Peter Kowald doesn't futz around. Last night he performed at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Georgetown. The first set was outstanding. He began with a vocal drone over deep bowing, and for the next hour explored. Arco, pizzicato, hypnotic drone, walking, dancing. Themes and riffs would emerge and diverge, and like his solo disc _Was da ist_ (FMP) was built on concise, self-contained essays. One of my favorites: he stabs his instrument, wedging the horsehair through the strings and letting it dangle there, slapping back and forth. I'd love to hear this guy accompany cartoons. The set closed with a return to the vocal incantation that began the set, framing the previous hour into a unified, whole. Free, yet remarkably focussed and accessible.

After an intermission (audience note; this gallery space attracted a more art-damaged crowd than I'd seen at previous free improv shows in DC), Kowald played with various local musicians. A series of duets began the second set. There was some nice communication with Tom Bickley on recorder, though the little instrument could sound and look so insubstantial next to the giant bass. The remaining duets (a wordless vocalist, percussionist and guitarist) grew increasingly unfocused, Kowald was polite but you could hear him getting bored with the guitarist, who built a tinkly loop and played tinkly lines over it, always hunched over and seemingly lost in his own thoughts. I on the other hand tried to filter out the tinkle and listen to Kowald.

Two local bassists, Vattel Cherry and a guy whose name I didn't catch but had only one leg, then joined Kowald in a bass trio. I hadn't heard Cherry before but he seemed authoritative, though I winced when, for percussive exclamation, he'd bang his bass neck against the wall behind him. Finally the whole ensemble gathered for jam and pudding.