The Press Room in Portsmouth will be the place to be on Sunday, March 13, as two of New York City’s finest jazz musicians, trumpeter Brian Lynch and trombonist Conrad Herwig, perform in the Sunday Jazz Series beginning at 6 p.m. Joining Lynch and Herwig will be the UNH Faculty Trio of Mark Shilansky on piano, John Hunter on bass, and Les Harris Jr. on drums. The show is being held in conjunction with the annual UNH/Clark Terry Jazz Festival, which takes place on Saturday, March 12. Sunday’s Press Room event replaces the Sunday Gala concert that was formerly a centerpiece of the festival. Declining ticket sales and logistical issues caused UNH to cancel the Sunday event.

Lynch and Herwig have been established performers in the vibrant New York jazz scene for more than 30 years. They have been collaborating on projects for much of that time, notably in the jazz-meets-Latin arena, both as leaders and sidemen. Shared experiences between Lynch and Herwig include several years in the band of Latin master Eddie Palmieri, as well as the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. They have also co-led a series of projects infusing Latin elements into the compositions of various jazz composers. Dubbed “The Latin Side of…,” the names covered to date have been Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter. The latest in the series, “The Latin Side of Herbie Hancock,” is under Herwig’s name. Lynch’s latest recording, “Conclave II,” was just released on the Criss Cross label.

Given their reputation for fiery and imaginative playing, there should be a high level of musical energy emanating from The Press Room on Sunday. 

Esparanza Spalding: The recent Grammy Awards once again proved that, every once in a while, they get things right. Many of you have probably heard how young pop star wunderkind Justin Bieber was beat out for the Best New Artist Award by jazz musician Esperanza Spalding and the resulting outrage on the part of Bieber’s fan base. With all due respect to the young man’s fans, I say get over it. Bieber was very gracious in acknowledging Spaulding on her win. It was a most deserving award for her, to be sure. If you’ve not yet encountered this remarkable musician, check out her most recent CD, “Chamber Music Society,” and you’ll get an excellent sample of her gifts as a composer, arranger, bassist and vocalist. Or check out her playing on the latest CD from saxophonist Joe Lovano’s Us 5 band on Blue Note titled “Bird Songs.” It’s a testament to Spalding’s skill on bass that she serves as the anchor of Lovano’s band. Esperanza Spaulding is the real deal when it comes to musicianship, skill, creativity and imagination and should be a force in the jazz world for years to come.

New releases: A few recent CDs are worthy of note. An entry from late in 2010 that came my way is drummer Mark Lomax’s “The State of Black America,” with Edwin Bayard on tenor sax and Dean Hulett on bass. This is a fine recording that brings the interactive nature of this trio to the fore. The obvious influence for this group comes from the 1950s trio recordings of Sonny Rollins, notably his masterpiece “The Freedom Suite.” And that’s how you can view this excellent CD, as a 21st century update on that classic recording. It’s from www.inarhymerecords.com. 

Smalls Jazz Club, located in Greenwich Village, recently began a recording series titled “Live at Smalls.” Each CD features a particular artist fronting his or her own group at the club, with the music ranging from straight ahead jazz to more adventurous forays into contemporary music. It should be noted that these recordings do have the requisite background noise from the club. But the music is first-rate, featuring some of the city’s top musicians doing what they do best.

The most recent series of five CDs released in early January includes quintet sets from bassists Omer Avital and Ben Wolfe and drummer Ari Hoenig, a quartet session from saxophonist Jimmy Greene, and a solo set from pianist and Smalls producer Spike Wilner. Hoenig calls his band “Punk Bop,” but it’s more bop than punk, as he leads a fiery set with strong playing from guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and alto saxophonist Will Vinson. Avital’s set features a solid band that includes Avishai Cohen on trumpet and the powerful drumming of Johnathan Blake. 

The set from Wolfe is equally powerful, with fine contributions from Luis Perdomo on piano and Gregory Hutchison on drums. Hutchison also contributes to Greene’s set, as the saxophonist continues to further his reputation as one of the new masters of jazz saxophone on the scene today with his highly imaginative playing.

But Wilner’s set is the gem of the five. It’s a solo piano tour-de-force, literally offering a history of jazz piano from rag-time to bop to more contemporary sounds in the space of one CD. More needs to be heard from this stunning musician, to be sure. He is to be congratulated on having the vision and determination to produce this music in a live setting.

Hopefully, Wilner’s vision will serve as an inspiration for other clubs to record and make available their performances, as well. For more information, visit www.smallslive.com.