Noted Trumpeter to Play Eldridge By Deirdre Cox Baker ELDRIDGE, Iowa — The clarinetists have fresh reeds, the percussionists have put their drums and keyboards in place and North Scott High School stands ready to welcome guest artist Melton Mustafa to the community. “The whole band’s really excited,” said Lee Burress, a senior trumpet player in the high school jazz band. Burress and the other student musicians will play five tunes written by Mustafa in a public concert Monday. Mustafa also will visit the high school to conduct master classes and that, Burress said, “is really cool.” The student said he enjoys hearing tour stories from professional musicians and also uses the opportunity to ask lots of questions. For his part, Mustafa is looking forward to the trip, he said by telephone from his home in Miami. “I especially like to work with young musicians,” he added. “They are our future.” Mustafa, 56, played with the big bands of Count Basie and Duke Ellington and went on to form the Melton Mustafa Orchestra, a big band based in south Florida. He’s recorded two CDs: “Boiling Point” and “St. Louis Blues,” both of which will be available at the Eldridge concert. Mustafa thinks he can help students, whom he describes as “pliable and impressionable.” Young people “can’t always see their own worth or capabilities, but an experienced musician can detect things and make a pretty good analysis, or see the big picture,” he said. North Scott jazz band director Mike McMann said guest artists such as Mustafa help the school’s musical reputation. “We want to be the band that the guest artist asks to play with,” he added. “We want to make sure this is a worthwhile experience and hope then that word travels around the artists’ network.” Burress enjoys the impact of such special events. “They seem to draw more artists to our school. … It lends a lot of credibility to the program. We have a reputation now and that’s just really nice.” Deirdre Cox Baker can be contacted at (563) 383-2492 or dbaker@qctimes.com.