For 15 years, the festival presented by the San Jose Jazz Society has filled downtown San Jose with music, last year drawing a crowd of 165,000.

And no wonder: this celebration of jazz is wide-ranging in every sense—with so many diverse offerings, the festival takes music all over town. This year, the San Jose Jazz Festival, which runs Aug. 5­8 at locations throughout San Jose, is offering a total of eight stages featuring top performers in many different jazz genres, plus a number of other concerts, jams and special events.

The party gets started on Aug. 5 with the festival's opening night concert and gala at Santana Row. San Francisco vocalist Kim Nalley, South Bay piano prodigy Taylor Eigsti and singer Jamie Davis of the Count Basie Orchestra headline the event, which will feature the San Jose Jazz Society Orchestra directed by Wayne Wallace.

Festivities continue on Aug. 6, with a variety of musical events. Salsa band Los Rumberos inaugurates the festival's Main Stage a day early, followed by Latin jazz master Bobby Sanabria. Just a couple blocks away, the SoFA district will be offering the latest installment in its Music After Dark series. From there, revelers can check out the masters at work and play in a Jazz Jam session held at Bay Area legend Pete Escovedo's brand-new club, or catch Gypsy Cinema's screening of A Great Day in Harlem near the Plaza de Cesar Chavez, or head over to the HP Pavilion for a Salsa Dance Party, where they can dance to the rhythms of top percussionist Manny Oquendo y Libre, with Ralph Irizarry and Timbalaye.

On Aug. 7 and Aug. 8, the festival gets into full swing, with performances on eight stages all over downtown, starting at noon each day on the Main Stage at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez. Acts on this central stage include, on Saturday: twin brothers and rising stars in composition and performance, the LaBoeuf Brothers; the San Jose Jazz Society Orchestra, joined by trombone legend Steve Turre; bebop legend James Moody; and master percussionist (and newly minted San Jose club proprietor) Pete Escovedo, with special guests Ray Vega and Justo Almario. Sunday's Main Stage lineup features the renowned singing group the Oakland Interfaith Choir; up-and-coming young jazz and blues vocalist Lizz Wright; innovative trumpet player and composer Terence Blanchard and top conguero, bandleader and jazz veteran Ray Barretto.

Headliners on other stages include: Cuban, American and South American fusion group Afromantra; Jesus Diaz y Su QBA, an orchestra that draws on everything from funk to rumba; saxophonist and bandleader Jane Bunnett, whose sound has a strong Cuban influence; expressive vocalist Tierney Sutton; local blues legend Chris Cain and the versatile Full Spectrum Big Band directed by Roger Levinson.

All day Saturday and Sunday, festival-goers can catch performances by young musicians on the Youth Stage and may even get a chance to see some Main Stage headliners jam with the student performers.

Between acts, festival-goers can relax at the Art & Wine Garden, peruse the offerings of arts and crafts vendors or bring the kids to hang out at the Family Area. On Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, the festival offers its popular Jazz Masses at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph.

On Saturday, after the music stops at festival stages, those wanting more can head to S. First Street, where for the second night in a row, they can drop in on a Jazz Jam or enjoy another outdoor concert at Music After Dark.

Music begins at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 6 and at noon on Aug. 7­8. Most performances are free. Opening-night concert and gala takes place Aug. 5, 6 p.m. at Santana Row, Winchester and Stevens Creek boulevards, San Jose. Tickets are $175 per person or $1750 per table of ten. The masters' Jazz Jam Session is held Aug. 6, 9 p.m. at Pete Escovedo's Latin Jazz Club, 400 S. First St., San Jose. Tickets are $10. The Salsa Dance Party takes place Aug. 6, 9 p.m. at HP Pavilion (San Jose Arena), 525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose. Tickets are $20. For more information, or a complete lineup, see www.sanjosejazz.org.