Jazz Singer Tamara Usatova Performs at BOND Lounge in Boston on Wednesday, December 7

Russian-born jazz and soul vocalist Tamara Usatova is performing at the BOND Lounge | Restaurant at the Langham Boston Hotel on Wednesday, December 7, 2011 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

The Berklee graduate cites influences ranging from Etta James, Aretha Franklin and Billie Holiday to Anita Baker, Whitney Houston and Chaka Khan.

The performance is part of the BOND Jazz Experiment, which highlights emerging artists and accomplished performers covering the jazz spectrum, including classic jazz from the American Songbook, rhythm and blues and funk. 

Located at the Langham Boston Hotel,  BOND Restaurant & Lounge is open seven days a week, offering gourmet sandwiches for lunch, afternoon tea, and global cuisine for dinner, plus an extensive wine list and distinctive cocktails.

A special jazz menu is available on Wednesdays. For reservations call 617 956-8765.

For a full schedule of artists through December, click here.

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.

Maggie Scott Tribute at Berklee on December 8 Features Esperanza Spalding, Nadia Washington and Others

Maggie Scott, jazz vocal professor at Berklee College of Music for 30 years, is being honored by the college and many of her former students at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 8, 2011 at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston's Back Bay.

Tickets to the event are $20 for reserved seating and $15 for general admission and can be ordered online.

Among the performers and special guests: Antonia Bennett, Lalah Hathaway, Robin McKelle, Esperanza Spalding, and Nadia Washington.

Scott is considered a trailblazer for female musicians, being one of the first women instructors at Berklee, and the first woman named president of the Boston Musicians Association, Local 9-535.

For a year round list of jazz concerts, night clubs, campus events, radio programs, brunches, and live jazz in hotels, visit MassJazz.com.

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

Vijay Iyer Trio and the Miguel Zenon Quartet Concert at Berklee Performance Center on Friday, December 9

Pianist Vijay Iyer and saxophonist Miguel Zenon are playing in concert at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston's Back Bay on Friday, December 9, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. 

Tickets to the show are $40-$50 and can be purchased online. 

The concert is part of the Celebrity Series of Boston, which has been bringing high quality music to Boston since 1938.   For a complete schedule of the 2011-2012 season, click here.

"Iyer and Zenon are two of the most startlingly original and brilliant voices in contemporary jazz," writes Celebrity Series of Boston.  "Both are fearless explorers, ably mining whatever moves them, from honored jazz traditions to hip hop culture, all with technical mastery, grit, and wisdom. In this double bill, audiences will hear the jazz of tomorrow under construction."

For year round details on jazz nightclubs, concerts, campus events, brunches and festivals throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

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

Jazz Christmas Concert at Scullers in Boston on December 6 & 7

A Peter White Christmas, starring smooth jazz guitarist Peter White and saxophonists Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum takes place at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston on Tuesday, December 6 and Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 10:00 p.m.

Tickets are $40 and can be purchased online.

For upcoming concerts at Scullers Jazz Club, click here.

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

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

US Air Force Jazz Ensemble Performing Free Concert at Mechanics Hall in Worcester on Wednesday, December 7

The US Air Force jazz ensemble, Band of Liberty, is performing a free lunchtime concert at Mechanics Hall in Worcester on Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at noon.

It's part of the Brown Bag lunch series sponsored by Mechanics Hall, along with WICN 90.5 FM and Bank of America.

Made up of 13 outstanding musicians from around the country, the Band of Liberty jazz ensemble takes pride in preserving the heritage of America's true art form - jazz.  The band is based at Hanscom Air Force base in Massachusetts.

For year round jazz and blues events in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com. 

Tenor Sax Standout Seamus Blake Performs at Berklee's 939 Cafe on Wednesday, December 7

Jazz saxophonist Seamus Blake is performing at the Red Room at Cafe 939 in Boston on Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets to the performance are $10 general admission and can be purchased online.

The concert is part of a new NPR/ WBGO Jazz 88 FM concert series called The Check Out - Live at Berklee, which features New York-based critically acclaimed alumni from Berklee College of Music.  The performances is broadcast live in New York to WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM's 350,000 listeners and streamed worldwide on NPRmusic.org. The shows will also be audio podcast from Checkoutjazz.org and from NPRmusic.org.

Born in England and raised in Canada, Blake is recognized as one of the finest exponents of contemporary jazz performance and composition.

For a schedule of upcoming performances at Cafe 939, click here.

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

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

Berklee College of Music Breaks Ground for 16 Story Tower in Boston

On Thursday, November 30, 2011, the Berklee College of Music broke ground  for a 16-story, $100 million new dormitory and music center for the school's student population, located at 160 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston.

Attending the groundbreaking were Roger Brown, president of Berklee, Tom Menino, mayor of Boston, and a number of local public official, school officials and neighborhood leaders.

Completion is expected in fall 2013, and will include 770 beds, a two-story dining hall, a 400-seat performance center for students, plus practice rooms, student lounges, and on-street retail shops.

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

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