Titles like "Schmeezlemop" and "The Sordid Tale of Glinkleglorp and Alisha" give you some idea of the unusual music journey offered by Mike Titlebaum's Music Because Music. Titlebaum, who is director of jazz studies at Ithaca College, earned his degrees at the Eastman School of Music. A formidable saxophonist, Titlebaum has played with Lee Konitz, Randy Brecker, Kenny Wheeler, and many others. At Lovin' Cup, his nine-piece group boasts trumpeter Mike Kaupa, drummer Aaron Staebell, and vocalist Catherine Gale.

Mike Titlebaum's Music Because Music performs Sunday, August 28, at Lovin' Cup, 300 Park Point Drive. 7 p.m. $10. lovincup.com;