Three jazz festivals converge this weekend in Edmonds, Bellevue, and Tacoma. It's worth the half-hour drive to Edmonds to catch Ann Hampton Callaway at the all-day Edmonds Jazz Connection (Sat May 23, Edmonds Center for the Arts, see www.jazzconnection.org for details, 7:30 pm, $35). Headlining a Seattle Men's Chorus show a few years ago, Callaway dished out diva-quality singing (especially on "Route 66" and "My Funny Valentine"), dead-on celebrity imitations, and Vegas-caliber patter. Another daylong event, the Tacoma Jazz & Blues Festival (Sat May 23, various venues, see www.tacomajazzandblues.com for details, free) includes the ever-smiling guitarist Michael Powers and Roadside Attraction along with a slew of good and damn-good high-school big bands.

The Bellevue Jazz Festival (Fri–Sun May 22–24, various venues, see www.bellevuejazz.com for details, free–$199) continues its impressive revival with Kurt Elling, Dianne Reeves, Mose Allison, Patricia Barber, and the Mingus Big Band. Blessed with an oaken baritone, Elling (Fri May 22, 7 pm, $30–$40) ventures where few singers dare to tread, juicing up his repertoire with unusual medleys and audacious moves like adding lyrics to John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. A master of vocalese, he wordlessly glides from earthy rumbles to eerie, half-hummed falsettos. I'm surprised and excited by the presence of the Mingus Big Band (Sat May 23, 9 pm, $20–$75). Although Charles Mingus (1922–1979) is long gone, this legacy outfit—organized by his widow—magnifies the essential quality of the great bassist/composer's music: crisscrossing polyphony etched from bluesy, sometimes dissonant licks, all propelled by grooves that shamble and strut.

In Seattle, Karrin (say "car-inn" quickly) Allyson (Thurs–Sat May 21–23, 7:30 and 9:30 pm, Sun May 24, 7:30 pm, Jazz Alley, $24.50) sings a mix of standards along with Brazilian tunes (think "Desafinado") and pop numbers. Also saxophonist Tobi Stone and the remarkable pianist Dawn Clement (Sat May 23, Elliott Bay Cafe, 800-838-3006, 7 pm, $45) helm a quartet gig benefiting the Breast Cancer Fund.

Fans of the avant should make a reservation to get a seat for the Deep Listening Band; the all-star improvising trio of Stuart Dempster, Pauline Oliveros, and David Gamper make a rare Seattle appearance (Sat May 23, Chapel Performance Space, 7 and 8:30 pm, $5–$15 sliding-scale donation). By turns playful, austere, simple, hypnotic (in the old-school minimalist sense), funny, and complex, the DLB's "deep listening" happens among the musicians and inside the surrounding acoustic space. Make a reservation at www.nseq.blogspot.com.

Finally, pianist Ann Cummings teams up with Carson Farley to present an evening of seldom-heard works for piano and cello (Sat May 23, Sherman Clay Pianos, 1624 Fourth Ave, 6 pm, $15). Together they tackle the Elegie of Fauré, a sonata by Jean-Baptiste Breval (1753–1823), and Franck's Sonata in A major. recommended