My biggest regret this year is not catching Seattle Circle's Tuning the Air concert series until the end of its three-month run at Capitol Hill Arts Center. Encircling the audience, the ensemble of nine guitarists played pieces ranging from a Steve Reich–inspired concert intro to brainy transcriptions of "Kashmir" and Brian Wilson's "In My Room." Strums, chords, and melodies cascaded around me; it was like sitting inside a giant zither. Wow!
I also rue the ongoing kerfuffle at the Seattle Symphony. Despite a recent New York Times article recapping the ongoing discord between conductor Gerard Schwarz and a likely majority of the band, I have a grim hunch that Schwarz plans to emulate the big-name conductors of yore: endure and gradually replace dissenters—many of whom are due to retire—with new faces.
As always, I missed the boat on many amazing releases, most notably Early and Late (Cuneiform) with trombonist Roswell Rudd and pioneering soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy. The two-disc set includes tunes recorded by the pair in 1962 with legendary drummer Denis Charles and bassist Bob Cunningham; together they joyously swing through tunes by Cecil Taylor and Lacy's idol, Thelonious Monk.
Finally, in my review of Alex Ross's The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) I neglected to link to the online sound clips that accompany each chapter. Even if you don't own the book, Ross provides enough context at therestisnoise.com to make listening worthwhile. I also should have underscored that Ross bypasses the possibility that recordings are not merely mechanical reproductions, but a new form of music. As a result, Ross misses the boldest developments in late 20th-century music: lowercase sound, plunderphonics, free improvisation, noise, and phonography. 
Keep an eye out for Tuning the Air's 2008 season at seattlecircle.com.
Fri 12/28
PONCHO SANCHEZ LATIN JAZZ BAND
For top-notch Latin Jazz, start with master conguero Poncho Sanchez. His group has it all: tight charts, fine soloists, jaw-dropping ensemble work, and irresistible grooves. Through Mon Dec 31; New Year's Eve packages run $47.50—$150.50, see jazzalley.com for details. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave, 441-9729, 7:30 and 9:30 pm, $27.50.
SEATTLE SYMPHONY
Gerard Schwarz, the Seattle Symphony Chorale, and the Seattle Symphony scale one of the summits of the symphonic repertory, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. The triumphant choral parts of the Ninth—few other symphonies acquire a numerical nickname—always leave me wanting to saddle up and ride into battle swinging a cavalry saber. Fear not, I haven't ridden a horse since the late 1970s. J. S. Bach's cantata "Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm" BWV 171 rounds out the program. Also Sat Dec 29 at 8 pm, as well as Sun Dec 30 at 2 pm. Gerry & Co. ring in the New Year Mon Dec 31 with Beethoven's Ninth and selections from Mendelssohn's music for A Midsummer Night's Dream; see www.seattlesymphony.org for details. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St, 215-4747, 8 pm, $20—$125.
Sat 12/29
CHARMAINE CLAMOR
This singer brings her languid phrasing and captivating, dusky alto to jazz standards. I like her cover of "With or Without You," which brings U2's plangent melody back to the blues. Pianist Victor Noriega, whose 2006 disc, Alay, eloquently transmutes Filipino folk songs into jazz, leads Clamor's backing quartet. Seattle Asian Art Museum, 1400 E Prospect St in Volunteer Park, 654-3100, 3 pm, $30.
ELLINGTON SACRED CONCERT
Near the end of his life, Duke Ellington (1899—1974) composed three Sacred Concerts to honor God through jazz. In his autobiography Music Is My Mistress, Ellington stressed that his Sacred Concerts "are not the traditional mass jazzed up," but instead fuse jazz, gospel, the blues, recitative, and dance. For this annual concert, the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra compiles music from all three Sacred Concerts and imports top-notch guest vocalists like Dee Daniels, who was marvelous at the Triple Door earlier this year. This show is always packed, so plan ahead. First Presbyterian Church, 1717 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, 547-6763, 7:30 pm, $24—$26.
Mon 12/31
GRETA MATASSA
Packed to the gills, Matassa's gig at the November Ballard Jazz Walk was superb. She knocked out the crowd with "Stompin' at the Savoy," "On the Street Where You Live," and other well-chosen chestnuts. Here, she rings in the New Year with a mix of standards, classic show tunes, and obscure numbers. As with everything else on New Year's Eve, reservations are recommended. Tula's, 2214 Second Ave, 443-4221, 8:30 pm—12:30 am, $35.
NEW YEAR'S AT ST. JAMES
The Cathedral Soloists, Organists, and Chamber Orchestra perform sacred works by J. S. Bach. Dress in layers; unlike a big-box megachurch, the cathedral's temperature fluctuates due to drafts and body heat. Call ahead for good seats. St. James Cathedral, 804 Ninth Ave, 382-4874, 11 pm, students and seniors pay as able/$25 suggested donation.
