Must-see jazz and world music concerts this week in the Twin Cities

Tierney Sutton is a jazz singer with a distinctively appealing blend of scholarship and artistry. Her homages to pianist Bill Evans, the catalog of Frank Sinatra and the songwriting of Joni Mitchell were all imaginatively indirect, yet managed to capture the essence of each. Her latest, 2014's "Paris Sessions," was an intimate collection with spare acoustic accompaniment and earned her a 7th Grammy nomination. All this makes her a great fit for JazzMN, the musical education organization sponsoring this gig entitled, "Vocal Portraits in Jazz." (Note early start: 3 p.m. Sun., Hopkins High School, $10-$37.)

Malamanya plays traditional Afro-Cuban music that lays deep in the cut, at once relaxed and hip-shaking in its syncopated beguilement. With vocalist Adriana Rimpel on the mic, the septet slides and glides from son to salsa to samba with jazzy breaks that don't disrupt the dance flow. They've played most of the major clubs during the years in town and will afford themselves of Icehouse's night owl-friendly hours this time around. (11 p.m. March 18, Icehouse, $8-$10.)

I confess I've never heard the Mancrush Quartet live, but pianist Brian Nichols, saxophonist Brandon Wozniak, and guitarist Zacc Harris all have been reliably enjoyable mainstays of the local jazz scene for years now, and have played with each other in a variety of superb ensembles. The relative newcomer is drummer Lars-Erik Larson, who will provide most of the original compositions in sets that otherwise feature folk tunes, Bartok and post-bop sophistication. (9 p.m. March 18, Vieux Carre, $10 cash only.)

Britt Robson is a Twin Cities-based writer.