MONKTAIL CREATIVE MUSIC CONCERN
For free jazz in both senses of the word, look no further. The sonically scabrous, erotic, entrancing, and baffling Monktailers continue their weekly residency at the charming corridor known as Coffee Messiah. This week, violinist Skip Milford duets with Mark Ostrowski, whose powerhouse drumming at a recent Blue Moon gig stirred fantasies of an all-drum out-jazz trio with Ostrowski, Gregg Keplinger, and Matt Crane. Coffee Messiah, 1554 E Olive Way, 861-8233, 8 pm, free.
MICHAEL WHITE GROUP
An adventurous violinist, White's burgundy tone, funky pizzicati, and easygoing arrangements smartly blend jazz and folk music from around the world. Joining White are the ubiquitous Timothy Young, Seattle bass stalwart Geoff Harper, drummer Michael Jones, and vocalist Leisei Chen. The Rendezvous, 2320 Second Ave, 441-5823, 10:30 pm, $10.
SATURDAY JULY 3
OLYMPIC MUSIC FESTIVAL
Held just outside Quilcene on the Olympic Peninsula, this festival features chamber music in a rustic setting straight from one of those sex-free short stories that the New Yorker used to run years ago: a charmingly creaky barn, hay, donkeys, and plenty of places to picnic. On the program: Beethoven's String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 18, No. 4, Arensky's Quartet in A minor for Violin, Viola and Two Celli, Op. 35, and Schubert's Quintet in C Major for Strings, D. 956. Also Sun July 4 at 2 pm. The Barn, Center Road outside of Quilcene, 527-8839, 2 pm, $12-$24.
SUNDAY JULY 4
DAVID DI FIORE
Di Fiore, a former organist of St. James, puts the cathedral's two organs through their paces with music for the Fourth by George Shearing, Charles Callahan, Emma Lou Diemer, Benjamin Carr, Myron Roberts, and other American composers. St. James Cathedral, 804 Ninth Ave, 382-4874, 4:45 pm, free.
COMPLINE CHOIR
As an antidote to excesses of monasticism such as self-flagellation, standing on a pillar for a decade or two, and vermiform mortification, St. Benedict suggested music and manual labor. Compline, the last holy office of the day, is sung after dinner, hence the late Sunday start time. I bet the distant fireworks will sound scrumptious inside the cathedral. St Mark's Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave E, 323-0300, 9:30 pm, free.
BELLEVUE PHILHARMONIC
Conductor Fusao Kajima leads this 60-piece Eastside orchestra in a live performance synchronized with fireworks. Bellevue Downtown Park, 10201 NE Fourth St, Bellevue, 425-452-4106, 9:45 pm, free.
MONDAY JULY 5
SOUND OF THE UNDERBRUSH
Two sets of improvised music, the first pairs violinist Tom Swafford with the hurricane drumming of Matt Crane. The second set is a mix 'n' match open to all comers. Polestar Music Gallery, 1412 18th Ave at E Union St, 329-4224, 8 pm, donation requested.
WEDNESDAY JULY 7
COMBUSTION COLLECTIVE
This trumpet-driven outfit blends brainy, jazz-driven improvisation with engaging, funky grooves mainlined from early 1970s funk. Where's my red suede pimp coat? The Triple Door, 216 Union St, 838-4333, 7:30 pm, $8.
