5 acts to catch at S.F. Jazz Festival

Martin Luther and the Black Sugar Ensemble have some soulful company on the program:

Nicolas Bearde “A Salute to Lou Rawls”

Nic Bearde, a supremely suave and quietly commanding Bay Area vocalist versed in jazz, blues and old-school R&B, pays tribute to another Monterey International Pop Festival performer, the inimitable Lou Rawls, backed by a hard-swinging quartet led by pianist Glen Pearson.

7:30 and 9 p.m. Thursday, June 8, Joe Henderson Lab. Fred Hersch Duos

Fred Hersch, jazz’s most lyrical pianist, has spent years honing an array of duo connections, and for this concert he pairs off with two longtime duet partners, beguiling vocalist Kate McGarry and superlative guitarist Julian Lage.

8 p.m. Friday, June 9, Herbst Theater. Linda May Han Oh Group

A bassist of seemingly infinite resources sought

out by numerous jazz heavyweights (Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny), Linda May Han Oh has stepped to the fore in recent years as a consistently inventive composer and bandleader, and her stellar touring quartet features Kneebody tenor saxophonist Ben Wendel, guitarist Matthew Stevens and drummer Eric Doob.

7 and 8:30 p.m. June 16, Joe Henderson Lab. Cory Henry and the Funk Apostles

Snarky Puppy keyboardist Cory Henry delivers an uproarious blend of jazz, funk and gospel as his torrential organ lines gleefully meld Saturday night revelry with the cadences of ecstatic Sunday morning worship.

7:30 p.m. June 12, SFJazz Center, Miner Auditorium. Con Brio

Catch these Bay Area cats now, because Con Brio just keeps gaining momentum, propelled by a ferociously grooving rhythm section, gut-punch horn lines, and the sensual abandon of vocalist Ziek McCarter, who’s putting his own beautiful stamp on the time-tested soulman/love god persona. The band is fresh off of playing at this year’s BottleRock Napa Valley over Memorial Day weekend, a great warm-up for this more intimate music festival.

7:30 p.m. June 17-18, SFJazz Center, Miner Auditorium.

— Andrew Gilbert