Music Box: Catch some smooth jazz tomorrow night at Rams Head On Stage

At Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis tomorrow night, Gerald Albright displays his versatility in two shows (7 and 10 p.m.).

He's been a stalwart on the smooth jazz scene for two decades and displayed his chops on releases by Anita Baker, Atlantic Starr, Olivia Newton-John, The Temptations, Maurice White and many others. He can play just about any instrument and claims President Barack Obama among his legion of dedicated fans. As an actor Gerald Albright has appeared on various television shows including "A Different World," "Melrose Place" and others.

The Nightcat in Easton has The Coal Men tomorrow night (7 p.m.). The band works from a rainbow palette using acoustic textures to compliment their love for country and rock. Chris Frame of Son Volt contributes some guitar riffs while former Jayhawk Jen Gunderman adds keyboards. Also on board are Robert Reynolds (of The Mavericks), Mark Winchester (Brian Setzer Orchestra, Emmylou Harris) and Milan Miller (The Wrights). For the late show at Nightcat tomorrow, Boston Americana band Girls, Guns and Glory performs (9 p.m.).

Other shows tomorrow night include the 3 Balloons Tour featuring musician-comedian Stephen Lynch at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore (8 p.m.), "new funk" from the New Mastersounds hailing from Leeds, England, at the 8x10 Club in Baltimore (8 p.m.). Nicole Atkins & the Black Sea appears at the Rock and Roll Hotel and Swedish indie rockers Peter Bjorn and John appear at the 9:30 Club (both shows in Washington, D.C.)

Saturday

On Saturday night the Rams Head organization presents a spectacular double bill at Chesapeake College pairing Jonny Lang and the Robert Cray Band (7 p.m.).

Five-time Grammy winner Robert Cray is considered to be one of the most expressive vocalists and silky smooth blues guitarists drawing from an ability to weave R&B, rock, pop, and jazz into a sound all his own.

Jonny Lang has over the past few years looked to rhythm and blues with more than a hint of gospel to temper his blistering guitar attack. At the Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival, Lang lent his cry to Stevie Wonder's "Livin' for the City" alongside the signature rage of crowd favorites like "Lie to Me" and others.

At Rams Head On Stage Saturday night, catch the acoustic soul of Justin Nozuka with Sam Bradley plus Elizabeth & the Catapult (8:30 p.m.).

NightCat offers a Saturday afternoon performance with Zee Avi (3 p.m., tickets just $12). The 23-year-old Avi was born in Borneo and raised in Kuala Lumpur before attracting label attention from Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records via her YouTube performance postings.

Then, for the evening performance NightCat presents guitarist Johnny A (7 p.m.). Johnny A fills out a spectacular bluesy double-bill. Joining the elite company of legends such as B.B. King, Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Les Paul and Chet Atkins, Johnny A recently had his name placed on a custom setup Signature Edition Gibson guitar.In concert, as on his critically acclaimed solo recordings, Johnny A exhibits the skills of a virtuoso, effortlessly moving from style to style with grace and power.

Also on Saturday night, the 8x10 in Baltimore has the jam with Benevento-Russo Duo and Sean Bones (8 p.m.), and the Rock and Roll Hotel offers Canadian indie-pop glam from Hidden Cameras (8 p.m.).

Sunday

On Sunday at Rams Head On Stage it's the Beale Street, Memphis, sensation Homemade Jamz Blues Band for a special matinee performance (1 p.m.). The group is made up of three siblings ages 10, 15 and 17. B.B. King said in a YouTube video, "In my 82 years, I've never seen something musically… so remarkable. These young kids have got energy, talent and do the blues proud with their own flavor. I believe they've got a great future ahead."

Sunday afternoon at the Lyric Opera House join the Artists 4 Amy Foundation Benefit Concert and the Child Life Center at Hopkins featuring the Rob Byer Band, rock group Flipside, and country rock from Baltimore's Dean Crawford & Dunn's River Band (4 p.m.). This concert will feature an incredible show, silent auction, door prizes and a 50/50 raffle, too.

The Benjy Davis Project from Baton Rouge, La., cooks up a fine southern gumbo at NightCat on Sunday night (8 p.m.), and girls rock their boys as Train sprinkles classic rock style "Drops of Jupiter" around at the 9:30 Club.

Monday

Former Bangles guitarist Susanna Hoffs joins forces with power pop rocker Matthew Sweet for the Sid n Susie Show at Rams Head On Stage on Monday night (8 p.m.). Their duo has released a pair of CDs together, "Under the Covers, Volume 1," a collection of the couple's favorite 70s songs, and, more recently, "Under The Covers, Volume 2." The latest covers collection samples songs by Fleetwood Mac, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart and other classic rockers.

