Annual John Coltrane Memorial Concert Takes Place in Boston on October 24

The 38th annual John Coltrane Memorial Concert is taking place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, 2015 at the Blackman Auditorium at Northeastern University in Boston.

The theme of this year's concert is Ornette 'N Trane, a tribue to Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane. Eric Jackson, popular jazz host on WGBH, is serving as Master of Ceremonies.

Tickets to the concert are $30 general admission and $25 for seniors and students.  They can be purchased at the ticket office the night of the performance.

Read more about the John Coltrane Memorial Concert, and the Educational Outreach Program.

For year round information on live jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

2015 Pittsfield CityJazz Festival Features Randy Brecker, Greg Hopkins and Frank Vignola

The 2015 Pittsfield CityJazz Festival is underway this week, featuring trumpet masters Randy Brecker and Greg Hopkins, guitar virtuoso Frank Vignola and other great performers.  The festival runs through Sunday, October 18, 2015 and includes a variety of concerts.

Here is a full schedule of performances and activities.

The Pittsfield CityJazz Festival is produced by Berkshires Jazz, Inc, a non-profit group formed in 2009 to present jazz performances and promote jazz education in Berkshires County in Western  Massachusetts.

Find more live jazz in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

For information about visiting Massachusetts, to to MassVacation.com.

10th annual Honk! Festival of Street Bands Performs in Massachusetts Weekend of October 9-11

The Honk! Festival of Activist Street Bands returns to Massachusetts this weekend for the 10th annual celebration of live music and spectacle.

Marching bands and street bands come from all across North America, and as far away as France, to participate in Honk!  Here is a roster of this year's performers.

Among the local favorites: AfroBrazil, Dirty Water Brass Band, Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band and the Expandable Brass Band.

On Friday, bands like the Leftist Band from Portsmouth, NH and the Les Vilains Chicots from Paris, France, perform on Boston Common on a day of action in solidarity with workers. On Saturday, the action shifts to Davis Square, Somerville, and on Sunday, finishes up in Harvard Square, Cambridge.
Here is the full schedule of performances.

You can find live music throughout the year in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

Berklee Beantown Jazz Fest Kicks off Season of Live Jazz in Massachusetts

Alissia and the Funketeers Perform at BeanTown on September 26

Jazz is everywhere in Massachusetts – on college campuses, in hotels and restaurants, night clubs and coffee shops, concert halls and outdoor venues. And it flourishes all year round.

Last Spring, Governor Charlie Baker issued a Proclamation declaring April to be Jazz Month in Massachusetts, calling jazz “one of America’s most treasured imports” and praising the state’s “rich jazz heritage.”

The 2015 fall festival season kicks off with the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival in Boston’s South End. The free, annual, outdoor festival runs from noon to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, 2015.  The festival stretches across six blocks, filled with live music on multiple stages, an array of food vendors from all over the world, and local artisans who are selling their wares.

This year’s theme is Jazz: The Voice of the People, and features amazing contemporary artists like trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, clarinet master Felix Peikli, the Mosaic Project featuring Terri Lyne Carrington and Jaguar Wright, Latin percussionist Eguie Castrillo Orchestra, sax player George Garzone, and New Orleans singer Ledisi. Beantown also features dozens of great performers from the Berklee College of Music faculty and students. Here is a full roster of performers.

Below is a schedule of other upcoming jazz festivals in Massachusetts through October, 2015.

September 27-October 4
JazzFest Falmouth 2015
Three-time Grammy Nominee Denise Donatelli, Toni Lynn Washington, Jon Weber, Goodis & Glenn are among the performers. Also, outdoor jazz strolls, jazz brunch and lectures.

October 8-11
HONK! Festival
Davis Square, Somerville
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Activist street bands from all over the world converge to Honk! each year. The 2015 roster includes Brazil, Italy, Germany and Britain. Check out local favorites Dirty Water Brass Band and Samba Tremeterra, as well as the Hot 8 from New Orleans.

October 9-18
Pittsfield City Jazz Festival
Six-time Grammy winner Randy Brecker performs with the Greg Hopkins Jazz Orcestra, plus jazz virtuoso Frank Vignola, the poupular jazz crawl on Columbus Day weekend, jazz prodigy concert, jazz brunch, and nightly jazz in clubs and restaurants.

October 9
Holyoke Latin Jazz Festival
Holyoke War Memorial Auditorium
Downtown Holyoke
Latin Jazz bands include Victor Sterling & Sabor a Timba, WILO & DeLomas & Sones Band and Dino & Su Alegre Swing.

