Jazz by the Bay: The 15th annual...

Jazz by the Bay: The 15th annual San Francisco Jazz Festival kicks off Wednesday night, running through Nov. 2. Once again, its programming is a model of how to assemble a commercially and creatively successful festival at a time when the music is in a period of transition, with few of the mega-star performers of past decades.

This year’s programming supplements concert events--performers like Sonny Rollins, Joe Williams, Joshua Redman, Joe Henderson, Gato Barbieri and Cassandra Wilson--with dances, films and free lectures. There are, for example, Cuban music evenings on Oct. 25 (with Celia Cruz and Albita) and Oct. 26 (with Gonzalo Rubalcaba); a drum evening on Oct. 26 featuring Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes and Billy Higgins; “A Swing Thing” on Oct. 27 exploring the connection between jazz and dance; a B-3 organ jazz program featuring Jimmy McGriff on Oct. 30; a jazz tap summit on Oct. 31 featuring the Nicholas Brothers with the Count Basie Orchestra; and a Brazil on the Bay dance cruise on Nov. 2.

* The 15th Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival, Wednesday through Nov. 2 in locations around San Francisco. (415) 788-7353. Ticket prices range from $16 to $50; some events are free.