The AQ has a s pecial treat with two ten piece bands in one evenng: The McNally Smith X-Tet begins at 7, then Saxophone maestro Pete Whitman with nine of his most talented friends will have their monthly X-Tet Thursday performance.   Even with ten members performing, you find yourself pondering where all those perfectly-placed, sonorous pearls are coming from.  When you review the roster of first-call pros on stand, you answer your own question.  Their 2002 release Where’s When? received a 4-star salute from Downbeat.  The all-star cast includes Laura Caviani on piano, Phil Hey on drums,Gordy Johnson on bass, Dave Hagedorn on vibes, a horn section roll call of Dave Karr, Dave Milne & Pete Whitman (saxes), Dave Jensen & Kelly Rossum (trumpets), and Jeff Rinear (trombone). Check out these videos:

• Pete Whitman X-tet, "Hmmm". March 27, 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKd1ohRCUq8
• Pete Whitman X-tet, March 27, 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nobm9Je1g_c