Critic’s Picks

Don’t look for a jazz summer filled with innovative programming and unusual events. And, aside from appearances by Max Roach at the Playboy Jazz Festival on June 17 and performances by Oscar Peterson and George Shearing at the Hollywood Bowl on Aug. 22 and Sept. 5, respectively, iconic figures will be in short supply.

But no problem. The overall quality of the summer’s schedule is consistently high--a reflection of the Southland’s status as one of the world’s major jazz arenas.

Among the large venues, the Playboy Jazz Festival on June 16 and 17 offers a schedule with a more pure jazz quotient than in recent years. And the presence of Wayne Shorter and Charles Lloyd, along with the scheduling of “A Love Supreme” (a tribute suite to John Coltrane, performed by the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra with Michael Brecker), give the festival the aura of a Coltrane celebration--an appropriate acknowledgment of the late, great saxophonist’s 75th birthday in September.

The Hollywood Bowl season again includes eight jazz programs, spotlighted by the return of Diana Krall, who plans to offer a taste of the music from her upcoming fall album. Although the resident Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra makes only four appearances, other participants run the gamut, from Latin jazz (including Lenny Palmieri and the legendary Cachao, vocal jazz (Lou Rawls, Dianne Reeves, Etta James and Shirley Horn), and instrumental jazz (Clark Terry, James Moody and Wallace Roney) to fusion (Lee Ritenour, Joe Sample and Ronnie Laws).

The other good news for the summer is the increasing number of jazz clubs. Catalina Bar & Grill and the Jazz Bakery will offer rich schedules of headliners (including Jimmy Scott at the Bakery, and Pharaoh Sanders and Chick Corea at Catalina’s).

In the Valley, Charlie O’s, La Ve Lee, Spazio and Arlequin all book jazz nightly, with programming ranging from big band nights at Arlequin to intimate guitar sessions at Spazio. The Jazz Spot continues to bring fine jazz and fine dining to Los Feliz, and Steamers in Fullerton provides a major Orange County destination.