A great picker
The latest evidence that guitarist/banjoist Paul Metzger, the lead music curator at Khyber Pass, has great taste? He's booked himself in an adventurous trio gig with bassist/cellist Anthony Cox and drummer J.T. Bates. Expect a wide range of textures — wild and woolly to austere and velvety — and fearless, attentive improvisation. (9 p.m. Thu., Khyber Pass Café, St. Paul; $5, khyberpasscafe.com)
African and American
Somi took an extended visit to Nigeria four years ago to plumb her parents' roots before returning to New York City to record "The Lagos Music Salon," a luxuriant melding of African pop and American blues. The album covers Fela Kuti and refashions Nina Simone's "Four Women" along with some Somi originals. Tall and rawboned, she can coo like Sade and scat and roar like Dee Dee Bridgewater in concert. (7:30 p.m. Fri., Ordway, St. Paul; $27-$37, Ordway.org)
Twin Cities Jazz Festival
The third annual winter edition of the Twin Cities Jazz Festival is by far the best yet — and not only because it expanded to two days and nights. The headliner is feisty trumpeter Nicholas Payton, showcasing his Afro-Caribbean Mixtape band less than two weeks before it drops its debut album. (7:15 p.m. Sun., St. Paul Hotel Ballroom Main Stage, St. Paul; free-$75, twincitiesjazzfestival.com/winter/)
Bliss and blessings
Tuck and Patti are the smooth-jazz equivalent of Ashford & Simpson, the Motown husband-and-wife songwriting/vocal duo whose obvious love and affection for each other added a crucial dollop of charm to their musical performances. This duo's singular talents — Tuck's flamenco-jazz thwack, strum and bend mastery of the guitar strings; Patti's tremulous, lithe, gospel-soulful vocals — are durably simpatico in part because they plainly know each other by heart. (8 p.m. Sun., Dakota, Mpls.; $30-$35, dakotacooks.com)
Britt Robson