For year round info on live jazz, visit MassJazz.com.  For visitor information go to MassVacation.com.

Newton Jazz Festival Celebrates "100 Years of Frank & Billie" September 18th, 2015.

 

Get ready to scat and swing into fall as New England Jazz Enrichment Foundation presents, The Newton Jazz Festival (NJF), as part of the 2015 Newton Jazz and Wine Festival. Join them for, "100 Years of Frank & Billie" to celebrate the 100th birthdays of the two biggest legends in jazz; Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday. Come and listen to some of the area's best vocalists with this all-star lineup at Newton Veteran's Auditorium at City Hall, located at 1000 Commonwealth Ave. in Newton, MA on September 18th, 2015.

 

Swing by, relax, and break it down with our great line-up of musicians, including:

Dale LePage- Multi-award winning New England entertainer performing a blend of soul and swing

Lydia Harrell- Also known as The Lovely Singer with her sultry and soulful voice

Tracy Clark-Native Bostonian with vocals that sound like "velvet and silk"

David Thorne Scott-An associate professor at Berklee College of Music with unbelievable musical talent

And last but not least, trumpeter/vocalist Christine Fawson along with pianist Mark Shilansky, bassist Keala Kaumeheiwa and Steve Langone on drums

General Admission Seating: $35.00
Balcony Seating: $20.00

Purchase your tickets here.

This event is presented by the New England Jazz Enrichment Foundation, the Power of Music and Community Coming Together.

You can find year round details on live jazz and blues in Massachusetts, including festivals, concerts, night clubs, radio programs and campus events, by visiting MassJazz.com

Find Visitor Information at MassVacation.com and Bostonusa.com

Rolling Stone, Italian Edition, Publishes Story on Jazz Scene in Massachusetts

Here is a story on the jazz scene in Boston, Massachusetts, published in Rolling Stone, Italian edition.

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

FREE Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival Taking Place on Saturday, August 8

An all-star line-up of jazz and roots musicians are set to perform at the Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival in Court Square, Springfield, MA on Saturday, August 8, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The festival is free and open to the public.

Among the performers: Big Chief Donald Harrison with jazz keyboard legend Lonnie Smith; Avery Sharpe and the New England Gospel Choir, featuring Angel Rose and Charles Neville; Elan Trotman; Jeff Holmes Quartet and more.

Here is a full list of this year's performers.

You can find a schedule of jazz festivals throughout Massachusetts in 2015 by visiting MassJazz/Festivals.

For year round details on live jazz in the Bay State, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourism in formation, go to MassVacation.com.

Live Jazz in Massachusetts, Weekend of July 25-26

Adonis Puentes and Voice of Cuba Orchestra

Looking for live jazz in Massachusetts this weekend?  Check out these events taking place Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26, 2015.

Boston Summer Arts Weekend/ Saturday-Sunday
Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Bettye LeVette on Saturday; Aaron Neville on Sunday.

Cambridge Jazz Festival/ Sunday
Nnenna Freelon, Ron Savage Trio, JoAnne Brackeen, Egule Castrillo, Laszlo Gardony and Anthony Toth.

Hyde Park Jazz Festival/ Saturday
John Funhouser Quartet, Fernando Brandao, Daniel Ian Smith & New World Jazz Composers, Gerry Beaudoin and Jesse Williams duo.

Lowell Folk Festival/ Saturday and Sunday
Adonis Puentes and the Voice of Cuba Orchestra, The Original Pinettes Brass Band, both days.

Maudsley Arts Center/Newburyport/ Saturday
Grace Kelly

South Shore Music Circus/ Cohasset/ Saturday
Boz Scaggs

Check out the 2015 MassJazz Guide for live jazz throughout the year.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

Massachusetts Promotes Its Vibrant Jazz Scene

(Boston) – Massachusetts boasts one of the nation’s most vibrant jazz scenes, according to the 7^th Annual MassJazz Travel Guide issued by Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT). 

The 40-page MassJazz Guide highlights hundreds of jazz festivals, concerts, night clubs, college courses and related jazz activities across the Bay State this summer and through spring 2016.  The Guide is free and available at visitor centers around the state and at jazz clubs, hotels, restaurants and college campuses. 

You can read the digital online 2015 MassJazz Guide here.

Top jazz artists performing in Massachusetts in the coming months include Diana Krall, Cassandra Wilson, Chris Botti, Trombone Shorty, Manhattan Transfer, Harry Connick, Jr., Lizz Wright, Ron Carter and Arturo Sandoval.

