The compact disc will never die. Yes, CD sales keep falling and most listeners can't discern any difference between a high-bitrate MP3 and a CD, yet the compact disc will survive, not as mass-manufactured product, but as a curatorial object, a compass to guide the ears through the centuries of music that lurk on our shelves, iPods, and external hard drives. Gradually, the CD (or CD-R) will become a pocket exhibition of sound, much like Victrola Favorites: Artifacts from Bygone Days (Dust-to-Digital).

Curated by longtime collectors Robert Millis and Wall of Sound coproprietor Jeffery Taylor, Victrola Favorites is a stupendous trove of 78 rpm recordings from Japan, Greece, Egypt, and almost about everywhere else; careful sequencing by Millis and Taylor reveals relationships among music separated by time and geography. "The Farmer's Dream," a gem for solo guitar strummed by Frank Ferera in 1924, shares the same wobbly bent tones as the Burmese musician performing the ode "Shan Village" on electric guitar. To dig deeper into vintage music, find The Berlin Phonogramm-Archiv on Wergo and check out labels like Yazoo, SWP Records, Ocora, and Arhoolie.

I'm also enamored by two new archival discoveries. Horace Silver Live at Newport '58 (Blue Note) captures the master hard-bop pianist delivering bluesy solos on classics like "Tippin'" and laying the foundations of cop-show jazz with the serpentine funk of "Señor Blues." Fans of electronic music must hear The League of Automatic Music Composers 1978–1983 (New World). Perhaps the first group to make music with networked computers, the League's delirious swirl of video game–like beeps foreshadow 8-bit chipmusic and current cult figures like Fennesz.

Of course, a few prize discs simply inject new life into the standard repertory. On Handel: Concerti Grossi Op. 6 (Telarc), Martin Pearlman and Boston Baroque make Handel bounce, caper, glide, and sing. recommended

Concerts

Thurs 2/14

THE ART OF JAZZ

Earshot Jazz enlists three vocalists—Beth Winter, Katy Bourne, and Gail Pettis—to sing Valentine's Day—themed standards such as the perennial "My Funny Valentine." Pianist Randy Halberstadt helms the backing trio. Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave, 547-6763, 5:30—7:30 pm, free with museum admission.

SINATRA AT THE SANDS

Sinatra tribute singer Joey Jewell and Jim Kerl's Swing Session big band revive songs from the legendary Sinatra at the Sands album, complete with Quincy Jones's original arrangements. Prices include dinner and drinks (I initially mistyped "drunks"—those might be there, too). Reservations advised. The Triple Door, 216 Union St, 838-4333, sets at 7 (all ages) and 9:30 pm (21+), $45/$80.

Fri 2/15

LINDA KLINE LAMAR

What compares to the viola's mellow, sometimes morose, tender tone? Certainly not the flashier violin. For this solo concert, Kline Lamar, a Boise-based violist, plays Joan Tower's "Wild Purple," Max Reger's Suite No. 1 in G minor, and "Chahagir" by Alan Hovhaness. Brechemin Auditorium in the Music Building, UW Campus, 685-8384, 7:30 pm, $10.

ANDRE FERIANTE

The sonic equivalent of "historical romance" novels, this singer/guitarist plays unabashedly romantic music rooted in flamenco and classical guitar. Blessed with 1920s matinee-idol looks (a pouting gaze and goatee worthy of Hollywood's classic pirate movies), Feriante frames lyrics of love, longing, and rarefied lust with swooning strums and florid picking. Recital Hall at Benaroya, 200 University St, 292-2787, 8 pm, $35.

SEATTLE IMPROVISED MUSIC FESTIVAL

The second weekend of North America's longest-running improvised music festival has a slew of musicians including Greg Sinibaldi (Fri Feb 15) cult Downtown trumpeter Lesli Dalaba (Sun Feb 17 at Gallery 1412), first-call percussionist Greg Campbell, and yours truly. Stéphane Rives, an astonishing French improviser who compels the soprano saxophone to make starkly minimal electronic music, performs all three nights. Fourth-floor Chapel Performance Space, Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, 8 pm, $10—$25 sliding-scale donation.

Sat 2/16

ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC

Touring behind their winning disc Handel Organ Concertos Op. 4 (harmonia mundi), the AAM plays on period instruments. Richard Egarr leads this superb chamber orchestra in various solo, double, and triple concertos for harpsichord, violin, and flute by Bach, Telemann, and Handel. Don't miss it. Preconcert talk starts at 7 pm. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 325-7066, 8 pm, $25—$40.

Sun 2/17

RUSSIAN NATIONAL ORCHESTRA

When they rolled into Benaroya back in 2006, I was enthralled by the RNO's aggressive, muscular sound. Count on meat-and-potatoes Russian repertory: Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6, aka the "Pathétique," and two by Rachmaninoff, the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and one of my favorite orchestral tone poems, The Isle of the Dead. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St, 215-4747, 2 pm, $30—$85.

CHICKENHED CHURCH

KRGA lurks in this oddly titled series with Solvent Abuse (appealingly described as "scum minimalism") and Fake Meth Labs. Using Max/MSP, KRGA makes shimmering electronic music that suggests an array of old Moog modular synths set on "Stun." Mr. Spots Chai House, 5463 Leary Way NW, 297-2424, 6—9 pm, free.

chris@delaurenti.net