Live Jazz and Blues in Boston and Throughout Massachusetts on Friday, April 6

Kenny Garrett

Looking for live jazz and blues on Friday, April 6, 2012 in greater Boston and throughout Massachusetts?  Check out these performances taking place in jazz clubs, hotels and concert venues, compiled by MassJazz.com. 

Boston

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers
Scullers Jazz Club
1140 Soldiers Field Road
Allston, Boston  

Marc Ribot
Special Guests: Mostly Other People Do the Killing
Institute of Contemporary Art
100 Northern Avenue
South Boston

August Wilson’s

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Huntington Theatre Company

Boston University Theatre

264 Huntington Avenue
Boston

Adric Rosen
Battery Wharf Lounge
Fairmont Battery Wharf Hotel
3 Battery Street
Downtown Boston

Lenny Stallworth & Friends

Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen

604 Columbus Ave

South End, Boston

Laure-Muniz Latin Jazz Band

Beehive Club

541 Tremont Street

South End, Boston

Cambridge

Kenny Garrett

Regattabar Jazz Club

Charles Hotel

One Bennett Street

Harvard Square, Cambridge

Sal DeFusco Project

Ryles Jazz Club

212 Hampshire Street

Inman Square, Cambridge

Brian Friedland Sextet, Daniel Rosenthal Quintet

The Lily Pad

1353 Hampshire Street

Inman Square, Cambridge

Central Mass/Metro West

Eight to the Bar
Amazing Things Arts Center
160 Hollis Street
Framingham

Shane Wood Jazz Trio

Nick’s Bar & Restaurant

124 Milbury Street

Worcester

Western Mass

John Pizzarelli
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute
225 South Street

Williamstown

Interplay Jazz Band
Blue Rock Restaurant & Bar
10 Bridge Street
Shelburne Falls

Henri Smith & Workingman's Band
Colonial Inn Restaurant
Village Forge Tavern 
48 Monument Square
Concord

North of Boston/Merrimack Valley

Morgan Scott Trio

The Java Room Café

14 Littleton Road

Chelmsford

Rising Scarlett

The Back Page

6 Kearney Square

Lowell

Dana Fuchs
Bull Run Restaurant
Route 2A
Shirley

Cape Cod

Bart Weisman Jazz Group
Grand Cru at Cape Codder Resort
1225 Iyannough Road
Hyannis, Cape Cod

For year round details on jazz concerts, night clubs, radio stations, campus events, weekend brunches and jazz activities throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com 

Medfield High School Jazz Band Holds 'Dollars for Duke Fundraiser' on April 7

Medfield HS Jazz Ensemble  (Photo by Jeremie Smith)

The Medfield High School Jazz Band has been invited to perform at the 17th annual Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival taking place May 4-6, 2012 at Lincoln Center in New York City.

To help underwrite the $12,000 needed for the trip, the Medfield Music Association is holding a Dollars-for-Duke fundraiser, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 7, 2012.

The 'Jazz Around Town' fundraiser features live jazz performances in venues around Medfield, with band members collecting cash and check donations with top hats during and after each performance.  Supporters can also send Dollars for Duke donations of any amount to the Medfield Music Association, P.O. Box 115, Medfield, MA 02052.

The Medfield band is one of only 15 high school bands selected from across the United States and Canada, and the only New England band invited to the prestigious competition, which is judged by Wynton Marsalis and a panel of musical educators and performers. 

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

For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com.

Jazz Vocalist Sunny Wilkinson Performs at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston on April 3

Jazz vocalist Sunny Wilkinson is performing at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.  She is joined by local saxophone star Grace Kelly.  Tickets to the show are $20 and can be purchased online or at the door. 

Wilkinson has performed with some of the world's best jazz performers, including the Count Basie Band, Clark Terry, Mark Murphy and others.  She has also performed on the popular TV show, Saved by the Bell and was a Solid Gold Singer.    Kelly is an acclaimed young saxophonist who has also branched out as a vocalist, composer, lyricist and arranger. 

For a schedule of upcoming concerts at Scullers Jazz Club, located at the Doubletree Suites by Hilton Hotel at 400 Soldiers Field Road in Boston's Allston neighborhood, click here.

For year round details on jazz concerts, night clubs, radio stations, campus events, weekend brunches and jazz activities throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com
  

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com.

