MONDAY
MUSIC
MICHAEL WHITE GROUP
Together with trombonist Julian Priester, Michael White is the strongest connection our remote, rock-obsessed town has to the epochal jazz of the last century. His compelling way with that jazz orphan, the violin, made him a key player in the free-jazz experiments of the 1960s, the forward-minded ’70s projects of McCoy Tyner and Pharaoh Sanders, and early fusion, among much else. White’s lovely new recording, Voices (Izniz)—his first in five years—shows all the wisdom and artistry you’d hope to hear from such a mature creative power. With excellent help from guitarist Timothy Young, Voices carries wide-open sonic textures and loose South American rhythms and sentimental standards, and, above all, a life-savoring optimism that’s so sadly missing from most avant-gardism. Catch White now before he shoves off for Japan. 8 p.m. Mon., March 15. $7. Suite G, 513 N. 36 St. (Fremont), 206-632-5656. MARK D. FEFER
WEDNESDAY
POETRY
EDWARD HIRSCH AND PHILIP LEVINE
Two titans of poetry bash heads. Edward Hirsch has won pretty much every award and fellowship available, and, like Robert Pinsky, he’s become a kind of poetry tutor/enthusiast for the nation: His How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love With Poetry was a best seller a few years ago. Philip Levine (right) is known best for his poems of blue-collar life, though he’s also quite hilarious on politics, and, as one of our poetry-loving colleagues at the paper put it, “He’s just so cute.” Part of the Nextbook series on Jewish culture. 7:30 p.m. Wed., March 10. Free. Nordstrom Recital Hall, Benaroya Hall, Third Avenue and Union Street, 888-621-2230. MARK D. FEFER
THURSDAY
VISUAL ARTS
INTRODUCTIONS
Until the Rem Koolhaas library opens, the best addition to downtown is the Seattle Art Museum’s new Rental/Sales Gallery, where emerging Northwest artists get an institutional showcase. Once housed invisibly within SAM, the gallery recently took over a prime downtown corner, where its half-dozen big display windows are a godsend to this dreary stretch of Third Avenue. Tonight the gallery launches its annual “Introductions” exhibit, which features eight local artists who are new to the space, including graphic designer Barry Maxwell, whose untitled piece is below. Opening reception: 5–7 p.m. Thurs., March 11. SAM Rental/Sales Gallery, Third Avenue and University Street, 206-343-1101. MARK D. FEFER
FRIDAY
VISUAL ARTS
POP ROCKS
Probably, hopefully, someone can resist the pop-py, trippy, icon-twirling confections offered up regularly at Roq la Rue, but it’s damn near impossible for us, and this month looks to be another luscious guilty pleasure. In addition to new paintings from Seattle’s colorful celebrity portraitist Jim Blanchard, “Pop Rocks” will feature work from the Bay Area’s Rene Garcia Jr., whose vinyl glitter paintings, such as Cooling Towers (above), deliver strong ocular crack for hipsters. Opening reception: 6–10 p.m. Fri., March 12. Roq la Rue, 2316 Second Ave., 206-374-8977. MARK D. FEFER
SATURDAY
DANCE
BOBBY MCFERRIN AND SAVION GLOVER
Though Glover is filed under “dancer” and McFerrin under “musician,” they could easily trade places in the index, as McFerrin’s transformation of his body into a percussion instrument complements the fine articulation of sound in Glover’s tap. In this benefit for the Seattle Theatre Group, Glover is joined by members of his Ti Dii ensemble, including two dancers with Seattle roots: Hannah Heller and Maya Smullyan-Jenkins. Performing here last year, Smullyan-Jenkins showed she was beginning to craft her own style, digging into the floor with her taps and riding it like a surfboard. 8 p.m. Sat., March 13. $35–$75. Paramount Theater, 911 Pine St., 206-292-ARTS. SANDRA KURTZ
