Tuesday Happenings

Centennials

-- Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Elliott Carter turned 100 years old this year. He is, in all likelihood, the oldest active composer in the United States. In fact, he composed 30 of his 130 works in the past 10 years. Throughout his transformation from a neoclassical composer to a stringently atonal one, Carter has remained a thoroughly American artist. (Carter's father bought insurance from Charles Ives, and Carter's vocal music incorporates the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell.) If you've only heard his well-known string quartets, the NEC's Elliot Carter: Life Works at 100 offers a rare opportunity to brush up on the rest of his catalog. Tonight, enjoy his Birthday Flourish, Woodwind Quintet, Canonic Suite (performed by the NEC Saxophone Quartet), Caténaires (performed by pianist Stephen Olsen), and more. Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, 30 Gainsborough St., Free.

Dancing Hipsters

-- Long-standing dance night (and internet party photo backdrop) Heartthrob welcomes Spank Rock producer (and manic remixer) XXXchange to man the wheels of steel. Featuring regulars Red Foxx, Baltimoroder, and Morgan Louis. Middlesex Lounge, 315 Mass. Ave., 9 p.m. $5.

Hip Hop

-- Wu-Tang affiliates Buddha Monk and Dom Pachino (who used to live across the street from the RZA and was an original member of Killarmy) join forces tonight to promote their upcoming albums. Underground Hip Hop Dot Com, 234 Huntington Ave., 6 p.m. Free.

Beer

-- Bostonist can't get enough of Cambridge Common's beer dinners (please, please don't stop putting these on), and we're particularly geeked about tonight's installment. With Thanksgiving around the corner, the restaurant has invited Mayflower Brewing Company to cater an autumn themed meal. There's a ton of pork, so if you don't dig on swine, call ahead in advance to request vegetarian alternatives. Cambridge Common, 1667 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, 6:30 p.m. $39. (More information.)