Jenny Scheinman: Raised in rural Oregon and based in the creative cauldron of Brooklyn, violinist Scheinman travels fluidly between straight-ahead jazz, classic American singer-songwriter fare, and all sorts of avant-garde, experimental units. June 7, Museum of Fine Arts, 617-369-3306, mfa.org/concerts
Arturo Sandoval: Cuban trumpeter Sandoval, who headlines two nights of the Boston Pops JazzFest, is perfectly suited to the gig: He's as much a burner as a romantic, and his versatility, which reaches from combustible Latin jazz to the moody tones of high-brow soul music, should find in the sympathetic orchestral setting a canvas for explorations at once accessible and edifying. June 10-11, Symphony Hall, 617-266-1200, bostonpops.org
Saxophone Summit: The original Saxophone Summit gathered three titans in the prime of their lives; the premature passing of Michael Brecker last year left Joe Lovano and Dave Liebman bereft of a third. In teaming with Ravi Coltrane, they've set the bar for their explorations of the "out," the mystical side of the sax, higher than ever. June 18-19, Regattabar, 617-395-7757, regattabarjazz.com
Ron Carter: Arguably the greatest living jazz bassist and inarguably the most prolific, Carter nearly personifies 50 years of the music's tradition and innovation, collaborating widely but with unsullied integrity. His current quartet adds a funky, Latin edge. July 18-19, Regattabar, 617-395-7757, regattabarjazz.com
Hot 8 Brass Band: When the Hot 8 - prominently featured in Spike Lee's documentary on Hurricane Katrina - take to the MFA courtyard, genre distinctions among jazz, hip-hop, funk, and so on are sure to dissolve like ice cream in the summer heat. July 23, Museum of Fine Arts, 617-369-3306, mfa.org/concerts
Charlie Haden/Ethan Iverson Duo: Lately the great, lyrical bassist Haden and his associate, drummer Paul Motian, have been working with Iverson, the pianist in the Bad Plus. Shorn of percussive guidance, this duo set by Haden and Iverson could travel the spectrum from solemn to spacey, but with a tender core and a willingness to draw on a broad range of American musical vernaculars. Aug. 7, Regattabar, 617-395-7757, regattabarjazz.com
Newport Jazz Festival: The area's most venerable festival offers, as always, an elegantly balanced menu of legendary veterans (Wayne Shorter, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock) and some of today's most exciting young bloods (trumpeter Christian Scott, bassist Esperanza Spalding, guitarist Lionel Loueke). A host of others rounds out a program that is centered on "real" jazz; outside the traditional lines. Aug. 8-10, Fort Adams State Park, 877-655-4849, festivalnetwork.com
SIDDHARTHA MITTER
