I’ve been listening to the Jason Seed Stringtet’s new “In the Gallery” CD today. Seed, a Chicago composer-guitarist, has spent a lot of time in Milwaukee, notably playing with Present Music. In addition to Seed, the Stringtet comprises violinist Glenn Asch, violist Helen Reich and cellist Scott Tisdel, all of the Milwaukee Symphony, and bassist Dan Armstrong, formerly of the MSO and currently a member of the Chicago Symphony.

The group plays Seed’s arrangements of jazz numbers by Charles Mingus, Frank Zappa, Bill Frisell and Edgar Winter among others, but Seed composed all 11 tracks on this CD. Given the instrumentation and Seed’s jazz background, you might expect something along the lines of Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. Much of Seed’s work does have that antique jazz aura, a certain European sensibility and charm. I like that sort of thing, especially when it comes with new twists such as Middle Eastern scales spinning out in unison melisma. The music has a lot of charm, and the players are terrific.

The Stringtet has one foot in the jazz and bar scenes and the other in the classical, concert-hall tradition. You can hear them live at the CD release show at Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave., at 9 p.m. on July 11 and at the Milwaukee Symphony’s Grape Expectations event 5:30-8 p.m. July 19 at the Milwaukee Hilton City Center.