Although the web teems with blogs and online forums devoted to experimental music, print magazines still offer the most compelling and thorough coverage of the scene.
Two publications remain essential: The Wire, published monthly in London, as well as the Texas-based Signal to Noise (full disclosure: I contributed a short review to each in early 2006). Both usually place a well-known face on the cover—the latest Signal to Noise touts Devendra Banhart—while devoting most of the issue to reviews and reports of the unknown (Ed Askew, Young Marble Giants) and the overlooked (Jeph Jerman, Japanese hiphop).
Another must-read: the Canadian journal Musicworks, though make sure you get the accompanying CD. Unlike the advertiser-sponsored discs bundled into many music magazines, the Musicworks disc actually contains relevant music; this month, you can read smart interviews with Toronto "soundsinger" Paul Dutton and Anthony Braxton while listening to tracks by both artists.
I also recommend two locally made zines, Ong Ong and Bixobal. The project of ex–Anomalous Records proprietor Eric Lanzillotta, Bixobal reflects a connoisseur's love and knowledge of the avant. The current issue features interviews with cult ESP-Disk artist Alan Sondheim and the No-Neck Blues Band along with an appealingly opinionated reviews section.
The latest Ong Ong exploded all over my car's passenger seat when I opened it. Buttons, decals, and stickers were tucked inside an issue packed with sketches, collages, and recollections ("I Saw Blue Cheer"). The enclosed CD is an excellent and truly surreal anthology of children's songs ("Tree Tree Tree"), exercise records, nursery rhymes, and smarmy religious ditties ("Heaven Is a Wonderful Place").
Find The Wire and Signal to Noise at various newspaper vendors. Check out Musicworks at musicworks.ca. Both Ong Ong and Bixobal are at Wall of Sound as well as online at ongongpress.com and ribexibalba.com/bixobal, respectively. 
Thurs 1/3
LADIES MUSICAL CLUB
The LMC discarded their snooty pillbox hats long ago, opting instead to present free concerts. Soprano Leslie Stark sings songs by Turina, Duke, and others. UW piano faculty Regina Yeh tackles Schumann's Sonata No. 2 in G minor, op. 22. For other free LMC concerts in early January, see lmcseattle.org. Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave, 547-6763, 12:10 pm, free with museum admission.
SEATTLE SYMPHONY
No symphony has a better hook than Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. Who can forget the epochal "Da-da-da-dum" that opens the work? Gerard Schwarz also leads the band in Strauss's On the Beautiful Blue Danube, made popular in Kubrick's 2001. Stewart Goodyear is the piano soloist in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20. Also Fri Jan 4 at 7 pm and Sat Jan 5 at 8 pm. A somewhat shorter concert, the Sun Jan 6 performance at 2 pm omits the Strauss. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St, 215-4747, 7:30 pm, $17—$125.
TOM BAKER QUARTET
Baker and his confreres—clarinetist Jesse Canterbury, drummer Greg Campbell, and bassist Brian Cobb—collaborate with a similarly avant quartet of dancers, including choreographer Beth Graczyk. Fourth-floor Chapel Performance Space, Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, 8 pm, $5—$15 sliding-scale donation.
Fri 1/4
RICHARD COLE
I like this tenor saxophonist's robust tone and his muscular sense of swing, which harks back to the great Dexter Gordon. Here, he celebrates the release of Shade (Origin). Tula's, 2214 Second Ave, 443-4221, 8:30 pm—12:30 am, $15.
Sat 1/5
THE NEW PHONOGRAPHERS
Denoting the interest in field recording that emerged in the late 1990s, "phonography" also suggests experimental approaches to spinning CDs and vinyl. Here, the seldom-seen Martin Bland presents his Randomized Control Trials, a set of randomly shuffled CDs that mix and meld snippets by Seattle musicians, including trumpeter Jim Knodle, Mudhoney's Mark Arm, and others drawn from the rock, avant, and jazz scene. Jonathan Way unveils gently processed field recordings made in the remote mountains of northeastern Washington. Just to be contrary, yours truly manually spins ancient 78-rpm records of Igor Stravinsky on a handmade cardboard turntable. Fourth-floor Chapel Performance Space, Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, 8 pm, $5—$15 sliding-scale donation.
Mon 1/7
JIM KNAPP ORCHESTRA
Why do musicians like to play Knapp's adventurous big-band charts? Several years ago I asked Knapp, who surmised, "My theory is that most musicians are very overqualified for their jobs. The music we play is technically challenging, but it swings and musicians like that." Seattle Drum School, 12510 15th Ave NE, 364-8815, 8 pm, $5/$10.
Tues 1/8
SARA GAZAREK
A product of the jazz program at Roosevelt High School, this perpetually touring singer returns for a two-night stand. Since her career-making stint with the Concord Jazz Festival in 2005, Gazarek has grown as a vocalist, notably adding a dash of world-weary grit to her falsetto. Also Wed Jan 9. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave, 441-9729, 7:30 pm, $21.50.
