San Jose native Doug Ellington played with New Urban Groove at Temple Bar.

Saturday was the San Jose Jazz Festival’s big day with non-stop music from 10 am until 1:00 the next morning.

I was able to catch several shows, starting with Tito y su Son de Cuba on the Salsa Stage, an act that really got the dancers moving. Next was Santa Cruz-based Brazilian styled Samba Da. They also go the crowd moving with their energetic show.

Next I headed over to the main stage to see New Orleans songwriting and performing superstar Allen Toussaint. His act included several recognizable songs he wrote for other artists, and was capped off by an appearance of Mardi Gras Indians in full flowery regalia. Following Toussaint’s show, I headed over to the 48 Hour Jazz Club for the festival jam. The jam session let some enthusiastic festival-goers show off their stuff. The performances were remarkably solid for an all-comers jam, and all the combos I saw held together well.

In the club crawl I caught San Jose locals Doug Ellington and the New Urban Groove at Temple Bar. Ellington and his band played straight-ahead jazz with a little bit of uptempo rythm. To follow up I stopped in at the Hedley Club in the De Anza Hotel to see my neighbor Mike Brilliot playing with the Jazz Mechanics, but seats were in short supply so I headed over to Koji Sake Lounge to see the San Jose East Siders of Polyluv. Polyluv’s sound included psychedelic samples reminiscent of early Pink Floyd (think Obscured by Clouds or Meddle).

Finally I wrapped up the day at the 48 Hour Jazz Club stage with Bad Traffic. This horn-heavy funk band is made up of students and recent graduates from Valley Christian High. They played enthusiastically, and had competent solos, but they had a hard time keeping it together when more than one horn was in action at once. Trumpeter and band-leader David Creel told me they hadn’t practiced together for most of the year while part of the band was away at college, leading to the jam-like style of their performance.

There’s one more day left to enjoy the festival, so don’t miss out. Spanish Harlem Orchestra will wrap up the Main Stage entertainment beginning at 6 pm, and northern California’s own Bettye LaVette will close the fest with a 7:00 show on the Blues Stage.