After a year off, Penn State's chapter of the International Association of Jazz Educators returns with its 2004 Jazz Festival, starting Friday and swingin' through Saturday night.

The jazz-packed weekend offers a plethora of performance and educational opportunities. All the events are free to the public and take place in Music Buildings I and II in classrooms and in Esber Recital Hall.

Schedule highlights include a high school jazz band competition, performances from Penn State's jazz bands and master classes led by faculty and guest clinicians.

This year, the three special guests include saxophonist Bruce Johnston, bassist Lynn Seaton and composer/arranger Ralph Guzzi on trumpet. Dan Yoder, the director of jazz studies at Penn State, consults in the process of deciding who to bring in for the festival.

"This year's guests are all outstanding performers and noted for their commitment to education," Yoder said.

All three will participate in a variety of capacities, as adjudicators, educators and performers. They will be soloing with Centre Dimensions, Penn State's leading jazz group, which is a huge motivator both for practice and heightening the level of play, Yoder said.

In addition to her role as festival director, Marisa Trembler also will be one of the students playing with Centre Dimensions.

"Having professional guest clinicians is a wonderful experience and it really shows us what we are preparing ourselves for," Trembler said. "It gives us an extra push to raise the bar."

Seaton is one of the distinguished musicians invited to help improve student level of play, and groove with some of his own, this weekend. Although he has never performed with all the other players, he said there is an instant adjustment to new bandmates afforded by the extensive knowledge jazz musicians share.

"Improvisation is a huge part of being a jazz musician," Seaton said. "A working jazz musician knows several hundred songs. There's a standard repertoire of Tin Pan Alley, Broadway shows and classic American composers."

The University of North Texas professor said he thinks of himself as a performer first, having played all over the world, and adapted to all different styles of jazz music. He noted the works of Duke Ellington as inspiration, but enjoys additional styles.

"As long as it's swingin', that's where I'm coming from," he said.

Seaton's affinity for jazz music also comes from playing since an early age. He said he views his role in the festival as a sort of right of passage, having participated in similar events as a kid.

"It's part of our duty to share the knowledge we have accrued as professionals," he said.

Another special guest dropping knowledge will be trumpet player Guzzi, who participates in similar events about once a year.

Guzzi is a composer and arranger as well as a performer. He plays all types of jazz, savoring Bebop for its up-tempo swing trail-blazed by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Drawing upon his years of experience, Guzzi focuses on several aspects while adjudicating.

"I look for how rehearsed a band is, their knowledge of the music, how they swing, what's their level of swing style, how they interpret the music," he said, explaining his role.

Guzzi also relays his observations as constructive criticism. He said the most important lesson is listening to the music and trying to take it to a higher level.

In addition to Penn State Students, seven high school and middle schools will participate in the festival. The high schools include Easton, Penns Valley, Williamsport, Bald Eagle and Hollidaysburg, and the two middle schools are Mt. Nittany and Ridley. Each band will perform for about 30 minutes, usually with three tunes of varying styles. Afterward, they will be assessed by the clinicians.

Yoder said inviting young jazz players establishes recruiting for the university, and helps to bring in talented musicians. In addition, Yoder sees the festival's goal as two-fold.

"The first goal is to learn and the second is hear great jazz music," he said.