In the early 1990s, saxophonist Bobby Selvaggio made the same pilgrimage that virtually every serious jazz musician has to undertake: He moved to New York, to study at the Manhattan School of Music. But Selvaggio didn’t stick around to struggle through the crowded NYC scene, opting instead to return to his native Cleveland to teach, raise a family and hone his craft in a less pressured environment. It didn’t hurt that he’s second-generation jazz royalty in the city as the son of local legend Pete Selvaggio. His music hardly suffers for being crafted away from the jazz metropolis, however; Selvaggio has a penchant for spiky compositions buoyed by funk-accented grooves. Tonight, he’ll lead his new trio sHaKe with bassist Ashley Summers and drummer Chris Baker.
Thu., July 19, 7 p.m., $5-$10, Chris’ Jazz Café, 1421 Sansom St., 215-568-3131, chrisjazzcafe.com.
