UPTOWN CHARLOTTE JAZZ FESTIVAL For the third year, Uptown Charlotte Jazz Festival brings more smooth R&B- and pop-based acts than actual jazz to Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre. But at least one of the acts stands out. Fronted by guitarist and producer Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick, the U.K.-based acid jazz ensemble Incognito has released a string of compelling, jazz-based dance albums since its beginnings in the early ’80s, when smooth jazz first began colliding with hip-hop and funk. The group’s most recent CD is Surreal, released earlier this year. Other performers on the festival roster include Boney James, Pieces of a Dream, Joey Sommerville, Soul of Summer (featuring Warren Hill, Maysa, and Jonathan Butler), and Innertwyned.

Anita Overcash

Price: $45.35