A saxophone and woodwinds player, Bob Mintzer's also an exceptional composer and arranger. While his music is rooted in jazz, he's covered a broad spectrum of music, from pop and orchestral to Latin and world music, and worked with artists as diverse as Buddy Rich, Steve Winwood, the New York Philharmonic, Tito Puente, Diana Ross, Thad Jones & Mel Lewis, Bobby McFerrin and Eddie Palmieri.

Mintzer's own group activities include leading a big band and quartet (recording 11 big band CDs for the DMP label) and serving as a member of the long-running contemporary jazz group The Yellowjackets.

Perhaps this eclectic mix is why his music never sounds contrived. As a saxophonist, he has a rich, warm sound, and his improvisations are thoughtful, imaginative and creative. His provocative compositions create a good balance between the written music and the open improvisational areas. And he's not beyond incorporating subtle humor in his music. These elements make his 1987 big band CD, Camouflage, one of the best big band recordings of the last 20 years. After five nominations, his band was rewarded with a Grammy in 2002 for Homage to Basie; though pleased, he notes awards often overlook the best of musicians. He says, for his part, his focus remains "relationships, community, doing the right thing and being true to my heart."

On his two previous engagements in the area, he performed with the Seacoast Big Band. Monday's appearance at the University of New Hampshire will mark his first exclusive small group performance in the area. Mintzer and I exchanged a series of e-mails where he gave me his thoughts on his current quartet, the state of big band, his eclectic approach and jazz education, in which he remains active.

What can you tell us about the current quartet and its repertoire?

Phil, John and I have been playing together in my big band and quartet for 20 years. Rufus is a newer addition, and the four of us have been playing for four years. The repertoire consists of my original tunes, arrangements of standards, and an occasional tune by one of the other band members. I try to write for them, acknowledging in the compositions what the band members do as instrumentalists and conversationalists.

How did Rufus come to be a member of the group, and what do you feel he brings to the ensemble sound?

Rufus is such a great musical and personal presence in my band. We have played together several times over the years. It was at a workshop at Lake Placid where we really got to hang and get to know one another. Shortly afterward, I began calling Rufus to play with my various ensembles. Rufus is a joy to play and spend time with. He is a real team player and brings a wealth of experience to the music.

What attributes do Phil and John bring to the group?

The three of us have actually known each other for close to 30 years. Phil and John are two of the most astute and sensitive ensemble players on the scene today. What I look for in a rhythm section is exactly what these guys provide: a sense of drama, varied terrain, the knowledge of how to spontaneously shape the arrangement and create momentum with flair and style.

Your music is very diverse in terms of crossing over a variety of styles. Where does your eclectic approach come from?

I've always been interested in many kinds of music. Although improvisation and composition are my passions, I've never limited myself to particular genres. I don't think in those terms. We as musicians are influenced by our environment to a great extent. Growing up in New York City provided me with exposure to jazz, Latin, classical, blues, funk and some music that didn't have a name. In the '60s, musicians were going for it! They didn't call their music anything in particular. I think that the music industry came up with the terminology for different styles of music for marketing purposes. My early playing situations were fairly varied, from Buddy Rich to Jaco, to Tito Puente to the NY Philharmonic and American Ballet Theatre. During this time I was also playing on punk records, R&B records and polka records. I even played on a recording with Tiny Tim! You gotta pay the bills.

How difficult is it to maintain a big band in the current music climate?

It's not that difficult, particularly in New York, where there are a myriad of great musicians who are eager to play. I've been writing big band music for 30 years now, and it's one of the most inspiring activities I know of, very much like fitting together pieces of a puzzle. I like the challenge of writing different shapes and sounds in each subsequent piece. There is an improvisational quality to the compositional process. I'm always excited to see where a particular composition is going to go.

The band currently works about 10 to 15 dates a year. Over the last year, we've had a semi-regular gig at a club in New York called Sweet Rhythm. We're there alternating Wednesdays in February, March and April. It's nice to have a regular gig to get the band tight and try new things.

When you compose, do you think of a piece as being specifically for a small group or big band?

Sometimes I write specifically for either a big band, quartet or any other size ensemble. However, the things I write are always subject to change and adaptation. Frequently, a small group tune lends itself nicely to an orchestration for a larger ensemble, and vice-versa. I've arranged several Yellowjackets tunes for my big band.

How did you become involved in The Yellowjackets? What do you feel is behind the band's longevity?

The band called me in 1990 to play on a recording called Greenhouse. It was a very challenging project that involved a chamber orchestra and some adventurous writing and playing. Gradually, I began doing some concerts with the band, and before long, I became a full-fledged member. The Yellowjackets are one of the only co-op bands around, and they've been together for 25 years. All the band members contribute in terms of composing, arranging, production and general decision making. Regardless of who writes the tune, in the end it always sounds like a Yellowjackets tune. This is a very nice scenario, albeit different from my band in that I do most of the writing. However, I try to structure my ensembles in a similar way to The Yellowjackets as far as giving each member total creative freedom to express themselves as they see fit in the moment.

What are some of your thoughts on music and particularly jazz education? Do you feel young people are turning away from jazz, as some other musicians have suggested?

The jazz education scene is alive and well. It's providing a forum for the exchange of information and hopefully for younger players to play and write for various ensembles. There aren't nearly as many working bands now compared to when I was coming up in the '60s and '70s. So young players need a place to congregate, share ideas and form musical relationships.

I don't know if young people are turning away from jazz. There are always some young folks at Yellowjackets concerts, as well as at my big band performances. You have to remember that jazz was for the select few that had discerning taste in music and art. Many people don't want to work so hard when they listen to music. Pop culture is partially to blame for this. The health of the arts amongst young people really lies in the hands of our government and educational system, as well as very important organizations that support the arts (the National Endowment for the Arts, National Public Radio). If people in government and teaching positions aren't passionate about the arts through direct experience, then our children will miss a lot of very important information and experience. I would like to see more professional working musicians invited into the school systems around the country to do residencies. This is one sure-fire way to get kids excited about quality art and point them in the right direction. In my opinion, there is far too much emphasis placed on testing well on all of the various standardized exams, rather than addressing the whole student from a creative, cultural and spiritual level, as well as the intellectual level. The act of being passionate about life is paramount to the success of any society.

What's in your immediate future?

The Yellowjackets have a new CD coming out on March 5 called Altered State. It's a really interesting next step for the band with some fairly adventurous playing and compositions. Peter Max did the cover artwork. I also have a quartet recording being mixed that will hopefully see the light of day next year. And the big band will be doing another live recording for the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild in Pittsburgh in April with vocalist Kurt Elling and other special guests. This follows the last live recording from MCG released last summer. The new recording will be out later this year.