Carla Bley, a premier avant-garde jazz composer and musician, and the Harvard Jazz Band played before a capacity crowd of about 350 last night in Agassiz Theatre.

The concert featured five new pieces orchestrated by local Boston arranger Jeff Friedman and composed by Bley, who has recorded more than 20 albums.

Bley spent two days at Harvard as this year's Kayden Artist in Residence, an honor which Gil Evans and Jerry Mulligan have held in past years.

The 48 year-old New York resident is also an organist, the co-producer of WATT Records, the co-director of New Music Distribution Service, and the co-owner of a recording studio.

According to Thomas G. Everett, the head of the Jazz Band, The Office of the Arts selected Bley for her "unique" reputation. "She is one of the major, significant, underrated composers in jazz," Everett said. "Her music deserves wider reputation."

"She combines elements of traditional jazz but she presents the music in a personal manner with contemporary sound. She also has a great sense of humor in her music," he said.

In addition to performing last night, Bley directed a series of four rehearsals with the Jazz Band this weekend. On Friday night, she rehearsed with the Band in front of about 100 people during a free public performance.

Everett said that since Bley normally works with musicians she knows in advance, he was concerned about the rehearsals.

The professional musician said that at first she, too, found the rehearsals too amateur for her. "It started off awful. It was such a disappointment," Bley said. However, she said, "It's gone from hideous to incredible in two days."

Andre J. Fernandez '90, who plays the trumpet in the Jazz Band, said, "She's very demanding but in a relaxed way. We've all been having a great time."

The Carla Bley Band, a sextet jazz rhythm section, will perform at Cambridge's Jonathan Swift's Pub on Wednesday November 19.