Wednesday evenings bring all kinds of jazz—from contemporary to modern, acid to jazz-rock, or even fusion—to the Los Gatos Town Plaza at Main Street and N. Santa Cruz Ave. Each week through Sept. 8, jazz lovers can see a different act or artist—some local, such as resident jazz and blues woman Kaye Bohler, who performed on July 14; some nationally renowned. Each will perform two hours of music for free for audiences. On Aug. 18, Jazz on the Plazz will welcome two-time Grammy Award nominee Karrin Allyson. Allyson just released her ninth CD on Concord Records, Wild for You. According to the singer's representatives, the 13-track disc "is a highly personal interpretation of some of Allyson's favorite tunes" and includes covers of songs by classic artists such as Joni Mitchell, Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Cat Stevens and more. Critics have praised Allyson as "the stuff shivers are made of"; smoldering, sexy and innocent all at the same time. All Jazz on the Plazz concerts are from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Other acts appearing this summer include Frank Martin on Aug. 25; Andy Bey on Sept. 1; and Danny Hull, Cliff Coulter and The All Stars on Sept. 8.

Music in the Park, a longtime Los Gatos tradition, takes place each Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. on the civic center lawn on Main Street. This summer concert series welcomes a wide variety of different types of music. Some of this year's featured genres have included rhythm and blues, Top 40, boogie, jazz, bluegrass, country, rock, mariachi and even Celtic folk with bagpipes and Highland dancers, performed by Molly's Revenge and the Rosemary Turco Irish Dancers on Aug. 8. Future acts through the end of the summer include the San Jose­based local band Sage on Aug. 22, which has just released its second album with 10 new tracks of original rhythm-and-blues dance music, and Mariachi Tapatio on Aug. 29.

Villa Montalvo in Saratoga is well known for its summer concert series each year at the Garden Theater. This year has seen some famous acts grace its stage, including India.Arie and Train, as well as a special concert by the internationally acclaimed Gipsy Kings at Oak Meadow Park on July 1. Coming up in the month of August: a triple-whammy concert with Rita Coolidge, Judy Collins and Suzanne Vega is slated for Aug. 19; smooth jazz with Groovin' for Grover is coming up on Aug. 20; and Montalvo's highly anticipated night with Dave Koz and Friends is scheduled for Aug. 22. Koz is an acclaimed saxophonist and composer and is also well known for his radio-show hosting, advocacy of instrumental music and humanitarianism. Koz will bring with him special guest musicians, including trumpeter Rick Braun, South African vocalist and guitarist Jonathan Butler, also known for his songwriting abilities, and smooth-jazz bassist Wayman Tisdale.

One of the newest summer concert series in the area is the Vasona Vibrations Happy Hour music series at Vasona Lake County Park in Los Gatos, sponsored by the park and the South Bay Folks. According to senior Vasona park ranger Aniko K. Millan, it is "like Music in the Park, but more down-home and folksy." Millan says that audience members can bring their own wine or picnic or can enjoy hot dogs from the park's new hot dog vendor. He adds that there is no charge for shows, and concertgoers can either pay $5 for parking or can park on University Avenue for free and walk the short distance to the park. Acts coming up at Vasona Vibrations include humorous singer-songwriters Rick and Mary Duncan on Aug. 20 and singer-songwriters Philip and Colin Carthen on Aug. 27.

Residents also might not want to miss Los Gatos native and world music artist Kaweh, who performs many local concerts weekly. Kaweh describes his music as "nuevo flamenco and world jazz with a touch of Latin, Brazilian, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors." Kaweh performs every Thursday evening at The Wine Cellar in Los Gatos and frequently at such locations as Santana Row shopping center in San Jose, Kuleto's Restaurant in the Hotel Los Gatos and Cascal restaurant in Mountain View. Santana Row calls his music "upbeat and authentic," and Steve Hauck, owner of The Wine Cellar, says he recommends Kaweh and his music for any occasion.

The Jazz on the Plazz website is at www.jazzontheplazz.com. More information on Music in the Park is available at www.losgatosca.gov. More information and ticket sales for the Montalvo summer series are available at www.villamontalvo.org. Information on Vasona Vibrations Happy Hour Music Series is at www.southbayfolks.org. Kaweh's website is at www.kaweh.com.