Live music returns to the Twin Cities at last: a block party and a top jazz vocalist this weekend

Friday: One of the most storied alleys in Minneapolis — off Loring Park behind Cafe Lurcat — is coming out of the gutter of the pandemic with a small block party hosted by the coolness hub HiFi Hair & Records and featuring three female-led rock acts. Headliners the Mae Simpson Band brought some welcome blues and soul to First Avenue's Best New Bands showcase in January, where opener Faith Boblett shined the year before to become one of the scene's best rising singer/songwriters. Middle act the Get Togethers offer traces of Death Cab and Metric. Masks, distancing and tips for the musicians are requested. (5-8 p.m. Fri. 1637 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., donations requested.)

Chris Riemenschneider

Sunday: After spending her salad days in the Twin Cities, jazz vocalist Allyson has had a distinguished career for three decades, whether doing jazz standards, Brazilian tunes, blues, bebop, originals or Rodgers & Hammerstein. On her impressive, ambitious 2019 project, "Shoulder to Shoulder: Centennial Tribute to Women's Suffrage," Allyson and her all-woman sextet delivered tunes with relevant messages (with guest violinist Regina Carter and rapper Rapsody). Allyson will become the first out-of-town headliner to come to the Twin Cities during the pandemic. (5 & 8 p.m. Sun. Crooners Tent, Fridley. $35-$40, croonersmn.com.)

Jon Bream