THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 21

ERIC ALEXANDER & GEORGE COLEMAN
During his stint with the Miles Davis Quintet in the early '60s, Coleman's sturdy tenor saxophone anchored the sessions that birthed the standard "Seven Steps to Heaven" and the famed rendition of "So Near, So Far." He's joined by Eric Alexander, one of the young hard-bop disciples who emerged in the 1990s, fiercely eloquent yet freeze-dried as if free jazz had never happened. Triple Door, 216 Union St, 838-4333, sets at 7 and 10 pm, $20/$22.

SEATTLE SYMPHONY
Generally, I'm not a fan of Symphony Pops concerts. The symphonic repertory has so many fun, campy pieces—my favorites include Chabrier's España, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Paul Dukas, almost any Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody, and just about everything by Gershwin—that packing concerts with film scores or symphonized pop music seems superfluous. Here, conductor Rudi Schlegel leads a generous all-Gershwin program, including the obligatory Rhapsody in Blue (with pianist Stewart Goodyear), An American in Paris, the "Lullaby" for string orchestra, and the underrated "I Got Rhythm" Variations, whose few measures of mysterioso orchestral chinoiserie still delight me. Also Fri Sept 22 at 8 pm, Sat Sept 23 at 2 and 8 pm, and Sun Sept 24 at 2 pm. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St, 215-4747, 7:30 pm, $21—$74.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 23

12 HOUR PLAY
This nonstop marathon teams improvising musicians (Jeff Huston, Angelina Baldoz, Cristin Miller) with dancers (Amelia Reeber, Beth Graczyk, Sean Ryan, Mark Haim, John Dixon). According to the press release, "performers are instructed to maintain the development of their creative interactions throughout the entire 12-hour period." You can come and go at will, but bring a cushion. I saw last year's edition and stayed much longer than I expected; my ears were happy, though my butt was sore. CoCA, 410 Dexter Ave N, 728-1980, 6 pm—6 am, $5—$10 sliding scale donation.

APOSTROPHE
Reedman Tyler Wilcox, whose droning duet with Jonathan Sielaff was a highlight of the recent NoWest festival, accompanies dancer Jessie Smith, poet Don Mee Choi, and writer Tasha Butler in an hour-long performance. Gallery 1412, 1412 18th Ave, 322-1533, 8 pm, $5—$15 sliding scale donation.

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 26

ALLAN HOLDSWORTH
A staple of 1970s fusion and progressive rock, Holdsworth brought his biting tone, wide yet masterfully controlled vibrato, and crisp, faultless timing to albums by Soft Machine, Jean-Luc Ponty, U.K., Bill Bruford, and others. For this gig, he reunites with keyboardist Alan Pasqua to revisit music from their sojourn in another '70s supergroup, the New Tony Williams Lifetime. Williams, who died in 1997, never surpassed his epochal drumming for Miles Davis and amazing work for Blue Note (especially his 1964 album Life Time) in the 1960s. The '70s incarnation of Lifetime was fun, meat-and-potatoes fusion with complex, sometimes bloated, tunes. With Yellowjackets bassist Jimmy Haslip and jaw-dropping drummer Chad Wackerman. Also Wed Sept 27. Triple Door, 216 Union St, 838-4333, 7:30 pm, $25/$28.