John Handy's world is in boxes. There are dozens of them, containing a lifetime's worth of possessions and memories, and they combine to form a maze throughout his two-story house in the Oakland hills.

Handy and his wife, Del, have yet to unpack since recently moving back home. They'd been out since September, while workers repaired damage caused by a building fire. It's not an ideal living situation at the moment, but the 76-year-old jazz saxophonist, who came to fame as a member of Charles Mingus' great band in the late 1950s, seems quite cheery on a recent afternoon as he talks of his 50-plus years in the industry.

It's a topic getting a lot of play these days. Handy will receive the

San Francisco Jazz Festival's prestigious Beacon Award during a ceremony/concert tonight at the Herbst Theatre. The annual award is given out to "a member of our community who has played a vital role in preserving jazz traditions and fostering the growth of jazz in the Bay Area." Past recipients include critic Philip Elwood, drummer Eddie Marshall, vocalist Mary Stallings, percussionist Pete Escovedo and pianist Rebeca Mauleón.

"John is a living history of modern jazz — from his own groups (such as the Monterey quintet with Michael White and Jerry Hahn), to being a world music pioneer with his collaborations with Ali Akbar Khan, to having a chart hit with 'Hard Work' in the mid-'70s, to his association with Charles Mingus

in the late '50s, and later his work with the Mingus Dynasty," says Randall Kline, executive director of SFJAZZ, the organization that presents the festival. "He has contributed to the legacy of Bay Area jazz as well as a faculty member at San Francisco State. This concert is SFJAZZ's way to honor John and for all of us in the Bay Area to celebrate the many sides of John Handy."

Side one

Born and raised in Dallas, young Handy was good at basically anything he tried, from schoolwork to boxing. That was especially true in regard to music; he'd pick up an instrument and, without any formal instruction, figure out how to play it within days, if not hours. His first real instrument was the clarinet, which his mom bought for him while he was still in grade school.

"I came home from school at about 3 p.m. and by 6 p.m., when my mom got home, I could play almost any tune I'd ever heard," says Handy.

His introduction to the saxophone, his signature instrument, wasn't much different: "I borrowed a saxophone from school, I think it was on a Wednesday, and I played my first gig on Saturday."

At 15, Handy moved with his family to Oakland, where he performed with the jazz band at McClymonds High School. After graduating in 1951, Handy enrolled to study music at San Francisco State College (now San Francisco State University), an educational endeavor interrupted by a tour of duty in the Korean War. He returned and graduated in '58, before leaving the Bay Area to try and make it as jazz player in — where else? — New York City.

The Big Apple was filled with great players in the late '50s, and Handy had a hard time getting enough gigs to pay the rent. He was mainly playing at jam sessions, the jazz-cat equivalent of handing out resumes. The process worked, and Handy received a call that changed his life: Charles Mingus wanted him to join his band.

Handy played with the legendary bassist-composer-band-leader for a brief, productive time. He was featured on Mingus' "Blues and Roots," "Mingus Ah Um" and "Mingus Dynasty," all now considered landmark jazz records. He accomplished all that in less than five months, before departing to refocus on his original plan.

"I really and truly went to New York to have my own band," Handy said.

He soon had just that, and continued to lead his own group throughout much of the '60s. He recorded a number of albums under his own name, most notably 1965's "Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival," a highly acclaimed outing that earned two Grammy nominations.

Side two

In 1968, Handy tried his hand at something new, taking a teaching gig at his alma mater, SFSU. "I really didn't plan to stay but a semester," he recalled. Yet, the timing was right for a career move. The saxophonist had grown dissatisfied with the state of the live music scene — mainly with all the cocky young players, whom he felt showed little respect for the profession — and figured he'd better get out before he did something drastic.

"I am, after all, a former boxing champion," he said with a smile.

Handy also despaired at the level of drug use among musicians.

"The first time I saw somebody who couldn't find his face with his hands — he was trying to touch his face and he couldn't find it — that was all I needed to know," Handy recalled.

So what was supposed to be a semester turned in to more than a decade — Handy taught at SFSU until 1980. His alumni connection remains strong — there's even a John Handy Scholarship in Jazz Studies at SFSU. He's also taught at Stanford University, UC Berkeley and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

During that time, he's remained active in the recording business. Indeed, he found his greatest commercial success with the unexpected radio hit "Hard Work" in 1976. That lead to recording contracts with Columbia and then Warner Brothers, which produced such albums as 1978's "Handy Dandy Man." Handy also became well-known in the world music genre for his collaborations with Indian sarod master Ali Akbar Khan.

The saxophonist, whose more recent CDs include "John Handy Live at Yoshi's" and "John Handy's Musical Dreamland," certainly has a lot material to draw from during his Beacon Award concert. He's invited a huge cast, including Indian musicians Vikash Maharaj and Prabhash Maharaj, to help him celebrate the occasion onstage.

Yet on this day, the concert seems a ways off. There are still all the boxes to unpack. For the moment, though, he's happy to be back home in Oakland.

"I came here when I was 15 and left when I was 19 and came back at retirement age," he remarked. "Of course, I'm not retired yet."

Read Jim Harrington's Concert Blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/category/concerts.