An “East meets West” concert tops a potpourri of upcoming events highlighted in this edition of the JU.

On Monday April 2 at 8 p.m., the New York-Tokyo Connection, a collaborative jazz quartet, will perform the final concert of the 2006-2007 Traditional Jazz Series at the University of New Hampshire.

NYTC, as they’re also known, grew out of a longstanding friendship between American members Dave Pietro on saxophone and Jonathan Katz on piano. They met while attending the UNH Summer Youth Music School in 1982 and developed an instant musical rapport with one another. They maintained the friendship through their college years and even after Katz settled in Tokyo after graduating from the Eastman School of Music. Pietro, who moved to New York City after graduating from North Texas State in the late 1980s, reconnected with his friend while on various tours to Japan with the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra from 1994 to 2003, often staying in the country after the tours to visit and perform with Katz. In 2002, they decided to record their efforts and hired two of the top jazz musicians in Tokyo, bassist Daiki Yasukagawa and drummer Yoshihito Eto.Since releasing “Live in Tokyo,” the group has toured yearly in Japan. This performance at UNH is part of the quartet’s first-ever U.S. tour.

While I haven’t personally heard this particular group, I do know the exceptional level of skill that both Pietro and Katz have as performers and know of the international reputation of terrific musicianship that Yasukagawa and Eto have. This should be a superb concert that gives a thorough illustration of how music such as jazz can bridge different cultures. Tickets are a remarkable $8, or $6 for students and seniors. For more information, call 603-862-2290.

This Friday, the Tim O’Dell/Matt Langley Quartet and the Effenberger/Walsh/Phaneuf Trio will perform at the Lotus Rising Dance Studio in The Mills at Salmon Falls on Front Street in Rollinsford at 8 p.m. The show is part of the ongoing concert series initiated and sponsored by Avant Coast. Admission is $8 at the door for an evening of creative and spontaneous music. Call 603-205-6144 for more information.

If you are looking for a terrific music festival in a beautiful location, look north. The 28th annual Montreal Jazz Festival will run from June 28 to July 8. A partial list of artists lined up so far includes Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, vocalists Cesaria Evora, Seu George and Mark Murphy, drum legends Roy Haynes and Billy Cobham, and Tortoise and the Derek Trucks Band. For more, visit www.montrealjazzfest.com for ticket prices hotel and other info.

Normally, I would save the following for the end of this column, but I’d like to acknowledge the recent death of Brad Delp. The lead singer for the rock band Boston, Delp took his own life earlier this month. While I wouldn’t count myself as a huge fan of Boston, they were a group of fine musicians, with Delp being the true “gem” among them. His wide vocal range, passionate delivery and powerful style always sounded natural, never forced. In addition to being a warm and giving person, Delp was a musician’s musician whose musical interests covered a broad range, including his side project Beatle Juice. His voice lives on via the recordings by Boston, which serve as a partial tribute to his legacy as one of the finest singers in the history of rock ’n’ roll music.

Since April will soon be upon us, it should be noted that it is both National Jazz Appreciation Month and National Poetry Month. What a coincidence that the third annual Jazzmouth Poetry & Jazz Festival runs April 12-15, at various locations around Portsmouth. Featured headliners will be writer/NPR legend Andrei Codrescu, composer/multi-instrumentalist David Amram and bassist/composer/poet Eric Mingus.

Organized by Beat Night guru Larry Simon, Jazzmouth is truly one of a kind. It’s a fantastic event that features performances, workshops and poetry readings all in the heart of the city. For more information on Jazzmouth, including a schedule of events, visit www.jazzmouth.org.

Lastly, I recently had the opportunity to witness one of those special moments in jazz that also bodes well for the future of the music. At the recent Clark Terry/UNH Jazz Festival, Terry invited two of the fine student jazz musicians from UNH, trumpeters Chris Klaxton and Chris Burbank, to join him on stage in the small group segment of the gala final concert. Both played wonderfully and exhibited nice contrasting improvisations. Klaxton displayed an imaginative and thoughtfully melodic approach that was delivered with a full warm sound, while Burbank had an equally imaginative approach that was energetic and was delivered with an equally fine sound. They displayed a maturity in their playing that belied their youth and brought a smile to the face of Terry, who has worked with so many young musicians throughout his long career. If you have a chance to hear the Klaxton and Burbank before they move on to the next phase of their careers, please do so. You won’t be disappointed.

Look for a CD round-up in the next Jazz Universe that will feature, among others, a couple of recent local releases and one of the finest big band recordings I’ve heard in years.