Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco at Boston's Agganis Arena on October 31-November 4

Cirque du Soleil's Saltimbanco, an acrobatic celebration of urban life, is coming to the Agganis Arena at Boston University for eight shows from October 31 through November 4, 2012.

After touring the world for two decades, the show is winding down and Boston is one of its final stops before it returns to Montreal in December to disband.  It's a great chance to see this extravaganza of acrobatic feats enhanced by a polyrhythmic live band of world class musicians.

MassJazz has a pair of free tickets to give to a lucky contestant: here's how to Enter the Contest.

Or, you can purchase tickets online to any of the eight shows.

Find out about live jazz in Massachusetts any time of the year by visiting MassJazz.com.

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

Singer / Songwriter Melody Gardot Performs at Boston's Berklee Performance Center on September 27

Singer-songwriter Melody Gardot is performing at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston on Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.   Tickets are $36-46 and can be purchased online or at the venue.

Gardot is on tour to promote her third album, The Absence.

The concert is the lead-in to the 12th annual Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival taking place on Saturday, September 29, 2012 in Boston's South End.  

You can also find year round details on jazz in Massachusetts on MassJazz and follow up on Facebook & Twitter.

For information about visiting go Massvacation.com.and BostonUSA.com.

Blues Guitar Masters Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Robert Cray Perform at Boston's Wilbur Theatre on September 27

Two great blues bands led by guitarists Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Robert Cray, perform in concert at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston on Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.  

Tickets are $42.50-$49.50 and can be purchase online or at the theatre.

Here's a schedule of upcoming concerts at Wilbur Theatre, located at 246 Tremont Street in downtown Boston.

Find year round details on jazz in nightclubs, college campuses, concert venues, cafes and restaurants, hotels and other venues by visiting MassJazz.com.

For tourism information, visit MassVacation.com

Jazz Pianist Claire Ritter Performs at Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center on September 27

Jazz pianist and composer Claire Ritter is celebrating the release of her 10th CD with a concert at the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge on Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.

Ritter is joined by  Stan Strickland, on  flute and bass clarinet; vocalist Dominique Eade, and Takaaki Masuko on percussion.

Tickets range from $15-$20 and can be purchased online or by calling 617 577-1400.

Here is a full schedule of upcoming events at the Multicultural Arts Center.

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

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

Magic Triangle Presents Solos and Duos Music at UMass/Amherst on September 27

The Magic Triangle Series, which showcases Black music around the world, is presenting four musicians with distinct backgrounds - Satoko Fujii, Carla Kihlstedt, Natsuki Tamura and MatthiasBossi - to perform three duos at Berzason Recital Hall at the Fine Arts Center, University of Massachusetts in Amherst, on Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets to the show are $10 general admission and $5 for students. 

UMass/Amherst has a full schedule of jazz concerts this fall and winter. 

Find year round details on jazz in nightclubs, college campuses, concert venues, cafes and restaurants, hotels and other venues by visiting MassJazz.com.

For tourism information, visit MassVacation.com.

Jazz Festival in Falmouth, Cape Cod Taking Place September 25-30

Grace Kelly

JazzFest Falmouth 2012 is taking place in the beautiful seaside town of Falmouth, Cape Cod, from September 25 through September 30, 2012, at various venues around town.

Among the performers are jazz saxophonist Grace Kelly, blues vocalist Toni Lynn Washington, the Stage Door Canteen Big Band, pianist Eddie Scheer, jazz singer Michelle Cruze, the Bart Weisman Jazz Group, Russ Wilcox Group and many more.  Here's a complete line-up of jazz performers.

The Grace Kelly Quintet, which performs Saturday, September 29 at Highfield Theatre in Falmouth, features Jason Palmer on trumpet, Pete McCann on guitar, Evan Gregor on bass, and Jordan Perison on drums.

In addition, this year's JazzFest Falmouth includes a lecture by author Richard Vacca, a Friday Night Jazz Stroll along Main Street in Falmouth,  and a free master's class for students.  Here is the complete schedule.

JazzFest Falmouth 2012 is presented by ArtsFalmouth, a non-profit group that supports the celebration of Arts in Falmouth.

You can find year round information on live jazz and blues all across Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

For tourist information, go to MassVacation.com or the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center.

Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival Takes Place in Boston on Saturday, September 29

The 12th annual Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival is taking place this Saturday, September 29, 2012, from noon to 6:00 p.m. in Boston's South End.  The event is free and open to the public!

Check out this blog account on MassVacation.com.

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

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

Berklee's Be-Bop Guitar Ensemble Performs at The Sahara Club on September 25

Jockos Jazz at the Sahara Club in Metheun in presenting The Be-Bop Guitars on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Admission is just $10 and payable at the door.

The band is an all-Berklee faculty guitar ensemble featuring five guitars along with trumpet, vibes, bass and drums, led by jazz guitarist and Berklee professor John Baboian. 

The group performs mainstream and contemporary Jazz, Latin & Blues styles. The original compositions and the original arrangements of jazz standards are written specifically for this unique sounding band. The musicians/educators in The Be-Bop Guitars have a combined 250+ years of teaching experience at Berklee.

Here are directions to the Sahara Club, located at 34 Bates Street in Metheun, MA.

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

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

Jazz Violinist Ben Powell & Quartet Perform in Rockport on Sunday, September 23

Ben Powell, who has been called the future of modern jazz, is leading his quartet in concert at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport on Sunday, September 23, 2012 at 5:00 p.m.

