Although its ad campaign tends to consign everything other than rock to the "... and many more!" section of the poster, this year's Bumbershoot offers much top-notch jazz and a smattering of the avant. Ex-Seattleite Jessica Lurie, chiefly known for her blazing, hard-driving sax work, shows up with the Jessica Lurie Ensemble (Fri, 6-7:15 pm, Northwest Court Lounge) and her main aggro-fusion group, the Living Daylights (Sat, 8:15-9:30 pm, Northwest Court Lounge). Also worth catching are Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet (Sun, 1:45-3 pm, Bumbrella Stage), which deftly blends Blue Note chitlin' jazz with stompin' JB-style funk, and the spacier, incense-tinged Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey (Sun, 4-5:30 pm, Northwest Court Lounge).

Traditionalists shouldn't miss the swinging Floyd Standifer Quartet (Sat, noon-1:15 pm, Northwest Court Lounge) and the legendary Chico Hamilton (Sat, 2-3:30 pm, Northwest Court Lounge). Hamilton played with Ellington, Mingus, Holiday, and many others. Go hear him.

For avant sounds, you'll have to look harder. Bumbershoot, long past the golden age of Herb Levy and the Wild Stage, has little interest in experimental music. Go see and hear the clumsily billed "Selections from On the Boards' Northwest New Works" (Sat, 3:45-5:15 pm, Biringer Farm Charlotte Martin Theatre), which features several dance works (particularly Echo and Go Ahead... Fire Me) with excellent sound scores. As a fan of Ben Rubin's Listening Post (which earlier this year graced OtB), I'm planning to check out his Spin (Fri-Mon, 11 am-8 pm, Fidalgo Room in the Northwest Courtrooms), an installation of revolving orange wheels that mimic a phonograph record; as each wheel turns faster or slower, backward or forward, the bending of sound collaborates with the other wheels to create a dense, layered soundscape. CHRISTOPHER DeLAURENTI

Bumbershoot runs Fri Aug 29 through Mon Sept 1, 11 am-11 pm (Seattle Center, 628-0888), $20-$55.

chris@delaurenti.net