Hoffs also has had roles in blockbuster movies such as "Austin Powers" as a member of the band Ming Tea, and "The Allnighter" with Joan Cusack. The Ming Tea band also featured Mike Myers and Matthew Sweet.

Hoffs also has appeared recently with thenewno2 playing post-psychedelic blues with Dhani Harrison (son of Beatle George).

Matthew Sweet made a bunch of really great rock albums including the seminal "Girlfriend" album, one of rock music's finest albums.

At Rams Head Live in Baltimore on Monday, look for hard rock from Papa Roach and the Aussie outfit Jet (6 p.m., all ages welcome), while fellow Australian television actress-singer-songwriter Lenka plays at the Rock and Roll Hotel (8 p.m.) Lenka is popular at various countries around the world for her electro-pop and has been featured in an Old Navy ad. (She also will be performing at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the 8x10 in Baltimore's Federal Hill).

Tuesday

Tuesday night the funk continues with Basshound at the Rock and Roll Hotel, and the 9:30 Club's offering of soul funk classics from the Numero's Eccentric Soul Revue.

Wednesday

Wednesday night jazz guitar innovator Stanley Jordan performs at Rams Head On Stage (8 p.m.).

While Eddie Van Halen usually gets all the credit for developing the finger tapping technique mentioned earlier, it was Stanley Jordan who first caught the attention of the guitar playing world with this exciting new approach.

Music writer Leonard Feather once wrote, "Genius is a word too often tossed around in musical circles, but it has been rightfully applied to Stanley Jordan."

It was 1985 when Stanley Jordan released the memorable album, "Magic Touch" on the jazz juggernaut label, Blue Note Records. "Magic Touch" sold 500,000 copies and owned the top of the Billboard jazz chart for 51 weeks.

Since that time Stanley Jordan has kept busy with a range of projects including a series of CD releases (including one with Baltimore sitar player Jay Kishor), and he participated in a study program focused on music therapy and a technique for turning things into sound called "sonification."

"A great percentage of the data that people analyze is time sensitive data," Stanley explains on his Web site, "and audio is a far superior vehicle for understanding the passage of time.

"Take the amortization schedule of a 30-year mortgage, for example. If I hit one note per second in the left speaker for interest and another note per second for principle in the right speaker, it would take about six minutes to 'play' that mortgage," he said. "A person could hear how long they would be paying interest before they started paying principle.

"Looking at it on a graph is one thing, but listening to it makes you feel it. Sonification offers deeper understanding of information because more of the brain is involved in understanding that information."

Also Wednesday catch the Harddrive Live Tour headlined by hardcore death metal band All That Remains with Italian hard rockers Lacuna Coil, plus Maylene and the Sons of Disaster and Taking Dawn at Rams Head Live in Baltimore (7 p.m. doors, all-ages show).

Boston alt-indie rock band Bond & Bentley appears at the 8x10 Club with Hotbox and Euxine (8 p.m.), and more heavy metal comes your way as Richmond, Va., band Lamb of God performs with Darkest Hour, Periphery and This Or the Apocalypse at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.

Thursday, Nov. 12

It's nothing but a rockin' party when Delbert McClinton comes to Rams Head On Stage next Thursday night (8 p.m.). For more 50 years Delbert McClinton has spread his musical roots, from his birthplace in Lubbock, Texas, up through Memphis and out to both coasts.

As a young harmonica player in the 50s, McClinton performed behind some real blues greats, guys like Sonny Williamson, Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins and Jimmy Reed. He made his first hit record in the 60s and subsequently toured Europe, meeting a young John Lennon along the way.

Delbert McClinton is a very clever songwriter (in the vein of a John Prine) and will make you laugh. He swings in front of a fine band, performing hits like "Two More Bottle of Wine" (a No. 1 hit for Emmylou Harris), "Too Much Stuff," "Good Man, Good Woman" (originally recorded as a duet with Bonnie Raitt), and his signature song "Givin' It Up for Your Love."

Rams Head Live presents reformed Irish rock band The Cranberries next Thursday night (7 p.m. doors, all ages welcome). Led by vocalist Delores O'Riordan, The Cranberries hit the big time in 1990 with their debut release titled "Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?"

Three more albums hit the Top 20 on the Billboard album charts and the group has scored eight hit singles including "Linger,", "Dreams," "Zombie," "Ode to My Family," "Ridiculous Thoughts," "Salvation," "Free To Decide" and "Promises."

O'Riordan recently released a solo album and will likely perform her favorites both new and old on tour with her original Cranberries bandmates.

Other shows next Thursday night include soulful blues singer-guitarist Eric Lindell at the 8x10 club (8 p.m.), and romantic new age piano player Jim Brickman performs at the Lyric Opera House (8 p.m.).

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Michael Buckley is writer, producer and host of the Sunday Brunch each week from 7-10 a.m. on 103.1 WRNR-FM. You can reach Michael at voicesofthebay@aol.com