In the 20th century, the symphonyâthat grand musical statement made by composers assumed to be white, dead, and wearing a powdered wigâdidn't die. Symphonies flourished in parallel to the museum culture of the classical concert hall, appearing on recordings and the radio under many misleading labels, including "jazz," "radio documentary," and "electronic music."
Despite sounding utterly remote from the sonic worlds of Beethoven, Bruckner, and Mahler, the aim of igniting transcendence through extended forms remains the same.
Heard at low volume, Miles Davis: The Complete On the Corner Sessions (Columbia/Legacy) churns like a 1970s porno soundtrack, yet the wall of wah-wah guitars, hypnotic bass lines, and piercing trumpet solos amount to a secret symphony.
In the late 1960s and early '70s, Miles, inspired by the legendary avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen and new multitrack recording technology, assembled his recordings from multiple performances. Solo trumpet bits, group vamps (with Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, and countless others), and overdubbed sections were spliced into elephantine collages. My favorite is "Black Satin," with its airy whistling, tabla strokes, jostling sleigh bells, and asymmetric handclaps heard in groups of 3, 5, and 19. It's a terrific collection; the six discs of the On the Corner Sessions swell into a metasymphony, a construction kit of various takes, complete pieces, alternate mixes, and go-nowhere riffs ready for someone to suture it all together into something new.
Glenn Gould is another secret symphonist of the 20th century. He remains revered for his dazzling 1955 LP of Bach's Goldberg Variations, but after retiring from live performance in 1964, Gould focused on studio recording and radio documentaries. The excellent budget-priced five-disc set Glenn Gould: The Radio Artist (CBC Records) contains his masterwork, The Idea of North. True to his vision of "contrapuntal radio," Idea remains radical; a web of voices veers in and out alongside rattling train tracks and Sibelius's Symphony No. 5. The rest of the collection features the sequels to The Idea of North, The Latecomers, and The Quiet in the Land; collectively dubbed "The Solitude Trilogy," all explore different modes of isolation and loneliness.
Although he has yet to officially compose a symphony, Stockhausen's Stimmung (harmonia mundi) radically reinvents vocal music on a symphonic scale. Led by vocal guru Paul Hillier, six singers cycle through a series of 48 magical names, humming, whispering, and singing a global pantheon of deities from Ahura Mazda to Yoni. It's like eavesdropping on chanting Tibetan monks and grasping the divine essence revealed within the words.
Locally, Yann Novak has been exploring extended forms with Marc Manning, Jamie Drouin, and others in two new collaborative releases, Pairings (Dragon's Eye Recordings) and Snowfield (Infrequency). Scratchy contact microphone crackles and lush drones make these discs a delight. I've also been savoring Eric Ostrowski's Magnificent Forest (Endsound). The first disc is a suite of short, whip-crack violin improvisations; the accompanying DVD contains a clutch of his gorgeous hand-painted films, a riotous symphony of tactile smudges and oversaturated color. 
Sat 11/24
SPATULA CITY
Alas, worthy benefits such as this marathon for the Seattle wing of Food Not Bombs remain one of the few places to catch a cross-genre gig. On the docket: alto sax firebrand Wally Shoup, techno-meister Joey Casio, Orkestar Zirkonium, Diminished Men, and a slew of others along with films by Chris Ando and Eric Ostrowski. Admission includes a full vegan meal. Rainier Valley Unitarian Universalist Center, 835 Yesler Way, 722-4880, 5â10 pm, $10â$20 suggested donation.
Tues 11/27
CHICK COREA
The legendary keyboardist who bolstered Bitches Brewâera Miles Davis and pioneered fusion in the 1970s with Return to Forever performs with an all-star lineup: flutist Hubert Laws, bassist Eddie Gomez, and the awe-inspiring percussionist Airto Moreira. Expect funky grooves comfortably housed in complex arrangements. Don't miss it. Through Sun Dec 2. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave, 441-9729, 7:30 pm, $32.50â$35.50.
VOICE DIVISION RECITAL
UW School of Music voice students sing songs by Schubert, Hugo Wolf, Beethoven, Mahler, and Richard Strauss. Brechemin Auditorium in the Music Building, UW campus, 685-8384, 7:30 pm, $5.
Wed 11/28
SPARKLE GIRL
A self-described "cultural terrorist affinity group," Sparkle Girl range from sound collages and defiantly lo-fi field recordings to freeform compositions and hardcore electronics. You may have picked up one of their limited-edition releases at a noise show, in a phone booth, or during a political protest. Kooroo, NovaHead vs. ChickenTron, and Nasty Hunter share the bill. Funhouse, 206 Fifth Ave N, 374-8400, 8 pm, free.
