The Clark Terry/UNH Jazz Festival takes place this Saturday and Sunday, and as has come to be expected, that means a couple of jazz legends joining the lead jazz legend for two days of fine music. Joining Clark Terry this year are saxophonist James Moody and bassist Rufus Reid. The three will be joined by University of New Hampshire jazz/staff members Mark Shilansky on piano, Les Harris Jr. on drums and the UNH Jazz Band, directed by David Seiler. All will be featured on a gala finale concert in Johnson Theatre on Sunday evening beginning at 8 p.m.For James Moody, this weekend marks his second appearance at the festival—he first visited in 1988. At a youthful 81 years old, Moody still plays with the power, finesse and zest the he exhibited back in the late 1940s when he was touring and performing with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Art Blakey. Moody is noted for his famous tenor sax solo on “I’m In The Mood For Love,” which he recorded in the late ’40s. The late singer Eddie Jefferson added words to Moody’s improvised solo in an early example of the art of vocalese, which became a huge hit for singer King Pleasure in 1952.

The vocal version has been a part of Moody’s repertoire for years and is usually performed with a good dose of humor. And humor will be abundant when Terry and Moody take the stage. Both are long-time good friends who have shared numerous performances and experiences together.

Bassist Rufus Reid will add to the good feelings emanating from the stage on Sunday. A prolific performer, composer and educator, Reid has played with many greats in jazz including Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz and Kenny Barron. Formerly the co-ordinator of the Jazz Studies Program at William Patterson University in New Jersey, Reid keeps busy these days performing with the big band and quartet of saxophonist Bob Mintzer among many others. Reid is also another old friend of Terry and will bring his own sense of humor to the proceedings in addition to his superlative musicianship. I have a sense that Sunday could be a fun-filled and magical night of music.

The Saturday portion of the festival is given over to a day-long event in which middle and high school ensembles perform for judge’s comments. Over the course of the day, over a thousand young people will move through both the Memorial Union Building and the Paul Creative Arts Center. In addition to performances, clinics and informal performances by UNH jazz staff and local musicians are offered through the day.

For more info on the Clark Terry/UNH Jazz Festival, contact David Seiler at the UNH Music Department. The main number is 603-862-2404, and the office will direct you to Seiler’s extension. Tickets for the Sunday evening performance are available at the MUB ticket office, 603-862-2290.

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March finds some good jazz and blues at The Press Room. This Monday, bassist and www.nejazzscene.com founder Tim Webb leads his trio with Marc LaForce on saxophone and Ken Clark on drums from 8 to 11 p.m. This is a very good group with a lot of promise. In particular, it’s always good to hear LaForce play outside the confines of the Seacoast Big Band. Lex & Joe play on March 15; clarinet and saxophone titan Dick Johnson joins the Jim Howe Trio on March 19; and Jeremy Lyons plays on March 23.

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The Seacoast Jazz Society is looking for a few good people to fill positions on their Board of Directors. The SJS is a strong proponent for jazz in the region and maintains a varied and active schedule of lectures, workshops and occasional performances. All you need is a love of jazz and a good sense of humor.
If you’re interested, contact Steve Cooper at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or Harvey Shepard at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

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Here’s an update on saxophonist Michael Brecker’s battle with MDS. A suitable donor has yet to be found for a needed bone marrow and/or blood stem cell transplant. In early January, Brecker received an experimental haplo (half match) stem cell transplant, with his daughter being the donor. Form what I can tell, this is viewed as more of a stop-gap procedure with the potential for many debilitating side effects.

If you’re interested in how you may be able to help, visit www.michaelbrecker.com for information on the procedures and how to become a possible donor. Here’s hoping a donor can be found and that this great jazz voice can one day return to the scene.