THE TED LUDWIG TRIO
8 p.m., Afterthought. $5.
Local jazz fans know Thursday night is always there if they need a
fix. That’s when 12-string phenom Ted Ludwig leads a jazz trio, which
includes Joe Cripps on standing bass and Brian Brown on drums, that
delivers the best of the genre Little Rock has to offer. But that kind
of regularity can breed complacency — there’s always next week. Don’t
make that mistake on Thursday. Shared roots bring two New Orleans
standouts to town. Saxophonist Tony Dagradi has performed with just
about everyone who’s anyone in New Orleans — Dr. John, Ellis Marsalis,
Allen Toussaint — but he’s most famous as the bandleader of the
renowned improvisational jazz group Astral Project. Pianist and
composer Michael Pellera is an instructor at the New Orleans Center for
the Creative Arts and has performed with the likes of Chet Baker,
Wynton Marsalis and Buddy Rich. Dagradi and Pellera are in town to
record with Ludwig, who’s currently at work on his sophomore release. LM.