On January 15th, House of Blues will host a rare non-Jazz Fest appearance by a living legend in modern jazz: McCoy Tyner.

The renowned pianist and composer first gained notoriety in John Coltrane’s quartet from 1960 to late 1965. Along with drummer Elvin Jones and bassist Jimmy Garrison, Tyner helped elevate the searing blues of Coltrane’s, saxophone to transcendental heights, permanently altering the course of jazz and modern music in general.

Since then, Tyner emerged as a dominant force in his own right, and remains one of the most influential modern jazz pianists. His 1967 Blue Note recording, The Real McCoy, stands as one of the greatest of its era, and his 1995 Impulse release, Infinity, featuring saxophonist Michael Brecker, has been hailed, and rightly so, as one of this decade’s best.

Tyner tirelessly, pushes the boundaries, whether he’s playing with his long-standing trio of bassist Avery Sharpe and drummer Aaron Scott, with his 14-piece big band, or with a symphony orchestra (as he did on What The World Needs Now, his tribute to composer Burt Bacharach). In March, Telarc Jazz will release the much anticipated McCoy Tyner and The Latin Jazz All Stars, which features ferocious Latin rhythms (courtesy Ignacio Berroa, Giovanni Hidalgo and Johnny Almendra) fused with Tyner’s mind-expanding virtuosity.

Tyner knows how to thrill an audience, as many who experienced his trio (with Michael Brecker) at Jazz Fest ’97 would attest.

“I’m really excited about it, says Tyner of the upcoming New Orleans appearance. “I love NewOrleans. I have relatives there that won’t leave to visit me, they love it so much. You feel the vibe right when you hit the airport. There’s no city like it in the country. There’s all that jazz tradition, the music is ingrained in the culture.

Tyner remembers when Jazz Fest producer Quint Davis was his roadie twenty five years ago, back when Rosie’s was the happening jazz venue in New Orleans. He remembers visiting Ellis Marsalis when Wynton and Branford were children. Today, Tyner says he’s happy to see more modern music emerging. “It’s good to hear some good contemporary music coming out of New Orleans, and not just all the traditional stuff. There’s some really nice young players coming out of New Orleans, making an impression on the scene.

Indeed, the city’s jazz scene continues to improve, and it will be interesting to see what kind of impact is made by Gregory Davis the new talent programmer for both the Jazz Fest’s Jazz Tent and the new Storyville club.

“I plan to mix it up as much as possible, because I don’t have blinders on,” says Davis, whose 21 years as the singer/trumpet player for The Dirty Dozen have given him a unique perspective. “I’ve had to learn all kinds of music co make The Dirty Dozen work all these years. At Storyville, I plan to use traditional New Orleans music, Latin, gospel, ragtime orchestras, big bands, modern jazz… I’ll use it all, because to me it always has been music first, no matter what lime pigeon hole you put it in.”

The Storyville facility has two stages, one in the “Parlor” Room, which has a capacity of about 140, and another in the “Jazz Alley room, with a capacity of about 240, according to Davis. Live New Orleans music plays on both Stages from noon until about 2am. The initial schedule ranges from traditionalists like Greg Stafford, Leroy Jones and Bob French, to the modern jazz of Clarence Johnson III and Rebecca Barry, to Blues and R&B acts like Marva Wright and Eddie Bo. Davis also indicated that he is pursuing Henry Butler, Kermit Ruffins, Wardell Quezergue’s Big Band, Mas Mamones and James Andrews.

There is no “cover charge” at the Bourbon street venue; the club intends to make its money selling food and beverages. (It is part-owned by the Brennans, after all.) This has caused concern that Storyville might threaten the existence of cover-charging clubs that feature jazz or other local music.

“I really don’t think of it like that,” says Davis. “If we do well, folks will come to Storyville, but they’re not going to stay there from noon until 2am. At some point, they’re going to leave, and hopefully they’ll walk down the street and visit some of the other venues that are out there…I would love our crowd to come to Storyville, then get up and go see what’s happening at Donna’s, or the Funky Butt, or Snug Harbor.”

As for the Jazz Tent at Jazz Fest, Davis is embracing the opportunity to bring attention to some fresh young talent, such as Roland Guerin, Clarence Johnson III, Rebecca Barry, Kim Prevost and Bill Solley. “In taking the Jazz Fest gig, I made it clear that I was not going to be anybody’s crony or flunkey,” says Davis. “If I’m doing this gig, I’m bringing in new people, and that means that some of the folks who’ve had a gig forever, won’t get it. That doesn’t mean I think they’re washed up or they can’t play anymore, but I need to get new people on with the limited spots that I have. That makes some people mad, but if I’m going to do this, I’m going to be as honest as I can about it.”

As a side note, Davis says he intends to keep up with The Dirty Dozen’s busy touring schedule whenever possible, although he admits that conflicts seem inevitable. “Times will come up when I can’t be with the Dozen, but I think The Dirty Dozen is bigger than I am, and it can survive without me.” He also says that The Dozen will play Storyville, when the circumstances and timing are right, “but I won’t be knocking other groups off just so I can gig with the Dozen.”

Another new venue, Levon Helm’s Classic American Cafe, appears to focus more on classic rock, blues and R&B than jazz, with a few notable exceptions. The gifted vocalist Banu Gibson, whose band specializes in spirited renditions of hot, pre-1940’s, New Orleans jazz, performs on the 15th. (She’s one of the investors in the new Decatur St. venture.) Trumpeter Charlie Miller (formerly of Dr. John’s band and Three Now Three) will perform authentic traditional, R&B and funk music with a trio on Friday afternoons from 2 to 6pm, and with a quintet on the 11th from 5:30 to 9:30pm.

Starting in January, Donna’s will host an intriguing new project, Sista Teedy’s Afro-Caribbean Brass Party, every Thursday night.

Fronted by vocalist Sista Teedy (a.k.a. Tricia Boutte), and including musicians from the Cool Riddims reggae band, as well as jazz/brass band veterans Rutley Thibodeaux (piano) and Earle Brown (tenor sax), the Brass Party will celebrate New Orleans’ place as the northernmost Caribbean port. (A connection often mentioned, but seldom understood.) Exploring reggae, ska, calypso, as well as some more directly African music, the Brass Party intends to combine the Brass band spirit with Afro-Caribbean rhythms to create something distinctly New Orleanian.

Congratulations go out to Los Hombres Calientes. Not only was their album voted “Best Contemporary Jazz Album” in OffBeat’s music awards, it was one of 34 entries in the Grammy’s “Best Latin Jazz” category. (They play the Funky Butt on New Year’s eve and the 1st also the Maple Leaf on January 16th.)

Kermit Ruffins won “Best Trumpet Player” and “Best Traditional Jazz Performer” in the OffBeat awards. His stirring rendition of “St. James Infirmary” on The BBQ Swingers Live record was one of 250 Grammy entries in the “Best Instrumental Solo” category.

Year of the Drummer, the debut record from Jason Marsalis (which was runner-up for “Best Contemporary Jazz Album” in the OffBeat awards) was #46 on the Gavin jazz charts as of press time.

James Andrews, whose Satchmo Of The Ghetto won OffBeat’s “Best Traditional Jazz Album,” plays the Red Room on the 7th, 21st and 28th.