Cosby, Hancock, Jarreau at Playboy Fest

Los Angeles’ biggest jazz party--the Playboy Jazz Festival--will be held June 17-18 at the Hollywood Bowl. Headliners at the 17th annual event will include keyboardist Herbie Hancock and singer Al Jarreau. The complete lineup for the festival will be announced Feb. 21. Comedian, and drummer, Bill Cosby, who will once again serve as master of ceremonies, will also lead a band. Tickets, priced from $12.50 to $75 per seat, per day, are currently only available by mail. For information, call (310) 449-4070.

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New Tenor ‘Tonight’: Ralph Moore, the tenor saxophonist noted for his work with Cedar Walton’s Eastern Rebellion, the Gene Harris Phillip Morris Superband and for many first-rate recordings, has joined the “Tonight Show” band as bandleader Branford Marsalis’ temporary saxophone replacement. Moore began playing with the band Monday.

Marsalis begins a hiatus of undetermined length after this evening’s performance and plans to tour in support of his Columbia album “Buckshot le Fonque,” which was named after an alias once used by the late alto great Cannonball Adderley. Moore will work under guitarist Kevin Eubanks, who is taking over Marsalis’ band-leading chores.

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Going Christian: The gifted 24-year-old drummer Gregory Hutchison is leaving trumpeter Roy Hargrove’s quintet after a three-year stint to join bassist Christian McBride’s quartet.

“I need to move on, try some different things,” Hutchison said recently, after playing a rousing two-hour set with Hargrove at Catalina Bar & Grill. While stating that his tenure with the trumpeter has been fruitful, he said, “I need to play with different people to get inspiration.” Hutchison will be back at Catalina’s starting March 28 as a member of McBride’s quartet.

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Crowded Weekend: January comes to a bustling close, jazz-wise, with a variety of top-notch performances in several venues.

For straight-ahead fans, it’s hard to top guitarist Herb Ellis, the former Angeleno who plays tonight and Saturday at Legends of Hollywood in Studio City. Renowned early in his career for his performances with Oscar Peterson, Ellis later made duet albums with Joe Pass on both Concord Jazz and Pablo Records. “I miss him,” Ellis said of Pass, who died last year. “He’s my personal favorite on guitar, over everybody, except maybe Charlie Christian.”

Fans can expect hard-swinging expositions with plenty of blues flavor from Ellis. “Everything I play is about the blues and has a bluesy sound,” he said. “I intend it that way.” Information: (818) 760-6631.

Those in the mood for more contemporary sounds can head to the Wiltern Theatre on Saturday for the Jazz Explosion Superband. The two shows, 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., will be headlined by singers Rachelle Ferrell and Will Downing, guitarist Jonathan Butler and saxman Gerald Albright. Information: (310) 388-5005.

Alto saxophonist Sonny Simmons is a solid choice for those who like their jazz on the expressive side. Simmons, whose recent “Ancient Ritual” Warner Bros. album is a dandy, makes his first Los Angeles club date in close to 20 years tonight and Saturday at the Jazz Bakery.

Although Simmons’ music employs loose structures, one hears a definite Charlie Parker influence in his singing sound and muscular phrasing. “He was the chief father,” Simmons says of Parker. “There was so much truth in his playing . . . and, while I don’t play his licks, I dig his concept.”

Simmons, who has gone through lean times in recent years, is happy to have an album out and to be performing. “I want my music to speak to humankind, to be about peace and blessings and prosperity,” he says. As for the latter, Simmons is still waiting. “I work just enough to get by,” he says. Information: (310) 271-9039.

Finally, Brazilian fans might want to check out John and Jeannie Pisano, who lead a quintet at the Pedrini Music Showcase Theatre in Alhambra on Saturday from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Accompanying the guitarist and singer will be Claudio Slon (drums), Andy Simpkins (bass) and Matt Harris (piano). Information: (818) 289-0241.

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Mark Your Calendar: Here are some upcoming performances you might want to remember:

The Gene Harris Quartet (with Ron Eschete, guitar; Luther Hughes, bass, and Paul Humphrey, drums), plus the Gene Harris All-Star Big Band appear at Ambassador Auditorium on Feb. 11, (800) 266-2378. Vibes great Milt Jackson’s quartet, with singer Ernestine Anderson, arrives at the same venue Feb. 25.

Catalina Bar & Grill spotlights McCoy Tyner’s trio from Jan. 31 to Feb. 5; singer Neenna Freelon, Feb. 7-12; saxman Joe Henderson’s quartet with Billy Childs, Feb. 14-19, and Ray Brown’s trio, with Benny Green (piano) and Jeff Hamilton (drums), March 28-April 5, (213) 466-2210.

At the Jazz Bakery, you’ll find the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra on Feb. 2; singer Bill Henderson on Feb. 3; guitarist Charlie Byrd, Feb. 7-9; pianist-singer Mose Allison, Feb. 10-12; guitarist Larry Coryell on Feb. 15-18; and Bill Holman on Feb. 19. (310) 271-9039.