As Sting so immortally put it, when describing the difference between rock and jazz (insert Geordie accent here): “In rohck and rohll, you’ve got to buhn from the fuhst bah.” Ridiculous, obviously, for anyone who’s ever listened to, I don’t know, John Coltrane. I don’t recall him spending a whole lot of time noodling around before getting “warmed up.” Still, there is a certain kind of energy that some creative-music groups bring to the stand that’s instantaneous and intense and that sets them apart from jazz’s sleepier side. Deal’s Number is one such improvising unit; they take off fast and maintain a pace that’s furious but musically controlled. The foundation of the band is bassist John Seman and drummer Mark Ostrowski, founders (almost 20 years ago) of Seattle’s fertile Monktail Creative Music Concern who are joined in trio form by aggressive, shape-shifting saxophonist Bill Monto. They’ll be celebrating the release on CD of a 2006 Sonarchy recording session that’s now been given the (oddly smooth-jazz-like) title, Show Me What Ya Workin With. Later they’ll be joined by two more Monktailers for a quintet. The evening’s first sets will be from the multi-city drum-alto-guitar trio Future Ex, who’ve got some of the Paul Motian-Bill Frisell thing going on: airy, intense, moody, and very much worth hearing.

Thu., Dec. 13, 2007