The Twin Cities Jazz Festival is taking jazz on the road and the first stop is Austin on May 16.

The six-member Jazz Central All Stars will bring performances and clinics to students and general audiences in greater Minnesota, expanding access to some of the state’s best jazz musicians and educators, and providing opportunities to learn about and hear modern interpretations of America’s indigenous art form.

Austin will be the tour’s first stop with a Friday concert at the Paramount Theatre hosted by the Austin Area Commission for the Arts. The tour will also include stops in Luverne, Montevideo, Sauk Centre, St. James and Faribault.

“It’s really exciting,” said Austin Area Commission for the Arts executive director Jennie Knoebel. “Jazz has gained such popularity in our community. It’s exciting we can be the kickoff for this statewide tour.”

Knoebel said organizers contacted the Paramount to be part of the tour which they jumped on in large part because jazz is gaining a following in Austin as evidenced by the continued interest in events like the Paramount’s own Paramount Jazz event.

“There are enough fans in Austin and I think they are becoming more exposed to jazz,” Knoebel said.

The tour will promote the annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival, held June 26-28 in and around Mears Park in the historic Lowertown neighborhood of downtown Saint Paul. One of the largest civic events in the Upper Midwest, the festival attracts about 30,000 people each year.

For more on the Twin Cities Jazz Festival visit www.hotsummerjazz.com.

Tour stops

•Austin, 7 p.m., Friday,  May 16 at the Paramount Theatre

•Luverne, Saturday, May 3 at the Historic Palace Theater

•Montevideo, Saturday, June 7 at the Hollywood Theater

•Sauk Centre, Saturday,  June 14 at the Eagle’s Healing Nest

•St. James, Thursday, July 17 at St. James Memorial Park, as part of “Summer Concerts in the Park” series.

•Faribault, Thursday, Sept. 25 at Newhall Auditorium at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School