Hits new heights with Max Roach // Jazzfest a class act

It's difficult to imagine a cozier outdoor music event thanJazzfest, the annual two-day affair that concluded Sunday at theSouth Shore Cultural Center. With the 67th Street Beach just behindthem and the center's handsome, Spanish-roofed headquarters providinga backdrop for the stage, a harmonious throng occupied abarbecue-dotted expanse of lawn as if they were in their backyard.

Produced by the non-profit Jazz Unites as a neighborhoodget-together, the free-admission fest boasts almost as manysolicitations as a pledge drive. But in all other ways, it has arare laid-back appeal.

Jazzfest can't help being overshadowed by the annual ChicagoJazz Festival in Grant …