Wally's Stepchildren and Boston Horns Perform in Salem on Saturday, October 2

The 4th annual fundraiser to benefit the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival takes place this Saturday, October 2, 2010 from 7:00 p.m. to Midnight at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Washington Square, Salem.

Headlining this year's event are two great bands: Wally's Stepchildren, the legendary house band from Wally's Jazz Cafe in Boston's South End, playing a mix of jazz, funk and fusion.

They're followed by Boston Horns, a seven piece funk/jazz/soul band that's been together for over 20 years, touring with Tower of Power, Susan Tedschi and others. Joining the Horns at the event is Nephtaliem McCrary on vocals.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, and are available online.

In addition to the music, a number of valuable prizes are being auctioned, including a Fender Stratocaster guitar, a Dahon Curve 3 bicycle and a dining package.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

Tiger Okoshi leads benefit concert for Boston Higashi jazz band on October 3 at Thayer Academy

Japanese trumpet player Tiger Okoshi is conducting a benefit concert for the Boston Higashi School jazz band on Sunday, October 3, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Center for the Arts, Thayer Academy in Braintree.

Okoshi is being joined by Ryu Goto, Soichi Muraji, Pei-Shan Lee and Joinatsuru Yanai. For more details on these accomplished musicians, click here.

Based in Randolph, Massachusetts, the Boston Higashi School is an international program for children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The educational goal of the school is for children to achieve society independence and dignity.

The jazz band has been one of the school's most public and popular programs. It performs regularly at Ryles Jazz Club in Cambridge, and last spring the band traveled to Japan to perform. The band was featured in the summer issue of MassJazz Travel Guide.

The performance also benefits the Japan Society of Boston, which promotes cultural exchange between the United States and Japan.

Tickets to the concert range from $15 to $100 - click here to order tickets online; call the school at 781 961-0800; or contact Bhaird Campbell at campbell@japansocietyboston.org.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

Jazz Pianist and Composer Jason Moran Winner of 2010 MacArthur Fellowship

(Boston) - Jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran has been named a 2010 MacArthur Fellow, it was announced today.

The unrestricted fellowship encourages "people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual and professional inclinations," according to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Moran is one of 23 recipients of this year's so-called genius award, and recieves a stipend of $500,000.

Born and raised in Texas, Moran is a newly appointed member of the faculty at the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he does studio teaching, ensemble coaching and master classes. He has hailed NEC's "distinctiveness" for welcoming the many forms and styles of jazz.

This past summer in Boston, the Roxbury International Film Festival featured Moran's film documentary, In My Mind, which pays tribute to legendary pianist and composer Thelonius Monk and his historic concert at New York City's Town Hall in 1959.

Patrick Jarenwattananon of NPR Jazz/ A Blog Supreme reports that the MacArthur Foundation "has a history of granting awards to innovative improvising musicians," citing Regina Carter, Ornette Coleman, George Russell, Ran Blake and others.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

Jon Batiste Quintet Headlines JazzFest in Falmouth on Cape Cod, October 1-3

Jonathan Batiste

Legendary jazz pianist Jonathan Batiste is headlining a great weekend of jazz at the annual JazzFest in Falmouth, a beautiful seaside resort on Cape Cod.

Batiste and his quintet perform on Saturday, October 2, at the Cape Cod Conservatory, 60 Highfield Drive, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event.

The Festival kicks off on Friday, October 1 with a Jazz Stroll along Main Street, with performances at Museums on the Green, Peg Noonan Park, the Black Dog Restaurant, the Nimrod Restaurant and various other retail shops and restaurants. Some of the featured artists include Russ Wilcox, Gene Bourque, and Two Cool.

On Sunday, October 3, the festivities run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Nimrod, Phusion Grille, Coffee Obsession, Sea Crest Beach Hotel and the Beach House. Some of the featured artists include Zac Zinger, Quasimodal, John Harrison & Joe Sutton, and the Charlie Jameson Jazz Trio.

For more information on the JazzFest in Falmouth, visit ArtsFalmouth.

For tourist information on visiting Cape Cod, visit MassVacation or Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

For year-round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

Check out JazzBoston at the Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival on Saturday, September 25

JazzBoston, the city's grass roots support organization for jazz musicians, promoters, educators and jazz lovers, has a booth at this year's Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival on Saturday, September 25, 2010 in Boston's South End.

Check out these two special programs at the JazzBoston booth:

- Meet Boston's Musicians informal meet-and-greets with three or four different hometown artists every hour on the half hour, including Grace Kelly, Rebecca Cline, Jason Palmer, Leonard Brown, Amanda Carr, Kelly Roberge and more.

