Our burg's elder statesman of free improvisation, Wally Shoup (Sat May 17, 8 pm, $8), is finally garnering some well-deserved recognition. To celebrate a pair of new discs on Leo Records, alto saxophonist Shoup has enlisted Reuben Radding and drummer Bob Rees. Both releases, Fusillades & Lamentations and Live at Tonic, bristle with bold, uncompromising improvisation. An old-school, paint-peeling session, Live at Tonic may attract more attention due to the presence of Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore, but Fusillades & Lamentations feels more like Shoup: Delicate textures tussle with skittering, soul-wrenching passages.
While most of Polestar's festival focuses on free improvisation, new composition gets a nod with the double bill of Mikro Propaganda and Sorelle (Sun May 18, 8 pm, $8). Mikro Propaganda, the duo of fretless guitarist Tom Baker and percussionist Dale Speicher, play solos and duos by Xenakis, Ligeti, and Christian Wolff. They'll also premiere a new work by ex-Seattleite Christian Asplund. The chamber music quartet Sorelle perform works by Takemitsu, Crumb, Ravel, and Sorelle's flutist, Sarah Bassingthwaighte. CHRISTOPHER DeLAURENTI
The Polestar First Anniversary Festival of Creative Music concludes Thurs-Sun May 15-18 (Polestar Music Gallery, 1412 18th Ave at E Union St, 329-4224); festival pass is $60.
