Of all the famed composers who emerged from the post–World War II avant garde (Boulez, Stockhausen, Kagel, Berio, Ligeti, Penderecki, and Xenakis), Luigi Nono (1924–1990) seems relatively forgotten. I blame Nono's erratically available discography that keeps fans like me tethered to eBay. Luigi Nono: Complete Works for Solo Tape (Stradivarius, dist. by Allegro) should help reverse his slow descent into obscurity.

Aside from collecting hard-to-find items like "Für Paul Dessau," Complete Works revives several outstanding tape pieces consigned to muddy-sounding CDs released by Wergo in the early 1990s. With shadowy metallic tones that jab, screech, sigh, and feint, "Omaggio a Emilio Vedova" (1960) refutes the stereotype of electronic music as stiff, bleep-bloop-bleep music. Another classic, the terrifying Ricorda cosa ti hanno fatto in Auschwitz ("Remember what they did to you at Auschwitz") sounds superb. Ghostly voices wail and moan amid reduced hiss and a ferociously enlarged dynamic range. The two-disc set contains in-depth liner notes; regrettably, I agree with writer Gianmario Borio's contention that "Nono's compositions for magnetic tape occupy an anomalous position with respect to the mainstream of electronic music." Too few know that Nono made great electronic music.

I'm pleased that the budget label Naxos continues its parade of inexpensive Stravinsky reissues in the "Robert Craft Collection." Craft, who was Stravinsky's friend and aide-de-camp for nearly a quarter century, remains a cult conductor, and unjustly so. The latest installment, Histoire du Soldat (Naxos), boasts a fine new recording of the fox-and-rooster fable Renard. Sung in English, Renard ("I'm the king of the barnyard!") equals the jolly spirits of Craft's early '90s rendition on the out-of-print Stravinsky the Composer Vol. V. Most of the disc gathers the Russian master's songs, including the Three Japanese Lyrics and the delightful Berceuses du Chat, four short morsels scored for voice and three clarinets.

Although I feel an instant connection with Stravinsky's music, other discs take a while to sink in and suss out. En Concert à la Salle des Fêtes (Mego, dist. by Forced Exposure) preserves an all-star improv session by the quintetAvant, who play vintage Revox tape recorders and analog synths. I gave up figuring out who does what several weeks ago; the presence of composer Lionel Marchetti and Metamkine honcho Jérôme Noetinger offers few clues. Collectively, the quintet creates a turbulent soundscape of delectable crackles, tape smears, barking dogs, static pulses, and warped, wobbly bells. The techniques of En Concert hark back to Pierre Henry's mid-'70s Futuristie LP while using the sonic materials of today: hi-fi field recordings and a vivid, up-close mix made possible by digital recording.

On the stunning With Love (Blue Note/Mosaic), the Charles Tolliver Big Band updates the Quincy Jones/Oliver Nelson vibe with smart arrangements that never stand in the way of a relentless groove. Tolliver, former trumpeter with Jackie McLean's group and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, solos too, igniting his own compositions such as "Hit the Spot" and "Suspicion" with joyously wiry solos. Not to be missed.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 15

HARSH
This new monthly series devoted to harsh noise, breakcore, power electronics, death industrial, and other sonically aggressive musics should put the Re-bar's mighty PA to the test. With breakcore mastermind NAHA, Plethora, human drum 'n' bass drummer KJ Sawka, and the appropriately named Ear Venom. Bring earplugs. Re-bar, 1114 Howell St, 233-9873,9 pm, $5.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 16

SIMF
The second weekend of the Seattle Improvised Music Festival continues with performances by NY trumpeter Nate Wooley, Berlin-based pianist Andrea Neumann, and several local improvisers including Gust Burns, Bill Horist, and Wally Shoup. Keep your ears open for Neumann, who reimagines the prepared piano of John Cage by carefully amplifying the microscopic sounds made by rattling screws, vibrating rods, and other shivering detritus between the strings. Also Sat Feb 17; see www.seattleimprovisedmusic.com for a full lineup. Gallery 1412, 1412 18th Ave, 322-1533, 8 pm, $10—$15 sliding scale donation.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 17

CRISTINA VALDÉS
A recent transplant from New York, this pianist serves up a daunting recital of works by French composers. On the program: Debussy, Messiaen, Henri Dutilleux, Joël-François Durand, and Tristan Murail ("La Mandragore") along with two memorial pieces, Takemitsu's Rain Tree Sketch II in honor of Messiaen and Oliver Knussen's "Prayer Bell Sketch—In loving memory of Toru Takemitsu." Brechemin Auditorium, UW campus, 685-8384, 7:30 pm, $10.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 20

KURT ELLING
My favorite straight-ahead male jazz vocalist, Elling bravely ventures where few vocalists dare to tread, from audaciously adding lyrics to John Coltrane's A Love Supreme—Coltrane's widow tendered her blessing—to gutsy, half-hummed falsettos to wordlessly gliding from note to note and always hitting the mark. Elling takes risks but always swings. Also Wed Feb 21. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave, 441-9729, 7:30 pm, $24.50.