By Molly Sheridan

Tues., Aug. 3

As if you needed another reminder that it's hot as hell and everyone who can has hightailed it out of this city for the month, most of the big (air-conditioned) temples of high-art musical culture have pretty much closed their doors and gone on vacation as well. Even the outdoor events that define summer in the city are winding down.

Small clubs like Tonic, however, haven't left for the beach. Ted Reichman's show next Tuesday in particular caught my eye. Though he's probably most popularly recognized strapped to his accordion in projects like Émigré, he'll be playing piano and sampler alongside electric guitarist Mary Halvorson for the gig at Tonic under the project title My Ears Are Bent.

Reichman, currently on tour in Europe as part of Septeto Roberto Rodriguez, writes from Germany that the Tonic set will have similarities to Émigré, "But it's a little more 'jazz' and a little less 'Eastern European.'" He actually connects it to sonic geography closer to home. "It's completely New York-oriented…in the sense that there is boogie-woogie piano, sweet jazz guitar, hip hop and skronk—sounds I think of as 'New York'."

Even a quick glance down the list of talent Reichman has worked with—David Krakauer, John Hollenbeck, Chris Speed, Anthony Coleman, Guy Klucevsek, Alan Licht, Marc Ribot, Elliott Sharp, just to name few (and there are many more)—gives a hint as to the breadth of his experience. John Zorn put out the Émigré disc on his Tzadik label as part of the respected Radical Jewish Culture series. Any way you look at it, Reichman has come a long way from a childhood on his parents' bean farm in Maine.

Both Reichman and Halvorson studied with the inimitable jazz master and experimentalist Anthony Braxton during their time at Wesleyan University, and that shared experience is likely to color the improv skill on display. Surprise guests are also promised.

Performances based on improvisation can be a riveting success or an uncomfortable disappointment depending on the players, the audience and even the venue, but that, of course, is just the chance you have to take to find those moments of bliss. Weighing the combined talents offered by Reichman and Halvorson, chances are good a gem will be found. Something to brag about when the poor souls who missed the fun get back from vacation.

Tonic, 107 Norfolk St., 212-358-7501, 8, $10.