Twenty-five years ago, Richard Zandler, director of the Montpelier Arts Center, was sitting in his office when a man came in and asked if the center’s gallery could be used for jazz concerts.

A month earlier, a jazz performance had been held at the center, the first in a series of jazz events Zandler was considering at the time.

“I asked him to send me a tape and the next day, he came back and dropped it off ,” Zandler said. “I listened to two bars and I knew right away that he was a phenomenal artist. Then I realized it was (Roger) Buck Hill and I was so embarrassed that I called him back very apologetic for not recognizing him. He was so kind about it.”

Saxophonist Hill had been recording and performing around the world for 40 years at the time. In addition to his own releases, including “Buck Hill Plays Europe” (1982), he’d recorded with guitarist Charlie Byrd, Allen Houser and Shirley Horn.

Hill grew up in Washington, D.C., and was well-known on the U Street jazz corridor in the 1940s. By 1984, he was still performing around the country, Europe and elsewhere and living in Laurel on Route 197.

“I was always looking for places to work and that’s what I was doing that day,” Hill said referring to his meeting with Zandler.

Realizing what a gem he had so close by, Zandler immediately recruited Hill to help him establish the Montpelier Jazz Series. When it debuted 25 years ago, it was called Chamber Jazz featuring live jazz performances three times a year in the center’s main gallery.

“When we started, it was a tough time for jazz because a lot of jazz clubs downtown had closed and we filled a niche. Buck, Charlie Byrd and Keeter Betz were our core musicians that we had performing all the time, along with local artists, initially, then we went international,” Zandler said.

Jazz legends such as McCoy Tyner, Cedar Walton and Dick Morgan have all performed on the 120-seat gallery’s raised stage beneath its cedar cathedral ceiling on numerous occasions for the series.

“It became a great thing that the people loved and the atmosphere and acoustics at Montpelier are so great,” said the 82-year-old Hill.

The series became so popular that it was extended several times, and now seven concerts each are held in the fall and spring.

“The series has worked out real well and has kept a lot of musicians working,” said Hill, whose band headlined this year’s fall series opener Sept. 25.

“My husband loves jazz and we were glad to find this place after we moved here the first of the year from New South Wales, Australia,” said Pauline Pettitt, during an intermission.

“It’s a little treasure for sure and I love the atmosphere,” she added, referring to the dimly lit gallery with walls adorned with original artwork.

“I’d never heard of Buck Hill, but I looked him up on the Internet and knew this would be my sort of music and I’d be coming to see a jazz legend,” said her husband, Andrew Pengelly.

Dressed in khaki pants and a black silk shirt, when other band members played, Hill would at times lean his head back, with his eyes closed, tapping his foot to the beat, while awaiting his turn to join the mix.  And when he did, it was awesome.

Many of those who attended the show are regulars of the series, such as Howard Stone of Mitchellville, who has been coming for four years.

“This is a great venue to hear jazz and is the best kept secret in Prince George’s County,” Stone said. “I’m afraid to tell other people because I might not get tickets,” he said jokingly, referring to the sell-out crowds that fill the 120-seat gallery.

His friend, Toby Burt of New Carrollton, a big Buck Hill fan agreed and said, “I love the venue because it’s small and intimate and I plan to come back for all of the shows.”

Gardin Carroll, who came from Lutherville, said she and her husband are also big fans of the series. Her only complaint, “no alcoholic drinks.”

“We can’t sell alcohol because we’re a government-owned institution,” Zandler explained.

Only two shows are left in the Fall series. Well-known jazz pianist Cedar Walton, whose Montpelier performances are always sold out, is the headliner on Oct. 30. Walton, 75,  just released a new CD this month, Voices Deep Within, that includes Dear Ruth, a song he wrote for his mother, who taught him to play the piano.  Walton also holds the country’s highest jazz honor, the National Endowment for the Arts 2010 jazz master.

He has performed with jazz legends such as John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Abbey Lincoln and J.J. Johnson and won a Grammy in 1994 for Mystery Lady, a collection of Billie Holiday songs performed by Etta James that featured Walton on the piano. Even with such an impressive jazz resume, Walton remains humble and is looking forward to the Montpelier concert.

“I enjoy playing there very much because the audience is as about as close as you can get to a stage,” Walton said. “It’s intimate and if I have something to say, I can just say it.”

The final show in the fall series is Nov. 13, featuring the Steve Abshire Quartet. All performances start at 8 p.m.

For more information on the series, go to www.montpelier.arts@pgparks.com.

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