THURSDAY AUGUST 31

ANNAS BAY MUSIC FESTIVAL
I had to check a map to find Annas Bay, which abuts Union, a tiny town on southern Hood Canal. Their "Opera Ă  la Carte" concert consists, surprisingly, of music by living composers: a duet by Bern Herbolsheimer, Dominick Argento's opera A Waterbird Talk, and "Bon Appetit" by Lee Hoiby. I'm also interested in their tribute to Martha Graham (Fri Sept 1) with music by Griffes, Schuman (the ponderous Night Journey), and Copland (the superb Appalachian Spring in its original chamber arrangement). Through Mon Sept 11; see www.annasbay.org for details and directions. Great Hall, Harmony Hill Retreat Center, 7362 E State Route 106, Union, 360-898-5000, 7 pm, $42/$56.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 2

NAVY BAND NORTHWEST
I should mock this gig, yet if not for a touring military band, I would have never been born. These groups tend to be top-notch, crackerjack ensembles that play everything from the usual John Philip Sousa tunes to pop hits. Ballard Locks, 3015 NW 54th St, 783-7059, 2 pm, free.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 3

COMPLINE CHOIR
Circa 530 AD, St. Benedict prescribed music and manual labor as an antidote to the excesses of monasticism (self-flagellation, standing on a pillar year after year, vermiform mortification, etc.). Benedict outlined seven offices to be spoken and sung. Compline, the last holy office of the day, is sung after dinner, hence the late Sunday start time. The cathedral is refreshingly cool this time of year so put something on over that too-tight T-shirt. St Mark's Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave E, 323-0300, 9:30—10 pm, free.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 4

JIM KNAPP ORCHESTRA
Bandleader Knapp has corralled a fine group of players (Jay Thomas, Tom Varner on French horn, Phil Sparks, and many others) to traverse his smartly constructed and swinging compositions. Seattle Drum School, 12510 15th Ave NE, 364-8815, 8 pm, $5/$10.

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 5

SARA GAZAREK
A product of the jazz program at Roosevelt High School, the 24-year old Gazarek more than held her own in heavy company (Diane Schuur, Oleta Adams, and Karrin Allyson) at last year's Concord Jazz Festival. Her discreet bravado, agile voice and sassy phrasing mark her as one to watch. Also Wed Sept 6. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave, 441-9729, 7:30 pm, $21.50.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 6

ORIGINAL SUPERSTARS OF JAZZ FUSION
Instead of the prog-ish wing of 1970s fusion—Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Return to Forever—this event boasts some of the sterling progenitors of Smooth Jazz: Wayne Henderson of the Crusaders, vibraphonist Roy Ayers, flutist Bobbi Humphrey (whose 1973 LP Blacks and Blues remains one of the best album covers of the era), saxophonist Ronnie Laws, and the master of the rippling electric-piano lick, Lonnie Liston Smith. Although the presence of two vocalists (Jean Carne and the suave Jon Lucien) leads me to expect sophisticated R&B, I hope they'll reprise the serpentine arrangements, swooping synths, and virtuosic solos that made fusion fun. Triple Door, 216 Union St, 838-4333, sets at 7 and 10 pm, $45/$50.