A surfeit of saxes on tap this week

It’s a splendid week for fans of the jazz saxophone. On Wednesday, tenor saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter celebrates his 70th birthday with a “Life and Music” performance at the Hollywood Bowl. The same night, alto saxophonist Greg Osby kicks off a four-night run at the Jazz Bakery in Culver City. On Saturday, “Instrumental Women: 2003” at the Ford Amphitheatre will feature veteran alto saxophonist Vi Redd.

Supplementing all those opportunities to hear the music up close and personal, here is a set of recent recordings demonstrating the instrument’s versatility.

David Binney

“South” (Act)

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Binney, 39, is not a particularly well-known player, which is surprising, given the extent of his skills. Like Shorter, it’s hard to separate his work as an improvising player from his compositional efforts; each seems inextricably intertwined with the other. On “South,” he has gathered an extremely high level of players -- including saxophonist Chris Potter, pianist Uri Caine, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade -- to play a group of originals (as well as a collective improvisation titled “Tangles Outcome”). The music is, for the most part, moody and atmospheric, impressive for its many finely crafted compositional elements. But it is music that requires repeated listening to fully gather in the broad spectrum of Binney’s talents. His soloing, in addition, is first rate -- especially a set of stretched-out choruses on “Moment in Memory.” The CD’s impact is further heightened by equally impressive work from Potter and Caine.

Joe Lovano

“On This Day at the Village Vanguard” (Blue Note)

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Joe Lovano’s versatility has put him in any number of musical settings. But he always seems to be his best in the sort of brisk, hard-swinging musical environments that showcase his big, brawny tenor saxophone sound. “On This Day ...” is precisely that sort of showcase -- a live performance by the nine-piece ensemble that provided such capable backing for his “52nd St. Themes” album. Some of the arrangements call up memories of the “Birth of the Cool”-style small-band charts popular in the ‘50s and ‘60s; others -- especially Lovano’s take on the chord changes of “Stompin’ at the Savoy” -- resonate with the jump bands of the ‘40s. In either case, the energy level is high, the additional soloing (from saxophonists Steve Slagle and George Garzone, as well as pianist John Hicks) is first rate, and Lovano seems to be reveling in his utterly empathetic musical surroundings. (Lovano and his nonet are scheduled to perform on the same “Birth of the Cool” bill with the Anthony Wilson Nonet at the Cerritos Center on May 1.)

Abdoulaye N’Diaye

“Taoue” (Justin Time)

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Africa hasn’t been a hotbed for jazz saxophonists (although the late Fela Kuti made the most of the instrument’s charismatic potential). But N’Diaye, a 29-year-old from Senegal, is leading the way into a kind of reverse musical exodus, in which he combines the sound, the substance and the rhythmic undercurrent of jazz with traditional African musical elements.

N’Diaye has worked closely with producer David Murray in creating an album that juxtaposes three tunes emphasizing his African roots with three centered within a more mainstream jazz context. The opening tune, “Aduna,” pulls everything together into a powerfully rhythmic African/jazz jam session. The other pieces, especially “Casa Leule,” “Xarrit Sama” and the title track, offer similarly stirring encounters, with N’Diaye’s soprano, alto and tenor saxes skimming across a turbulent undercurrents of sound, gently interacting with subtle combinations of percussion and kora. The final three tracks are less affecting. N’Diaye has plenty of potential as a straight-ahead jazz improviser, but his great strength lies in the convincing connections he makes between the music of his roots and the jazz of his passion.

Greg Osby

“St. Louis Shoes” (Blue Note)

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Amid the welter of contemporary alto saxophonists, Osby’s sound and style are among the most immediately identifiable. But he, like most other top-level jazz artists, must continually scramble to find ideas that will provide similarly individualistic qualities for his recordings. On “St. Louis Shoes,” he departs from his usual practice of concentrating on original pieces, instead gathering a group of jazz standards, bookended with a pair of tunes associated with his hometown -- Duke Ellington’s “East St. Louis Toodle-oo” and “St. Louis Blues.” Osby has applied his fine compositional skills in transforming each of the tunes, modifying harmonies, shifting melody lines, etc. Ultimately, however, with a few exceptions, the arranged settings serve primarily as takeoff points for vibrant soloing, primarily by Osby and trumpeter Nicholas Payton.

Greg Osby and Marc Copland

“Round and Round” (Nagel Heyer)

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“Round and Round” offers a very different view of Osby, working in tandem with pianist Marc Copland. The music is interior and probing for the most part -- as much chamber music as jazz. Chilly at times, sometimes darkly engaging, it is occasionally reminiscent of the Herbie Hancock/Wayne Shorter duets of a few years ago. Not likely to appeal to fans of Osby’s hard-edged swinging style, the tracks nonetheless are the fascinating result of two probing musical curiosities, rubbing against each other in creatively productive fashion.