“Jazz is part of the state’s creative economy,” said Assistant Secretary of Business Development Nam Pham. “The creative economy employs over 100,000 residents and helps to define our quality of life and our appreciation of the arts community.”

Profiled in this issue are impresario Fred Taylor of Scullers Jazz Club; Jose Masso, radio host of !Con Salsa! on WBUR; Israeli clarinetist Anat Cohen; Hungarian pianist Laszlo Gardony; orchestra leader Mark Harvey of MIT: and three jazz students from Berklee College of Music.

  

Rich Doucette, Executive Director of MOTT, praised Massachusetts’ vibrant statewide jazz scene for its “international flavor, with musicians from 100 countries living or studying here.”

In addition to details on the Bay State’s jazz festivals and concerts, the 2015 MassJazz Guide lists jazz radio programs, college courses, jazz brunches, night clubs and organizations, as well as tourism offices throughout the state.

MOTT launched MassJazz in 2009 to promote the Commonwealth’s vibrant jazz scene to visitors and residents.  For more details, visit MassJazz.com or follow on twitter @massjazz.

 For information about visiting Massachusetts, go to massvacation.com. 

You won't be feeling Blue at these Massachusetts festivals

Mass Jazz has updated the 2015 schedule of jazz festivals taking place throughout Massachusetts, from June through October.

The season begins with Django in June, running from June 16th through the 21st in Northampton, and wraps up with the Pittsfield City Jazz Festival, on October 9th through the 18th in Pittsfield.  

Click here to see the complete schedule of the jazz festivals.

Mass Jazz operates out of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism and promotes the state's vibrant jazz scene to residents and tourists throughout the year.

To keep up to date and find more information on live jazz in hotels, clubs, campuses, concert halls and other cultural venues throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

Bass Masters Wooten and Bailey at Berklee Performance Center on June 13

Jazz and funk bass masters Victor Wooten and Steve Bailey are joined by acclaimed drummers J.D. Blair and Derico Watson for an evening of songs from the bass repertoire, including Wooten's solo material, and jazz classics.  It takes place at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston's Back Bay on Saturday, June 13, 2015 at 8:00 p.m.

The concert is in conjunction with the Victor Wooten/Berklee Summer Bass Workshop. The evening's repertoire will include a demonstration of bass extremes,  Students participating in the program may take the stage to show off their skills alongside the bass masters.

For year round information on live jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

Jazz Guitarist John Pizzarelli Performs with New Philharmonia Orchestra in Newton on June 12

The New Philharmonia Orchestra is presenting an Evening with John Pizzarelli, renowned jazz guitarist, at the First Baptist Church in Newton on Friday, June 12, 2015 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased online or at the box office.

Guest conductor for the event is Bo Winiker, and master of ceremonies is Ron Della' Chiesa.

Read about the concert and special guests here.

For year round information on live jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com.

2nd Annual Plymouth Rock Assurance Jazz Fest is May 22-23

The 2nd annual Plymouth Assurance Jazz Fest is taking place on May 22-23, 2015 at the Spire Center for the Performing Arts in Plymouth, starting at 7:00 p.m. each night.

Popular jazz host Eric Jackson serves as master of ceremonies both nights.

The Friday night line-up includes the Johnny Souza Quintete, Marshall Wood Quartet featuring vocalist Donna Byrne and the Harry Allen Quartet. Purchase tix for Friday night here.

The Saturday night line-up includes Yoran Israel and High Standards, Cassandre McKinley and the Paul Broadnaz Trio, and the Joey Calderazzo Trio.  Purchase tix for Saturday night here.

The Plymouth Assurance Jazz Fest kicks off a full season on live jazz festivals in Massachusetts that run through October, 2015.  Here is the complete schedule.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com, or follow on twitter @massjazz.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com. 

2015 Schedule of Jazz Festivals in Massachusetts

MassJazz has released the 2015 schedule of jazz festivals taking place across the Commonwealth from May through October.Massachusetts

The season kicks off with the Plymouth Rock Assurance Jazz Festival on May 22-24, 2015 and ends with the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival on October 9-18, 2015. Here is the compete schedule.

MassJazz operates out of the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, and promotes the state's vibrant jazz scene to residents and visitors throughout the  year.

For up to date information on live jazz in Massachusetts hotels, clubs, campuses, and cities and towns, visit MassJazz.com.

Massachusetts Celebrates Jazz All Year Round

Governor Charlie Baker recently declared April 2015 to be Jazz Month in Massachusetts, a tribute to the state's vibrant, year-round jazz scene.

You can find details by visiting MassJazz.com.

For information about visiting Massachusetts, go to MassVacation.com.