Tickets to the concert are $15, $22 and $28 and can be purchased online or at the concert hall.

A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Powell is an astonishingly gifted violinist who carries on the music of gypsy jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli while bringing his heightened musical sensibility to the tradition.  He has performed with Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon and other leading artists of our time.

Here is a full schedule of upcoming concerts presented by Rockport Music at Shalin Liu Performance Center.

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

Joe Jackson Singing Duke Ellington Classics at Wilbur Theatre on September 19

Pop hit maker Joe Jackson is performing songs from Duke Ellington at the Wilbur Theatre in downtown Boston on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online or at the theater.

Joining Jackson on the tour is jazz and classical violinist Regina Carter and a six piece jazz ensemble. Jackson's newest album is called The Duke.

Here is a schedule of upcoming shows at the Wilbur Theatre.

Find year round details on live jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com

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

Tribute to John Coltrane at the Beehive in Boston on September 19

Saxophonist George Garzone is leading a tribute to John Coltrane at the Beehive Jazz Club in Boston's South End on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 from 8:00 p.m. to midnight.  There is no cover charge.

Born on September 23, 1926 in North Carolina, Coltrane emerged as one of the most influential musicians and composers of jazz in the 20th century.   He died in 1967.

Here is a calendar of upcoming performances at Beehive.

Find year round details on jazz clubs, concerts, weekend brunches, campus events, radio stations and other jazz-related activities at MassJazz.com.

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

Jazz from Row Six Photo Exhibit on Display in Springfield Through September 30

Photo of Clark Terry with Byron Stripling

Courtesy of Jean Germain 

Art for the Soul Gallery in Sprinfield is hosting a month-long exhibit of jazz photographs by noted photographer Jean Germain.

The exhibit, entitled Jazz from Row Six: 1981-2007, includes 50 photographs of numerous jazz legends who performed at the Jazz Club in Sarasota, FL, where Germain lives.

Some of the musicians featured include John and Bucky Pizzarelli, Clark Terry, Byron Stripling, Howard Alden, Milt Hinton, Tito Puente, Marion McPartland, Cleo Laine, Diana Krall and more. 

 A book by the same name, Jazz from Row Six: 1981-2007,  is also available for sale, and proceeds benefit the jazz program at Springfield’s High School of Science and Technology. 

Located at 235 State Street in the Classical High Condominiums, Art of the Soul Gallery is open to the public.  For more information call 413-231-4598 or 413-788-3903.

Read Sarah Platanatis' story on the exhibit on MassLive.com.

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

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com

Live Jazz in Boston / Massachusetts on Tuesday, September 18

(Image courtesy of Northampton Jazz Workshop)

Looking for great live jazz in Boston and Massachusetts on Tuesday, September 18, 2012?  Here's a few ideas from MassJazz.com:

Ralph Peterson

Scullers Jazz Club

Doubletree Suites Hilton Hotel

400 Soldiers Field Road

Boston

Julian Shore

The Beehive

541 Tremont Street

South End, Boston

Wally's Stepchildren

Wally's Jazz Cafe

427 Mass Avenue

South End, Boston

Yoko Miwa

Les Zygomates Wine Bar

129 South Street

Boston

Lance Houston Quartet

Seaport Hotel

200 Seaport Blvd.

Seaport District, South Boston

Blue Horizon Jazz Band

Sherborn Inn

Routes 16 & 27

Sherborn

Houston Person & Green Street Trio

Jazz Workshop and Jam

Loft Lounge

Clarion Hotel

Northampton

Find a full list of jazz clubs, campus activities, weekend jazz brunches and more at MassJazz.com.  

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

Governor Deval Patrick Declares Marion Brown Day in Massachusetts, September 15, 2012

Governor Deval Patrick has declared Saturday, September 15, 2012 as Marion Brown Day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to honor one of the great and often-unheralded alto saxophonists, composers and performers in jazz.

The recognition of Brown, who died in 2010,  coincides with the 2nd annual Northampton Jazz Festival taking place on September 15; Brown was a resident of Northampton for many years and helped to sustain a vibrant jazz scene in the area. Read Tom Reney's excellent article on Brown.

The proclamation describes Brown as "a roving ambassador for jazz, and the jazz communities of Northampton, MA and the Pioneer Valley, by recording and performing his music throughout the United States, Europe and Japan."

Brown also performed with Governor Patrick's father, Pat Patrick in the Sun Ra Arkestra.

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

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com.

2nd annual Northampton Jazz Festival Takes Place on Saturday, September 15

The 2nd annual Northampton Jazz Festival is taking place in downtown Northampton, Massachusetts on Saturday, September 15, 2012 from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public. Here are directions to Hampton Street in Northampton.

Among the performers are jazz drummer and Grammy nominee Matt Wilson, baritone saxophone star Gary Smulyan and his Quartet, and jazz guitarist Sheryl Bailey. 

Also, this year's festival pays tribute to the late Marion Brown, an influential jazz saxophonist who lived in Northampton for a few decades.  Read this great article by Tom Reney about Marion Brown.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has officially proclaimed September 15 as Marion Brown Day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Mr. Brown played in the Sun Ra Arkestra with Governor Patrick's father, baritone saxophonist Pat Patrick.

Here is a complete schedule of the Northampton Jazz Festival.

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

For tourist information, go to MassVacation.com and Pioneer Valley.