Blues guitarist Buddy Guy has played with the likes of Otis Rush and Muddy Waters; don’t miss him at the Jack Singer

On Thursday, November 13, blues legend Buddy Guy is at the Jack Singer Concert Hall, and there just aren’t enough adjectives to describe this legendary guitarist. He’s been compared to Jimi Hendrix, he’s credited with bringing blues guitar into its postmodern era, and his circle of friends has included blues heavies like Muddy Waters, Otis Rush and Eric Clapton. Guy’s no stranger to Calgary’s blues fans — in fact, he used to play regularly at the King Eddy — and over the last few years he’s consistently wowed audiences here with his burning guitar licks. Expect Guy’s performance to be particularly high energy this time around. With his newest CD, Skin Deep, receiving rave reviews from critics, fans and fellow musicians, Guy’s set will likely spotlight some more recent influences.

Speaking of influences, check out the Beat Niq on Friday, November 14 for a musician who credits influences as broad as Lennie Tristano, Horace Silver, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. Jazz pianist Bob Erlendson is back in town, having recently moved here from Toronto. If the name sounds familiar, it should, since Erlendson is near legendary in Calgary jazz circles. Local jazzers will remember him from Calgary’s ’80s jazz scene. They may also remember that Erlendson collaborated with Lenny Breau, and, over a span of 50 years as a professional musician, has lived and worked in almost every major Canadian city from Montreal and Vancouver to Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary. Erlendson’s piano style falls in the bebop category, and crowds will also hear some incredible instrumentals from his quintet. This is no ordinary group of musicians, and Calgary music fans will recognize major local players like Eric Friedenberg on sax, Al Muirhead on trumpet, John DeWaal on drums and Richard Erickson on bass. Expect to be impressed.

The same night and down the block at the Cantos Music Foundation, the Jazz Is Society is featuring multiple Juno Award-winning saxophonist Phil Dwyer. Dwyer is multi-talented (he’s a composer, arranger, director, saxophonist and pianist), and he’s played with high-profile performers like Red Rodney (horn man for Charlie Parker), Carol Welsman, Randy Brecker, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Young, Dave Holland and Manteca. He is originally from B.C., studied in New York and has been a staple in Eastern Canada’s jazz scene for years. Before returning to B.C in 2004, Dwyer had a reputation as one of Toronto’s busiest studio musicians. As if that’s not enough, he continues to compose for theatre groups and dance troupes, and he’s even done a stint as musical director for A Night at the Quinte Hotel, an evening of Al Purdy's poetry starring Gordon Pinsent. Dwyer will be joined at both Cantos gigs (November 14 and 15) by members of the Resident Artists Ensemble of Jazz Is (Keith Smith on guitar, John Hyde on bass and Tyler Hornby on drums).

If you’re up in the northwest end of the city toward the end of the month, you owe it to yourself to catch vocalist Deb Rasmussen at the Bear’s Den on November 28 and 29. Rasmussen and her fellow musicians Keith Smith (guitar), Simon Fisk (bass) and Robin Tufts (drums) all spent time in China and Mongolia, so their travels will likely show through in the music.