Even when more of the jazz giants roamed the earth, few could elicit the kind of agape excitement that Sonny Rollins, who turns 80 this year, still can. There’s a raw, elusive quality to his playing that can almost set you on edge, the way the most nakedly creative expression always does. If you missed him at the Vancouver jazz fest last year, this is a rare chance to catch a legend who still plays like he has something to prove. His quintet includes Bob Cranshaw, the bass player who’s been helping him prove it for forty years. MARK D. FEFER

Mon., May 10, 8 p.m., 2010