ADDRESSING THE DEFICIT OF VIRTUE in the fabric of American society, writer/psychologist Barry Schwartz offered a definition of virtue with distinctly musical overtones. “A wise person knows how to improvise,” he asserted, asking his California audience to break the rules, listen carefully, think on their feet, and improvise their way through life. If Schwartz is right, then perhaps we all have something to learn from the Mile-End improvised music series, Mardi Spaghetti.

Crammed onto one of Montreal’s smallest stages, Mardi Spaghetti is curated by four of the most exciting young improvisers on the local scene: trumpeter Gordon Allen, violinist Josh Zubot, saxophonist Philippe Lauzier, and Viola de Gambist Pierre-Yves Martel. The location is Le Cagibi, on the corner of St. Laurent Blvd and St. Viateur. With painted tin ceilings, low-slung vintage sofas and ad-hoc lighting, it used to sell comic books in the Sixties and now sells beer and vegetarian chili.

Two groups play every Tuesday night. Ensembles are usually small; duos are common. Performers come from varied backgrounds and genres: noise musicians, jazz musicians, players of baroque string instruments and homemade electronic instruments. An audience creeps out of the woodwork. Some are students unexpectedly thrown in to an improvised music series, some are the stout-hearted musicians who have played or someday will, and then there’s the curators—always a few in attendance—and a couple of die-hard Spaghetti fans.

“The great thing is that no one is in control,” says Gordon Allan. “An intimate concert like this brings the audience into the equation, and no one knows what will happen.” He stresses that the music “is about change and about endless possibilities. Each week you have to invent something new; that pushes us [as musicians] to be more creative, to evolve and grow faster. Improvisation is what we all have in common. And there’s so much to learn from each other by playing together.”

The music is about evolution, pushing the envelope and breaking the rules, but of course it’s also about beauty and musicality. After our interview, I stayed to hear guitarist Chris Burns and drummer Will Glass perform together. Over a chorus of throbbing, insistent drums, Burns constructed beautifully dissonant and meandering lines, wandering calmly through his unique and rich sound.

Mardi Spaghetti is celebrating its first anniversary this week. The curators promise balloons, celebration and performances, including Pierre-Yves Martel’s “Toiletronics” and Gordon Allen’s “Allen in the Alley” performance. There’s cause to celebrate—a year’s worth of Tuesdays have pushed this music along, and promises to do so for years to come.

The Party Spaghetti’first anniversary celebration is Tuesday March 3rd, 9 p.m. at Le Cagibi (5490 St. Laurent) $5 admission includes food. Visit www.myspace.com/mardispaghetti for more information.