 7 p.m. Oct. 29 and 30. $15. Paradise. 877-598-8689. www.livenation.comTHE NAME OF THIS BAND IS THE TALKING HEADS A group of musicians don “costumes’’ for the night, including the headlining act, which features members of Mean Creek, Campaign for Real Time, and Polarbaron tackling David Byrne and company. Heavens to Murgatroid joins together to get its Who on, Preacher Roe shakes down the Replacements, and John Powhida and Chris Cote will doubtlessly be simply irresistible as Robert Palmer and his band. 9 p.m. Oct. 29. T.T. the Bear’s Place. 617-492-2327. www.ttthebears.com
A FINE FRENZY The nom de pop of singer-songwriter Alison Sudol, A Fine Frenzy is a fine example of doing pop music right. The songs on second album, “Bomb in a Birdcage,’’ have all the right moves: They’re melodic without being cloying, clever without being smug, charming without working too hard. 8 p.m. Nov. 2. $17.50. Paradise. 877-598-8689. www.livenation.com
LAURA IZIBOR This burgeoning R&B sensation hails from Ireland and is making noise with the lush, sassy sound of her debut album, “Let the Truth Be Told,’’ which shows off a sparkly pop soul sound evoking forebears ranging from Joan Armatrading to Jill Scott. 8 p.m. Nov. 4. $18. Showcase Live. 800-745-3000. www.ticketmaster.com SARAH RODMAN
FOLK, WORLD & COUNTRY
ELLIS PAUL His new album, “The Day After Everything Changed,’’ won’t be officially released until January, but Paul will have it for sale this week when he sets up camp at Club Passim tonight through Saturday. Paul funded the album through financial contributions from fans, and he wanted his supporters in the Boston area, where he cut his teeth in the ’90s, to have it first. Oct. 29: 8 p.m., $30. Oct. 30: 7 p.m., $30. Oct. 31: 3:30 p.m., $10 (kid’s show) and 7 p.m., $30. 617-492-7679. www.clubpassim.comRICKIE LEE JONES Speaking of new albums, Jones has a terrific one coming out in a few weeks that features guests Alison Krauss, Ben Harper, and Bill Frisell. “Balm in Gilead’’ finds the singer-songwriter mining the rich and ethereal fringes of folk, jazz, and pop that first made her an iconoclast in the late ’70s. 8 p.m. Oct. 31. $38. Nock Middle School Auditorium, 70 Low St., Newburyport. 978-462-9630. www.MKTix.com/heptunes
THE VERY BEST “Warm Heart of Africa’’ is the title of its new album, but it hardly encapsulates the wide spectrum of sounds this pan-global trio conjures, from Afropop guitar to bass-heavy synths. Anchored by Malawi-born musician Esau Mwamwaya’s vocals, the Very Best is shaping up to be this year’s sleeper world-music sensation. 9 p.m. Nov. 1. $12. Great Scott. Tickets available at the door. www.worldmusic.org JAMES REED
JAZZ, BLUES & CABARET
THE DUELING DIVAS Saxophonists Diane Wernick and Miriam Hyman cook up a tasty evening of bebop, jazz standards, contemporary tunes, and original pieces with the aid of their “deviant lads’’: guitarist Dan Weiner, bassist John Turner, and drummer Phil Neighbors. All are New England jazz veterans and staff members of the John Payne Music Center. 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29. Free. Charlestown Branch Library, 179 Main St., Charlestown. 617-242-1248, www.bpl.org/branches/charlestown.htmDAVE RASMUSSEN JAZZ FACTORY ORCHESTRA There’s nothing like hearing a high-energy big band in a small club. Saxophonist Rasmussen’s swinging, 18-piece orchestra plays music by many of America’s top jazz orchestrators, including legends Bill Holman and Thad Jones, as well as the leader’s original compositions and arrangements of standards. 8:30 p.m. Oct. 29. $8. Ryles. 617-876-9330, www.rylesjazz.com
MILI BERMEJO The Buenos Aires-born, Cambridge-based Latin jazz singer performs “Love Songs of the Americas’’ a program pairing her rich, expressive voice with romantic songs in English and Spanish. With pianist Tim Ray, cellist Eugene Friesen, and bassist Dan Greenspan. Oct. 30. $14-$16. Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., Cambridge. 617-577-1400, www.cmacusa.org
GREG OSBY Inaugurating the new, monthly Berklee Artists Series at Scullers is the thoughtful and intense post-bop saxophonist, composer, producer, and educator Osby. He’s best known for his series of inventive and acclaimed albums on Blue Note Records as well as for mentoring a cohort of younger artists on that label, including Stefon Harris and Jason Moran. 8 p.m. Nov. 3. $18. Scullers. 617-562-4111, www.scullersjazz.com
KEVIN LOWENTHAL
CLASSICAL
CHIARA QUARTET The dynamic young ensemble, as Harvard’s Blodgett artists-in-residence, continues its series of free concerts this fall with a program devoted to music by Prokofiev, Webern, and Brahms (with violist Roger Tapping) as well as the premiere of a work by a student competition winner. 8 p.m. Oct. 30. Free but passes are required. Paine Concert Hall, Harvard University. 617-496-2222, www.boxoffice.harvard.eduA FAR CRY This adventurous homegrown chamber orchestra opens its season with music by Biber, Geminiani, Schnittke, and Christopher Hossfeld. Oct. 30 in Jordan Hall; Oct. 31 in St. John’s Episcopal Church, Jamaica Plain. 617-553-4887, www.afarcry.org
SEYMOUR LIPKIN The eloquent pianist begins a two-part survey called “Schubert: The Late Great Sonatas.’’ The first installment features the Sonata in A-minor D. 784, the Sonata in G-Major D. 894, and the Sonata in C-minor D. 958. 1:30 p.m. Nov. 1. $23. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. 617-278-5156, www.gardnermuseum.org
TILL FELLNER and INGRID FLITER It’s also a big week for young rising keyboard stars. Viennese pianist Till Fellner brings Haydn, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff to Boston Conservatory while Argentine prizewinner Ingrid Fliter makes her local debut with a
JEREMY EICHLER 
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