Ben Wendel and Dan Tepfer at Blue Whale

JAZZ

Not content to simply be one of the driving forces behind the L.A. indie-jazz combo Kneebody as well as leader of his own ensemble with the knotty recent recording, “Frame,” saxophonist Ben Wendel thinks small with this duo appearance with pianist Dan Tepfer. The New York-based Tepfer, who spent time paired with Lee Konitz, should be a fine foil for Wendel’s genre-blind tastes given Tepfer’s 2010 album “Five Pedals Deep” and last year’s ambitious reworking of Bach’s “Goldberg Variations.” The Blue Whale, 123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St. Suite 301, L.A. 9 p.m. Thu. $10, https://www.bluewhalemusic.com.