Area musicians will be honoring some of Mississippi’s finestmusic makers this weekend as part of their annual springconcert.

The Old Brook Wind Symphony, a local volunteer ensemble, will bejoined by the Doctrine Jazz Trio from Jackson for a performanceSunday in the Brookhaven High School auditorium at 2:30 p.m. Theconcert, which is the symphony’s first and lightest of the year,will feature jazz, big band and show music, as well as tributes tothe state’s own performers.

“We will have a little time to talk about Mississippimusicians,” said Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame founder JimBrewer, who plays trombone in the symphony. “With the Doctrine trioas guest artists, we’ll be trying to show how jazz originated withthe blues. Blues is the genesis for all our music, and we sayMississippi is the birthplace of America’s music. We’ll be tryingto celebrate that on Sunday.”

The Doctrine Jazz Trio is a three-man group, consisting of bass,drums and keyboard. It is headed up by bassist Dr. London Branch,who serves on the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame board ofdirectors. The trio will perform its own tunes and also back up thesymphony as the rhythm section for one song.

“Dr. Branch and I have worked together for years and years,”Brewer said. “I just asked the trio to join us and he said, ‘Noproblem.'”

After the symphony and the trio complete their performances, theCopiah-Lincoln Community College jazz band will also play a set.Ole Brook Wind Symphony Music Director Shaw Furlow, who serves asthe director of bands at Co-Lin, said the concert should please awide cross section of music fans.

“There will be old dance tunes the jazz band will play and showtunes the wind symphony will play,” Furlow said. “This show willhave something for everybody.”

The Ole Brook Wind Symphony formed almost eight years ago, andhas never been the same band twice, Furlow said.

“To me, it’s a lot like doing a church choir,” he said. “We’reall volunteers, and we come when we can come. We have a core groupof about 15 people that are there all the time and have been inevery concert, and some that come and go.”

Furlow said the symphony was the “next step” for musicians whohave always been members of symphonic bands through high school andcollege.

“When you get out of college you don’t have an outlet,” he said.”We’ve sort of created that outlet. The funny thing is that when wefirst started, a lot of these folks who are playing hadn’t playedin 30 years or so. The literature we played was junior level, andnow we’re playing grade four and five literature – college level orbetter.”

The Ole Brook Wind Symphony is sponsored primarily through theBrookhaven Trust and Co-Lin. Joining the symphony requires noaudition, and new members are welcomed in the fall.

“We would love for people, even if they haven’t played in 30years, to find their horn, dig it out and come play with us,”Furlow said. “We’re always looking for more to come join thegroup.”