JazzBoston wants to thank its members for all their support, so on January 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. we're throwing a very special party for them - and toasting our third birthday as an organization that same night. We'll also raise a glass to our very special Guest of Honor: Eric Jackson, longtime host of "Jazz with Eric in the Evening" heard, regularly on WGBH, 89.7 FM. The Beehive, the South End's hottest night spot located at 541 Tremont St. at the Boston Center for the Arts, will serve as event host, with plenty of great music to be heard and delicious food to be tasted. Scheduled to perform: pianist Vardan Ovsepian, followed post-party by the Jerry Bergonzi-Karen Kocharyan Quartet with Phil Grenadier.

Members will also get to mingle with some of the city's most talented musicians, players we've seen and heard on stages all over the city. In addition, there will be door prizes, we'll raffle a Bose Wave Music System, and introduce a number of surprise guests. Members, check The Beehive website for info on location and the music lineup, and watch your email box for more details. If you're not already a member or if your membership has expired, join us or renew by Jan. 23 and we'll add you to the invitation list.

JazzBoston members receive discounts at the Regattabar, Scullers, The Beehive, Ryles, The Redline Restaurant, the Jazz Club at the Multicultural Arts Center, the Vernissage Restaurant's "JazzThursdays at Vernissage," Restaurant Laura's "Thursday Night Jazz To Dine By", and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's Thursday evening jazz series, "Jazz at the Gardner." 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.

Current JazzBoston members please note: check the expiration date on your membership card and sign up to renew. Click here to renew now.

Wally's Cafe Jazz Club has been making history for decades, a fact that will be made official later this month. On Jan. 30, the Boston Historical Society will recognize Wally's for the contribution it has made to the cultural fabric of the city by adding a plaque to the front of the building designating the landmark bar and music club an historic site. The venue joins other famed Boston sites like Fanueil Hall, the Custom House, and Old South Meeting House that have also received the designation.

"It's definitely an honor," says Frank Poindexter, who with brothers Paul and Lloyd has been running the club with their mother, Elynor, since their grandfather and founder, Joseph Walcott - Wally - died in 1998. Walcott (photo above, center, with friends, during late '40s) was the first African-American to own a nightclub in New England. Originally known as "Wally's Paradise" and located at 428 Massachusetts Ave. near Columbus Ave., in the '40s and '50s the club played host to giants like Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday, and local legends such as Roxbury's own Roy Haynes.

When Wally's moved across the street in 1979 to its current location at 427 Massachusetts Ave., Haynes was among those sitting in on occasion to jam with young players from Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, and other area schools.

"Our mission is to continue to provide a forum for these young players," says Poindexter about the club that presents live music every day of the year, "as well as a place for the entire community to come and feel comfortable, whether you're white or black, or from South America, Asia, or Europe. Jazz is the great American art form, and we've got to take care of the garden."

Veteran pianist, composer, and educator Billy Taylor will present a free public master class at Berklee College of Music on Tuesday, Jan. 13, from 4 to 6 p.m., in the David Friend Recital Hall, 921 Boylston St., Boston.

On the live performance front, "adventurous" is one way to describe the variety of sounds that can be taken in free of charge around town over the next month. Bass master Dave Holland kicks things off on Friday, Jan. 30, at 8 p.m. by leading a student group performing his music in New England Conservatory's Brown Hall. On Saurday, Jan. 31 from 2 to 4 p.m., alto saxophonist Carl Grubbs will be the special guest with the Makanda Project at the Dudley Branch Library, 65 Warren St., Roxbury. The event is presented by the Friends of the Dudley Library and Roxbury Action Program.

Composer and alto saxophonist Lee Konitz will offer two free public master classes and a free concert with students at New England Conservatory as part of NEC's "Jazz Masters Residency." The master classes take place at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, and Wednesday, Feb. 4, both in NEC's St. Botolph Hall. The concert takes place on Thursday, Feb. 5, at Jordan Hall at 8 p.m.

Boston-based violinist Mimi Rabson (photo left, above) will perform three free local concerts to premier "The Berklee Violin Solos," pieces commissioned from colleagues at Berklee College of Music. She'll appear on Monday, Feb. 16, at 10 a.m. in Jewett Hall of the First Congregational Church at the Longy School of Music, Cambridge; on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the David Friend Recital Hall, Berklee College of Music; and on Monday, Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m. at the Boston Conservatory. Click here for more details.