ORANGE COAST COLLEGE JAZZ FEST ARTISTS LISTED

Band leader Woody Herman, baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams and fluegelhornist-composer Shorty Rogers are among jazz luminaries headlining the 18th annual Orange Coast College Jazz Festival Thursday through Sunday at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.

The festival, co-sponsored by the Coast Jazz Society and KLON-FM, Long Beach, will also include competitions among jazz bands from junior high schools, high schools and colleges. Improvisational clinics, featuring festival all-stars, will be conducted Friday and Saturday.

The festival kicks off Thursday with a concert by the OCC Big Band, directed by Dr. Charles Rutherford (Robert Moore Theater, 8 p.m.).

Friday afternoon, Bill Watrous joins the OCC Jazz Trombone Choir (Fine Arts Recital Hall, Room 119, 5 p.m.), while the evening program spotlights Grammy-winning singer Bobby McFerrin, jazz/fusion violinist L. Subramaniam and guitarist Larry Coryell (Moore Theater, 8 p.m.).

Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd opens a Saturday big band blowout (Moore Theater, 3 p.m.), climaxed by the Count Basie Orchestra, led by cornetist Thad Jones (Moore Theater 8 p.m.).

The festival concludes Sunday with an afternoon set by Clare Fischer’s Salsa Picante and the vocal group 2 Plus 2 (Fine Arts Recital Hall 2 p.m.) and a special performance by Rogers and his Giants, an octet sparked by trumpeter Jack Sheldon, saxophonist Adams and Bud Shank, and the Williamson-Davis-Burnett rhythm team (Moore Fine Arts Recital Hall, 8 p.m.).

Tickets are available from the college’s Community Service Office or at the door. Information: (714) 432-5880.