Anat Cohen has earned a solid following among jazz fans in New York. Whether she's playing saxophone or clarinet, Cohen brings to her instrument the key values with which all memorable jazz is imbued: imagination and originality.

And that makes her engagement at Jazz at the Bistro, tonight through Saturday, a can't-miss proposition.

At the Bistro, Cohen is likely to play some tunes from her well-regarded 2010 album, "Clarinetwork: Live at the Village Vanguard."

Two years ago, in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's jazz series, Cohen's quartet shared a bill with Joshua Redman and his new collaborative band, James Farm. The contrast between Cohen's more traditional approach and Redman's envelope-pushing explorations gave the audience a short course in the vast possibilities available to jazz musicians in this still-new century.

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Anat Cohen Quartet

When: 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. through Saturday

Where: Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Boulevard

How much: $25 (Wednesday-Thursday) and $30 (Friday-Saturday)

More info: 314-534-1111 or metrotix.com; 314-289-4030 or jazzstl.org