Some of the best and brightest names in regional music will play under one roof when the Baltimore-Washington Jazzfest again hosts the Claude Ligon House of Jazz Saturday, June 14 at the African Art Museum of Maryland.

Founded by the late Claude Ligon in 1992, the annual concert was renamed in honor of the longtime Columbia resident in 2006 by his wife and museum co-founder, Doris Ligon.

"We look for diversity, and by diversity I mean in musical instruments," explains Doris Ligon, who now oversees the event herself. This year she has booked five performers who bring as much musical variety as possible to the evening.

"This year we have a vibraphonist. We've not used his talents before, but he came highly recommended."

On the bill along with vibraphonist Mark Sherman will be blues harmonica player Steve Guyger, alto sax player Carlos Johnson, vocalist Gael Baer and keyboardist Greg Hatza & the Greg Hatza ORGANization. Also appearing as a guest musician will be trumpeter and flugelhorn player Russell Gunn.

Although the series grew out of her late husband's love of jazz, Ligon says it also fits well with the mission of the African art museum.

"Jazz has its roots in the traditional music of Africa," she notes. "Whenever we do anything with music, it has to be in relation to the continent of Africa. So we try to remind people that jazz has its roots in the traditional music of Africa."

Past concerts have brought to Columbia such talents as Stanley Turrentine and Vanessa Rubin. The different musical acts are set up in separate rooms at Oakland, providing a sort of "open house" atmosphere for guests to freely come and go.

Among the returning jazz stars this year is Steve Guyger, who will perform in the Cotton Club room. Guyger is a Pennsylvania-based harmonica player who is considered one of the top blues harp players around. He honed his skills playing with the cream of Chicago's blues artists.

"If you've never seen Steve Guyger perform, you've missed something," Ligon notes. "This will be Steve's third visit and people have wanted him back. This guy has a way of pulling people in."

Playing in the Blue Note room will be Mark Sherman, a New York vibraphonist, marimba player and composer. Sherman is a classically trained Juilliard School of Music graduate who has performed with world-class conductors as notable as Zubin Mehta and Leonard Bernstein.

Carlos Johnson will be wowing the crowds with his alto sax in the 18th & Vine room. Johnson is a native Baltimorean who frequently mixes such musical genres as Pan-American, bebop and rock.

Native Washingtonian Gael Baer will set up in the Village Vanguard room. Baer, who is also a guitarist, mixes blues and jazz in a style reminiscent of Diane Schurr. Baer learned jazz from her stepfather, Tom Neimann, the founder of the Potomac Dixieland Jazz Society. She sings everything from standards to folk songs.

Greg Hatza & the Greg Hatza ORGANization will play in the Cotton Club room. Hatza is a local favorite who hails from Pennsylvania and is widely acclaimed for his prowess on the Hammond B3 organ. His music is influenced by such legends as Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff and Ray Charles. Hatza is also a founding member of Moon August, a contemporary jazz sextet based in Baltimore.

Finally, trumpeter Russell Gunn is expected to drop in and lend his ear to the proceedings. "He is not going to be performing necessarily," explains Ligon. "But he has worked with Marsalis and other big names."

Besides the music, Ligon will have the start of a new visual exhibit for guests to discover. The display is comprised of classic old vinyl jazz albums, donated to the museum by the late Lewis Robinson, a longtime museum patron and friend of Claude Ligon.

"My husband was determined that upon receiving some jazz records from Lewis that we were going to start the Lewis Robinson Memorial Jazz Library," Ligon says. "He had hundreds and hundreds of albums. So we're going to have on display some of the records we received."

Ligon says she feels the House of Jazz is important, not just because it showcases an African-American art form, but because it heightens the profile of the museum.

"It brings people to us," she says.

The Baltimore-Washington JazzFest will host the Claude Ligon House of Jazz Saturday, June 14, 7-11 p.m., in the African Art Museum of Maryland, in Historic Oakland, in Columbia. Admission is $75, which includes a buffet. Tickets are available at the museum. Call 410-730-7106, or go to www.houseofjazz.org or www.instantseats.com.

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