When the temps start to dip, it’s a sure sign that the live music action in nightclubs and concert halls starts to heat up — pandemic be damned — and this fall’s lineup has been delivering a plethora of pop music options. Here’s a look at some noteworthy shows happening this week:
Sunday, Oct. 17: Caroline Rose
Ever-rising Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter Caroline Rose, who has lived in Burlington in the past, returns to Vermont for her first show since a March 2020 headline show at Higher Ground.
The concert was the second stop on a planned two-month tour of the country — cut short soon after when the pandemic pulled the plug on live music — in support of Rose’s stellar 2020 album, “Superstar.”
“I’m really looking forward to doing these shows and making them special,” Rose said on Facebook about her current mini tour of smaller venues. “It’s not going to be the big production that had been planned for ‘Superstar,’ but rather a celebration that we get to play shows at all.”
The Stone Church, Brattleboro, 8 p.m. (Higher Ground Presents) $22 (all ages); call 888-512-7469 or go online to www.highergroundmusic.com
Wednesday, Oct. 20: Terence Blanchard ‘Absence’
Best known for his soundtrack work for multiple Spike Lee films, acclaimed trumpeter and bandleader Terence Blanchard has been rocking the music world. Case in point: his new opera, “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” made history when it opened in late September as the Metropolitan Opera’s first performance of an opera by a Black composer.
The six-time Grammy-winning artist and composer, 59, also released a stunning new album in late August on the revered jazz label Blue Note Records. “Absence,” a tribute to legendary composer and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, features the esteemed trumpeter performing with his super-tight band, the E-Street Collective, and the Turtle Island Quartet — all of whom will join him at the HOP.
Consisting of pieces written by Shorter in addition to Shorter-inspired original compositions by Blanchard and members of his band, “Absence” is “a lush and dramatic soundscape that calls to mind Blanchard’s career as a successful film composer,” said the New Yorker, that “best honors the staunchly venturesome Shorter by going its own way.”
Spaulding Auditorium, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, N.H., 7:30 p.m. $25-$50; call 603-646-2422 or go online to hop.dartmouth.edu
Thursday, Oct. 21: The Record Company
The Grammy-nominated blues-rock trio performs in support of its third studio album, “Play Loud,” released last week on Concord Records.
NPR called it “the band’s biggest and most dynamic record to date.” Added American Songwriter: “With a gritty, hi-fi swagger, ‘Play Loud’ lives up to its name, offering sizzling alt romps, irresistibly bluesy hooks, and explosive bursts of rock ’n’ roll.”
Lake Superior, a bluesy Montpelier garage rock trio, opens the show.
Saturday, Oct. 23: Omega Jade’s Rhyme and Unreason
Born in Arizona and raised in San Diego, Omega Jade — who moved to Vermont in 1999 — has been garnering a growing buzz in Burlington hip-hop and comedy circles in the past five years. The Queen City MC and comedian, 43, brings her “beautiful mix of hip-hop and comedy,” as she describes “Omega Jade’s Rhyme and Unreason,” to the big stage.
The unique concept was born at Jade’s well-received pre-pandemic series at the intimate Light Club Lamp Shop in Burlington, which featured a freewheeling mashup of standup comedy and freestyle rap that showcased the hardworking artist’s multiple talents as rapper, comic and producer.
“There are always four-five comedians along with the same number of rappers/MCs,” Jade explained via email. “The comedian does a 7-10-minute set of their material. And the rapper/MC has the test of interpreting the comedian’s jokes in the same amount of time.”
Comedians include Meredith Gordon, Ryan Kenyon, King-Sha-Mecca-Blaze, Joel Kline and Tarzan Jenkins. MCs/rappers include Sedone, Jobu, Rajnii and Mister Burns. DJ Ron Stoppable spins beats provided by Rico James.
The show begins and ends with a freestyle cypher, or group rap session, among the rappers/MCs, according to Jade, who said she is “very excited for this opportunity.”
Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7:30 p.m. $25 for in-person, $10 for live-stream; call 802-760-4634 or go online to www.sprucepeakarts.org
Saturday, Oct. 23: Angelique Kidjo
Global pop star Angelique Kidjo, a four-time Grammy winner known for her powerhouse performances, headlines the Flynn’s grand reopening celebration.
The jam-packed soiree also features special guest performances by acclaimed violinist and composer Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) in tandem with storyteller Ferene Paris Meyer and singer Nicole Nelson & the Resistance Revival Chorus VT, performing a short new work created for the occasion.
Kidjo, 61, recently named one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World,” performs in support of her new album, “Mother Nature,” released in June.
Flynn, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $125 (Flynn benefit event); call 802-863-5966 or go online to www.flynnvt.org