SEATTLE SYMPHONY
Conductor Gerard Schwarz & Co. premiere the Chorale-Overture for Organ and Orchestra by composer-in-residence Samuel Jones as well as essay Beethoven's obscure Choral Fantasy op. 80. The sure bet for this gig is Mahler's towering Symphony No. 1, justly nicknamed "The Titan." Also Sat Sept 20 at 8 pm and Sun Sept 21 at 2 pm. Benaroya Hall, Third Ave and Union St, 215-4747, 7:30 pm, $12-$80.
TACOMA NEW MUSIC
Duo Alea and friends serve up some old music, the Chaconne for solo piano by Carl Nielsen, along with two recent chamber pieces by Vaclav Kucera: Slight Sigh on Running Time for bass clarinet and piano and Mysterious Players for bass clarinet, cello, and piano. More new music, much of it composed in the last five years, rounds out the program: Wolfgang Gabriel's Andante con Variazioni, Heimo Erbse's Four Lyric Pieces, and Music for After Anything by Robert Nasveld. Hanson Recital Hall in the Russell Building, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, 253-535-7602, 8 pm, freewill donation.
McCOY TYNER
Immortal for his contributions to the music of John Coltrane (including A Love Supreme), pianist McCoy Tyner's distinctive style remains muscular and bluesy. And golly, the sparkling runs and authoritatively swinging block chords are still there too. Also Fri-Sat Sept 19-20 with sets at 8 and 10 pm as well as Sun Sept 21 with sets at 6:30 and 8:30 pm. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave, 441-9729, sets at 8 and 10 pm, $19.50/$23.50.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19
GUST BURNS
This enterprising out-jazz pianist presents a two-night mini-festival of compositions, solo and collaborative improvisations, and everything in between. Friday night features solo piano pieces, a duet with clarinetist Jesse Canterbury, and a whirlwind trio with two drummers, Matt Crane and Gregg Keplinger. Saturday features the Ficus Trio, fresh from the West Seattle Jazz Festival, and more solo piano. Polestar Music Gallery, 1412 18th Ave at E Union St, 329-4224, 8 pm, $6.
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 22
MATT JORGENSEN + 451
This sleek quartet is one of the few straight-ahead groups in town that sounds really new. Propelled by Seattle drummer Matt Jorgensen and Ryan Burns on Fender Rhodes electric piano, this outfit avoids the conservative vibe that permeates some of today's young lions. Still Life Cafe at the Grand Illusion, 1403 NE 50th St, 523-3935, 8 pm, $7.
SOUND OF THE BRUSH
Along with presenting local improvisers, this weekly series also acts as an underground railroad for touring artists. This week, poet Dorothea Grossman and trombonist Michael Vlatkovich present poetry and improvised music in a call-and-response format that purports to defy the "stereotype of angry, beret-wearing, bongo-playing bohemians." Also on the bill are 3 Much Fun, a trio of Perry Robinson (clarinet), Jim Knodle (trumpet), and Marc Smason (trombone). The third set is an open-to-all-comers mix 'n' match improvisation. CoCA, 1420 11th Ave, 728-1980, 8:30 pm, donation requested.
