1. The Ex
Kicking off the feast of all things jazz is a decidedly “un-jazz” outfit: legendary Dutch punk lifers, the Ex. As OG flag wavers of punk rock—the Ex burst onto the scene way back in 1979—this musically schizoid beast may not fit neatly under the jazz umbrella. But its wildly adventurous, genre-defying vision—often bolstered by cohorts like Ken Vandermark, Han Bennink and Mats Gustafsson—is a perfect fit to inaugurate the festivities. January 13 at Le Poisson Rouge