INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY IS CELEBRATED IN MASSACHUSETTS AND AROUND THE WORLD

International Jazz Day is being celebrated in over 190 countries around the world on Monday, April 30, 2018.  Adopted by UNESCO, the celebration is meant to highlight the power of jazz as a force for freedom and creativity, while promoting intercultural dialogue through respect and understanding.

Schools, universities, libraries, jazz clubs, performing arts centers, artists and arts organizations all participate in International Jazz Day, according to UNESCO.

Among the activities taking place in Massachusetts were a gathering at Wally's Cafe in Boston hosted by JazzBoston and a free concert at New England Conservatory's Brown Hall, featuring jazz faculty members and students.

The worldwide celebration began in New Orleans in the United States and culminated in St. Petersburg, Russia.

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

Berklee Be-Bop Guitar Ensemble Performs at Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown on April 25

The Be-Bop Guitars, an all-Berklee faculty guitar ensemble, performs at the Mosesian Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25, 2018.

Purchase tickets online.

Led by John Baboian, artistic director for Jazz at the Mosesian Series, the ensemble features five guitars, trumpet, vibes bass and drums.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com.

Brad Mehldau Trio Performing Six Shows at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston, April 19-21

The Brad Mehldau Trio is performing six shows at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston, from April 19-21, 2018, including 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. shows nightly.  Tickets are available online.

One of the most lyrical and intimate voices of contemporary jazz piano, 

the New York Times called Mehldau "the most influential jazz pianist of the last 20 years." 

Find more live jazz in Massachusetts year round at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com. 

Jazz Week 2018 Celebrates Live Jazz in Greater Boston, April 20-30, 2018

Jazz Week 2018, the celebration of live jazz in greater Boston organized by JazzBoston, kicks off on Friday, April 20, and runs through Monday, April 30. 

JazzBoston describes Jazz Week as "a collaboration of Greater Boston’s jazz musicians, venues, presenters, and publicists to celebrate the music and the dynamic and diverse year-round jazz scene that makes Boston one of the world’s great jazz cities. 

More than 100 venues participate, with new ones signing on each year, such as the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), which is participating in Jazz Week for the first time. 

This year, legendary radio host Eric Jackson of WGBH is being honored and celebrated with a series of events in his honor on the 40th anniversary of his show, Eric in the Evening. 

Jazz Week ties into the national observance of April as Jazz Appreciation Month celebrated by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.  Since 2012, International Jazz Day is celebrated worldwide on April 30. 

Makanda Project with Chico Freeman Performing Free Concert in Dudley Square on April 14

 The Makanda Project featuring Chico Freeman performs at the Bruce C. Bolling Center in Dudley Square, Roxbury at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, 2018.  Also performing is the Boston Citywide String Orchestra.

The concert is free and open to the public. 

The Makanda Project is an ensemble dedicated to performing the previously unrecorded compositions of Makanda Ken McIntyre.  The group is based in Boston, Massachusetts, (Makanda’s hometown) and was formed in 2005.  Since then The Makanda Project has been giving regular free concerts in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood and also performing outside of Boston – sharing what they believe is something unique and special about Makanda’s music, and adding their own individual and collective voices to his compositions.  

Find more live jazz concerts in April throughout Massachusetts.  

For more about jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

To visit Massachusetts, go to MassVacation.com. 

Portuguese Singer Ana Moura in Concert at Berklee Performance Center on Friday, April 6

Internationally recognized Fado singer Ana Moura is in concert at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston's Back Bay at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 6, 2018.

Tickets are available online or at the venue. The concert is presented by World Music/CRASHarts.

Fado is a distinct song tradition that originated in the neighborhoods and cafes of Lisbon, Portugal.

Here is a schedule of upcoming concerts at the Berklee Performance Center.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.