While many of the annual jazz festivals have already come and gone, there's still plenty of time to catch several of the biggest events. Between August and November, no fewer than seven excellent festival programs are on tap, ready to satisfy just about any taste… and budget.

The Stanford Jazz Festival is in its hottest phase right now, with live concerts on the university's campus every night. The offerings include a never-before heard combo of drummer Jimmy Cobb, sax man Phil Woods and pianist Harold Mabern on August 4, and what promises to be a sensational closing night with Sam Rivers' trio and big band on August 11.

San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood has been on the jazz map for almost as long as the music has existed. Although the Jazz Workshop, Keystone Korner and other classic clubs are long gone, there is still good music to be found up here, especially at the 7th annual North Beach Jazz Festival, running through the first week of August. This year's lineup features music by local heroes such as bassist Marcus Shelby, presented at several venues around the neighborhood.

Those in the South Bay or on a tight budget will want to mark off August 8-12 on their calendars for the San Jose Jazz Festival. Billed as the largest free jazz event in the US, the San Jose fest takes over the entire downtown area with eight outdoor venues and a powerhouse roster of artists. Scatting vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater and trombonist/shell player Steve Turre are among those scheduled for the main stage, while the smaller stages stick to themes: latin jazz, female musicians, blues, and so on. Also planned is a two-day tribute to Bay Area pianist Smith Dobson, who died in a tragic automobile accident this spring.

Fans of the avant-garde are in for a treat this month, as the 12th annual Eddie Moore Jazz Festival takes the stage at Yoshi's Jazz House in Oakland. Sponsored by the non-profit creative music organization Jazz In Flight, the festival is dedicated to the memory of drummer Eddie Moore, who passed away while performing at Yoshi's in 1990. This year's scheduled performers include the AACM project "8 Bold Souls", the West Coast premiere of David S. Ware's searing quartet, and a tribute to the late trumpeter Lester Bowie featuring Anthony Brown and the Asian-American Orchestra. This festival, running from August 13-19, should provide the year's highest concentration of boldly original "outside" jazz.

Meanwhile, the organizers of the Russian River Jazz Festival will look in the opposite direction, setting out to prove that smooth jazz and straightahead fans really can get along. The 24th annual gathering along the beach at Guerneville will put smooth artists such as Bob James opposite organ legend Jimmy Smith and vibes master Bobby Hutcherson. The festival runs the weekend of September 8-9.

But perhaps all of this activity is really just a warm-up to the big events of autumn. In late September, the 44th annual Monterey Jazz Festival looks to be a significant improvement over last year's lackluster proceedings, with Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner and Joe Lovano all due in the arena and dozens of others at various venues on the grounds. The San Francisco Jazz Festival, scheduled for October 24 - November 4, also promises a wealth of exciting shows that should have local fans buzzing for months. Highlights include a Tyner matchup with sax master Pharoah Sanders, a celebration of Rahsaan Roland Kirk's musical legacy, and the return of Keith Jarrett's great trio with Gary Peacock on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums. Both of these festivals will be previewed in depth for a future column.

As if this wealth of festivals and concert series weren't enough, the Bay Area club scene also has some major highlights in store, including a rare appearance by Oscar Peterson at Yoshi's (August 28-September 2), followed by Elvin Jones' Jazz Machine in late September.

Yes, this is a great time to be a jazz fan in the Bay Area. Whether you're a lifelong resident or just passing through in the next few months, you owe it to yourself to take advantage of this golden opportunity to hear jazz the way it was meant to be heard: live.

When Forrest Bryant isn't writing about jazz or trying to get Thelonious Monk elevated to sainthood, he can be heard on the Bay Area airwaves as the host of a weekly jazz, world and roots-music show called "No Cover, No Minimum" (on KZSU, 90.1 FM). He also spends too much of his free time looking for things to write about, so if you're a part of the Bay Area jazz scene, drop Forrest a line and let him know what you're up to.