Charles Lloyd Quartet Performs at UMASS/ Amherst on Tuesday, January 25

Legendary jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd is appearing with his dynamic new quartet at Bowker Auditorium at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst on Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets to the concert are $25 and $15 general admission, and $10 for college students and youths under seventeen, and tickets can be purchased online.

The band consists of Lloyd along with pianist Jason Moran, bassist Rueben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland.  The band played over the weekend to enthusiastic audiences at Regattabar in Cambridge, and was reviewd by the Boston Globe's jazz critic, Steve Greenlee.

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

For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com.

"Gary Burton's Arrival: Celebrating 50 Years" is being broadcast across the nation starting January 21

A live concert celebrating the 50 year career of jazz vibraphonist Gary Burton at Berklee College of Music, is airing this month on NPR's Jazz Set with Dee Dee Bridgewater.  The concert airs on 140 NPR affiliate stations nationwide, and on demand at NPRmusic.org and Real Jazz  at SiriusXM Radion.   In Boston, the concert airs on Saturday, January 22 at 10:00 p.m. on 89.7 WGBH radio.

The concert -- recorded in April 2010 at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston -- features musicians from Burton's seminal groups, including Chick Corea, John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Steve Swallow and many more great players.

Burton arrived as a student at Berklee in 1960, and since then has helped define jazz's state-of-the-art for the past five decades.  He won six Grammy Awards and influenced thousands of musicians, students and music lovers during his illustrious career.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com

For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com

Fred Woodard Trio Performing at Cafe Tatant in Boston on January 20

Innovative guitarist Fred Woodard and his trio are performing at the new Cafe Tatant dinner show in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood on Thursday, January 20, 2011.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for cocktails; dinner is served at 7:00 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Born in Kansas City, Woodard attended Berklee College of Music, receiving his degree in jazz composition and arrangement.  He has performed extensively in Boston and on the international circuit, playing with R&B stars like Sam & Dave, William Bell, the Drifters and the Marvelettes.

Located at the Roxbury Center for Arts at 184 Dudley Street, Cafe Tatant opened last November as an upscale venue for listening and dancing to jazz, rhythm and blues and soul music every Thursday night.  The menu  is created by George Huggins of Ethnica Gourmet Catering. 

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

For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com.

BeeHive Jazz Club in Boston Presents Singer Spotlight Series on Monday Nights

The Beehive Jazz Club in Boston's South End is introducing a Singer Spotlight Series every Monday at 8:00 p.m. 

This Monday, January 24, 2011 features singer Sarah Brindell, who teaches composition at the Berklee College of Music, and whose latest album is Dreaming Shoes.

For a full schedule of events at the Beehive, click here.

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

Shelley Neill kicks of 2011 Jazz Series at Cambridge's Multicultural Arts Center on January 21

Acclaimed vocalist Shelley Neill performs this Friday, January 21, at the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge Massachusetts at 8:00 p.m. (doors open at 7:00 p.m.).

Neill is being joined by ace Berklee musicians Laszlo Gardony on piano, Ron Mahdi on bass and Yoron Israel on drums. 

Tickets to the show are $20 and $15 and are available online or at the box office window, which is open 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 Monday through Friday.

Neill's performance will include songs from her recent album, Irish Eyes Gypsy Soul, which was released a year ago on her birthday.

The concert is part of the Center's Jazz Club series, which has offered jazz fans a chance to hear great music in an intimate setting since 2004.  The Center is located at 41 Second Street in East Cambridge.

For upcoming concerts at the Center, click here.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com

For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com.

Eric Jackson's Jazz Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. on WGBH on January 17

Eric Jackson, host of one of the region's most popular jazz radio shows,  is paying his annual tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 17, 2011, starting at 8:00 p.m..

The tribute - which combines a variety of King's speeches and interviews alongside jazz from that era, can be heard on his nightly show, Eric in the Evening, which airs on 89.7 WGBH radio from 8:00 p.m.through midnight.

Reporter Lane Lambert did an excellent story on Eric in the Quincy Patriot Ledger which talks about Jackson's annual tribute to King.

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

For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com.

Jazz Pianist Billy Taylor, Rest in Peace

Legendary jazz pianist, composer and educator Dr. Billy Taylor died on December 28, 2010 at age 89.  He was long admired throughout his career as an innovative musician who composed over 300 tunes.

Taylor had an illustrious career as a jazz pianist, getting his start with the Ben Webster Quartet in New York City, and was later the house pianist for the famous Birdland Jazz Club, sitting in Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and others.

Dr. Taylor has long been associated with the Music Department at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he got his masters and Ph.D in education.  In 1982, Billy helped found the Jazz in July program at UMass/Amherst, combining master classes, mentorship and live performances by esteemed faculty members and invited guests.

National Public Radio has a thorough tribute to Taylor, who was a longtime host of Jazz Alive on NPR stations.  The New York Times also wrote a feature story on Taylor's life.

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

For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com.