New Orleans jazz trumpeter Irvin Mayfield just added another credit to a résumé that bulges like the muscles beneath his natty suit. He is the first artistic director of jazz for the Minnesota Orchestra.

He fronts Los Hombres Calientes and leads the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Away from music, Mayfield spends more time on boards than an Olympic diver: the New Orleans Public Library (he's chairman), Police and Justice Foundation, Louisiana State University Health Science, First Responders Fund (vice chairman) and New Orleans Arts Council. He also is spokesman for an effort to fight homelessness in New Orleans, and, in 2003, Congress named him the city's cultural ambassador.

With his one-year appointment with the Minnesota Orchestra, he will program five jazz concerts (including a Sommerfest show with the orchestra) and participate in its education programs. A regular visitor to the Twin Cities since 2001 (yes, he's been here in the winter), he talked about his favorite haunts and new gig.

Q What kind of office hours will you keep in Minnesota?

A The kind I keep now: all day, all night, 365 days a year. I will be here a good bit. Obviously, I'll be here for all the concerts and education things. I'll be here parts of eight to 10 months.

Q Who is in your all-star dream band for this series?

A I don't really care who they are as much as I care why they are doing it. One of the things I learned from my last couple of performances here, when the purpose is right, everything comes. Just because they're the greatest guys doesn't mean they sound good together. We have to make sure "the why" is there; that's why you need an artistic director.

Q If you could pick any musicians -- living or dead -- to be in a group, who would you choose?

A I'm not in it. I'd like to see a jam session of Pops [Louis Armstrong], Ella [Fitzgerald], Billie Holiday, Trane [John Coltrane], [Duke] Ellington, [Charles] Mingus, probably Sonny Payne on drums. I'd put Toots [Thielemans] in there and maybe get Quincy [Jones] to do some arrangements. Before the concert, I'd want to have a reception where I got to hang around with them. To me, that would be the coolest part. What would they talk about?

Q What percentage of your time is devoted to music and what to all your other activities?

A It's all connected. I find that music is the common ground where I can get people to come together and we can get to "yes." ... If you get somebody to a concert, they're ready to negotiate a lot more than they were when they were doing something else.

I don't even feel like I'm overloaded. I don't even feel like I'm at 40 percent of doing enough stuff. At the end of the day, I play the trumpet. But that doesn't mean I can't have many different interests and get involved in them.

Q What pays more -- this new gig or being the cultural ambassador of New Orleans?

A Being the cultural ambassador of the city of New Orleans is a volunteer job. But even though it's volunteer, I'd say it probably pays more.

Q What are your favorite things to do in the Twin Cities?

A I love working out at the Target Center [Lifetime Fitness club]. Hanging out at the Dakota is big-time fun. I love the library system here. I love the architecture. I love hanging out in the bars with people here. I like meeting people because people in this town are very fresh. This is a very modern place, but still has a very serious core.

Jon Bream • 612-673-1719