Although ”The Season” with its abundance of jazz concerts again is coming to an end as summer approaches, there will be no dearth of live performances in the coming months. Plus there's even more via the exciting element of the jazz jam session, a concept that has re-emerged in multiple Valley locales, featuring longtime and newer musicians enriching the core groups for these unscripted performances. (See Venues listing for details.)
The venerable Pita Jungle jam in Chandler just started its 10th year on Thursday nights, according to the jam's continuing drummer, Gerry Reynolds, with Dave Ihlenfeld-piano and Pete Gitlin-bass.
Another longtime jam led by the Joe Hopkins Quartet continues its Sunday session at Chances Are in Scottsdale that attracts dancers, diners and sit-ins.
Legendary drummer Dave Cook has had a good response on Mondays at Doc's Place in central Phoenix, where he stages “Melody Lounge Revisited” with Shea Marshall-organ-trumpet and Paul Anderson-sax.
Guitarist Jeff Libman leads the Sunday night jam for pros and students at Monti's in Tempe, assisted by John Chapman-bass and Ryan Anthony-drums.
Saxophonist Jim Nistico is leading the Pranksters Too jam on Wednesdays in Scottsdale, with regulars including Richie Oropeza, Andrew Gross and Larry Reed joining Nistico, pianist Dave Henning, bassist Jack Radavich and drummer Tim Downs.
Aebi-Coulson (pianist Sharon Aebi, bassist Robert Coulson) have led multiple jams at several locations for many years, currently on Thursdays at Il Vinaio in Mesa and Sundays at John Henry's in Tempe.
Longtime Valley bassist Curtis Glenn Olsen leads a Blue Monday jam at Paisley Violin Café in Phoenix featuring Eric Bart-guitar, Dennis Sexton-bass and Tom Clohessy-sax.
Stride pianist-vocalist Cheryl Thurston leads a jam at LJ's Pizza in Mesa on Wednesdays, with Gary Church-cornet, Dick Obermiller-bass and Ron House-drums.
Down south in Tucson, drummer Pete Swan leads a Sunday jam at the Old Pueblo Grill.

Musicians' News: Carmela Ramirez, vocalist and leader of Carmela y Mas! and The Diva Band, was inducted into the Raul H. Castro Insitute's Arizona Latina Trailblazer registry. She has been the director of the Phoenix Center for the Arts since 2000, and was honored April 28 for success in music and arts management, and for her volunteer work for arts education.
Joey DeFrancesco has been booked for the 2010 North Sea Jazz Festival next summer in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, in a band that includes drummer Steve Gadd (both of whom now live in Arizona).
Bassist-vocalist Igor Glenn has been on tour, performing in April in Santa Fe at Evangelos with the Santa Fe Chiles Jazz Band. Then he headed south to the New Orleans French Quarter for performances at Fritzel's. He will be performing at the Sacramento Jazz Festival, May 29-30, and in July will play in Oregon in Newberg and Florence before heading for the W.C. Handy Festival in Muscle Shoals, Ala.

Jazz Buzzline: Guitarist Kevin Eubanks may be leaving Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" as band leader since 1992, according to a posting at a European website, www.jazzinstitut.de. Suggestions for replacements being circulated include guitarist John Pizzarelli, trumpeter Chris Botti, saxophonist David Sanborn or guitarist George Benson (who is a Phoenix-area resident)
Sedona Jazz on the Rocks Festival is being revived after a one-year hiatus to be staged Saturday, Oct. 2, and will expand its focus to feature jazz and R&B bands, said JOR president Bettye Wilson. The event again is scheduled at Poco Diablo Resort, Sedona, info TBA @ sedonajazz.com
A local art promoter is seeking music CDs from Arizona musicians to be sold in area shops. Laurie Fagen, owner of Art Online AZ, will place CDs on consignment in area hotels, gift shops, art galleries and other locations to help promote local musicians. Among the first locations is the Tempe Center for the Arts' shop. For

information, email Fagen at Laurie@ArtOnlineAZ.com, call 480-883-8726 or visit www.ArtOnlineAZ.com.

Future Generation News: In 2010, 63 from 13 states (including Arizona) will participate in the Next Generation Festival, the largest selection of groups from the widest variety of states to come to Monterey in the 40-year history of the event -- more than double the number of represented states in 2009. The big band division will include the Tucson Jazz Institute's Basie and Ellington tribute bands led by Doug Tidaback. More info at montereyjazzfestival.org or 831-373-3366.

Quotable: “Get your axe up here,” tenor saxophonist Jim Nistico to guitarist John Vold during the Wednesday night jam at Pranksters Too in Scottsdale.
From “Pops,” the new Louis Armstrong biography): Guest in Louis' dressing room: Louis, what's new? Louis: Not much, white folks still ahead.”
From “Right Here on Our Stage Tonight - Ed Sullivan's America”: Jack Benny on the new television media: “They call it a 'medium' because it isn't 'rare' and it isn't 'well done.' ”

Final bar: Patte' Williams, 64, jazz-blues vocalist, March 6 in Phoenix; Vern McCarthy, 83, longtime winter visitor, big-band enthusiast, Feb. in Chicago; Ed Thigpen, 79, drummer, Jan. 13 in Copenhagen; Big Tiny Little, 79, March 3 in Carson City, Nev.; Herb Ellis, guitarist, 88, March 28 in Los Angeles; John Bunch, pianist, 80, March 30 in Manhattan; Gene Lees, jazz journalist-Downbeat editor-author-lyricist (Jobim's “Quiet nights of quiet stars, quiet chords from my guitar" and Bill Evans' “In her own sweet world, populated by dolls and clowns, and a prince and a big purple bear), April 22 in Ojai, Calif.