JAY-Z Here’s your chance to see if married life has had a mellowing effect on the hip-hop empire builder. (Think anyone ever has the stones to poke fun at him by calling him ‘‘Mr. Beyoncé’’?) Down for the ride are Young Jeezy and Trey Songz. 7 p.m. March 11. $39-$129. TD Garden. 800-745-3000. www.ticketmaster.com
(Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
Week Ahead
Music
JAY-Z Here’s your chance to see if married life has had a mellowing effect on the hip-hop empire builder. (Think anyone ever has the stones to poke fun at him by calling him ‘‘Mr. Beyoncé’’?) Down for the ride are Young Jeezy and Trey Songz. 7 p.m. March 11. $39-$129. TD Garden. 800-745-3000. www.ticketmaster.com
(Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
POP & ROCK
BOWLING FOR SOUP These Texas jokesters may be stuck in a loop of perpetual adolescence but at least they write catchy songs about it. The Dollyrots warm up with their simpatico bubblegum punk. 8 p.m. March 12. $15. Middle East. 800-745-3000. www.ticketmaster.comBUTCH WALKER AND THE BLACK WIDOWS Walker has been a revered singer-songwriter for years, first with his band, then as a solo artist, and as a pen-for-hire to artists like Pink and Avril Lavigne. Hopefully his cult grew a little bigger after his appearance with Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks on the Grammys. Walker is touring behind his typically terrific new album, “I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart.’’ 9 p.m. March 13. $18. Paradise. 877-598-8689. www.livenation.com
HUMANWINE The musical misfits of Humanwine continue their acoustic residency in Cambridge. This week the duo - who giddily combine rock, punk, cabaret, gypsy, folk, and protest music into their scruffy-yet-progressive sound - welcome special guests Brian King (What Time Is It Mr. Fox?) and Clara Engel 8:30 p.m. March 16. $7. Lizard Lounge. 617-547-0759. www.brownpapertickets.com SARAH RODMAN
FOLK, WORLD & COUNTRY
BALKAN BEAT BOX Based in Brooklyn by way of Israel, Balkan Beat Box takes its cues from around the globe - from Eastern Europe to the Caribbean, culling from a mixture of genres (hip-hop, dub, klezmer, you name it). Previewing its upcoming album, “Blue Eyed Black Boy,’’ the band kicks off its new tour in Boston tonight. 9 p.m. March 11. $15. Paradise Rock Club. 877-598-8689. www.livenation.comRED HOT BLACK TOP With a new singer on board, this bluegrass quintet is yet another fine addition to Boston’s vibrant old-time revival where fiddle, banjo, and bass are just as heavy as a your typical rock lineup. 8 p.m. March 12. $12. Unity Church of God, 6 William St., Somerville. 617-623-1212. www.unitygreaterboston.org
CELTIC WOMAN Initially inspired by the success of “Riverdance,’’ this all-female collective of Irish singers has galvanized US audiences with its Celtic interpretations of Christmas spirituals, pop songs, and traditional Irish tunes. It’s no surprise, then, that Boston is one of the ensemble’s biggest markets, which explains the three-night stand at the Citi Wang Theatre. 8 p.m. (March 12-13) and 3 p.m. (March 14). $42-$78. 800-432-7250. www.citicenter.org
DANIELLE DOYLE She’s been gigging around town a lot lately, but there was always something essential missing from the merch table: an official debut album that captures Doyle’s penchant for little songs with big heart. The local singer-songwriter remedies that with the release of “The Cartographer’s Wife,’’ which she’ll celebrate with a cast of special guests who also appeared on the album. 8:30 p.m. March 13. $10. Lizard Lounge. 617-547-0759. www.brownpapertickets.com
JAMES REED
JAZZ, BLUES & CABARET
LIONEL LOUEKE A jazz star in the making, the Bénin-born guitarist has already played and recorded in the bands of Herbie Hancock and Terence Blanchard, and releases his own albums as a leader on the storied Blue Note label, including his latest engaging effort, “Mwaliko.’’ 7:30 p.m. March 11. $22. Regattabar. 617-395-7757, www.regattabarjazz.comAARDVARK JAZZ ORCHESTRA, PATRICE WILLIAMSON, AND THE MIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Boston’s longstanding big band joins forces with the MIT Symphony, conducted by Adam K. Boyles, to perform Duke Ellington’s ballet score “The River’’ and Nelson Riddle’s arrangement of the ballet music from Cole Porter’s “Can-Can.’’ Patrice Williamson will sing other Porter/Riddle arrangements as well as classical works. 8 p.m. March 12. $5. Kresge Auditorium, Mass. Ave., MIT Campus. 617-253-2906
LIVE BIRD - A CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF CHARLIE “BIRD’’ PARKER Actor/saxophonist Jeff Robinson returns with his acclaimed, one-man show devoted to the life and works of the bebop fountainhead. 8 p.m. March 12. $15-$17 Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., Cambridge. 617-577-1400, www.cmacusa.org
QUARTET OF HAPPINESS/AYN INSERTO ORCHESTRA A marvelous double-bill. Quartet of Happiness combines comedy and jazz improvisation to uniquely hilarious and satisfying effect. They’re celebrating the release of their new CD, “The Monster Returns.’’ The Ayn Inserto Orchestra, who released one of last year’s finest discs, performs Inserto’s kaleidoscopic arrangements of her own compositions and other tunes. 7 p.m. March 14. $10. Cambridge Family YMCA Theatre, 820 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. www.cambridgeymca.org
KEVIN LOWENTHAL
CLASSICAL
‘KAFKA FRAGMENTS’ Gyorgy Kurtag’s riveting song cycle for soprano and violin receives a Jordan Hall performance as the final event of a weeklong workshop hosted by the Yellow Barn Music Festival in partnership with New England Conservatory. Four pairs of students and their coaches (violinist Violaine Melançon and soprano Susan Narucki) will divide up the work. 8 p.m. March 14. Free. www.necmusic.eduCANTATA SINGERS The chorus under David Hoose’s direction continues its Heinrich Schütz-themed season with a performance of motets from his “Cantiones Sacrae’’ and his “Symphoniae Sacrae III’’ alongside music by Monteverdi, Stravinsky, and Poulenc. 8 p.m. March 12. $17-$52. Jordan Hall, 617-868-5885, www.cantatasingers.org
MESSIAEN’S ‘VINGT REGARDS’ Pianist Paavali Jumppanen returns to the Gardner Museum’s Tapestry Room to perform Messiaen’s mind-bending cycle of piano works, written in 1944 for Yvonne Loriod, the pianist who later became the composer’s wife. 1:30 p.m. March 14. $23. 617-278-5156, www.gardnermuseum.org
BOSTON CLASSICAL ORCHESTRA The Boston-based violinist Yuri Mazurkevich takes on Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in a program that also includes Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony under the baton of Steven Lipsitt. 8 p.m. March 13; 3 p.m. March 14. $18-$63, Faneuil Hall, 617-423-3883, www.bostonclassicalorchestra.org
JEREMY EICHLER 
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