The next couple of months bring a host of big jazz names here - McCoy Tyner, Cassandra Wilson, Kenny Barron, the Bad Plus - but a few of what are bound to be the most exciting shows involve one of Boston's own bands, the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble. Saxophonist Ken Field's group - which performs in Mardi Gras-style costumes and masks - plays a mishmash of jazz, funk, and New Orleans second-line street music. Everything is fair game; their latest album, "Forked Tongue," runs the gamut from the traditional "Just a Closer Walk" to Billy Idol's "White Wedding."

The RSE plays Feb. 10 at the Plough & Stars in Cambridge (617-576-0032), March 12 at the Clear Conscience Cafe in Cambridge (617-661-1580), and April 24 at Miller Street Studios in Somerville (617-835-8969).

Steve Greenlee, Globe Staff