This Saturday, the local arts and music collective Suite 440 presents an intriguing evening of “new noise, new sounds, neumusik” at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Elmwood Avenue. Ostensibly a chamber music concert, New Echoes from Old Chambers draws on conventions of classical music presentation to explore clever inversions of listener expectations and various avant-garde techniques. The event includes performances of pieces by Jean-Francois Laporte of Montreal, Jesus Contreras of California and local composers KG Price, H. John Fitzgibbon and Mark DiGiampaolo, culminating in an ambitious re-setting of Gyorgy Ligeti’s “Lux Æterna” for guitar ensemble and voice, a piece most famous for the unsettling mood it sets in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Equally intriguing is the list of guest musicians, which draws from seemingly disparate musical worlds: Mary Ramsey of John & Mary, cellist Jonathan Golove, the Buffalo Philharmonic Choir, multi-media artist Jax Deluca and experimental rockers Bare Flames.

One of the joys of hanging out with musicians is to realize how quick they are to disrespect one another. For example, how many bass players does it take to change a light bulb? None. The piano player can do that with his left hand. Like Rodney Dangerfield, bass players get no respect. Unless of course they happen to be Stu Hamm (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, G3), Jeff Berlin (Billy Cobham, John McLaughlin, Larry Coryell), or hometown hero Billy Sheehan (Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big)—who are all recognized as genuinely groundbreaking players. BX3 is a musical project that puts these three masters of the low notes on stage for a show that’s bound to rattle your ribcage. Based on the popular G3 tours created by Joe Satriani and Steve Vai to showcase themselves and other guitar pioneers (like Yngwie Malmsteen and Robert Fripp), BX3 is a rare opportunity to catch three legends of the electric bass in a smaller-sized venue. And if you happen to strike up a conversation with any bassists at the gig, here’s a joke to share: How do you get a guitar player to play softer? Give him some sheet music. Support comes from Haiku and the Sounscape Project.

Two MCs are often better than one, and building on this concept are Buffalo natives Rhyson Hall (pronounced “Reason Hall”) and Gr& Phee (“Grand Fee”), who’ve kept busy touring and topping charts as well as recording. On Friday, Deep Thinka Records and Homeland Insecurity are throwing a “Free Rhys & Phee!” party in celebration of the release of the duo’s long-awaited album, Detained @ the Border. These two philosophical rappers got the inspiration for the album from some experiences they had at the US/Canada border, and their lyrics touch on everything from community to the Buffalo Bills. The album’s titular metaphor focuses on the borders that exist in relationships—between the sexes, races, friends and rivals. The event and CD release party will be video taped for YouTube and will also be broadcast live via podcast. Come show your support for Buffalo hip hop and the local label that’s championing it, Deep Thinka (www.deepthinka.com). Phathom, Askew Artistry and Leathal Alliance will also perform. This is an all-ages show.

Many sons, determined to make their own way in the world, return only reluctantly to the family business. Jean-Michel Cousteau, on the other hand, was thrown into the ocean by his famous father, Jacques-Yves, at age seven and has been exploring the world’s oceans ever since. (That was 1945, and Jean-Michel was wearing his dad’s new invention, something called an Aqua-Lung.) His career, like that of his father, has combined marine research and exploration with advocacy for environmental conservation. He has produced more than 70 films, including a documentary series, Ocean Adventures, released last year. He formed the Ocean Future’s Society in 1999 and has since evolved into a prominent spokesman for the health of the world’s waters. Next week he comes to Buffalo as part of UB’s Distinguished Speakers Series, in conjunction with A Greener Shade of Blue, UB’s semester-long focus on environmental issues.