In college, Scott Cossu immersed himself in the music of Ecuador, living in the Andes Mountains and Chota Valley while furthering his ethnomusicology studies.  He then alchemized his amassed knowledge into records with shamelessly cheesy titles like Emerald Pathways, Stained Glass Memories and, simply, Mountain. Cossu's a laudable pianist, and his compositions have a playful precision to them. While his lite jazz isn't for everyone, in some circles such as the South Puget Sound Community College, Cossu's type of music is seeming less and less like a guilty pleasure, and more like an unexpected muse. Cossu performs at the college's "An Evening of Fine Jazz and Northwest Cuisine," featuring chefs Treacy Kreger and Christine Ciancetta. Stottle Winery will provide the wine for the evening. It's going to rock. Softly.

AN EVENING OF FINE JAZZ AND NORTHWEST CUISINE, 6:30 p.m., Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts' Black Box Theater, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia, $30-$40, 360.753.8586