For the second year in a row, Kulshan’s Trackside stage is playing host to the freewheeling festival of jazz sounds they call Jazz on Tap.

The festival kicks off at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 24, with the vintage jazz of local band, Hot Tomatoes. After that, trumpeter Pace Rubadeau and his group will perform, accompanied by some talented swing dancers for your visual enjoyment. Next up is the jazz/pop/R&B fusion of the trio Triple Mood, led by bassist and singer Kaeli Earle.

Julian MacDonough’s Message Received, a quintet inspired by the driving hard-bop sound of the classic Art Blakey Band, go onstage at 6:15 p.m., followed at 7:30 p.m. by the fiery salsa sounds of Elere, a nine-piece ensemble from Seattle. Don’t be surprised if this group gets people salsa-dancing on the grass.

The evening wraps up with Greaterkind, an organ-heavy fusion group from Portland, who should be a hit with the jam/funk crowd. It’s a pretty comprehensive sampling of some of the best jazz and jazz-inspired music the region has to offer. 

Another exciting event is happening this weekend. The Rhetorician is one of our very best local rappers, and one of the things that makes his work so distinctive is the way he develops a world within his lyrics. In addition to his music, he’s been hard at work over the past few years on a series of short films called “The Descendant of Zack Taylor,” turning his music into the story of a fantastic quest. He’s releasing the third and final installment in the series Saturday, June 24, and celebrating with a live show and screening at Boundary Bay. They are even brewing a special beer to celebrate. He’s also got an EP coming out later this summer, so look for a profile in this space when that drops. 

In other news, Petty or Not are playing an unusual show Friday, June 23, at the Bellingham Bells game at Joe Martin Stadium. The game starts early, with first pitch at 4:30 p.m., and the band will perform out in the left field grass section immediately after the game. Baseball and Tom Petty songs sound like a great combination. 

The ever-popular Blues, Brews & BBQ series is back at the Hotel Bellwether at 6 p.m. on Thursdays this summer, and they just announced their lineup. They’ll be kicking off on June 29 with Cascadia Groove, and having a special Fourth of July show with The Atlantics. Also just announced are the local openers for the Downtown Sounds series, which starts Wednesday, July 12, with the tropical pop of The Cosmic Neighborhood, opening for Reposado. Looking forward to lots of fun on Bay Street on Wednesday nights this summer!

Live music listings 

Tuesday, June 20 

Archer: 7 p.m., The Piper’s Despair (Irish folk)
Aslan: 8 p.m., Jazz Night
Blue Room: 7 p.m., Jam:30 (open jam)
Boundary: 3 p.m., Out of the Ashes; 6 p.m., Paul Klein on piano
Culture Cafe: 7 p.m., Open Mic
Fireside: 7 p.m., Annisa and Erik
Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., Open Mic
Horseshoe Cafe: 9 p.m., Michael Dayvid (acoustic covers)
Lincoln Theatre: 7:30 p.m., Soul Rebels (New Orleans brass band)
Menace: 7 p.m., Invitational Blues Jam

Wednesday, June 21

Beach at Birch Bay: 6 p.m., Open Mic/Jam
Boundary: 6 p.m., Aaron Guest on piano
FireHouse: 6:30 p.m., Jerry Steinhilber’s Jazz Explosion
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Open Mic
Rockfish: 6 p.m., Trish Hatley (jazz vocals)
Stones Throw: 6 p.m., Michael Dayvid
Wild Buffalo: 7:30 p.m., Bellingham Idol Quarterfinals

Thursday, June 22

Bistro at Shuksan: 5 p.m., High Peak Trio
Boundary: 5 p.m., Robert Sarazin Blake and The Happy Hour Band; 8 p.m., The Artful Dodgers, Stephen Ray Leslie and James Low
Brown Lantern: 8:30 p.m., Open Mic
Elizabeth Park: 6 p.m., Brie Mueller Band (pop/rock/blues)
Farmstrong: 6 p.m., Pretty Much Nothing
Guemes Island General Store: 5:30 p.m., 7:20 String Band
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Lore the Mouse (singer-songwriter)
Kulshan Trackside: 6 p.m., Brittany Collins Band
Shakedown: 9 p.m., Fog Bodies, Emergency Contact, Hilarious Combination
Thirsty Badger: 7 p.m., Open Mic
That’s What I Like: 6 p.m., JP Falcon and Friends (folk/rock)

