Jazz Fest has become the organization’s premier annual fundraising event, helping support those programs. Saturday, September 19 — The Vickers TheatreSaturday brings perhaps the festival’s strongest connection to the jazz community itself. That makes this particular portion of Jazz Fest especially appealing to musicians, music students and anyone curious about how jazz actually works when the planned performance gives way to spontaneous collaboration. For SAM, Jazz Fest represents considerably more than bringing several high-level musicians to Three Oaks for a weekend. The festival’s proceeds help keep those programs going, including scholarships and free community music programming.