Former U.S. poet laureate Robert Pinsky will be among the special guests featured in JazzBoston's second annual Jazz Week benefit concert, a kaleidoscopic view of jazz in Boston that will be held at Berklee Performance Center on Saturday, May 3. Pinsky will be making only his second jazz appearance ever, following his debut earlier this year at New York's Jazz Standard with drummer Andrew Cyrille.

Proceeds from the stylistically wide-ranging event will go to three outstanding jazz outreach programs in the Boston Public Schools - the John Coltrane Memorial Concert Educational Outreach Program, the New England Conservatory Community Partnerships Program, and the Berklee College of Music City Music Program. Artists from Berklee, NEC, and Northeastern University, home of the JCMC program, will be among those performing, along with a number of special guests. Mark May 3 on your calendar now, and watch for more details.

Pursuing its mission to serve audiences of all ages, JazzBoston will also present a series of free weekday and evening panels at the Boston Public Library at Copley Square during Jazz Week. Among them: "From Jazz to Hip-Hop and Beyond: Why Jazz Matters in the 21^st Century," and "The Future of Recording for Jazz and Improvised Music," which will focus on the creation and distribution of music in a digital world.

In addition to these special JazzBoston events, Jazz Week, which runs from April 26 to May 4 and has been officially proclaimed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino, will be celebrated in a wide variety of venues in and around Boston. These include the Real Deal Jazz Club and Cafe, Boston College, Ryles, the Lily Pad, the Colonial Inn, Wally's, the Regattabar, Matt Murphy's Pub, Scullers, Wellesley College, and the RooBar.

Jazz Week events are produced independently by participating musicians, presenters, clubs, educational institutions, and other organizations. All events are promoted by JazzBoston under the Jazz Week umbrella through an extensive print, broadcast and Web marketing campaign.

Musicians and presenters should send relevant details of confirmed events to jazzweek@jazzboston.org for inclusion in the overall Jazz Week promotional campaign. Read more about Jazz Week and check out the photo gallery of last year's highlights on the JazzBoston site.

JazzBoston would like to thank Jazz Week's Primary Sponsor, the Regattabar together with the Charles Hotel and The Blue Note, and Lead Sponsor, Scullers Jazz Club and the DoubleTree Guest Suites Hotel, for supporting this community-wide celebration of the music once again this year. For information about becoming a Jazz Week sponsor, please write to jazzweek@jazzboston.org.

The Acton Jazz Cafe, which last month was closed temporarily by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, is back in business for now thanks to donations and a series of fundraising concerts. The funds have helped offset tax and personal debts restaurant and club owner Gwenn Vivian incurred keeping the Cafe running for 12 years. "Never have I experienced such an uprising of generous support," said the singer and pianist. "The last few weeks have been extremely validating for me as a presenter of live music." Anyone interested in making a donation to help the Cafe stay open can do so by going to www.actonjazzcafe.com. The Cafe expects to announce additional fundraising concerts soon. Call (978)263-6161 for info.

JazzBoston members can win free tickets to hear the San Francisco Jazz Collective (photo left) in concert at Berklee Performance Center on Friday, Mar. 7, at 8:15 p.m. The all-star collective comprises Stefon Harris, Miguel Zenon, Joe Lovano, Robin Eubanks, Matt Penman, Dave Douglas, Renee Rosnes, and Eric Harland. Read more about the show.

Courtesy of Berklee College of Music, a pair of tickets (value $60) will go to each of the first two JazzBoston members who write to newsletter@jazzboston.org. Please note: only JazzBoston members are eligible to win the free tickets.

The Redline Restaurant, in Harvard Square, Cambridge, has joined JazzBoston's Membership Partner program with discounts for its new Thursday night jazz series featuring the Joe McMahon ensemble, which joins soul, iPod, and multiple DJ evenings at the venue. A JazzBoston member's discount of 10% applies to meals on Thursday nights.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum has extended a special discount offer to JazzBoston members for the "Jazz at the Gardner" show on Thursday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m., featuring alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa and his quartet with pianist Vijay Iyer. Instead of the usual $2 per ticket discount to jazz shows that JazzBoston members receive, the museum is offering a "buy one, get one half-off" discount for this performance. Regular tickets to the Mahanthappa concert are $23. Read more about the show.

Don't forget that JazzBoston members also receive discounts at the Regattabar, Scullers, the Real Deal Jazz Club and Cafe, The Beehive, Ryles, and the Vernissage Restaurant's "Jazz Thursdays at Vernissage."

For discounts at all these venues, just show your JazzBoston card at the door, or when calling for reservations, give your name and member number.

Lewis Porter presents "Experimental Piano Recordings from the 1920s to Bill Evans" on Monday, Feb. 25, at 1:15 p.m. in the Berk Recital Hall, Berklee College of Music. Pianist Porter will showcase rare video and audio from Earl Hines to Evans. Read more.

Pianist Laszlo Gardony (photo left) presents a free concert on Monday, Mar. 3, at 7 p.m. featuring his trio of John Lockwood and Yoron Israel at Berklee's David Friend Recital Hall. They will perform music from Gardony's upcoming "Dig Deep" CD on Sunnyside Records. Read more.

Catch the NEC Jazz Orchestra directed by Ken Schaphorst on Thursday, Mar. 6, at 8 p.m. at Jordan Hall for a free night of classic and contemporary big band music. Read more.

Please tell us what you think of this e-newsletter and what kinds of information you'd like to see included in future issues. Email us at newsletter@jazzboston.org. If you'd like to know more about JazzBoston and consider becoming a member, go to www.jazzboston.org. And pass this e-newsletter along to all the jazz fans and music lovers you know!