KURT ELLING
My favorite straight-ahead male jazz vocalist, Kurt Elling is one of the few singers who can sing falsetto and still make me feel like a wimp. With the Laurence Hobgood Trio. On The Boards Studio Theater, 100 W Roy, 547-9787, 8 pm, $16/$18.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9
SEATTLE REPERTORY JAZZ ORCHESTRA
One of the few repertory jazz ensembles in existence, the SRJO is dedicated to preserving the arrangements of classic big-band jazz, and damn, do they cook. Their recent CD, SRJO Live (Origin Records), has a smokin' dead-on rendition of "Jumpin' at the Woodside." Joining them is saxophonist James Moody, a veteran of Dizzy Gillespie's short-lived but legendary late-'40s big band. Also Sun Nov 10 at the Kirkland Performance Center at 3 pm. Recital Hall at Benaroya, Third and Union, 547-9787, 7:30 pm, $20-$29.
HUGH DAVIES
This is one of those "better go see him 'cause he isn't coming back to Seattle anytime soon" gigs. British instrument inventor Hugh Davies, a former assistant to Stockhausen, is best known for his association with Derek Bailey and Evan Parker. A fine improviser, Davies builds amazing musical instruments from ordinary springs, saw blades, and raw electronic circuit boards. Davies will also answer questions so that all you musicians tired of spending money at Musician's Friend can build your own instruments. I'm hoping he brings his amplified 3-D postcard. Polestar Music Gallery, 1412 18th Ave at E Union, 329-4224, 8 pm, $7.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 10
ORCHESTRA SEATTLE/SEATTLE CHAMBER SINGERS
The overly acronymed OSSCS performs madrigals by Monteverdi and lesser-known part songs by Brahms. Debussy's Trois Chansons de Charles d'Orleans is what really excites me about this gig, though the choral dances from Benjamin Britten's Gloriana (nope, the singers don't dance, but their voices do) should be good, too. Recital Hall at Benaroya, Third and Union, 682-5208, 3 pm, $14-$25.
COMPOSER/CHOREOGRAPHER 6
A small herd of Seattle composers collaborate with an array of choreographers. Listing a bunch of names with no descriptions is lame, but if you're into dance or new music in this town, at least one name will be familiar. The composers: Tom Baker, Long String Instrument inventor Ellen Fullman, Laura Kaminsky, Roger Nelson, Gamelan Pacifica honcho Jarrad Powell, and yours truly. The choreographers: Corrie Befort, KT Niehoff, Tonya Lockyer/VIA, Karn Junkinsmith, Deborah Wolf, and Mary Sheldon Scott. Also Fri Nov 8 and Sat Nov 9 at 8 pm. Velocity MainSpace Theater, 915 E Pine, 545-8848, 8 pm, $10/$15.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 12
QUAKE
We've got a run on Olivier Messiaen! Last week the SNME tackled the French composer's Quartet for the End of Time; this time chamber ensemble Quake gives it a go. This concert features works written during wartime: an arrangement of Glenn Miller tunes, fife and drum music from the Revolutionary War (the one in 1776, not the one that's coming), Liszt's Funerailles, and a new work by Seattle composer John Pai, 9066. Recital Hall at Benaroya, Third and Union, 292-2587, 7:30 pm, $10/$15.
