Thursday, Jan. 18
Jesus Molina, a 27-year-old jazz sensation pianist/singer from Colombia, makes his Dakota debut (7 p.m., $40-$45); veteran Virginia bluesman Corey Harris, whose 20th album, "Insurrection Blues," was inspired by Jan. 6, 2020 in Washington, D.C., teams with Texas-reared Cajun fiddler/accordionist Cedric Watson (7:30 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, $20-$25); Restless Road, a country trio that met as soloists auditioning for "The X Factor," dropped its debut album "Last Rodeo" last fall (8 p.m. Varsity Theater, $19 and up); Twin Cities piano man Jake Endres and the Mean Rhythm Masters explore the work of Tom Waits (7:30 p.m. Crooners, $25-$35); St. Paul troubadour Martin Devaney's monthly songwriters/Americana showcase at the White Squirrel Bar features Pleasure Horse and Tyler Haag (8 p.m., free).
Friday, Jan. 19
1. Vijay Iyer: He is one of the most celebrated and esteemed jazz pianists of this century. He has won a MacArthur genius grant and a Doris Duke Artist Award. He's been named artist of the year four times by DownBeat, the jazz bible. His resume includes a faculty position at Harvard, a discography of two dozen albums under his own name and three Grammy nominations this year for his "Love in Exile" project with Arooj Aftab and Shahzad Ismaily. An acclaimed composer and master of improvisation, Iyer will be joined by bassist Harish Raghavan and drummer Jeremy Dutton. (7 p.m. the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $30-$40, dakotacooks.com)
2. Tribute to Dolly Parton: Featuring the same solid house band and rotating-singer concept as the popular Shania Twain tribute shows at the Turf Club, this salute to one of American music's greatest living icons falls on Dolly's 78th birthday and is doubling as a benefit for the Women's March Minnesota. It's tripling as a cohesive showcase of some of the Twin Cities' most gifted young female rock, alt-twang and soul singers. The cast includes Haley, Leslie Vincent, Jaedyn James, Faith Boblett, Turn Turn Turn's Savannah Smith, Barbaro's Rachel Calvert, Sarah Morris and Laura Hugo. (8 p.m. Fine Line, 318 1st Av. N., Mpls., $15-$39, axs.com)
3. Rachel Baiman and Lillie Mae: Being experienced Nashville fiddlers make this pair kindred tourmates, but they also happen to be potent and powerful singer/songwriters. Baiman's 2023 album, "Common Nation Sorrow," offers a burning summation of current American affairs amid a rich hearth of neo-twang with Decemberists and Neko Case producer Tucker Martine. Also touring with a new album, "Festival Eyes," Mae has played all over Jack White's records and tours in recent years and was a hit opening for the Raconteurs at the Armory in 2019. (8 p.m. Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Av. S., Mpls., $22, thecedar.org)
4. Marilyn Maye: She's unstoppable. Not even cold weather (she's from Kansas City) or advancing age (she'll turn 96 in April) can stop this queen of cabaret. She is the consummate entertainer, with an array of standards and show tunes delivered with impeccable phrasing, deft comic timing and glitzy pizazz, including doing leg kicks. A regular at Crooners since 2019, she returns for another four-show engagement. (7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sun., also 4 p.m. Sun., Crooners, 6161 Hwy 65, Fridley, $55-$65, eventbrite.com)
Also: Two reputable and innovative Twin Cities jazz drummers are pairing to play music inspired by the East and West Africa diaspora as Abinnet Berhanu's Ahndenet headlines with opener Kevin Washington (8 p.m. Icehouse, $15-$20); North Mississippi blues-guitar heir Kent Burnside, grandson of RL, returns to town to headline the Roots, Rock & Deep Blues Fest's Winter Warm-Up with locals Alexander "Crankshaft" Craig and the Train Wreck Boys (7:30 p.m. Hook & Ladder Theater, $17-$22); next door, the Hook & Ladder Mission Room welcomes back New York's biting indie-folk hero Hamell on Trial (8 p.m., $10-$15); fiery rock groovers FenixDion pair up with the post-punky Extraterrestrials (8:30 p.m. Turf Club, $12); sort of an indoor psychedelic/funk music fest, the two-day Hotel Minnesnowta kicks off with a lineup including Mark Joseph, Heatbox, Nur-D, Greg Koch, Demitri Rallis and Useful Jenkins offshoot the Pat Downs (3 p.m., also all day Sat., Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West, $60-$90).
Saturday, Jan. 20
5. Travis Scott: Last seen in town five years ago with an amusement-park-themed mega-production, the Texas rapper of "Goosebumps" megahit status and Kylie Jenner co-parenting fame has faced a roller-coaster career in the interim. He bounced back from 2021's tragic crowd crush at his Astroworld Festival that killed 10 people in his native Houston. He rolled on to land one of the biggest albums of 2023 with "Utopia," with hits including the Drake collaboration "Meltdown." Scott's Circus Maximus-themed tour for the album is purportedly another huge spectacle onstage, but with stricter safety measures in place offstage. (8 p.m. Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $45-$247, ticketmaster.com)
6. Bachman-Turner Overdrive: Despite the deaths last year of his brothers Robbie and Tim, Randy Bachman has restarted BTO to reprise those 1970s hits "Takin' Care of Business" and "Let It Ride." The singer/guitarist, best known for his work with the Guess Who, has enlisted his son, Tal, for the band. Bassist/singer Fred Turner, who sang many of BTO's hits, retired from touring in 2018. Bachman has remained active, touring with a storyteller show and hosting his Vinyl Tap podcast, which ceased production nine months ago. (8 p.m. Mystic Lake Casino, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd., Prior Lake, $59-$129, ticketmaster.com)