Cape Cod Trumpeter Lou Colombo Dies

Our prayers, sorrow and appreciation go out to the family of Lou Colombo, legendary jazz trumpet player on Cape Cod, who died in a car accident in Ft. Meyer, Florida this week.

The Brockton-born musician played on Monday nights for decades at the family-owned Roadhouse Cafe in Hyannis, building a faithful clientele who loved top flight jazz.  That fan base included many performers who came to play at the Cape Cod Melody Tent, including Colombo's friend Tony Bennett. 

Colombo also performed at the Provincetown Jazz Festival and was a strong supporter of local jazz on Cape Cod.

His family posted this message on its site at the Roadhouse Cafe in Ft. Meyers, where Lou had been playing through the winter.

Here's a heart-felt tribute to Lou by Dave Rojay in Cape Cod Today.

Thank you Mr. Colombo for your great music. 

Live Jazz in Boston area and across Massachusetts on Saturday, March 3

Yoko Miwa Trio

Looking for live jazz Saturday, March 3, 2012 in greater Boston or somewhere in Massachusetts?  Check out these night clubs and concert halls, compiled by MassJazz.com.

Boston/Cambridge

Peter Smith Trio

The Battery Wharf Lounge

Fairmont Battery Wharf Hotel

Soulfolk Experience – Maritri Garrett

Beehive Jazz Club

541 Tremont Street

South End, Boston

Elevation Theory

Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen

604 Columbus Ave

South End, Boston

Yoko Miwa

Jazz pianist

Les Zygomates Wine Bar
129 South Street
Boston

Justin Beech Trio

Lucky’s Lounge

355 Congress Street

Boston

Patrice Monahan's Shufflin Time Band

The Lily Pad

1353 Cambridge Street

Inman Square, Cambridge

West of Boston
Paul Broadnax Trio
Remember Nat King Cole
Amazing Things Arts Center
160 Hollis Street
Framingham

North of Boston
Tenth Annual A Capella Night
Rogers Center for the Arts
Merrimack College
315 Turnpike Street
North Andover

Cape Cod
Greg Abate
Cotuit Centerfor the Arts
4404 Route 28
Cotuit, 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.

Bart Weisman Klezmer Swing Concert at Cotuit Center for the Arts on Cape Cod this Friday, March 2

Jazz drummer Bart Weisman and his Klezmer Swing group are performing at the Cotuit Center for the Arts on Cape Cod this Friday, March 2, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in the Art Gallery.

 Tickets are $18 / $15 for members, and can be purchased online or by calling 508-428-0669.

The group includes Monica Rizzio on violin and vocals , Clayton March on clarinet and mandolin, Alan Clinger on guitar, Laird Boles on bass, and Mr. Weisman on drums.

Weisman is founder and musical director of the Providence Jazz Festival,  which takes place each August on the Cape. 

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

To find tourist information visit MassVacation.com and CapeCodChamber.org.

Playing for Change Live Tour comes to Berklee Performance Center in Boston on Friday, March 2

Playing for Change Live - currently on an international tour - comes to the Berklee Performance Center in Boston on Friday, March 2, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $36-$46 and can be purchased online or at the door. 

The show, presented in Boston by Scullers Jazz Club, presents street musicians from around the world who came together in 2009 to create a powerful musical statement that seeks to affect change through music .

Vocalist Clarence Milton Bekker is one of the featured performers at the tour.

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

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

Lawrence Morris Brings A Conduction to New England Conservatory on March 2

Lawrence "Butch" Morris brings his unique talents as composer, conductor, arranger, and performer to the New England Conservatory on Friday, March 2, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. 

Tickets are $20 general admission and $18 for students, and can be ordered onlline.

Morris is recognized internationally as the principal theorist and practitioner in the evolution of Conduction® (a term borrowed from physics), a type of structured free improvisation where Morris directs and conducts an improvising ensemble with a series of hand and baton gestures. In this structured yet free improvisation, Morris conducts an ensemble from the classical, jazz, and contemporary music departments at NEC, where he was recently in residence.

The show is co-produced by the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston and New England Conservatory in cooperation with JazzBoston.

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 or BostonUSA.com.

SF Jazz Collective Performs at UMASS/Amherst on Thursday, March 1

The acclaimed SF Jazz Collective performs at the Fine Arts Center at University of Massachusetts in Amherst on Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets to the concert can be purchased online or at the door.

Hailing from Puerto Rico, New York, Venezuela, Philadelphia, New Zealand, and Israel, the Collective's multi-cultural lineup mirrors the explosion of jazz talent around the globe. For more about the band, click here. 

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 about Massachusetts, visit MassVacation.com.

Esperanza Spalding at the Oscars - What a Wonderful Performance

Image Credit: Sandrine Lee

Congratulations to Esperanza Spalding, Grammy Award winning jazz musician and Berklee alumna, who performed What a Wonderful World at the 84th Academy Awards, along with the 120 member Southern California Children's Chorus.

Spalding and the Chorus performed during the show's In Memoriam montage.

The song, What a Wonderful World, was recorded by jazz great Louis Armstrong in 1968. 

On April 22, 2012 World Music/CRASHarts is presenting Esperanza Spalding and the Radio Music Society in concert  at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Boston. For ticket information click here.

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

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