Best of Fall 2012: the season’s top five concerts, from Dan Deacon to Leonard Cohen

JANE BUNNETT WITH CHUCHO VALDÉS No matter what month it is, Jane Bunnett plays her soprano sax like she’s in the middle of a hot summer block party. This time out, she’s joined by piano legend Chucho Valdés, who matches jaw-dropping technique with a deep feel for Cuban rhythm—his father was a house arranger at some of Havana’s top clubs in the ’40s. Oct. 20. Koerner Hall

LEONARD COHEN The rumbling 78-year-old baritone and wry, melancholic lyrics continue to entrance. Cohen’s most recent album, Old Ideas, is full of sombre yet occasionally winking reflections on age and death. It’s also Cohen’s highest-charting album ever. This could be one of the last opportunities we get to see the ladies’ man in the flesh. Dec. 4 and 5. Air Canada Centre

MONTREAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Under the direction of the Japanese-American maestro Kent Nagano, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal always delivers blistering performances. After a trium­phant first season in his new hall, Nagano rides into town with Stravinsky’s torrid The Rite of Spring. Nov. 21. Roy Thomson Hall

PAPER BAG RECORDS’ 10TH ANNIVERSARY In the early 2000s, Paper Bag released breakthrough albums by Broken Social Scene and Stars. It celebrates its first decade with a three-night stand featuring Elliott Brood, the Rural Alberta Advantage, a reunited You Say Party and guest headliner Austra. Sept. 27 to 29. The Great Hall