{"id":266392,"date":"2026-08-16T12:06:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T12:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/266392\/"},"modified":"2026-08-16T12:06:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T12:06:10","slug":"vanessa-rubin-aidan-mckeon-and-the-ken-fowser-quartet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/266392\/","title":{"rendered":"Vanessa Rubin, Aidan McKeon, and the Ken Fowser Quartet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mid-August? We\u2019re not sure how that happened, either. But fear not, summer vibes are still in place, and so is the music. This week brings two regal singers, a couple of swinging saxophonists, and plenty of soul. <\/p>\n

Spotlight: Vanessa Rubin \u2014 Friday through Aug. 23, South Jazz Kitchen<\/p>\n

For more than 40 years, Vanessa Rubin<\/a> has excelled within a jazz-vocal tradition that values poise as well as prowess. Her silken timbre and laid-back phrasing speak to her mainstream appeal, but she\u2019s also a jazz insider who has worked with Frank Foster\u2019s Loud Minority Band, studied with Barry Harris, and portrayed Billie Holiday on the theatrical stage.<\/p>\n

Rubin hails from Cleveland, and so did the subject of her most recent album, The Dream Is You: Vanessa Rubin Sings Tadd Dameron. It\u2019s the first full-length vocal tribute to Dameron, who among other things was the most prominent composer-arranger of the bebop era. To hear Rubin sing and scat her way through a song like \u201cLady Bird<\/a>\u201d is to appreciate what a new vantage can do to freshen up a classic. She\u2019ll do the same at South this weekend, with her trio.<\/p>\n

Aug. 21 and 22 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Aug. 23 at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., South Jazz Kitchen, 600 N Broad Street, $35; tickets and information<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Saxophonist<\/p>\n

Aidan McKeon Quartet \u2014 Friday, Chris\u2019 Jazz Cafe<\/p>\n

A tenor saxophonist who came up through the Philly jazz pipeline before continuing his training at Juilliard, Aidan McKeon<\/a> favors an old-school tone but a modern sense of phrase. His quartet here includes pianist William Hill III, bassist John Murray, and drummer Vinton Hines.<\/p>\n

Aug. 21 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Chris\u2019 Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $25, with dinner packages; tickets and information<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ken Fowser Quartet \u2014 Saturday, Chris\u2019 Jazz Cafe<\/p>\n

A tenor saxophonist with a robust and swinging style, Ken Fowser<\/a> convenes a combo with a powerhouse organist, Brian Charette, in a featured role. Also in the soulful mix are Matthew Rotker-Lynn on guitar and Byron Landham on drums.<\/p>\n

Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Chris\u2019 Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom Street, $30, with dinner packages; tickets and information<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Vocalist<\/p>\n

John Louis Neveu<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

DL Media Music<\/p>\n

Vocalist Denise King<\/p>\n

Denise King Quintet \u2014 Saturday, Cellar Dog<\/p>\n

Jazz, gospel and R&B are all strong in the mix for Denise King<\/a>, who\u2019s been a stalwart on the scene in Philadelphia for decades, and still brings a regal presence to any setting. In this case it\u2019ll be at Cellar Dog, where the bandstand shares a vibe with billiards and brews; expect Ms. King to command the room.<\/p>\n

Aug. 22 at 8 p.m., Cellar Dog, 258 S 15th Street, $10; tickets and information<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mid-August? We\u2019re not sure how that happened, either. But fear not, summer vibes are still in place, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":266393,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[69,71,70],"class_list":["post-266392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266392\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}