Two superb jazz quartets appear at the Triple Door this weekend, each celebrating the release of a new album.
With Another Morning (Origin), Matt Jorgensen+451 continue their pathbreaking combination of jazz, rock, and funk, all without succumbing to the excesses of yore: aimless solos, straitjacketed arrangements, and second-rate riffs. My favorite track, "Lock Down," begins with Ryan Burns laying down some serene electric piano chords but a sequence of ascending harmonies takes over, giving the tune a yearning, Pet Sounds–era Brian Wilson feel. Fine solos by everyone in the band follow, but the real treat is Jorgensen. Tapping, poking, and stabbing the cymbals, Jorgensen serves as a subtle co-colorist, pushing and prodding with microscopic licks that keep the whole thing together.
And what might prove a safe refuge—covering tunes like "Helter Skelter" and Neil Young's "Ohio"—impels Jorgensen and company to recast the tunes; a plodding, second-rate Beatles song levitates immediately with Phil Sparks's walking bass and a witty, bop-inflected solo by saxophonist Mark Taylor.
I'm also enthralled with Charles Lloyd's Rabo de Nube (ECM). Blessed with an ear for remarkable musicians, Lloyd assembled a band back in the 1960s that included two young superb players, pianist Keith Jarrett and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Here, his current quartet showcases pianist Jason Moran and drum wizard Eric Harland. Together with bassist Reuben Rogers, the quartet hopscotches through jazz history in a trice. I love how on "La Colline de Monk" Moran's barrelhouse stride piano jolts into a blurry Cecil Taylor–like constellation of notes and then dissolves into nothing, just like the fade on an old LP. Don't miss it. 
Catch Matt Jorgensen+451 on Thurs March 27 at the Triple Door, 7:30 pm, $15. The Charles Lloyd Quartet performs at the same venue on Mon March 31, 7 and 9:30 pm, $25.
Fri 3/28
FFFF
No, not my first high-school report card, but the third "Final Friday Film Freakout," a series showcasing experimental film and music. With Super 8 films by Doug Lane, animations by Jon-Paul Pachenker, and live sound by 100PIECES. SHA-BANG!, 1410 24th Ave, 8 pm, free.
Sat 3/29
HELMUT LACHENMANN
Why drive (or take the train) several hours north to see Helmut Lachenmann? Because Seattle is not a stop on the West Coast tour of this master German composer. Arriving on the scene in the late 1960s, Lachenmann translated the timbral fluidity of electronic music into solo, chamber, and orchestral works for acoustic instruments. His best pieces achieve the dream of every young avant gardist: harnessing hieratic complexity to impassioned, often extroverted sound (and vice versa). This concert features music by Lachenmann and his teacher, Luigi Nono (1924—1990). UBC School of Music Recital Hall, 6361 Memorial Rd, Vancouver, BC, 604-822-3113, 8 pm, free.
HUBBARD/HORIST/KIKUCHI
San Diego—based percussionist Nathan Hubbard plays duos and trios with guitar saboteur Bill Horist and fellow stick maven Paul Kikuchi. Gallery 1412, 1412 18th Ave, 322-1533, 8 pm, free (donations accepted).
Sun 3/30
THE QUENCHER GERMAINE SESSIONS
Formerly the Mt. Nonfiction Sessions, this week's installment finds noise-skronk guitarist Ed Petry teaming up with saxophonist Kenny Mandell. The pair front an ensemble bent on deconstructing the angular and witty music of Thelonious Monk. Blue Moon Tavern, 712 NE 45th St, 675-9116, 8:30 pm, free.
Tues 4/1
DUO EN
Virtuosos of the shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) and koto (a kind of oversized zither than can sound somewhere between a hammer dulcimer and a harp), John and Elizabeth Falconer commemorate the release of Spell of Spring (Koto World). The music, composed by their teacher Sawai Tadao (1937—1997), is meditative without being mushy; agitated rhythmic sections as well as slow streams of notes create a calming, otherworldly atmosphere. The duo embraces the rough edges of their respective instruments too. Gritty nuances (a spiky plucked string or wheezing flute note) reveal a richness that banishes any expectations of sappy New Age music. Fourth floor Chapel Performance Space, Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, 8 pm, $5—$15 sliding scale donation.
Wed 4/2
ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER
I will always be grateful to this dazzling violinist for coupling Wolfgang Rihm's Time Chant with her recording of the Berg Violin Concerto; that DG disc was my first exposure to Rihm, one of the most compelling German composers of the post-Stockhausen generation. Here, Mutter appears in recital performing the three violin sonatas of Brahms with pianist Lambert Orkis. Generally, I don't recommend recitals in Benaroya's big hall, but Mutter has the power and grace to be heard. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St, 215-4747, 7:30 pm, $25—$105.
COG-DIS PRESENTS
The folks behind the online calendar devoted to the Seattle experimental sound scene—www.cog-dis.org—serve up a late night of avant exploration. Rendezvous, 2318 Second Ave, 441-5823, 10:30 pm, $5.