Smithsonian Launches Jazz Appreciation Month throughout April

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History marks the 11th annual Jazz Appreciation Month in April with a month long celebration of jazz featuring performances, talks, tours and family-oriented events in venues around Washington, D.C.

This year's JAM poster features Frank Sinatra, created by renowned artist LeRoy Neiman.  To see a PDF of the poster, click here.

You can find year round details on jazz concerts, school programs, night clubs, radio programs and jazz organizations in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.  For details about Boston's vibrant jazz community, visit JazzBoston.org.

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com.

Jazz Singer Gian Faraone Performs at BOND Lounge at Langham Boston Hotel on April 4

Jazz singer Gian Faraone is performing at BOND Lounge at Boston's Langham Hotel on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

Raised in an Italian household in Venezuela, Faraone is forging a unique new sound influenced from a range of artists, from Pavarotti to Sinatra.

The show is part of the BOND Jazz Experiment, which runs from  each Wednesday evening and highlights emerging artists and accomplished performers covering the jazz spectrum, including classic jazz from the American Songbook, rhythm and blues and funk.  For reservations call 617 956-8765.

For year round jazz in concert halls, clubs, hotel lounges and college campuses throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com

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

NEC Jazz Ensembles Perform at Pierce Hall on Monday, April 2

Two student jazz ensembles from the New England Conservatory, coached by double bassist Cecil McBee, perform at Pierce Hall on Monday, April 2, 2012, at 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.  The concerts are free and open to the public. 

Pierce Hall is located in the St. Botolph Building at 241 St. Botolph Street.

For a calendar of upcoming concerts at the New England Conservatory this spring, click here.

For year round details on jazz concerts, night clubs, radio stations, campus events, weekend brunches and jazz activities throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com
  

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom playing at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston through April 8

Huntington Theatre Company is presenting August Wilson's award-winning play, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at the Boston University Theatre, from March 9 through April 8, 2012.

The play is part of Wilson's Century Cycle, and was Wilson's first Broadway hit.  In the play, legendary 1920s blues singer Ma Rainey and her musicians gather in a run-down Chicago studio to record new sides of old favorites when generational and racial tensions suddenly explode. 

Find ticket information here.

See a full schedule of plays at Huntington Theatre, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2012 as one of the region's most acclaimed theatre companies.  See more details about Huntington Theatre.

For year round details on jazz concerts, night clubs, campus events and other jazz activities in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com.

Mass Tourism Agency has handy Ask a Local App for Great Deals while Visiting Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) has introduced a great new way to make your way around Massachusetts, with a handy app called “Ask a Local.” 

The iPhone application is available on iTunes. This free, on-the-move guide provides travel information, local tips, and deals from Massachusetts hotels, attractions, restaurants, and shops. 

“The Ask A Local app serves as both a comprehensive directory and an interactive tool in traveling throughout the state,” says Betsy Wall, executive director of MOTT.  “It allows visitors to have Massachusetts right at their fingertips.”

You can also find year round details on visiting Massachusetts by going to MassVacation.com. 

Dave Whitney Quartet Performs at Amazing Things Art Center in Framingham on Sunday, April 1

The Dave Whitney Quartet, featuring jazz vocalist and trumpet stand-out Christine Fawson, is playing at the Amazing Things Arts Center in Framingham on Sunday, April 1, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. Tickets range from $8-16 and can be purchased online at the door.

Whitney is a seasoned band leader who performs throughout New England, and Fawson is an assistant professor at Berklee College of Music.

Find year round details on jazz concerts, night clubs, campus events, festivals, radio stations and other music activities in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

Visitors can find information at MassVacation.com

Celebrity Series of Boston Presents the Music of Richard Rodgers at Jordan Hall on Sunday, April 1

 Rob Kapilow

The Celebrity Series of Boston is presenting a concert called What Makes it Great? The Music of Richard Rodgers - at Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 3:00 p.m.  Tickets are $25-35, and $15 for children, and can be purchased t the NEC Ticket office starting at 1:30 p.m.

The program is presented by conductor, composer and commentator Rob Kapilow, who is joined by the Borromeo String Quartet and pianist Lukas Vondracek.  

Rodgers composed over 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals, and helped to create the Great American Songbook.

For a schedule of upcoming concerts presented by the Celebrity Series of Boston, click here. 

For year round details on jazz concerts, night clubs, radio stations, campus events, weekend brunches and jazz activities throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com
  

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com.


