One of the giants of the saxophone, John Butcher, returns to Seattle for his first show here in over two years.

When I saw the London-based saxophonist in 2005, I somehow managed to scribble a few notes while mesmerized by his performance: "It begins with a squeal of rushing breath and two notes alternating like a sped-up foghorn. The waves of sound dissolve into a loud hiss, like the false ocean heard in a conch shell." I also wrote that Butcher's "trills, propelled by circular breathing, create subsonic notes, as if someone is gently tapping your eardrum."

Butcher excels at exposing the noisy, mechanical vertebrae of "natural" acoustic notes through gradual transformation and radical exploration. Usually overlooked as the stray components of a note, those vertebrae—the streaming air that leaks from a partially open key, the rasp of a bitten reed, and collision of leftover harmonics—appear in the foreground of Butcher's music. After a few seconds, Butcher's insistent cells of sound can assume an almost electronic guise. Tone and noise blur, becoming one.

Butcher's profound attention to his own sound carries over in his collaborations. He is an excellent listener who welcomes space and silence. Here, Butcher teams up with two Vancouver, BC–based musicians, bassist Torsten Müller and drummer Dylan van der Schyff. Not merely a thumping timekeeper or delineator of harmonic progressions, Müller is at once a soloist and accompanist, injecting commentary and at other times taking the lead. A favorite sparring partner of Wayne Horvitz, van der Schyff ranges from delicate textures with brushes and cymbals to blunt punctuation. Not to be missed. recommended

John Butcher and friends perform Thurs Dec 6 at the Fourth-floor Chapel Performance Space, Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, 547-6763, 8 pm, $5–$15 sliding-scale donation.

Concerts

Thurs 12/6

NUTCRACKER

I've seen Pacific Northwest Ballet's fine production of the Tchaikovsky ballet many times and I still love it. Despite wallpapering countless Christmas TV ads for jewelry, one-day sales, outlet malls, and luxury vehicles, Tchaikovsky's music somehow resists commercial wear and tear. Nutcracker's courtly choreography, sumptuously colored costumes, and vivid sets designed by Maurice Sendak help, too. Through Sat Dec 29; see www.pnb.org/season/nutcracker for a complete schedule. McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St, 441-2424, various times, $20—$125.

Sat 12/8

SEATTLE PRO MUSICA

Traditional holiday carols mix it up with choral music by Tchaikovsky and Arvo Pärt. The 3 pm show is a family concert, i.e. shorter, heavier on the sing-along carols, and cheap ($5) for kids under 12. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 781-2766, 3 and 7:30 pm, $10—$23.

THE ESOTERICS

Led by Eric Banks, this a cappella group sings music by Richard Strauss (the mazelike Zwei Gesänge, op. 34), Heinrich Poos's Hypostasis, and Donald Skirvin's "Song of Apollo," a setting of a Homeric hymn translated by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The Esoterics also tackle two by Banks himself, "Onomata planêtôn" and "Tabula siderum zodiaco," which maps the 928 stars of the zodiac into music. Also Sun Dec 9 at Holy Rosary Church in West Seattle at 3 pm. St Joseph's Church, 732 18th Ave E, 935-7779, 8 pm, $15—$18.

Sun 12/9

DAS VIBENBASS

I like this sax- and vibes-fronted quartet's penchant for short, funky motifs, accelerating tempos, and unexpected detours. The Triple Door, 216 Union St, 838-4333, 7 pm, $13 adv/$15 DOS.

Mon 12/10

LADIES MUSICAL CLUB

A slew of singers sally through scenes and arias from various Mozart operas in perhaps the most unusual venue for classical music in town. Harborview Medical Center, Main Building Cafeteria, 325 Ninth Ave, 622-6882, 3 pm, free.

Tue 12/11

MOUTIN REUNION QUARTET

Anchored by two brothers, François Moutin (bass) and Louis Moutin (drums), this straight-ahead outfit reminds me of late-'70s Weather Report without the wall of synths. The quartet's turn-on-dime arrangements and incisive solos wowed the crowd at the Ballard Jazz Festival earlier this year. With Pierre de Bethmann (piano) and Rick Margitza (saxophones). Also Wed Dec 12. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave, 441-9729, 7:30 pm, $21.50.

Wed 12/12

PAUL RUCKER

Consider this show a one-night retrospective of the ambitious, wide-ranging composer/cellist/installation artist. Rucker opens with a solo cello set; his Quintet, which features guitarist Bill Horist, concludes the evening. Before the show and during intermission, you can explore three of Rucker's installations, Catalyst, Eleven Conversations, and Busker. Fourth-floor Chapel Performance Space, Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, 8 pm, $5—$15 sliding-scale donation.

DEATH WORTH LIVING

The nasal synths, spacey delays, and ebbing percussion barrages of this sax/drums/electronics trio echo the racketiest (and to my ears, best) music of the jazz-rock experimentalists Soft Machine. Snowman Plan, the Portland duo EET, and the cleverly monikered Others TBA round out the bill. Gallery 1412, 1412 18th Ave, 322-1533, 8 pm, free, but donations accepted.

chris@delaurenti.net