There are many fine music venues in San Diego, but nothing compares to the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. The Athenaeum in its present location opened to the public in 1921, but its roots go back to 1899, making this one of the longest-running musical institutions in the country. The location is a treasure trove of books, CDs and DVDs all related to music, one of only 16 membership libraries in the U.S. today. However, for music aficionados, the highlight of the library is its live music performances, which offer the chance to take in classical, jazz, chamber and new music. On consecutive Fridays, Jan. 13, 20, 26 and Feb. 2, the 160-seat venue will host a special concert series, Jazz at the Athenaeum Winter 2012.?Trio Pilc/ Moutin/Hoenig, featuring Jean-Michel Pilc on piano, Francois Moutin on bass and Ari Hoenig on drums will kick off the series on Jan. 13. Jan. 20 will feature Los Angeles vocalist Gretchen Parlato, performing with Taylor Eigsti on piano, Alan Hampton on bass and guitar, and Mark Guiliana on drums. Then, on Jan. 26 music fans can catch a set from the NYC-based Jonathan Kreisberg Quartet, featuring Kreisberg on guitar, Will Vinson on saxophone, Joe Martin on bass and Mark Ferber on drums. Finally, Feb. 2 will see Trio M, a collective band co-led by pianist Myra Melford, bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Matt Wilson. The performance marks a return to the venue where Trio M made its debut in 2006. The Athenaeum promotes 17 jazz performances a year, including shows at venues like its University Heights studio and the Neurosciences Institute. Speaking from New York, where he is scouting new artists for future music concerts, Athenaeum jazz program coordinator Dan Atkinson said there are practical reasons for which groups play which series or location. “There are some physical constraints that come into play,” he said. “One of them being that the [University Heights] studio doesn’t have a piano. So, unless I can make the dollars work out, I have to find groups that don’t require us to rent a piano for that space,” he said. He also said new airport security measures have meant having to provide more equipment than in past decades. “Now, typically we provide acoustic basses on our end because no one can put them on an airplane anymore,” Atkinson said. There are several venues around town that offer jazz, but according to Atkinson, there’s a difference with the Athenaeum. “There aren’t a lot of options for national acts at the moment,” he said. “Really small ensembles of the kind that are on this series [have] almost a kind of a niche that I don’t think anyone else really fills right now.” The music offered can also be more adventurous than other nightspots, he said. “I think we take the style of the music further afield than other venues do, in the sense that Trio M, for example, is fairly avante,” he said. Trio M is the only local combo in this series of performances, though in the past area artists have been featured more heavily. Atkinson said local performers play an important part of the overall programming. “That’s been something that we’ve included as an element of the series from the beginning,” he said. “In fact, it began with nothing but local artists and then grew into a greater emphasis on national touring artists.” Asked about his favorite aspect of the Athenaeum, Atkinson doesn’t hesitate. “It’s a combination of intimacy and good sound,” he said. “[I’ve] just been at some venues here in New York City where the music is great, but the sound is terrible. I get very frustrated by that now because it’s something that I put a lot of effort into, trying to really give the artist the best possible conditions to play, all the way down to the fact that the Athenaeum has one of the best pianos on the planet. At this venue, people can really hear the music the way it should be heard.” Jazz at the Athenaeum: Fridays, Jan. 13, 20, 26, Feb. 2, at The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., 7:30 p.m. All ages. $21 members, $26 nonmembers. www.ljathenaeum.org