Jazz

Summer is the season of the saxophone, a time when tenors, altos, sopranos and baritones recall the same hot and sultry images as the weather. It’s hottest in the clubs. There, in Hollywood, you’ll find sax legend Joe Henderson, June 2-7, and modern tenor man Michael Brecker, June 16-18, at Catalina Bar & Grill.

But outdoors is cool, too. San Francisco-based, multi-sax-threat Peter Apfelbaum plays the UCLA JazzReggae Fest on Sunday. Art Ensemble of Chicago saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell makes a rare L.A. appearance on the plaza at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, June 5. Robust, young tenor man Robert Stewart plays the Museum of Contemporary Art’s free series Aug. 6 on a bill with trumpeter Marcus Printup. Hot-blooded saxophonist-flutist Jeff Clayton joins his brother bassist John Clayton on the plaza at the UCLA/Armand Hammer Museum’s summer series on June 26. All above are free.

Bop and hard-bop saxophonists Charles McPherson and Harold Land are part of Billy Higgins’ All-Star Band at the Playboy Festival on June 13; one-time Miles Davis saxophonist Kenny Garrett leads his band there June 14. Indoors, the “Sinatra of Sax,” Joe Lovano, blows at UCLA’s Royce Hall, May 30 (with Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba also on the bill).

The summer’s biggest non-sax event is the long-awaited return to L.A. of pianist Oscar Peterson, Aug. 19 at the Hollywood Bowl (with pianist-vocalist Diana Krall). And, a night guaranteed to be hot and cool, singers Joe Williams, Annie Ross and a bevy of instrumental musicians take the Jazz Bakery out to the John Anson Ford Theatre for a night of scat and bop, July 26.