Bassist Maarten Altena is one of the pioneers of the so-called “Dutch school” of jazz, which is to say he was one of the first to combine an American concept of jazz with a European style of composition. The result sounds like Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale gone berserk, a wildly eclectic smorgasbord of folk dance, tango, swing, bebop, serialism, avant-garde, and irregular waltzes and marches, all served up with tongue firmly in cheek and with a uniquely creative sense of style and improvisation. Virtually all of the ensemble members write as well as perform the music, and great attention is given to developing interesting musical ideas, which are then tossed around and taken in any number of unusual directions. Saturday, 8 PM, Southend Musicworks, 1313 S. Wabash; 939-2848.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Rineka Dijkstra.