Jazz in bloom
Festival International de Jazz de Montreal: The summer jazz festival season gets underway in Canada June 29-July 9. This year's jazz highlights include: the Brad Mehldau Trio, the Wayne Shorter Quartet, McCoy Tyner's ''Story of Impulse!" Septet, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Pharoah Sanders, the Bad Plus, Patricia Barber, Pat Martino, Stefon Harris & Blackout, the Joe Lovano Quartet, Don Byron's Ivey-Divey Trio, and the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Not to mention pop stars Tony Bennett, B.B. King, Paul Simon, and Elvis Costello & the Imposters joined by Allen Toussaint and his New Orleans horns. It's a bit of a schlep from Boston, to be sure, but this may be the biggest and best festival of them all. Call 888-515-0515 or visit www.montrealjazzfest.com.
Marblehead Summer Jazz 2006: Jazz comes to the north shore every other Saturday from mid-June through mid-August. This year's lineup: Greg Abate Quartert (June 10), Esperanza Spalding Quintet (June 24), Rebecca Parris (July 8), Cyrus Chestnut Trio (July 22), Joe Locke and Geoff Keezer (Aug. 5), and Houston Person Quartet (Aug. 19). Call 781-631-1528 or visit www.marbleheadjazz.org.
Boston clubs: The Hub's leading clubs will stay busy this summer. Regattabar highlights include Donal Fox (June 10), Ralph Towner (June 20), Laszlo Gardony (June 21), Gonzalo Rubalcaba (July 7-8), Erin Bode (July 26), and Charlie Haden's Quartet West (Aug. 11-12). Scullers will host James Moody (June 2-3), Vernon Reid (June 6), Nnenna Freelon (June 15), the Hank Jones Trio with guest vocalist Roberta Gambarini (June 16-17), Jon Faddis (Aug. 10-11), and Hiromi (Aug. 17). Call Regattabar at 617-395-7757 or visit www.regattabarjazz.com. Scullers is 617-562-4111 or www.scullersjazz.com.
JVC Jazz Festival, Newport: The schedule is trimmed back somewhat from the 50th anniversary celebration of 2004 and the massive follow-up last year. But there'll still be a bunch of good jazz Aug. 11-13. John Pizzarelli and Jane Monheit will open Aug. 11. Highlights on Aug. 12 include: George Benson, Al Jarreau, Arturo Sandoval, the Robert Glasper Trio, Luciana Souza, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and solo piano from Kenny Barron On Aug. 13: the Bad Plus, Hiromi, Chris Botti, the Avishai Cohen Trio, the James Carter Organ Trio, and the festival-closing Dave Brubeck Quartet. Call 866-468-7619 or visit www.festivalproductions.net.
Tanglewood Jazz Festival: The festival season wraps up Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1-3, at Tanglewood. Featured acts this year include: a Latin double bill of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra and the Big Three Palladium Orchestra Sept. 1; Elvis Costello as Marian McPartland's guest for a taping of ''Piano Jazz" on the afternoon of Sept. 2; and a double bill Saturday night of Wynton Marsalis followed by Dr. John with guests John Pizzarelli and Steve Tyrell. On Sept. 3, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band will play in the afternoon, with the Dave Brubeck Quartet performing that night. Call 888-266-1200 or visit www.tanglewoodjazz.org.
BILL BEUTTLER 
