Psst: Avant-cello act at the Dakota

Updated: October 26, 2009 - 5:46 PM

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Matt Haimovitz is loose in Minne-apolis again. The thirtysomething avant-cellist, equally at ease in clubs and concert halls, was last here in January of '08 for performances with the Minnesota Sinfonia and a gig at the Dakota Jazz Club.

On Wednesday he returns to the Dakota with "Figment," a solo set and (inevitably) CD that borrow their title from two works for cello by the still-scribbling centenarian Elliott Carter. ("Figment No. 2," written in 2001, is a memento of composer Charles Ives, who took the teenaged Carter to concerts in New York.)

Challenging even to seasoned listeners, Carter's intricate music seems unlikely club fare. But Haimovitz, who melds Bach and Hendrix, hip-hop and Olivier Messiaen with offhand aplomb, knows his audience and his venue: Count on him to make Carter (and other recent music for cello and electronics) a vivid, quickening experience.

Two other recent CDs ("After Reading Shakespeare" and "Mozart the Mason") released by Oxingale Records, the label he founded with his composer-wife, were nominated for a Juno Award (the Canadian Grammy).

For audio and video clips of Haimovitz, go here

(7 p.m. Wed. $16-$20. Dakota Jazz Club, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls. 612-332-1010 or www.dakotacooks.com.)

LARRY FUCHSBERG