Three legends of American jazz – Nat Adderley, Jr., Gene Perla, and Jerry Weldon – will perform in Plainsboro next month as part of the township’s annual “Jazz Appreciation Month.” All concerts will take place on Friday and will start at 7 pm.

Pianist Nat Adderley, Jr. will kick off the series with a concert on April 15, in front of the Plainsboro Library, 9 Van Doren St., on Market Square Plaza. He will be joined by Dwayne “Cook” Broadnax. on drums, and bass player Chris Berger. The trio’s repertoire will include jazz standards and Adderley’s own jazz arrangements. “I honor folks in jazz, R & B, and pop,” Adderley says. He compares his performances to a kind of musical “history lesson.”

Bass player Gene Perla will perform outdoors at the Plainsboro Preserve (80 Scotts Corner Rd.) on April 22. He and his “Parker Trio” –which includes pianist Jon Ballantyne and drummer Adam Nussbaum — will play traditional and modern jazz standards, as well as the Great American Songbook. “We may play some of our originals,” he said recently, “and, of course, we always improvise.”

On April 29, tenor saxophonist Jerry Weldon will return to the library with members of his trio, for the final concert of the series. Accompanying him in an outdoor performance on the Plaza will be Hank Allen-Barfield on drums and Kyle Koehler on Hammond organ. The trio will play some of the standard jazz repertoire and American Songbook jazz standards, as well as original compositions.

All three musicians, who tour extensively, are fixtures on the international jazz scene. Perla has played with Elvin Jones, Sonny Rollins, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, and Stone Alliance; while Adderley has composed or arranged music for a number of artists, including the well-known Luther Vandross. Weldon was part of the legendary Lionel Hampton Orchestra for more than 20 years, as well as a featured soloist with Harry Connick Jr.’s big band.

The Plainsboro Library is sponsoring Nat Adderley’s appearance, while the Jerry Weldon and Gene Perla concerts will be sponsored by the Plainsboro Recreation Department. Because all performances will take place outside, weather permitting, audience members are advised to bring lawn chairs. In case of rain, concerts will be moved inside.