Trombone Shorty is at the 9:30 Club this week. (Photo: UMG)

Thursday: Pete Rock & CL Smooth at Black Cat

Producer Pete Rock and Rapper CL Smooth created undeniable classics together in the early ‘90s:”They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” remains one of the greatest hip-hop tracks of all time. The duo split into solo acts more than 15 years ago, with CL Smooth having nominal success as a solo MC, and Pete Rock, of course, becoming one of the most respected, in-demand producers in his field. But now that their 1992 album, Mecca and the Soul Brother,  has gotten a box set treatment, Pete Rock and CL Smooth are back together once again.

Monday and Tuesday: The Roots at the 9:30 Club

When they weren't livening up Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last year, the members of The Roots were working on one of the year's best albums, How I Got Over. The Philadelphia band gives a double-dose of HIGO with a two-night engagement at the 9:30 Club.

Tuesday: Gov't Mule at the Warner Theatre

The Allman Brothers Band side project, started by Warren Haynes and Allen Woody, is touring to promote a live album featuring music from a 2000 New Year's Eve show. The disc, charmingly titled Mulennium, is notable in that it offers an opportunity to hear all of the group's original members, including bass player Woody, who passed away in August 2000, play together again.

Tuesday: Fantasia at Constitution Hall

Fantasia Barrino has had a rough year. In 2010, she was involved in a messy love triangle, was the subject of a no-holds-barred reality show, Fantasia for Real, and, shockingly, made an attempt to end her own life. After taking time to recover and receive medical care, Barrino is once again on the road to plug her latest album, Back to Me.

Friday: Rocknocerous New Year's Eve at Jammin' Java

 Once again Rocknoceros saves the day for area families who refuse to spend New Year's Eve cooped up in the house, but can't exactly hit a bar or a club, either. For the fourth year in a row, the trio of Coach Cotton, Williebob, and Boogie Woogie Bennie will provide a music-filled apple juice-soaked New Year's Eve day celebration that is laid-back, child-friendly, and, most importantly, fun.

Saturday: Trombone Shorty at the 9:30 Club

The last time Trombone Shorty was in the D.C. area, he was performing at Virgin Free Fest, where his set was a stand-out moment of the day-long event, thanks to originals from his latest disc, Backatown, and an inspired cover of Lil Wayne's "Lollipop." Expect the same sort of inspired mix of styles when Shorty and Orleans Avenue play the 9:30 Club.