Spring arts 2014: Jazz

The spring reliably brings a fresh crop of music, and a new live release from saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins (May 6) and from the ongoing “Miles Davis Bootleg Series” drawn from his epic run of Fillmore dates in 1970 (March 25) are just a few albums worth investigating. Here is a selection of concerts sure to put a spring in your step:

Joshua Redman Quartet, Brad Mehldau Trio: A pair of like-minded artists who completed each other’s musical sentences on Mehldau’s orchestral “Highway Rider” project and Redman’s like-minded “Walking Shadow,” the two heavyweights of contemporary jazz come together. Mehldau recently ventured into new realms with his electric “Mehliana” project, but here his trio focuses on its invigorating approach on the pop songbook, while Redman performs with the band featuring pianist Aaron Goldberg and bassist Reuben Rogers. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S Grand Ave., L.A., April 2, 8 p.m. $50.50-$130. (323) 850-2000 https://www.laphil.com

CHEAT SHEET: Spring arts preview 2014

Chick Corea and Béla Fleck: A reconvening of the Grammy-winning 2007 project “The Enchantment,” this concert marks the meeting of two veteran explorers of American musical forms. On one side is Corea, who remains a distinctive voice in jazz piano, and on the other Fleck, whose banjo has stretched the boundaries of bluegrass on recent ventures with jazz pianist Marcus Roberts and with tabla master Zakir Hussain as well as Edgar Meyer. Further expansions of both are inevitable here. Center for the Art of Performance, UCLA, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Drive, April 24, 8 p.m. $25-$85. (310) 825-4401, cap.ucla.edu.

The Bad Plus: One of the most nimble and inventive piano trios working today, the group that includes pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson and drummer Dave King returns armed with its soon-to-be-released recording of Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” which will arrive March 25. The group performed the piece at the Ojai Music Festival last year, and while there’s no guarantee it will make an appearance here, the trio’s invigorating way with eclectic covers and originals surely will. The Mint, 6010 West Pico Blvd., L.A. May 5-6, 9 p.m. $25-$30, (323) 954-9400, https://www.themintla.com.

PHOTOS: Concerts by The L.A. Times

The Nels Cline Singers: Long a favorite on the local creative music scene, guitarist Nels Cline recently switched coasts to New York City, honing his uniquely restless vision in collaborations up and down the city’s fertile scene, including with Fred Frith, Julian Lage and avant-funk explorers Medeski Martin & Wood (a much-anticipated live album is due April 22). Here he performs with his genre-skipping, all-instrumental trio in support of the new album “Macroscope,” which is due April 29. Largo, 366 N La Cienega Blvd., L.A. May 8, 8:30 p.m. $30. (310) 855-0350, https://www.largo-la.com

Cassandra Wilson: Judging by recent albums “Silver Pony” and “Another Country,” the dusky-voiced singer is still a force to be reckoned with. Now she takes a moment to look back with an evening dedicated to her 1993 breakthrough “Blue Light Until Dawn.” The blues-soaked album receives a lush reissue treatment from Blue Note on April 29, and if her track record is any indication, the recordings will likely serve as a jumping off point for tilling new ground here. The Fonda Theatre, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. May 10, 9 p.m.. $58 (323) 464-6269, https://www.fondatheatre.com

christopher.barton@latimes.com