Last weekend’s Twin Cities Jazz Festival drew overflow crowds to Mears Park for headliners Allen Toussaint and Esperanza Spalding. Will the Capital City close streets next year to make room for more stages and more events? We’ll have to wait and see, but it appears Minneapolis’ loss is St. Paul’s gain.

Many chances remain to see live jazz outdoors this summer. Most, like the TCJF, are free. Today from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., for example, you can have lunch on the plaza at Fairview University Medical Center with vocalist Lee Engele, guitarist Reuben Ristrom and bass player Tom Lewis, complete with an outdoor BBQ. On Sunday, the Southside Aces play at Lake Harriet Bandshell in Minneapolis from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Each summer brings several series of free outdoor concerts to the Twin Cities. Not all concerts are jazz, but most series throw a few jazz shows into the mix. Follow the links to learn more about each series, print out schedules and find what interests you. (Tip: Free concerts are opportunities to expand your musical palate.)

Summer at Northrop. Twenty-five concerts in June and July, noon to 1 p.m., Northrop Plaza. If it rains, the music moves indoors. On Wednesday, July 1: Glen Helegeson with Axis Mundi (world-beat jazz). Thursday, July 9: the Galactic Cowboy Orchestra (country-edged jazz fusion).

Minnesota History Center 9 Nights of Music. Every Tuesday in July and August on the Laura Jane Musser Plaza, 6:30 to 8 p.m.. On July 7: Café Accordion Orchestra. July 14: Bruce A. Henry and Friends. Aug. 4: Charmin Michelle Swing Band.

Outdoors at St. Anthony Main. This summer-long series keeps the riverfront hopping on the weekends. On Sunday, June 28: Gypsy Mania. Sunday, July 12: Axis Mundi. Sunday, August 9: Reynold Philipsek Quartet.

Peavey Plaza. As part of its annual Sommerfest celebration in July, the Minnesota Orchestra presents free music on Peavey Plaza before each concert inside Orchestra Hall and after the Friday and Saturday night concerts. On Saturday, July 18: Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education Student Showcase. (Your last chance to hear the 2008-09 Dakota Combo.) Thursday, July 23: Fat Kid Wednesdays. Thursday, July 30: Chris Morrissey Quartet.

Music in the Parks -- Minneapolis. Each year, the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board presents more than 200 free concerts at four venues: Bryant Square Park, Father Hennepin Bluffs, the Lake Harriet Bandshell, and Minnehaha Falls. (Sunday’s Southside Aces show at Lake Harriet is part of this series.) On Tuesday, June 30: Bend in the River Big Band (Lake Harriet). Thursday, July 2: Hot Swing Combo featuring Nancy Harms (Lake Harriet). Friday, July 31: Rhonda Laurie and Sidewalk Café (Lake Harriet).

Music in the Parks -- St. Paul. “Musical experiences for all tastes and pleasures,” courtesy of St. Paul Parks and Rec. Venues include Rice Park, Mears Park, Raspberry Island, Phalen Park and the Como Lakeside Pavilion. Monday, June 29: Parisota Hot Club (Rice Park). Sunday, July 5: Beasley’s Big Band (Como Lakeside Pavilion). Tuesday, July 28: Bend in the River Big Band (Como Lakeside Pavilion).

More outdoor jazz festivals are coming up in the metro area. I’ll include those in future Friday postings. Meanwhile, if I have missed something big, please send me an email or post a comment and let me know.

Three quick indoor picks for this weekend:

Friday and Saturday, June 26-27: Bruce Henry. You can’t go wrong with this dynamic, eclectic, charismatic singer and his band. Now living in Chicago, Henry usually packs the house when he returns to the Dakota. On Friday only, Debbie Duncan is a special guest. Bruce and Debbie together? If you’re wearing a hat, you might want to nail it to your head. On Saturday, stick around for the late-night show with the Bryan Nichols Trio. 8 p.m., Dakota, ($12). Late night starts at 11:30 ($5).

Friday and Saturday, June 26-27: Happy Apple. Iconoclastic, category-defying, always entertaining. Arrive early for this always popular show. Michael Lewis (Fat Kid Wednesdays, Andrew Bird) on saxophone, Eric Fratzke (Zebulon Pike) on bass, Dave King (The Bad Plus) on drums. 9 p.m., Artists’ Quarter ($15).

Sunday, June 28: The Karriem Riggins Experience Featuring Mulgrew Miller. This could be a First Ave. show but then you wouldn’t get to sit or enjoy those tasty Dakota fries. Expect to cross genres from jazz to hip-hop, fusion, soul, swing and uncharted places in between. Riggins is a drummer and producer who has worked with Ray Brown and Common, Betty Carter and Kanye West. Jazz great Mulgrew Miller has made more than 400 recordings, mostly straight-ahead. A rather terrifying image of two lions on the same stage comes to mind. With Warren Wolf on vibes, Joe Sanders on bass, and DJ Dummy (Kanye, Mos Def, Common, De La Soul) on turntables. Watch a promo video here.  7 p.m., Dakota, ($25).

Pamela Espeland keeps a live jazz calendar and blogs about jazz at Bebopified. She throws out the occasional jazz-related tweet.