If he'd never done anything else, the fact that George Wein founded the Newport Jazz Festival and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival assuredly paves his way to heaven.

Don't overlook, though, that Wein is himself a sterling pianist. It's aurally and symbolically great, then, that on Friday, Wein and the Newport All-Stars - featuring Anat Cohen, Lew Tabackin, Tal Ronen and Daniel Freedman - will perform at the Grand Opening concert at the SideDoor, the new jazz club in the Old Lyme Inn.

As shepherded by Ken Kitchings - who owns the Old Lyme Inn with his wife, Christine, and is a booking force at the Garde Arts Center - the SideDoor will be an intimate venue dedicated to showcasing the finest touring jazz musicians as they negotiate the I-95 corridor.

- RICK KOSTER

Grand Opening, 8 p.m. Friday, The SideDoor, Old Lyme Inn, 85 Lyme St., Old Lyme; George Wein and the Newport All-Stars; $100 (10 percent donated to the non-profit Newport Festivals Foundation); (860) 434-2600, oldlymeinn.com.