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Jazz picks: Robert Hurst, Dylan Ryan among upcoming concerts

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A selection of jazz and jazz-adjacent shows that lie ahead:

Robert Hurst at the Blue Whale

A onetime member of “The Tonight Show” band who has also been a part of Diana Krall’s touring group, Detroit bassist Robert Hurst has an eclectic, richly rewarding output in his own right that includes last year’s elegant “Bob: A Palindrome” and “Unrehurst Vol. 2,” a 2011 live album recorded with drummer Chris Dave and Grammy-winning keyboardist-of-the-moment Robert Glasper.

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Here Hurst performs with a powerhouse quintet that includes a few West Coast favorites in keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer and guitarist Anthony Wilson. The Blue Whale, 123 Astronaut ES Onizuka St., Suite 301. 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, $20. www.bluewhalemusic.com.

PHOTOS: Best jazz albums of 2013 | Chris Barton

Lee Ritenour at Catalina Bar & Grill

A beloved guitarist both as a first-call studio hand and as a bandleader, Ritenour has built a career on exploring the many tributaries of fusion and smooth jazz. Here he performs a run of shows in celebration of his birthday with a band that includes Patrice Rushen, Abraham Laboriel and Sonny Emory. Saturday’s lineup adds yet more star wattage with special guests Ernie Watts, Dave Grusin and John Beasley. Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A. 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Sunday, $25-$35. www.catalinajazzclub.com.

Dylan Ryan Sand at the Blue Whale

Mining the ground between fuzzed-out free jazz and wide-screen instrumental rock, L.A.-based drummer Dylan Ryan’s group can recall the twisted drive of post-rock bands such as Pell Mell and Couch in one moment, some of the more barbed corners of Bill Frisell’s catalog the next. Backed by guitarist Timothy Young and Devin Hoff, who held down bass duties for the Nels Cline Singers (another sonic touch point here), Ryan’s propulsive 2013 album “Sky Bleached” is tough to define but a pleasure to follow. The Blue Whale, 123 Astronaut ES Onizuka St., Suite 301. 9 p.m. Tuesday. $10. www.bluewhalemusic.com.

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Twitter: @chrisbarton

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