Cheryl Fisher, Canada’s diva of jazz, prepares to devour her microphone.

This is an important month for all Calgary jazz fans. If you haven’t heard already, the Beat Niq jazz club is in danger of closing — so, to prevent yet another casualty in these recessionary times, come out and support Beat Niq on September 10, 11 and 12. The club is hosting 14 bands with a nightly jam session ending each evening. Tickets for this three-night gala, which aims to raise $60,000 to keep the club afloat, cost $100 each and the price includes a one-year club membership. The nights feature an all-star cast, too: The Allistair Elliot Quintet, Jeremy Coates Quartet, John Hyde Quartet, Johnny Summers Quartet, Karl Schwonik Quartet, Ralf Bushmeyer Quartet, Rick Climans Trio, Rubim del Toledo Quartet, Sillan & Young, Stefano Valdo Trio, Tim Tamashiro Duo, Tyler Hornby Quartet and Verismo will all be there.

If that isn’t hot enough jazz for you, then be sure to catch two other gigs running Friday and Saturday at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra will be joined by Dan and Chris Brubeck, sons of jazz giant Dave Brubeck. Along with pianist Chuck Lamb and Mike DeMicco (guitar), this evening promises to deliver exceptional listening.

The Brubecks aren’t the only famous out-of-towners in and around Calgary this month. If you feel like a drive to Banff on September 15, you’re in for a great evening of jazz. Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will play the Eric Harvie Theatre at The Banff Centre. The Harvie Theatre has seating capacity half the size of the Jack Singer, so expect those tickets to go quickly.

By the end of the month, watch for three significant CD release performances. First off, jazz vocalist Cheryl Fisher, once hailed by the Montreal Jazz Festival as “Canada’s new diva of jazz,” is set to release her fourth album. Fisher’s performed and trained with the best of international jazz musicians and it’s a rare opportunity to see her at the Engineered Air Theatre on September 18.

On September 18 and 19, Calgary’s Sinistrio, a group often compared to Medeski Martin and Wood and Soulive, is having a CD release party at Beat Niq. Titled Ride the Dragon, the newest album features the talents of Jeff Drummond (guitar), Steve Fletcher (organ) and Jon May (drums).

Ending the month, you can catch a gig with The Worst Pop Band Ever. You read correctly — that’s the name of this Toronto-based jazz group (though half of them are from the Prairies). Individually, band members have played with the likes of Feist, The Shuffle Demons and Blue Rodeo, and their influences range from Radiohead to Miles Davis. Not to be missed, these guys play Beat Niq on Friday, September 25.