Friday, June 23

Aslan: 8 p.m., Terror/Cactus (electronic/cumbia)
Beach at Birch Bay: 6 p.m., Jack Benson Band
Birdsview: 6 p.m., Wayne Hayton
Bistro at Shuksan: 5 p.m., Julian MacDonough Jazz Quartet
Black Noise Records: 7 p.m., Ca$h McClane & OG Neeks, CHRVNS, Blksknn (hip-hop)
Blue Room: 8:30 p.m., Cat Valley, Rat Queen, Harbor Day (rock)
Boundary: 6 p.m., Gators and Friends (Grateful Dead covers)
Eagle Haven: 7 p.m., Aaron Crawford Band
Fireside: 7 p.m., The D’vas
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., Clanna Morna (Celtic and English folk)
Karate Church: 8 p.m., Sunflecks, Swinging, Michah James Nowlin
Lake Padden Golf Course: 5:30 p.m., Ryan Sandholm
Lincoln Theatre: 7:30 p.m., Karan Casey (Irish folk)
Make.Shift: 8 p.m., J. Graves, Pig Earth, Bullets or Balloons (rock)
Shakedown: 8:30 p.m., Dean Johnson, Devin Champlin, Elise Poirier (folk)
Skylark’s: 5 p.m., Whitewing (blues/soul)
Thirsty Badger: 8 p.m., Michael Dayvid
Vault: 7 p.m., Trio Sueno (flamenco/jazz)

Saturday, June 24

Beach at Birch Bay: 3 p.m., Lost at Last (classic rock)
Bellingham Elks: 6 p.m., Urban Cowboy & D-Nice (country)
Birdsview: 6 p.m., Nicola Linde
Bistro at Shuksan: 5 p.m., Tea Seas Trio (funk/jazz)
Blue Room: 9 p.m., Inpathos, Thoughts For The Builders, Mewt Monke (metal/rock)
Boundary: 6 p.m., Rhetorician, CHRVNS, more 9 p.m., DZT release party
Brown Lantern: 9 p.m., Clark Point Rounders (bluegrass)
Buxton’s: 7 p.m., Analog Brass, Enduro
Conway Muse: 8 p.m., Great American Trainwreck (alt-country/rock)
Eagle Haven: 7 p.m., Minimum Wage (classic rock)
Fireside: 4 p.m., Singers’ Saturday
Greene’s Corner: 6 p.m., Guitars and Gratitude
Honey Moon: 8 p.m., David Starr (singer-songwriter)
Kulshan Trackside: 3–10 p.m., Jazz on Tap Festival ft. Greaterkind, Elere, Triple Mood, Pace Trumpet, Hot Tomatoes
Newsroom Pub: 6 p.m., Little Big Band (classic/Southern rock)
Rockfish: 7:30 p.m., Jim Basnight Band (rock)
Samson Estates: 4 p.m., Jerry Steinhilber Trio (jazz)
Shakedown: 9 p.m., Earth, Ceras (drone/doom metal)
Skagit Cellars: 6 p.m., Ryan Higgins
Skylark’s: 5 p.m., Lisa Temcov Band (classic country)
Station 49: 4 p.m., Queen’s Bluegrass
Stones Throw: 6 p.m., One Lane Bridge (classic rock)

Sunday, June 25

Beach at Birch Bay: 3 p.m., Sunset Superman
Bellingham Cider Co: 6:30 p.m., Mbrascatu (solo)
Gilkey Square (La Conner): 1 p.m., Mojo Cannon
Kulshan: 5 p.m., Sweet Goodbyes (folk)
Kulshan Trackside: 3 p.m., Broken Bow Stringband (folk)
Main Street: 6 p.m., Open Mic
Karate Church: 7:30 p.m., Kurly Somthing, Bull Market, Cat Positive (rock)
Old Edison: 5:30 p.m. Ron Bailey & The Tangents
Samson Estates: 4 p.m., Petty or Not
Station 49: 2 p.m., Conrad Gruener (country)

Monday, June 26

Blue Room: 7 p.m., Tenderpile’s Smile Aisle (jazz)
Kulshan: 6 p.m., One Lane Bridge (classic rock)

Tuesday, June 27

Archer: 7 p.m., The Piper’s Despair (Irish folk)
Aslan: 8 p.m., Jazz Night
Beach Cat: 6 p.m., Michael Dayvid
Boundary: 3 p.m., Out of the Ashes; 6 p.m., Paul Klein on piano
Culture Cafe: 7 p.m., Open Mic
Menace: 7 p.m.,  Invitational Blues Jam

Before heading out to listen to live music, check with individual venues to make sure the event is still taking place as scheduled. 

Jesse Stanton's music column, The Beat Goes On, runs Wednesdays. Email: jsbhammusic@gmail.com or Twitter: @JSBhamMusic.