Guitarist and ex-Village Voice scribe Greg Tate formed the eclectic big band Burnt Sugar, The Arkestra Chamber to build on the funk-rock-jazz fusions of forebears like Miles Davis, George Clinton, Herbie Hancock and, as the name implies, Sun Ra. Over the course of a set at the Bride this weekend, he’ll slightly unravel those strands to more explicitly explore the work of two of the band’s most crucial influences. Tate will conduct the 13-piece ensemble through Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew and James Brown’s Cold Sweat. The heavily improvisatory ensemble is always unpredictable, so don’t expect straight renderings of either landmark album; if anything, Burnt Sugar should prove just how closely these two seemingly different works are related.
Fri., Sept. 28, 8 p.m., $25-$30, Painted Bride, 230 Vine St., 215-925-9914, paintedbride.org.