- What's YOUR Jazz? video interviews with a camera crew video-recording fans who step up to answer the question and "What's YOUR Jazz?" bumper stickers (hot off the press) for all participants.

You'll find more details here.

The all-day outdoor BeanTown Jazz Festival is free to the public. It's located at Columbus Avenue between Massachusetts Avenue and Burke Street in Boston's South End. For directions, click here.

For year-round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com or BostonUSA.com.

Chris Botti, Paula Cole, Danilo Perez Headline Busy Friday Night of Jazz in Boston, September 24

Boston is brimming with jazz tonight with artists Chris Botti, Paula Cole, Danilo Perez and others in the middle of the city's 10th annual Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival now underway.

Trumpeter Chris Botti is performing at the Citi Performing Arts Center, Wang Theatre tonight at 8:00 p.m. Since 2004 he has been the largest selling American jazz instrumentalist in the world. He has performed and recorded with many great artists, including Frank Sinatra, Sting, Michael Buble and Joni Mitchell. Tickets are $43 to $78 and can be ordered online.

Vocalist Paula Cole is performing at the Berklee Performance Center tonight at 8:00 p.m. The Grammy Award winner for best new artist grew up in Massachusetts and went to Berklee College of Music, and had numerous hit songs, including Where Have All the Cowboys Gone and I Don't Want to Wait. Tickets are $26 and $36 reserved seating and can be purchased online.

At Sculler's Jazz Club at the Doubletree Guest Suites Hotel, Panamanian jazz pianist and composer Danilo Perez performs with his trio and special guests. There are two shows, at 8:00 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be ordered online.

At the Beehive Jazz Club in Boston's South End, check out mighty blues singer Michelle Willson, who performs from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Wally's Jazz Club in Boston's South End has a great Friday night jazz session featuring great local players and guests from out-of-town.

The Billy Novick Trio is performing lounge jazz at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel from 5:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Across the Charles River in the City of Cambridge, check out sax player Daniel Bennett and his group at Ryles Jazz Club in Inman Square, starting at 9:00 p.m.. Tickets are $10 and can be ordered online.

And at the Outpost 186, also in Inman Square, Cambridge, check out three acts tonight, starting at 8:00 p.m.: David Gross on solo sax, the Grizzler Noise Orchestra, and Montreal clarinetist Krista Martynes. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door.

With hundreds of night clubs, concert venues, hotel restaurants and colleges, you can find great jazz every night of the year in the greater Boston area and throughout Massachusetts. For more information, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourism information, visit MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com.

Jazz Friendly Hotels in Boston for this weekend's Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival, September 25

If you're coming to Boston this weekend to attend the 10th annual outdoor Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival on Saturday, September 25, there are plenty of jazz-friendly hotels in the area that offer high quality live jazz throughout the year.

Leading the pack are the Doubletree Guest Suites Hotel in Boston, home of the famous Sculler's Jazz Club, and the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, Cambridge, home of the famous Regattabar Jazz Club.

Plus, there are over a dozen hotels in the area that offer live jazz in restaurants or lounges during the week, or weekend jazz brunches!

For a full list of jazz-friendly hotels, click here.

For jazz brunches in the Boston area this weekend, click here.

You can find year round jazz in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

For additional tourist information on Boston, Massachusetts, visit MassVacation.com or BostonUSA.

Barbados Sax Player Elan Trotman at Sculller's Jazz Club for Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival, September 22

Jazz saxophonist Elan Trotman is performing at Sculler's Jazz Club in Boston on Wednesday, September 22, 2010, as part of the 10th annual Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival.

A native of Barbados now living in the Boston area, Trotman attended Berklee College of Music and is one of the region's up-and-coming artists.

Tickets to the show are $20 and can be ordered online or at the door.

The Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival runs from September 15-25 in venues throughout Boston, culminating in an all-day, free outdoor festival on Saturday, September 25 in Boston's South End.

For a full schedule of Festival events, click here.

For upcoming acts at Sculler's Jazz Club, click here.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourist information on Massachusetts, visit MassVacation.com.

Catch Italian Electric Jazz at Berklee BeanTown Festival in Boston Tonight - Tuesday, September 21

Check out Spajazzy, a cool blend of Italian melodic jazz from Sergio Bellotti and Tino D'Agostino combined with the energy of electric jazz. They're at the Berklee Performance Center, 136 Mass Avenue in Boston tonight at 8:15 p.m., along with Berklee faculty members Bertram Lehmann and Hunt.

Tickets are $10 general admission and can be ordered through Ticketmaster.

