Liars performance. Courtesy: Liars, 2005.

1. Boris at Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge, Mass., on June 1, 2006. Doors open at 8 p.m., $12.

2. Vernon Reid and Masque at Scullers, Boston, Mass., on June 6, 2006. Shows at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., $20, dinner and show, $60. Vernon Reid has been so busy working as a producer and career-booster for blues, African pop, funk and hip-hop projects that it seemed he had no time left for his original claim to fame -- digging deep into the sonics of heavily amplified jazz guitar. He solves that problem with the aptly-named album, "Other True Self," easily his finest, with the group Masque and a thunderous return to form for Reid. And in fact, all those styles of music he's been working with add welcome, one might say living, colors to the album. The walls will shake, the spirit will dance.

3. Hank Jones Trio with Roberta Gamborini at Scullers, Boston, Mass., on June 16-17, 2006, 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., $25, dinner and show $65. It may not seem obvious, but soulful grandeur and majesty combined with bedrock swing is among the most exhilarating sounds in music, more gratifying than the most carefree abandon. Hank Jones has that grandeur in abundance these days, and bassist George Mraz and drummer Dennis Mackrel only deepen his command. Whether it's originals, blues, or Ellington, they take command of every piece of music they play with a delightful confidence you will never forget.

4. Laszlo Gardony Trio at the Regattabar in Cambridge, Mass., on June 21, 2006, 7:30 p.m., $14. The Gardony Trio will be celebrating the release of the pianist's seventh album, "Natural Instinct." Every working jazz unit has a natural lifespan, often very long, and Gardony, bassist John Lockwood and drummer Yoron Israel are in the prime of their lifetime together. Whether playing originals or transformed standards, listening and interacting grows deeper among the three, and the overused term "seamless" picks up every stitch in this case. One of Boston's finest groups.

5. Liars at the Paradise, Boston, Mass., on June 23, 2006. Doors open at 9 p.m., $12. Too much new rock is either simple assault or various shades of recycle. Of the recent wave of rockers to emerge from New York, the Liars are easily the most interesting because they manage to produce the sound of surprise. They are the sonic youth to elders like Sonic Youth, which is to say they began in the jagged funk, noise-rock and free-jazz tumult established in the '80s by the No Wave movement. The trio has relocated from New York to Berlin and their new album, "Drum's Not Dead," (it's a concept album but forget that) shows the proper bad-boys' movement toward more melody and sweet moments to set off the squalls. But the best part is, if you go see them, you don't know quite what will happen. Verdict: neither drab nor arty. Yet.

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