Season for Outdoor Concerts, Fests Getting Into High Gear

Though it’s not quite summer, the jazz festivals and outdoor concerts that come with warmer months are upon us. This weekend, there are several events that offer fans appealing opportunities to hear a variety of music.

In Pasadena, artists like Tom Scott, Everette Harp, Bobby Rodriguez and Black/Note take part in “Playboy Jazz in Old Pasadena,” a free event that is being held Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 8 p.m., at Central Park, corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and Del Mar Boulevard.

Other performers on tap at this affair--one of many that precede the Playboy Jazz Festival, held June 17-18 at the Hollywood Bowl--include Billy Mitchell, Sandra Booker and Ray Bailey.

Scott, the saxophonist-composer whose latest album is “Night Creatures” (GRP Records), says he likes performing at free outdoors shows because of the decidedly festive atmosphere. “It’s a celebration,” says Scott, who performs Saturday at 5 p.m. “You get a broad range of people who are out there to have fun, be part of a collective spirit. And you get people who might not listen to jazz, so I see it as exposure to a whole new prospective audience.”

Information: (310) 449-4070.

More Free Jazz: Another favorite spot to hear jazz in the open is the Times Mirror Central Court of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art where, except during the winter season, no-charge jazz concerts are held every Friday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Tonight, pianist Alan Broadbent leads a quartet that includes reed ace Gary Foster, bassist Putter Smith and drummer Paul Kreibich. On June 9, Foster stays home and the trio takes over.

On June 16 and June 23, bass master Art Davis, known for his work with John Coltrane, leads his top-drawer quintet, which includes fine reedmen Doug Webb and Phil Vieux, pianist Nate Morgan and drummer Sonship Theus. On subsequent Fridays look for Sandra Booker, Vinny Golia, Cecilia Coleman and Bobby Bradford.

On June 25, the museum expands its series to present some of the best big bands in Southern California, or in jazz, for that matter. The concerts, held occasional Sundays from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., begin with madcap altoist Med Flory’s band with Supersax and the L.A. Voices, and continue with Frank Capp’s Juggernaut (July 9), Gerald Wilson (Aug. 6), Bill Berry (Aug. 20) and Bill Holman (Sept. 3). Information: (213) 857-6000.

For those whose tastes embrace jazz’s more contemporary aspects, saxophonist Brandon Fields holds forth at another free show on Sunday, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Wadsworth Theater in Brentwood. Information: (310) 794-8961.

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Hubbard Update: In a mutual agreement between Freddie Hubbard and Catalina and Bob Popescu, owners of Catalina Bar & Grill, the trumpeter canceled the Thursday-Sunday portion of his scheduled May 23-28 engagement at the Hollywood club.

Hubbard failed to appear May 23 due to legal problems and his performance the next night was far below his usual standard. It was decided the next day that Hubbard would not play the rest of the week; the B Sharp Jazz Quartet, which shared the bill with Hubbard, finished out the engagement.

“The injury to my chops was more severe than I had thought,” said Hubbard, referring to a large sore on his upper lip that has hampered his playing for more than two years. “Now it’s infected on the inside of my lip and a lot of the notes just wouldn’t come out.”

Hubbard said that he needs to not play for at least a month; he has laid off in the past but more for days at a time, not weeks.

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Clinic Time: Patrice Rushen, the Grammy-nominated keyboardist-composer, will work with young musicians on the 1995 Jazz Mentorship Program series that takes place Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. in Kinsey Auditorium of the California Afro-American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park.

On the free program, Rushen will speak and perform with students in a jam session. Reservations are suggested. Information: (213) 485-0709.

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Surfing the Jazzwaves: Jay Green’s “Straight, No Chaser,” which airs from 8 to 10 p.m. on Mondays on KPFK-FM (90.7), features a broad assortment of sounds. . . . “Piano Legends,” hosted by Chick Corea and featuring everyone from Art Tatum to McCoy Tyner, airs tonight at 7 on the Bravo cable channel.