Summer jazz and blues schedule

Festivals

Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Friday through July 1, Vancouver (888-438-5200, www.coastaljazz.ca). If this isn't the best jazz festival in the world, please send us tickets to a better one. European avant-garde, mainstream jazz, world music, blues and regional acts over 10 days. The first and last weekends offer free outdoor concerts. The great Sonny Rollins opens Friday, followed by, among others, Norah Jones, Chris Botti, Bebel Gilberto, Joshua Redman, Don Byron, Madeleine Peyroux, V.J. Iyer, the ICP Orchestra, Vinny Golia, Misha Mengelberg, Pierre Dørge and Eugene Chadbourne.

JazzFest International 2007, Friday through July 1, Victoria, B.C. (250-388-4423, 888-671-2112 or www.vicjazz.bc.ca). A satellite festival of Vancouver bash, featuring many of the same acts.

America's Dixieland Jazz Festival, June 28-July 1, St. Martin's University, Lacey, Wash. (360-943-9123, www.olyjazz.com). Traditional jazz: Black Swan, Jean Kittrell, Grand Dominion, Uptown Lowdown, West End of Chicago, others.

Salem World Beat Festival, June 30-July 1, Riverfront Park, Salem, Ore. (503-581-2004 or www.worldbeatfestival.org). Five sites featuring performances by mostly regional groups, plus crafts fair, exhibits and food booths.

Port Townsend Slide & Steel Festival, June 30, Fort Worden, Wash. (800-733-3608 or www.centrum.org). Workshop and dances, but big Saturday concerts feature Laurie Lewis, Hannes Coetzee, the Birmingham Sunlights, others.

Lopez Arts Fest, July 3, Lopez Island, Wash. (360-468-4664 or www.livemusiconlopez.com). Overton Berry and Dee Daniels headline this benefit for local arts in the schools.

Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, July 4-8, Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland (503-973-3378 or www.waterfrontbluesfest.com). Give cans of food and get the blues. Amazing lineup: The Neville Brothers, Koko Taylor, Joan Armatrading, Blind Boys of Alabama, Pinetop Perkins, James Cotton, Mavis Staples, Eric Burdon and the Animals, more.

Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, July 4 and 6-7, Fort Worden, Wash. (800-733-3608 or www.centrum.org). Carolina Chocolate Drops, April Verch, Liz Carroll, John and Sean Doyle, Bertram Levy.

Vancouver Folk Music Festival, July 13-15, Jericho Beach Park, Vancouver, B.C. (800-883-3655 or www.thefestival.bc.ca). Top acts, informative panel discussions, splendid setting: Toumani Diabaté Symmetric Orchestra, David Francey, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, Tanya Tagaq, others.

Winthrop Rhythm and Blues Festival, July 20-22 Winthrop, Wash. (877-996-9283 or www.winthropbluesfestival.com). Bikers, beer and blues: Women in Blues night, Charlie Musselwhite, John Lee Hooker Jr., Eric Burdon and the Animals.

Darrington Bluegrass Festival, July 20-22, Darrington, Wash. (800-422-3048 or www.glacierview.net/bluegrass). Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, David Davis and the Warrior River Boys, Rural Delivery, others.

Jazz Port Townsend, July 26-28, Fort Worden, Wash. (800-733-3608 or www.centrum.org). Mainstage concerts in McCurdy Pavilion Friday and Saturday; bands in the Port Townsend clubs Thursday-Saturday. Great lineup: Houston Person, Jeff Hamilton, Joe Locke, Banda Brothers, Roy Hargrove, Roberta Gambarini and the Festival All Star Band with Gerald Wilson.

Jazz in the Valley, July 27-29 Ellensburg, Wash. (888-925-2204 or www.jazzinthevalley.com). East-of-the-mountains bash features headlining clarinetist Eddie Daniels, plus top regional acts: Darrell Grant, David Friesen, Mel Brown, Greta Matassa.

Mt. Hood Jazz Festival, Aug. 3-4, Gresham, Ore. (800-992-8499 or www.mthoodjazz.com). More modest than in its stadium days, this festival has a more than respectable lineup: Harry Allen, Christian McBride, Rebecca Kilgore, Lionel Loueke, Nicholas Payton, Paula West, Dorado Schmitt.

Centrum Country Blues Festival, Aug. 3-4, Fort Worden State Park, Wash. (800-733-3608 or www.centrum.org). Cephas & Wiggins, Lightnin' Wells, Robert "Wolfman" Belfour.

Smooth Jazz Festival, Aug. 4-5, Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, Woodinville (206-628-0888 or www.ste-michelle.com). Hugely popular, two-day event nearly always sells out: Dave Koz, Euge Groove, Paul Brown, Brian Bromberg, Janita, Al Jarreau, Stanley Clarke, Mindi Abair, Joyce Cooling.

Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival, Aug. 24-26, Esther Short Park, Vancouver, Wash. (360-906-0441 or www.vancouverwinejazz.com). Poncho Sanchez, Ramsey Lewis, Blind Boys of Alabama, Take 6, Yellowjackets.

Bumbershoot, Sept. 1-3, Seattle Center, Seattle (www.bumbershoot.org). Steve Earle, Holmes Brothers, Zap Mama, Yungchen Lhamo, Rodrigo Y Gabriela.

Concert series

Tulalip Amphitheatre, Tulalip, Wash. (206-628-0888 or www.tulalipamphitheatre.com). Thursday: Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi; July 20: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy; Aug. 11: Tower of Power, David Sanborn; Aug. 15: Johnny Lang.

Ste. Michelle Winery, Woodinville (206-628-0888 or www.ste-michelle.com). June 24: Madeleine Peyroux, James Hunter; Aug. 11-12: Diana Krall; Aug. 23: Keb' Mo', Robert Cray.

Marymoor Park, Redmond. (206-628-0888 or www.concertsatmarymoor.com.) July 7: Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas.

Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle (866-468-7623 or www.zoo.org/zootunes). Wednesday: Herbie Hancock; July 25-26: Pink Martini; Aug. 1: Bela Fleck.

Napavine Amphitheatre, Napavine, Wash. (800-992-8499 or www.thenapavineamphitheater.com.) Aug. 10: Ralph Stanley.

Paul de Barros,

Seattle Times jazz critic