A highlights list of what’s worth your consideration at the three-day Monterey Jazz Festival.

WHETHER YOU’VE NEVER BEEN TO THE MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL OR YOU’VE BEEN DOZENS OF TIMES, it’s a good idea to map out where to hit the performers you’ve come to love, or the ones who are up and coming and worth checking out for the first time. Here’s our suggestions for which artists to catch up with over the three days.

Friday, Sept. 26

John and Gerald Clayton

4pm, Dizzy’s Den

A cool way to start the weekend is with this incredible father-son duo known for straight-ahead acoustic jazz. Grammy winner John Clayton is a renowned bassist, composer, arranger and producer who’s played with top performers such as Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, Gladys Knight and Queen Latifa. His accomplished pianist/composer son Gerald has been nominated four times for a Grammy and is the beloved director of Monterey Jazz’s Next Generation Jazz Orchestra.

Grace Kelly

5:30pm, Dizzy’s Den

For an exciting, fun performance of contemporary jazz, Grace Kelly is definitely one to watch. The singer-saxophonist-songwriter-composer is known to dance while she plays the saxophone. She’s sold out concerts, has 15 critically acclaimed albums and was an original band member for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Christian McBride and Ursa Major

8:45pm, Jimmy Lyons Stage

Not to be missed on opening night will be festival-favorite Christian McBride and his band Ursa Major, which features rising young master musicians. McBride is an eight-time Grammy award-winning bassist, composer and bandleader. Joining him are pianist Michael King, drummer Savannah Harris, saxophonist Nicole Glover and guitarist Ely Perlman. (You can also catch McBride speaking at noon on Saturday inside the Pacific Jazz Cafe for The Monterey Jazz Conversation.)

Saturday, Sept. 27

Dianne Reeves

1:30pm, Jimmy Lyons Stage

Dianne Reeves, the world’s pre-eminent jazz vocalist, is another festival favorite, with her rich, velvety, yet powerful voice and incredible range. A five-time Grammy winner, she won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for three consecutive recordings, the first time any performer has achieved that feat in any vocal category.

Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds

1:30pm, Tim Jackson Garden Stage

Don’t have tickets to Jimmy Lyons? Check out Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds, a high-energy act influenced by artists like the Preservation Hall Band, Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits.

Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra

4:45pm, Jimmy Lyons Stage

Here’s your chance to see the trombone-playing younger brother of his better known brothers, Wynton and Branford. His Uptown Jazz Orchestra plays fun and audience-friendly music that will take you straight to New Orleans.

Ledisi

8:30pm, Jimmy Lyons Stage

A gifted and captivating vocalist for over 20 years, Ledisi has 15 Grammy nominations and a win for Best Traditional R&B Performance, heavily influenced by Nina Simone. She’s considered a groundbreaking performer, redefining the soul and R&B genres. She’s also a songwriter, author, actress and music producer, to name just a few of her many titles. She portrayed the legendary Mahalia Jackson in the movie Selma.

Sunday, Sept. 28

Next Generation Jazz Orchestra

Noon, Jimmy Lyons Stage

Don’t sleep on this high school honor band. They are as good as some of the pros that play at the festival, in part thanks to Gerald Clayton, longtime Next Gen director.

Christian Sands, MJF68 Commission Artist

1:30pm, Jimmy Lyons Stage

The premier of a composition by another festival favorite performer, Christian Sands, called “Reflections from the Shore: A Monterey Suite.” (See story, page 18.)

Pete Escovedo, featuring Juan and Peter Michael Escovedo

3pm, Jimmy Lyons Stage

Pete Escovedo is a legendary percussionist, breaking down barriers between smooth jazz, salsa, Latin jazz and contemporary music for over 60 years.

Echoes of an Era

4:30pm, Jimmy Lyons Stage

A musical project celebrating the legacy of jazz music, featuring Javon Jackson, Lenny White, Lisa Fisher, Orrin Evans, John Patitucci and Eddie Henderson.

Paul Contos

4pm and 5:30pm, Courtyard Stage

Saxophonist Paul Contos is one of the key people who have advanced jazz throughout the Monterey Bay area, both through his work with the festival’s education programs and his co-founding of the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz. He’s shared the stage with such greats as Dizzy Gillespie and Christian McBride.

Dayramir González Quartet

6pm, Pacific Jazz Cafe

Latin jazz from an exciting pianist and composer, Dayramir González, and his band. González has developed an international following, performing all over North and South America and Europe. As a U.S. citizen, the Afro-Cuban musician performs annually at the legendary Jazz Plaza Festival in Havana, Cuba.

René Marie & Experiment in Truth

6:45pm, Jimmy Lyons Stage

A seven-piece band led by dynamic vocalist and performer René Marie, the show intersperses calypso selections of Harry Belafonte with the story of how Belafonte used music to effect social change.

New Jazz Underground

7:30pm, Pacific Jazz Cafe

Saxophonist and composer Abdias Armenteros, 25, bassist and composer Sebastian Rios, 27, and drummer TJ Reddick, 25, are bringing what’s new in jazz, merging traditional jazz influences – blues and improvisation – with modern influences like hip-hop.