THURSDAY OCTOBER 5
SEATTLE SYMPHONY
Amid the warhorses on this concert—Brahms's tempestuous Symphony No. 3 and Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto—lurks a gem by Aaron Copland. Written in 1925 before Copland's great Americana period (think Appalachian Spring), Music for the Theatre couples the trenchant phrasing and pellucid scoring of neoclassical Stravinsky with tunes borrowed from jazz and Tin Pan Alley (the buoyant "East Side, West Side"). Also Fri Oct 6 and Sat Oct 7 at 8 pm; Sun Oct 8 at 2 pm, but without the Copland. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St, 215-4747, 7:30 pm, $21—$74.
3 MUCH FUN
Clarinetist Perry Robinson, trumpeter Jim Knodle, and trombonist Marc Smason spice up the joyous polyphony of Dixieland jazz with charmingly insolent, often dissonant asides. Gallery 1412, 1412 18th Ave, 322-1533, 8 pm, $5—$15 sliding scale donation.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 6
LADIES MUSICAL CLUB
Joyce Gibb plays solo piano pieces by Ravel, Gershwin, and Catalonian composer Federico Mompou (1893—1987). Soprano Alexandra Picard sings songs by Mozart and Richard Strauss. Women's University Club, 1105 Sixth Ave, 623-0402, 7:30 pm, free.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 7
BAROQUE NORTHWEST
Tenor Eric Mentzel joins the band for works by John Dowland (1563—1626) and Henry Purcell (1659—1695). This fine quartet also revives the music of John Goodgroom, John Wilson, and other 17th-century English composers. Bethany Lutheran Church, 7400 Woodlawn Ave NE, 368-0735, 8 pm, $10—$22.
SUSAN PASCAL QUARTET
Fluid stick work and coherent, compact solos make this vibraphonist a delight. With pianist Randy Halberstadt, whose adroit comping buttresses the quartet's suave sheen. Tula's, 2214 Second Ave, 443-4221, 8:30 pm, $12.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 10
BEAU QUARTET
This smorgasbord of Scandinavian string music includes Carl Nielsen's String Quartet in D Major, the Third String Quartet by Aulis Sallinen, Humoresques, op. 87 by Jean Sibelius, and transcriptions of songs by ABBA. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 800-838-3006, 7:30 pm, $10—$15.
QUAKE
Forward-looking chamber ensemble Quake navigates the perilous sonic shoals of John Zorn's signature game piece, Cobra, with an augmented lineup of improvisers: Korby Sears of Seattle School, clarinetist Jesse Canterbury, and Cobra veterans Stuart McLeod and Carl Farrow of the improvising collective SIL2K. Terry Riley's In C rounds out the show. Re-bar, 1114 E Howell St, 233-9873,8 pm, $5.
PATRICIA BARBER
I have a permanent crush on Barber's icy voice and her literate lyrics. She's touring behind Mythologies , an ambitious, jazz-inflected retelling of popular Greek myths. Also Wed Oct 11. Triple Door, 216 Union St, 838-4333, 7:30 pm, $27/$30.
