"Eric in Two Evenings," a two-part stage and screen salute to Eric Jackson, who celebrates the 30th anniversary of his jazz program on 89.7 WGBH Radio in May, highlights Jazz Week '11, which runs from April 29 to May 8 in more than 90 venues all over Greater Boston. With the theme "This Is Jazz," Jazz Week '11 and its 250+ events will celebrate a music that defies definition and recognizes no boundaries.

Danilo Perez, Walter Beasley, Grace Kelly and Terri Lyne Carrington are among those performing at "For Eric, Evening I," an all-star jazz jam at Scullers Jazz Club on Monday, May 2, presented by JazzBoston and Scullers and produced by Fred Taylor. Other artists scheduled to appear include Cecil McBee, Rebecca Parris, Phil Wilson, Bill Pierce, George Garzone, Rakalam Bob Moses, Ralph Peterson, Dominique Eade, Ken Field and the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, Donal Fox, and Laszlo Gardony. Special MCs for the evening will be Ron Della Chiesa, Emmett G. Price III, and Fred Taylor. No tickets or reservations needed; a suggested donation of $5 at the door will benefit JazzBoston's Riffs & Raps after-school program for teenagers.

"For Eric, Evening II" is a night of rarely seen videos of jazz greats selected by Jackson and screened at the Regent Theatre, Arlington Center, on Friday, May 6. The videos come from the collection of jazz historian Hal Miller, owner of the world's largest collection of rare jazz film and video. Among Jackson's picks will be clips of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughn, Herbie Hancock, Duke Ellington, Wes Montgomery, Pharoah Sanders, and Sonny Rollins. A reception with Jackson and Miller will precede the screening.

Jazz Week is coordinated and promoted by the nonprofit JazzBoston, which revived this annual celebration of the music in 2007 and also marks its own fifth anniversary in 2011.

For details, check the full schedule of Jazz Week '11 events on the JazzBoston website. Events are added daily.

And look for Jazz Week '11 in the news, including interviews with Jackson on Ch. 5's "CityLine" program and with Jackson and Dayla Santurri of Scullers on the Boston Neighborhood Network, a WGBH-FM segment about Jazz Week, and articles this week in the Boston Herald (April 27), Boston Phoenix (April 28) and Boston Globe this Sunday (May 1).

Want to be a Jazz Week '11 volunteer? Write to dcarlson@jazzboston.org.

"In My Mind" (May 3) An acclaimed documentary about rising jazz pianist Jason Moran's 50^thanniversary tribute to Thelonious Monk's historic 1959 Town Hall Concert in New York City. (Moran in photo above, left.) The 97-minute film had its Boston premiere at the 2010 Roxbury International Film Festival and is introduced by the festival's director, Lisa Simmons.

"On the Edge: Exploring the Creative Music Scene" (May 4) Four of Boston's most creative musicians, Dave Bryant (photo left, above), Tom Hall, John Kordalewski, and Neil Leonard, talk about current trends and demonstrate with live performances.

"North Shore Jazz, Then and Now" (May 5) Henry Ferrini and Jenny Chava Hudson, coordinators of the North Shore Jazz Project, present an intriguing oral and video history of people and places on the North Shore, from Sandy's Jazz Revival to the scene of today.

"Nat Pierce, Jaki Byard, and the Battle of the Bands" (May 6) Boston jazz historian and author Richard Vacca presents a fascinating portrait, with rare recordings and images, of two modernist big bands that shaped Boston jazz, culminating in the formation of the Herb Pomeroy Orchestra.

Jazz Week '11 will feature a variety of other special events, many of them free, including:

"Free Friday Noontime Concerts" (Apr. 29), a Jazz Week kickoff featuring daytime concerts by NEC student ensembles in public spaces around the city.

"Big Bands Afire, Swing to Beyond," on Kickoff Weekend, featuring the JCA Orchestra at the Cambridge Family YMCA Theatre (Apr. 29); Hal McIntyre Orchestra at Amazing Things Arts Center (Apr. 29); An Ellington Celebration: From Standards to Sacred with the Aardvark Jazz Orchestra and special guest Dominique Eade at Emmanuel Church (Apr. 30); and the Fourth Annual Herb Pomeroy Memorial Concert with special guest Frank Tiberi (photo left, above) at MIT's Kresge Auditorium (Apr. 30).

Jazz Swarms (May 2-6), a series of free lunch-hour concerts in the first floor atrium City Place Food Court of the State Transportation Building, featuring large same-instrument ensembles noon - 1 p.m. on each of the five weekdays - trumpets, flutes, saxophones, percussion, and trombones. Special guest Phil Wilson joins the grand finale Trombone Swarm on Friday.

The return of the John Payne Saxophone Choir (May 3), featuring a just-for-Jazz Week reunion of nearly three dozen saxophonists backed by reedman Payne's powerful quartet, at Ryles Jazz Club.

Launch of the Thayer Street Outdoor Concert Series (May 7), featuring Your Neighborhood Saxophone Quartet. The jazz concerts in SoWa, the South End's thriving Arts District, are free and open to the public, and will continue on the first Saturday of each month through October.

For a great night out, it's hard to beat the combination of good food and jazz. From April 29 to May 8, food and music lovers are in for a treat as some of Boston's most popular restaurants offer specially priced jazz-inspired menus created just for Jazz Week. Two-course lunches are $16, two-course dinners are $22, and three-course dinners are $34. Now in its third year, "Chefs Jam for Jazz Week" is a joint promotion of JazzBoston and the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Visit the "Chefs Jam for Jazz Week" page on the JazzBoston website for details on this year's participants.

Scullers is offering JazzBoston members three pairs of tickets to hear Peter Eldridge on May 3 at 8 p.m., Catherine Russell (photo left) on May 4 at 8 p.m., and Jerry Butler on May 6 at 10 p.m.

The Regattabar is offering JazzBoston members one pair of tickets to hear David Maxwell on Apr. 29 at 10 p.m., Laszlo Gardony on May 4 at 7:30 p.m., the Mahavishnu Project on May 5 at 7:30 p.m., and Sol y Canto on May 6 at 7:30 p.m.

If you're a JazzBoston member, write to newsletter@jazzboston.org now to enter the drawing to win free tickets to any of the events listed above, and please note which shows and dates you're interested in. You must be a JazzBoston member to be eligible to win.

The Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston offers JazzBoston members a 20% discount on a wide range of seminars, workshops, and webinars geared to artists and arts organizations. To get information about a particular program or register online, email Sheri Mason, Director of Legal Services, and give her your membership number.

Click here to become a JazzBoston member now. Annual memberships begin as low as $20.

We also thank the Boston Public Library, our Venue Partner since 2007, for hosting Jazz Week @ the BPL again this year.

We are proud to have the support of American Airlines, the Official Airline of JazzBoston and Jazz Week '11. In addition to offering travel benefits to JazzBoston members year round, American Airlines is providing a special discount to music lovers from all over the United States and the world who are headed to Boston for Jazz Week '11.

We also want to thank the Phoenix Media/Communications Group, the print media sponsor of Jazz Week '11, and 89.7 WGBH Radio, Jazz Week's radio sponsor once again.