Tacoma Jazz and Blues Festival has a lineup of great musical acts from around the Puget Sound this year. The annual event takes place on May 29.

Rich Wetzel, leader of Rich Wetzel’s Groovin’ Higher Orchestra, books the jazz stage at Freighthouse Square. Gary Grape, president of South Sound Blues Association, books the blues stage at the Harmon.

“He knows those bands better than I do,” Wetzel said of Grape.

Four big bands will grace the stage at Freighthouse Square this year. First up is Johnny Lewis Big Band at 1 p.m. Lewis is perhaps best known for his hit “Night Train.” He recorded a string of hits for Decca Records and Capital Jazz Records.

Originally from upstate New York, Lewis hit the road as a young man. After many years as a touring musician he settled in Olympia. He purchased the music store Music 6000 and is well known in the Olympia area, often performing at state government functions.

Roadside Attraction hits the stage at 2:30 p.m.

“They are one of the best big bands in the Northwest,” Wetzel said.

Formed by Keith Baggerly in 1979, the group has been entertaining audiences with their mix of big band standards, original material and contemporary arrangements of works by other artists for 30 years. They released their first album “The Suspect” in 1990. They play Tula’s, a noted jazz venue in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood, once a month.

Next up is Meydenbauer’s Outrageous Jazz Orchestra at 4 p.m. Based in Kenmore, the group is led by Al Lowe. They frequently play in Seattle’s eastern suburbs.

Wetzel’s band is the headliner and will begin playing at 5:30 p.m. He noted the group recently dropped the word “jazz” from their name to signify their evolving sound.

“We have been gradually doing more jazz/rock material,” he noted.

Mitch Reems, a longtime member of New Blues Brothers Review, recently took over lead vocal duties in the group. Wetzel is impressed with his renditions of songs by artists ranging from Dean Martin to James Brown.

“Now we are doing everything from jazz to rock, from Maynard Ferguson to James Brown.”

Ferguson, who died in 2006, was a major influence on Wetzel and numerous other trumpeters. Wetzel noted his hero helped launch the jazz-fusion movement, when groups in the 1970s began merging jazz and rock.

“He was a driving force in that,” Wetzel said. “He was one of the first to do it in a big way.”

Jazz-fusion emerged as a result of jazz being knocked off its perch atop the American musical landscape by the emergence of rock ‘n roll, according to Wetzel.

“It was a thing to keep up with the times,” he said. “When rock got big, jazz got knocked off the charts.”

Many of the jazz greats moved to Europe, including Ferguson, looking for a bigger audience. Ferguson formed a new group. When they played their first major gig opening for Blood, Sweat and Tears, “the crowd went nuts.”

Wetzel decided to shift the direction of his band last year, in part because so many other groups are playing swing and big band material.

“There was nobody else doing that jazz/rock fusion.”

They played some of this material last year at the Mt. Rainier Blues and Jazz Festival and the Puyallup Fair.

“We got a good reaction.”

The arrangements are done with a powerful horn section.

Crossroads Band is up first on the blues stage at 12:30 p.m., followed by Little Bill and the Bluenotes at 2 p.m. and Maia Santell and House Blend at 3:30 p.m. Blues guitarist Nick Vigarino from Camano Island is the headliner and will take the stage at 5 p.m.

Admission to both venues is free. An after-party will be held at Stonegate, located at 5421 South Tacoma Way. There is a $5 cover charge. Kevin England Jazz Collective will play upstairs, with a youth blues jam downstairs. Both performances begin at 8:30 p.m.

Stonegate will hold a pre-festival show on May 28, featuring Hook Me Up, an Olympia jazz band.

The stage at Freighthouse Square will be in the Rainier Room, at the east end of the building. Wetzel encourages fans to patronize the many food vendors there. A beer garden will be available for those 21 and over.

“It will be a great party,” Wetzel said. “Come on down and pack the place and let’s have some fun.”

For more information visit www.tacomajazzandblues.com.