FREEPORT, MAINE, March 20, 2006 - The days when Maine jazz lovers drive regularly to Boston, Newport or New York City for a taste of the best live music could be drawing to a close. The inaugural concert of the Maine Jazz Festival Series (MJFS) is set for Friday, May 12 in Yarmouth. The MJFS is the brainchild of Freeport-based producer and record company president Tom Levin. The first concert will feature two top-tier bands: the Stan Strickland Quartet and the Tom Snow/Trent Austin Quintet, featuring sax player Mike Tucker, drummer Les Harris Jr. and bassist Jim Lyden.

"This will be the beginning of a series that will have top notch professional jazz talent in our area every four to six weeks," says Levin. After earlier experience in the music business in Los Angeles, Levin started Hawkline Records in 2005. For those interested in future events a new web site, www.themainejazzfestival.com, will be online by the time of the first concert.

Stan Strickland comes to Maine after what can clearly be said to be his strongest year yet as a jazz performer, even after playing in earlier years with the likes of Yusef Lateef, Pharaoh Sanders, Herbie Mann, and the Boston Pops. In 2005 Stan released Love and Beauty, the first CD on which he is featured as a lead vocalist, prompting Eric Jackson, host of "Eric in the Evening," Boston's WGBH radio show, to offer that, "Strickland is one of the best vocalists we have." The May concert will feature both Stan's charismatic talent as a singer and as the sax and flute man whose gutsy sound and sparkling technique international listeners and fellow musicians have come to love and respect. For more info see www.stanstrickland.net/.

Tom Snow may be a Maine homeboy (he's originally from Yarmouth), but that hasn't kept him from performing with his own cast of international jazz greats, including Dave Holland, Larry Coryell, Don Doane, Herb Pomeroy, Ken Peplowski and more. Snow gigs regularly with Boston-based Trent Austin, a trumpeter who was already playing at the Montreux Jazz Festival when he was a high school student and whose career has followed the logical arc from there, including his own list of major performance and recording credits. Lots more information about the players to be heard at this inaugural MJFS concert can be found at www.tomsnow.com/, www.trentaustin.com/, www.tuckerjazz.com/, and www.lesharrisjr.com.

The concert will take place at the First Universalist Church at 97 Main Street in Yarmouth. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at Books Etc in Portland or Falmouth, Andy's Handy Store in Yarmouth, Bookland in Brunswick or at the door.