While much hype has always surrounded British saxophonist Courtney Pine, his albums have been mostly unmemorable. But his new release, Modern Day Jazz Stories, is an exception: The fragmented album takes the coldness of technology and smoothly fuses it with the fire of improvisation, placing Pine at the vanguard of modern electric jazz. Pine recorded the first takes for Modern Day, then ran the performances through his Macintosh, layering them with loops and treatments to stunning effect. “The 37th Chamber” features the sunniest head-bobbin’ riff since Herbie Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island,” and Pine’s circular breathing on “Absolution” allows him nearly four minutes of exhilarating, uninterrupted blowing. Pine also deftly incorporates a DJ over much of the album; after rehearsing his band, Pine made acetates of practices for DJ Pogo to scratch, and he sounds like a perfectly assimilated percussionist. Pine opens for Cassandra Wilson at 7:30 p.m. at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $18. (202) 393-0930. (Christopher Porter)