February will again bring some of the world's most renowned jazz artists to Pinehurst for the 26th Annual Heart 'n' Soul of Jazz.

Sponsored by Pinehurst Resort and the Arts Council of Moore County, the event will feature the Original Dixieland Jazz Band performing Friday, Feb. 11, and Simone, daughter of noted artist Nina Simone, Friday, Feb. 12.

The event will take place in the Cardinal Ballroom of the Carolina Hotel and will feature a dessert reception after each performance, at which attendees may meet the artists.

Overnight packages start at $189 per person, per night, and include a ticket to the 8 p.m. concert, dinner, admission to the post-event reception, champagne delivered to your room and breakfast the next day. For overnight packages, call (800) 487-4653.

Individual concert tickets are $65 per event or $110 for both performances. Individual tickets also include admission to the post-event reception. Individual ticket holders can also purchase tickets to the pre-event dinner for $40 inclusive of tax and service charge. Individual tickets can be purchased online at http://shoppinehurst.com.

Doors open each night at 7 p.m. for the 8 p.m. performance. Cabaret seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Tables of 10 can be reserved in advance. Cocktail attire/black tie optional is expected dress.

Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2006, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band helped shape the genre they represent. The band's 1917 recording "Darktown Strutters' Ball" is credited as the first commercial jazz recording and from 1917 to 1936, they recorded 52 78s that are still sold today on various CD compilations.

Perhaps one of the best testimonials to the band's talent came from the great Louis Armstrong.

"The first great jazz orchestra was formed in New Orleans by a coronet player named Dominick James LaRocca," Armstrong once said. "They were the hottest five pieces that had ever been known before. They all came to be famous players, and the Dixieland Band has gone down now in musical history."

The band is in full swing today under the direction of Jimmy LaRocca, the original leader's son, on trumpet and vocals, with a fine ensemble of New Orleans musicians. They have performed concerts and jazz festivals worldwide and have four nationally selling CDs.

Simone, the daughter of legendary music artist Nina Simone, is the only person qualified and artistically capable of carrying on her mother's legacy. A highly praised live performer whose impressive resume includes starring roles in acclaimed Broadway musicals such as "Rent" and "Aida," Simone recently recorded a new version of her mother's original classic "Four Women" for Tyler Perry's film, "For Colored Girls."

With the success of her 2008 release, "Simone On Simone," a big band tribute to her mother produced by famed jazz musician and arranger Bob Belden, music lovers worldwide have discovered the vocal dynamism that live audiences have witnessed for over a decade. The album culls 11 songs from Nina Simone's repertoire, including one live performance on which her mother accompanied her and featuring one poignant and highly personal song, "Child In Me," which Simone fondly refers to as "my love song to my mother."

The Heart 'n' Soul of Jazz weekend is sponsored by Progress Energy, American Airlines, King Fisher Society and Pinehurst Resort. Door prize and reception sponsors include Wachovia and Lyne's Furniture Gallery.