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.