 

Live Jazz and Blues in Massachusetts on Saturday, March 31

Yoko Miwa

Looking for live jazz on Saturday, March 31, 2012 in greater Boston or throughout Massachusetts?  Check out these performances taking place in jazz clubs, hotels and concert venues, compiled by MassJazz.com.

Boston/Cambridge

Ben E. King

Scullers Jazz Club

400 Soldiers Field Road

Boston

Stanley Sagov & Remembering the Future Jazz Band
With Special Guest Larry Coryell
Regattabar Jazz Club
Charles Hotel
One Bennett Street
Cambridge

Peter Smith Trio
Battery Wharf Lounge
Fairmont Battery Wharf Hotel
3 Battery Street
Boston

Yoko Miwa

Les Zygomates Wine Bar

129 South Street

Boston

August Wilson’s

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Huntington Theatre Company

Boston University Theatre

264 Huntington Avenue
Boston

Western Mass
Ernie Watts & Friends
Fine Arts Center, Bowker Auditorium
University of Massachusetts
Amherst

Ahmad Jamal Trio
The Colonial Theatre
111 South Street
Pittsfield

Cape Cod

Bart Weisman Klezmer Swing Group

Booksmith-Musicsmith    

Skaket Corners Shopping Center
9 West Road
Orleans

For year round details on jazz concerts, night clubs, radio stations, campus events, weekend brunches and jazz activities throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com
  

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com 

Sax Great Ernie Watts Joins UMass Jazz Ensemble I in Concert at UMass/Amherst on March 31

Saxophonist and two-time Grammy Award winner Ernie Watts is performing in concert with the UMass Jazz Ensemble I at Bowker Auditorium  in the Fine Arts Center at UMASS/Amherst on Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets to the concert are $10-$30 and can be purchased online or at the theater.

The concert is in collaboration with the UMass Music Department's 14th Annual High School Jazz Fest taking place at the University, coordinated by Jeffrey W. Holmes.

UMass/Amherst is home to the popular Jazz in July educational program that brings together jazz masters with students for a series of workshops, lectures and concerts.  This year's Jazz in July program takes place July 9-20, 2012.

You can see a schedule of upcoming concerts at the Fine Arts Center here.

For year round details of jazz concerts, night clubs, campus events and jazz activities throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

To find tourist information visit MassVacation.com and the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. 

Jazz Piano Legend Ahmad Jamal Performs at Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield on March 31

Legendary jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal is performing at the Colonial Theatre at 111 South Street in Pittsfield on Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets range from $15 to $50 and can be purchased online or at the theater.

According to Ed Bride, head of Berkshires Jazz Inc, a non-profit group that promotes jazz in western Massachusetts,  "Jamal is a true-blue American jazz master and legend, whose career transcends time."  He is returning to the Berkshires for the first time in nearly five years.

Born in Pittsburgh, PA, the 81 year old pianist has just released a new album, Blue Moon, which has been called a jazz masterpiece by music critics.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, including concerts, campus events, night clubs, festivals and other jazz activities, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourist information visit MassVacation or BerkshiresTourism.

Russian Pianist Kirill Gerstein Performing Rhapsody in Blue at Berklee College of Music in Boston on March 30

Internationally renowned classical and jazz pianist Kirill Gerstein is returning to his alma mater, Berklee College of Music, for a concert at the Berklee Performance Center on Friday, March 30, 2012 at 8:15 p.m.

Tickets to the show are $17.50, $20 and $25 and can be purchased online or at the door. 

Gerstein will be performing George Gershwin's original 1924 arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue, with guest performer and fellow Berklee alum Anat Cohen on clarinet.

The concert will also stream live at ConcertWindows.

For a schedule of upcoming concerts at Berklee, click here.

You can find year-round details on jazz concerts, campus events, night clubs, hotel brunches, radio stations and jazz groups throughout Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com.

Jazz Trumpeter Chris Botti Performs at Hanover Theatre in Worcester on March 30

Jazz trumpet player Chris Botti is returning to the Hanover Theatre in Worcester on Friday, March 30, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets to the show are $35, $45 and $55 and can be purchased online.

The best selling jazz instrumentalist of all time, Botti has performed with some of the top jazz musicians around the world, and has won a multitude of Gold, Platinum and Grammy Awards. The show is presented by Fred Taylor and WCPA.

For a schedule of upcoming concerts at Hanover Theatre, click here.

To find year round details on jazz concerts, night clubs, festivals, campus events, radio stations and jazz organizations in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

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