For a complete musical schedule for the 10th annual Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival, click here.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

Kurt Rosenwinkel Kicks off Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival in Boston on Wednesday, September 15

Jazz guitarist and composer Kurt Rosenwinkel along with his 18 piece big band Orchestra de Jazz de Matosinhos (OJM) opens this year's Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival on Wednesday, September 15, 2010.

The concert takes place at the Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, and starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and $25 and can be reserved online.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the BeanTown Jazz Festival, Berklee College of Music has scheduled over 30 performances to take place at the college and in jazz venues in Boston and Cambridge from September 15-25. For a full schedule of activities, click here.

The celebration culminates in an all-day, free jazz festival outdoors in Boston's South End, along Columbus Ave, on Saturday, September 25, 2010. For directions, click here.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourist information on Massachusetts, visit MassVacation.com.

Northeastern University Celebrates Saxophone Legend John Coltrane in Boston, September 16-18

Boston is celebrating John Coltrane - one of America's most influential musicians - the week of September 16-18, 2010 at Northeastern University with a series of lectures, audio visual exhibits and a concert.

The idea for an annual John Coltrane Memorial Concert was initiated in 1977 by a group of Black American musicians to honor Coltrane's musican and spiritual legacy. The concert has been held continuously since then, with Northeastern University hosting it for the past 25 years.

The following events are open to the public:

Thursday, September 16

A symposium with Coltrane experts Leonard Brown and Emmett G. Price III of Northeastern University; WGBH jazz radio host Eric Jackson; composer Anthony Brown; and Tommy Lee Lott, a scholar on avant-garde jazz in the 1960s. Plus, a new book edited by Dr. Brown, is being released by Oxford University Press. The book is entitled John Coltrane and Black America's Quest for Freedom - The event takes place at the John D. O'Bryant African-American Institute.

Friday, September 17

A 25 year retrospective on the John Coltrane Memorial Concerts, featuring vintage audio and video plus commentary by past performers. The event takes place at the Raytheon Room, Egan Research Center.

Saturday, September 18

The John Coltrane Memorial Concert features Anthony Brown's Asian American Orchestra performing "India and Africa: A Tribute to John Coltrane." Eric Jackson of WGBH is the host. Syd Smart, one of the founders of the JCMC, is being honored with a Lifetime Musical Recognition Award. The concert takes place at Blackman Theatre.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourist information on visting Massachusetts, visit MassVacation.com.

Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival Celebrates 10th anniversary, September 15-25, 2010

Terence Blanchard

The 10th annual Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival kicks off this Wednesday, September 15 and runs to Saturday, September 25, 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts. The annual festival is hosted by the Berklee College of Music, the world's foremost jazz university.

This year's festival pays tribute to the music and culture of New Orleans, and features artists from the Crescent City like Terence Blanchard, Jon Baptiste and the Wild Magnolias.

For a full schedule of activities, click here.

Over 30 performances are spread out at some of the area's finest concert venues and jazz clubs, including the Berklee Performance Center, Scullers Jazz Club, Regattabar, Wally's Cafe, Berklee's Cafe 939 and David Friend Recital Hall.

The festival culminates on Saturday, September 25 with an all-day, free outdoor stages along Columbus Avenue in Boston's South End. For directions, click here.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

Tribute to George Gershwin at ArsenalArts on September 11

A new musical series called The American Songbook: The Jazz View, kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 11 at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown Massachusetts. Songwriter George Gershwin is the featured artist.

Musicians include Saxophonist Larry Monroe, vocalist Donna McElroy, pianist Russell Hoffmann, trumpet player Jeff Stout, bassist John Repucci and drummer John Ramsey.

Tickets are $20 general admission, $18 for Arsenal members, and $15 for students and seniors and can be purchased online.

Other songwriters in the series include Irving Berlin and Cole Porter. For more details on The American Songbook, click here.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

John Pizzarelli Celebrates Duke Ellington at Scullers on September 10-11

Singer/guitarist John Pizzarelli is performing a special show honoring one of the great masters of jazz this weekend, September 10 and 11, at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston.

Rockin' In Rythm: A Tribute to Duke Ellington is the name of the show, and also the new CD that Pizzarelli has just released. The concert will feature Pizzarelli's unique interpretations of such classic songs as Satin Doll, East St. Louis Toodle-oo, Perdido and other songs from the Ellington songbook.

Tickets are $35 and can be ordered online. Showtime is 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. each night.

For a full schedule of jazz at Scullers, click here.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

Tanglewood Jazz Festival: Pod Casts of Performing Artists

Enjoy podcasts of this weekend's performers at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, including Laurence Hobgood, Donal Fox and Maya Beiser, by clicking here.

For a full schedule of performances of this year's Tanglewood Jazz Festival, click here.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourism information, visit MassVacation.com.