It’s a big weekend for jazz on the Seacoast with several performances taking place Friday, Feb. 27 through Monday, March 2, combining for one of the most active jazz oriented weekends since last April’s Jazzmouth Festival. Here’s a preview of upcoming shows.

The headline event will be a performance by the Russell Malone Quartet in the UNH Traditional Jazz Series on Monday, March 2 at 8 p.m. in Johnson Theatre at the Paul Creative Arts Center in Durham. Guitarist Malone will be joined by Martin Bejerano on piano, Tassili Bond on bass and Jonathan Blake on drums.

In a world where most contemporary jazz guitarists seek to clone artists like Pat Metheny and John Scofield, Russell Malone stands out as a purer and more singular voice on the instrument. Malone incorporates elements of guitar masters like Kenny Burrell, Grant Green and George Benson into a fluid, melodic and swinging approach that is distinctly his own. Malone’s guitar work has been heard in a variety of contexts, most notably with singer-pianist Diana Krall, pianist Benny Green and bassist Christian McBride. A Maxx Jazz recording artist, Malone has made two stellar recordings, “Live at the Jazz Standard” volumes 1 and 2, with his quartet.

Tickets for the performance are $8 for the general public, $6 for students and seniors. Call 603-862-2290.

On Friday, Feb. 27, Charlie Kohlhase’s Explorer’s Club returns to Portsmouth for an 8 p.m. show at West End Studio Theatre at 959 Islington St. The group will feature Kohlhase on alto, tenor and baritone saxophones; Matt Langley on tenor and soprano saxophones; Jef Charland on bass; Miki Matsui on drums; and special guest Jerry Sabatini on trumpet. The group will perform selections from its upcoming CD “Adventures” on the Boxholder label.

The Explorer’s Club takes an adventurous approach to music, combining a well-honed ensemble sound and neatly structured arrangements with freewheeling improvisation. I like to think of them as a contemporary update of the kind of bands that Charles Mingus led in the 1950s and ’60s. It is music steeped in the traditions of jazz, blues and bop, without being confined by those restrictions. It’s a sound that respects the past, is relevant today and looks toward the future. If you haven’t had a chance to hear this dynamic group, you owe it to yourself to check them out. Admission to the show is $15. Members of the Portsmouth Music & Arts Center and their students will be admitted for $10.

On Saturday, Feb. 28, also at WEST, Boston-based guitarist Eric Hofbauer will perform in a dual format concert. Hofbauer will join forces with his fellow Boston guitarist Garrison Fewell for a duo set and then perform with his Infrared Band.

Hofbauer, who was a founding member of Kohlhase’s Explorer’s Club, is an incisive and thoughtful guitarist and composer who AllAboutJazz.com’s Troy Collins describes as “a refreshingly original voice.” Hofbauer is also the founder of his own CD label, Creative Nation Music, which documents some of the most distinctive musicians in the Boston area. Hofbauer and Fewell will perform tunes from their CNM recording “The Lady of Khartoum,” a distinctive blend of jazz, Middle Eastern and other world music styles. AllAboutJazz.com’s John Sharpe describes the CD as a “richly rewarding disc, resonant of other cultures and other times, yet firmly of its own.”

The Infrared Band, much like the Explorer’s Club, is a dynamic ensemble that blends a variety of music styles with other elements, including wordplay, mythology and puzzles. The group, comprised of Hofbauer on guitar, Kelly Roberge on saxophone, Michael Montgomery on bass and Miki Matsui on drums, takes a very interactive approach that allows the audience to be part of the experience. Michael Coyle of Cadence magazine describes the band’s 2008 CD “Myth Understanding” as “rewarding on every level,” while Jazz Times’ Bill Milkowski notes that the band’s music is “intriguingly original.”

The show will begin at 8 p.m. with tickets going for $15 for the general public, $10 for students and members of the Portsmouth Music & Arts Center.

On Sunday, March 1, Dave Pietro, a remarkable saxophonist, composer and arranger, will perform at The Press Room in Portsmouth at 6 p.m. Joining Pietro will be Press Room house pianist Ryan Parker, along with Boston-based musicians John Lockwood on bass and Bob Guillotti on drums.

Pietro has long been one of the more creative and intriguing players in contemporary jazz. A powerful player, Pietro’s music is often multi-faceted. While he has strong roots in jazz tradition, Pietro has developed an approach that truly incorporates a wide variety of musical influences from around the world. This is most notable on his 2008 CD for the Challenge Record label, “The Chakra Suite,” a wondrous collection of original music based on the seven Chakras that combines elements of jazz, Brazilian and Indian music. Down Beat magazine recently awarded the CD with a four out of five star review.

Down the road in mid-March, the Annual Clark Terry UNH Jazz Festival will take place on the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, March 14 and 15. Although C.T. himself will not be able to attend this year’s event, there will be ample jazz for folks to hear. Featured guests include saxophonist-composer Jimmy Heath and saxophonist Antonio Hart. Both will appear in a Sunday evening show with the UNH Jazz Band directed by Dave Seiler and in a small group setting. The concert begins at 8 p.m.
Heath is one of the living legends of jazz, having begun his career at the height of the bebop period in the mid-1940s. He has appeared and recorded with a variety of jazz greats including Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Red Garland and Clark Terry, to name a few. Heath is also a prolific composer, having written over 100 compositions, many of which, such as “Gemini,” “Gingerbread Boy,” “CTA” and “Forever Sonny,” are considered essential parts of the jazz repertoire. Heath has recorded several albums for the Riverside, Xanadu, Steeplechase, Verve and Planet Arts labels in several contexts, from quartets to big bands. For more than 30 years, he co-led a group called the Heath Brothers Band with his brothers Percy on bass and Albert on drums.

Antonio Hart is one of the more dynamic voices to emerge on alto sax in the last 10 years. A thoughtful yet dynamic performer, Hart is currently a member of the Dave Holland Big Band and Sextet. Hart is prominently featured on the sextet’s excellent 2008 CD “Pass It On” on Dare2 Records. Hart is a former student of Heath’s from the latter’s days as coordinator of jazz studies at Queens College in New York.

For more information on the concert and festival, call Dave Seiler at 603-659-2010.

Finally, one other event further down the road, will be the Jazzmouth Poetry & Jazz Festival from Thursday, April 23 through Sunday, April 26. Featured performers will be singer-pianists Mose Allison and Bob Dorough, poet Donald Hall and festival founder Larry Simon. Look for more details on the event in April editions of The Wire.