DOWN AND JAZZY The New School Jazz program and Jazz at Lincoln Center present a night of rhythm and blues jazz, centered on a performance by percussionist Bernard “Pretty” Purdie. Other performers include pianist Junior Mance and members of the New School Jazz faculty. Tonight, 7:30 p.m., JALC, Frederick P. Rose Hall, 33 W. 60th St. at Broadway, 212-258-9800, $15 general, $10 students.

CELEBRATING HERITAGE The Sephardic Music Festival is a citywide event during the week of Chanukah, featuring various performances of traditional and contemporary Jewish music. Hadassah Gross performs her cabaret program of ancient tales and songs related to Jewish mythology. Tonight and Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St., between 4th Street and Astor Place, 212-967-7555, $15.

STRINGS ABOUND The ensemble Speculum Musicae performs Roger Sessions’s “Six Pieces for Violincello” and “String Quartet,” and Mario Davidovsky’s “Synchronisms No. 9” and “Quartetto.” Performers include baritone Patrick Mason, and guitarist David Starobin. Tonight, 8 p.m., Merkin Hall, 129 W. 67th St. at Broadway, 212-501-3330, $20 general, $10 seniors, free for students.

AMERICA’S GREATEST “The Music of America” is a program by the Manhattan School of Music featuring works by America’s greatest composers, including Aaron Copland, Benjamin Franklin, and William Selby. Pieces include Franklin’s “String Quartet,” written in 1778. The director of the concert is David Noon. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Manhattan School of Music, Greenfield Hall, Broadway and 122nd Street, 212-493-4428, free.

AFRO SOUNDS Congregation Shearith Israel, a Spanish and Portuguese synagogue, presents a concert for the Sephardic Music Festival, featuring performances by the Afro-Semitic Experience and the Sarah Aroeste Band. The two groups perform Middle Eastern and African melodies in the traditional language of Ladino. Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Congregation Shearith Israel, 2 W. 70th St. at Central Park West, 212-873-0300 ext. 209, $12 in advance, $15 at the doors.