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* seven-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.
*D’oh!