Monday, December 1: Big Band Holidays: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra With Wynton Marsalis & Cécile McLorin Salvant at Marcus Center for the Performing Arts’ Uhlein Hall, 7:30 p.m. ($35-$105)
Jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis “is the closest thing this era has to a jazz superstar on the scale of Duke Ellington,” according to a 2012 New York Times profile. The virtuoso brings his big band to Milwaukee this Monday at the Marcus Center for Performing Arts’ Uhlein Hall to perform seasonal compositions. Promising jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant, born to French and Haitian parents and raised in Paris, provides the night’s vocal accompaniment. (929 N. Water St., MarcusCenter.org)
Tuesday, December 2: Yelawolf with Rittz, Big Henry and DJ Klever at Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m. ($20 advance; $25 door)
After releasing a series of independent mixtapes, the Alabama rapper Yelawolf made his major album debut in 2011 with Radioactive, a rap-rock opus that features major guests like Lil Jon, Eminem and Kid Rock. His follow-up, Love Story, still awaits a release date, but he debuted a new track on the FX biker gang television show Sons of Anarchy called “Till It’s Gone,” an understated, gritty acoustic jam that sounds like a pop singer that grew a beard and tried living in a boxcar. (1032 N. Fourth St., PabstTheater.org)
Also: Cage the Elephant with Alt-J, Fitz and the Tantrums, Vancy Joy and Meg Myers at the Rave, 7 p.m. ($39-$49) – (2401 W. Wisconsin Ave., TheRave.com)
Wednesday, December 3: Wilco at The Riverside Theater, 7:30 p.m. (SOLD OUT)
Following a falling out with Uncle Tupelo counterpart Jay Farrar in the mid-90s, Jeff Tweedy formed a new alt-country band called Wilco with his remaining bandmates. The addition of multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett in the later half of the decade led to the group’s most impressive albums, 1999’s Summerteeth and 2002’s much-delayed follow-up and magnum opus Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Tweedy and Bennett’s creative relationship didn’t come easy, however, as chronicled in the documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. After the completion of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Bennett quit the band. Wilco never reached that artistic peak without Bennett, but the band has put out solid album after solid album throughout the 21st century. The Chicago-based band has built a connection with its northern neighbor over the years, choosing Mader’s exterior as the background for the cover of 2009’s Wilco (The Album). Wilco’s latest is a collection of deep cuts and previously unheard mixes that span its 20-year history entitled Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994-2014. (116 W. Wisconsin Ave., PabstTheater.org)
Also: Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars at UW-Milwaukee Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, 7 p.m.
And: Phil Vassar at The Northern Lights Theater, 8 p.m. ($35-$45) – (1721 W. Canal St., PaysBig.com)
Thursday, December 4: 2014 RadioMilwaukee Music Awards at Radio Milwaukee Studios, 7 p.m. ($10)
Local award shows frequently feel meaningless since most outcomes rely not on creativity but popularity, but 88Nine Radio Milwaukee has developed a good track record of highlighted artists that deserve the recognition. This year’s ceremonies include nine different categories including Album, Song, Band, Solo Artist, Catchiest Song, Album Artwork, Music Video, Bandcamp Release and Best Disc We Missed and performances by WebsterX, The Delta Routine, The Living Statues, GGOOLLLDD and DJ Strehlow. (220 E. Pittsburgh Ave., RadioMilwaukee.org)
Also: Shakey Graves with Sean Rowe and Esme Patterson at Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m. ($12 advance, $15 door) – (1032 N. Fourth St., PabstTheater.org)
And: MIGO (album release) with Meat Greeter (album release), Airo Kwil and Lousy Trouts at Mad Planet, 9 p.m. ($5) – (533 E. Center St, Mad-Planet.net)
And: Chris Botti at The Riverside Theater, 8 p.m. ($45-$65) – (116 W. Wisconsin Ave., PabstTheater.org)
And: Phil Vassar at The Northern Lights Theater, 8 p.m. ($35-$45) – (1721 W. Canal St., PaysBig.com)
Friday, December 5: Sturgill Simpson with Lucette at Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m. ($12.50)
Kentucky-born Sturgill Simpson isn’t your run-of-the-mill country singer. Instead of looking across the plains for inspiration, Simpson looks up to the stars. Someone came up to the singer after a recent performance in Milwaukee to scold the singer for supposedly espousing Gnostic beliefs. “Honestly, the conversation was so weird that I had to go out and look on Wikipedia in the van after the show to really understand what Gnostics believe,” he told Rolling Stone in June. “And they do think that we’re all remnants of stardust from the one Divine that have been trapped in these physical bodies. I was like, ‘Fuck, I wish I was that clever.'” (1032 N. Fourth St., PabstTheater.org)
Also: Xerses with Deadset, Township and Estates at Borg Ward, 7 p.m. ($7) – (823 W. National Ave.)
And: Soul Low with Ace Reporter and MIGO at Cactus Club, 9:30 p.m. – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
Saturday, December 6: Catacombz with Dogs in Ecstasy, Orb and Spero Lo Menzo at Riverwest Public House, 9 p.m. (FREE)
Local psych rock six-piece Catacombz ends its long run as a band this Saturday with a free performance at Riverwest Public House. The closing show also marks the release of one final digital-only album and a fire sale of its remaining merchandise. (815 E. Locust St., RiverwestPublicHouse.WordPress.com)
Also: Vega with Dudestorm, Hijacking Fiction and Lotus Ash at Cactus Club, 9 p.m. – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
And: The 4onthefloor with Joseph Huber and Jonathan Burks Band at Club Garibaldi, 9 p.m. – (2501 S. Superior St., ClubGaribaldis.com)