Salem Jazz & Soul Festival's Spring Gala on Sunday, April 26 Features Cape Ann Big Band and North Shore Jazz Project All Stars

The annual Spring Gala fundraiser for the Salem Jazz & Soul Festival is taking place on Sunday, April 27, 2015 at the Larcom Theater in Beverly.  Tickets are available online.  

This year's event features the Cape Ann Big Band, a 17-piece swing band based in Gloucester and the North Shore Jazz Project All Stars, an elite youth jazz ensemble comprised of local high school students. 

Now entering its 9th season, the Salem Jazz & Soul Festival is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization that produces free concerts and raises money to support music-education programs on Massachusetts’ North Shore.

The SJSF Berklee Summer Series takes place on May 9, June 13, July 11 and August 8 in Derby Square.  The Salem Jazz & Soul Festival takes place on August 15-16, 2015. 

For information about year-round jazz in Massachusetts visit MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com. 

NEC Guitarist Xiongguan Zhang Gives Master of Music Recital on Monday, April 6

New England Conservatory guitarist Xiongguan Zhang gives a Master of Music Recital at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, April 6, 2015, at the Keller Room at 290 Huntington Avenue on NEC campus.  The event is free and open to the public.

A native of Nanjing, China, Mr. Zhang was profiled in the 2014 issue of MassJazz Guide.  He is a student of NEC faculty Fred Hersch and Joe Morris.

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

NEC Concert Features Alfaia Quartet & Beau D’Ver at Jordan Hall, March 31

Henrique Eisenmann

New England Conservatory of Music is presenting two student jazz ensembles in concert - Alfaia Quartet & Beau D’Ver - at Boston's famous Jordan Hall on Tuesday, March 31, 2015, beginning at 8:00 p.m.

The concert is free and open to the public. 

The two groups were selected by professional musicians to participate in NEC's Honors Ensemble course.  

Alfaia Quartet, NEC's 2014-2015 Wild Card Honors Ensemble, is composed of pianist Henrique Eisenmann, oud player Kenan Adnawi, saxophonist Gustavo D'Amico, and bassist Kirsten Lamb. Their faculty coach is Ted Reichman.

Beau D'Ver, NEC's 2014-2015 Jazz Honors Ensemble, is composed of saxophonist Travis Bliss, pianist Chris McCarthy, guitarist Max Light, bassist Isaac Levien, and drummer Russell Holzman. Their faculty coach is Ralph Alessi.
Here are directions to Jordan Hall. 

Find year round details on jazz in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com. 

Jazz Pianist Laszlo Gardony & Quartet Perform at Regattabar in Harvard Square on January 22

The Laszlo Gardony Quartet performs at the Regattabar Jazz Club at Charles Hotel on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to the show are and can be purchased online or at the venue.

A native of Hungary and currently professor of piano at Berklee College of Music, Gardony has released ten albums and is widely praised as an exceptional improviser and composer.   His quartet consists of Stan Strickland on saxophones, John Lockwood on bass and Yoron Israel on drums. 

Located at One Bennett Street in Harvard Square, Cambridge, the Regattabar is one of greater Boston's best jazz clubs.  Here is a schedule of upcoming concerts. 

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

To visit Massachusetts, go to MassVacation.com.

Cape Conservatory Jazz Student Ensemble Performs at Inauguration of Governor Charlie Baker on Thursday, January 8

Congratulations to the CJazz student jazz ensemble from the Cape Conservatory of Cape Cod.  The group is performing tonight at the inauguration celebration of Governor Charlie Baker, who begins his tenure today as the Governor of Massachusetts.

The event takes place at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in the Boston Seaport District.

The ensemble is directed by Bart Weisman, well-known jazz drummer on Cape Cod and founder of the popular Provincetown Jazz Festival that takes place each August on Cape Cod.

The band includes Alex Lanoue on drums from Falmouth High School; Kenny Linnell on bass from Dennis-Yarmouth High School;  Maurice Soque on sax from Falmouth High School; Bryden Williams on sax from Dennis-Yarmouth High School; and 12 year old Keb Hutchings-McMahon on guitar from the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

To visit Massachusetts, go to MassVacation.com. 

Berklee President Roger H. Brown Among Local Advocates for the Olympics 2024 Bid

Roger H. Brown, president of the Berklee College of Music, is one of the city's leaders supporting Boston 2024 Olympic bid.

A new video released this week includes Brown, along with leaders from Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brigham and Women's Hospital taking about all that greater Boston has to offer the Olympic community.

Here is the video:



For more about visiting Massachusetts, go to MassVacation.com.