7 pm: Jazz

Pack the coolers: The three-day Long Beach Jazz Festival, held outdoors at the city’s Rainbow Lagoon Park, opens with Michael Franks, Alphonse Mouzon and others Friday; Etta James, Stanley Clarke, Ernie Andrews and others Saturday; and Nancy Wilson, Arturo Sandoval, David Benoit, Ronnie Laws and others Sunday.

* Long Beach Jazz Festival, 7-10:30 p.m. Friday; 1-10:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Rainbow Lagoon Park, Shoreline Drive at Linden Avenue, Long Beach. Single-day tickets: VIP $135 ($110 Friday); box seat $50 ($35 Friday); lawn seat $25 in advance or $30 day of event. (562) 436-7794 for information; (213) 480-3232 for tickets.

All day: Movies

Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise and Carla Gugino star in “Snake Eyes,” the latest suspense thriller from director Brian De Palma. All is not as it seems when the secretary of defense is assassinated at a heavyweight boxing match. We advise you to get your popcorn before the movie starts so you won’t miss any of the plot twists.

* “Snake Eyes” opens Friday in general release.

8 pm: Dance

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the unfailingly mellow, locally based Jazz Tap Ensemble returns to the “Summer Nights” series at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre with a program that includes Jimmy Slyde’s “Interplay” as well as works by company members: “Hands On,” “Untitled Trio,” “All the Things You Are,” “One Note Samba,” “Rhythm-a-ning” and “Beautiful Love.” Along with three apprentices, the dancers include Sam Weber, Carol Christiansen, Channing Cook Holmes, Becky Twitchell and founder-artistic director Lynn Dally. Live accompaniments and jazz interludes are played by Theo Saunders, Eric Ajaye and Jerry Kalaf.

* Jazz Tap Ensemble, John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood. $20. (323) 461-3673.

8 pm: Theater

“The Last Angry Brown Hat” returns for four evenings with original cast member Del Zamora (Rude Boy) and Danny Haro, Enrique Castillo and Russell Orozco. The comedy-drama by Alfredo Ramos revolves around the reunion of four former Chicano activists after the funeral of a fifth.

* “The Last Angry Brown Hat,” Plaza de la Raza, 3540 N. Mission Road, Los Angeles. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m., through Aug. 15. $12. (323) 223-2475.

8:30 pm: Pops

Recently, warm-toned vocalist Natalie Cole, daughter of the late, great Nat “King” Cole, has returned to her soul and pop roots. But Cole will be doing “Unforgettable,” songs from Rodgers & Hart, Irving Berlin, Jule Styne and others when she joins conductor John Williams and the L.A. Philharmonic on this two-night run. (Story on Williams, Page 6.)

* Natalie Cole and the L.A. Philharmonic conducted by John Williams, Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave. $3-$78. Also Saturday. (323) 850-2000.

8:30 pm: Salsa Music

Charanga, a form of Cuban salsa that combines African-based beats with European touches, takes center stage when Johnny Almendra brings his orchestra to town for its L.A. debut. New York’s top charanga outfit enriches the rhythms with strings and winds for a sophisticated blend, and you don’t have to worry about being a dance-floor disaster--the evening begins with dance lessons.

* Johnny Almendra & Los Jovenes Del Barrio, with Johnny Polanco y Su Conjunto Amistad, Sportsmen’s Lodge, 4234 Coldwater Canyon, Studio City. $20. (310) 450-8770.

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FREEBIE: World music by guitarist Baaba Maal, California Plaza, downtown L.A., noon and 8 p.m. (213) 687-2159.