Music critics' picks

Wow! What a day it's going to be today for Frankie Beverly, the smooth, Philadelphia-born soul and R&B stylist. At noon, Frankie and the group he's fronted for three decades, Maze, will be honored as the first new inductees in a whole lotta years to the Philadelphia Walk of Fame. Come out and cheer as a replica of the bronze plaque is unveiled at a ceremony in front of the Merriam Theater (250 S. Broad), though the sidewalk installation will actually be a few steps south on the Avenue of the Arts. Fellow musicians Three Degrees and Kim Sledge and DJs Doug Henderson and Joe "Butterball" Tamburro will join folks from the Philadelphia Music Alliance and city dignitaries in saluting the hometown guy.

Second phase of Beverly's blowout kicks in this evening, as he and the group headline a show at the Mann, with special guest Chaka Khan. In other markets she'd be the headliner, but here, Frankie and the gang's huge and loyal following is truly a-Maze-ing.

Mann Center for the Performing Arts, 52nd Street and Parkside Avenue, 8 tonight, $55-$65. 215-893-1999, www.manncenter.org.

- Jonathan Takiff

These days, indie rock's biggest stars are known for making music to sip latte by, rather than kick back a few in a bar. Enter Times New Viking, a clattery trio from Columbus, Ohio, that's responsible for bringing local avant-punk label Siltbreeze out of retirement. The band is at the center of a vibrant, noisy new scene in its hometown that's been dubbed a genre name too obscene for the People Paper. It's appropriate that Times New Viking is now with Matador, because the band recalls the vanguard label's younger, funnier years, as well as Pavement and Guided By Voices in their lo-fi infancy. For openers, check out kindred spirits FNU Ronnies.

Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9 p.m. Thursday, $10, 215-739-9684, www.johnnybrendas.com.

- Sara Sherr

The whole point of the West Oak Lane Jazz and Arts Festival is to show off the neighborhood, but the fest - in its fifth year - already is threatening to outgrow its environs. After 300,000 people thronged Ogontz Avenue last year, the latest incarnation promises more of everything, including space, spreading itself over two extra blocks.

While the marquee names each year are '70s-era funk and soul acts - War, Mandrill, Ashford & Simpson, the O'Jays and the Whispers this year - the true value of the event for jazz fans is to see Philly's jazz greats all in one place.

This year's contingent includes saxophonist Benny Golson, one of the music's most revered composers; guitarist and "Tonight Show" bandleader Kevin and trumpeter Duane Eubanks leading separate bands; and, as always, the outer-space avant-antics of the Sun Ra Arkestra, led by 84-year-old altoist Marshall Allen.

7100-7400 blocks of Ogontz Avenue,today through Sunday, free, www.westoaklanefestival.com.

- Shaun Brady

Anyone who's shared a stage with the late saxophonist Roland Kirk obviously knows how to juggle the traditional and the avant-garde, and London-born vocalist Norma Winstone certainly fits that bill. Starting out with the usual standards, Winstone began collaborating with more experimental types in the seventies. Her latest, "Distances" (ECM), is a stirring, delicate chamber piece which she'll recreate here with pianist Glauco Venier and saxophonist Klaus Gesing.

Chris' Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom St., 8 and 10 p.m. Wednesday, $15, 215-568-3131, www.chrisjazzcafe.com.

- Shaun Brady

The Philadelphia Orchestra's "Best Of . . . " concerts return, offering three nationalistic programs all led by Rossen Milanov. These colorful morsels should be a big draw, each providing familiar gems celebrating three great musical diversities. Leading off Tuesday is "Czech Mix," with Dvorak represented via his fiery "Carnival" Overture plus two Symphonic Dances and Smetana's famed anthem, "The Moldau." Hungarians Bartok ("Romanian Folk Dances" and Kodaly ("Dances of Galanta") add to the tasty stew, with a journey to nearby Vienna via Johann Strauss' "Emperor" Waltz.

Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Broad and Spruce streets, 7 p.m. Tuesday, $10-$80, 215-893-1999, www.philorch.org.

- Tom Di Nardo