A few cities come to mind when someone says the word "jazz." New Orleans (birthplace of jazz), Kansas City (where Charlie Parker got his start) and New York City (jazz mecca for nearly a century). Nobody would put Tucson on that list. But Jeff Haskell, the UA director of jazz studies, would like that to change.

"Arizona Jazz Week has got a lot of people interested (in jazz)," said Haskell. "Between the Tucson Jazz Society and around 300 people enrolled in the jazz history class at the UA, we're in pretty good shape."

Arizona Jazz Week, a festival of the UA student and faculty jazz students, has been going on all week and ends tomorrow with a performance featuring singer Katherine Byrnes, a vocal jazz junior, and Martin Patfield, a trumpet performance and computer science engineering junior. The performance features the performers of Park Avenue Records, a student-run label whose specialty is local jazz. Park Avenue Records, though, is just one reason for Jazz Week.

"We want to expose even more people in the UA community, and Tucson at large, to the music. We've done it in the past on the basis of performances by combos, big bands and professionals from everywhere. We've had (legendary jazz trumpeter) Dizzy Gillespie perform with us twice in the past, so we've had a lot of success."

Though at first glance, Tucson may not seem to be such a hotbed for jazz, the city actually hosts a good deal of jazz performances. In addition to Arizona Jazz Week, frequent Tucson Jazz Society events and UA-based performances, the Matt Bevel Institute, 530 N. Stone Ave., hosts an annual series of avant-garde jazz concerts that bring in performers from around the globe.

Though the scene may be somewhat intimidating, Haskell is a veteran organizer in the Tucson jazz community.

"I started Jazz Week over 20 years ago in order to bring attention to jazz, which is America's classical music, and its connection to UA," said Haskell. "(Jazz Week) gives a forum to people who are interested in listening to or playing jazz."

The performers, too, are top-notch. Both Byrnes and Patfield are, according to Haskell, some of the brightest performers the UA has to offer.

"(Byrnes and Patfield) are students who play far above the level of students," he said.

Though most of the week's performances, ranging from big band to Dixieland to vocal jazz ensembles, have come and gone, tomorrow's performance should prove to be an exciting climax.

Byrnes and Patfield perform tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. in the Music building, Crowder Hall. Tickets are $8 for the general public, $6 for senior citizens and UA employees and $4 for students.