Aardvark Orchestra's 41st Annual Christmas Concert Presents Duke Ellington's arrangement of the Nutcracker Suite, December 21

The Aardvark Orchestra, one of New England's premier jazz ensembles, is performing the complete Duke Ellington / Billy Strayhorn arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite at its 41st annual Christmas concert this year.

The concert takes place at the glorious Emmanuel  Church on Newbury Street in Boston's Back Bay at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 21, 2013. Tickets are $20 and can only be purchased at the door. Find more information here, or by calling (617 452-3205).  Here are directions to the church.

Proceeds of the concert will benefit the Pine Street Inn, which helps over 1,600 men and women in Boston each day.

The Ellington/Stayhorn jazz arrangement of one of the world's most recognizable classical pieces was first issued in 1960, marking the unique ability of the two artists to apply jazz interpretations to classical music with humor and imagination.

So songs from the Suite like The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is transformed into The Sugar Rum Cherry, the Russian Dance is recast as The Volga Vouty, and the Waltz of the Flowers is adapted into the Dance of the Floreadores.

For visitors seeking tourism and travel information, go to MassVacation.com.

For up to date information on jazz any time of year, follow MassJazz on Twitter and Blog.

Where to Hear Live Jazz in Massachusetts

Looking for live jazz in Massachusetts this month? Here's a list of Massachusetts jazz clubs compiled by MassJazz, which promotes the state's jazz scene year round.

You can also find details on jazz brunches taking place at hotels, restaurants and cafes on weekends.

For visitors seeking tourism and travel information, go to MassVacation.com.

For up to date information on jazz any time of year, follow MassJazz on Twitter and Blog.

CANCELLED DUE TO SNOWSTORM: Rockport Music Presents Swing Xing! Three Generations of Swing Guitar on Sunday, December 15

 (NOTE: TODAY'S CONCERT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO THE SNOWSTORM) 

This Sunday afternoon, December 15, 87-year-old jazz guitar master Bucky Pizzarelli takes the stage with fellow guitarists Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport. Tickets are $25 to $39, and can be purchased online (here), by phone ( 978.546.7391), or at the venue. The concert starts at 3:00 p.m..

Pizzarelli is a veteran performer who has worked with such music giants as Frank Sinatra, Stephane Grappelli, Tony Bennett, and Zoot Sims.  Now he is shepharding two of the world's most promising swing guitarists of the next generation into the limelight.

Vignola has performed around the world various artists, ranging from Madonna and Ringo Starr to the Boston Pops and Wynton Marsalis. The New York Times called one of the brightest "stars of the guitar."

New York City native Raniolo is one of the youngest new guitarists to make a wave in the music world, playing alongside  Pizzarelli and Vignola as well as David Grisman and Tommy Emmanuel.

Here is a schedule of upcoming concerts at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport. 

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

Find visitor information at MassVacation.com.

Berklee Performance Center Presents Magic of Christmas with Pianist Jim Brickman on Saturday, December 14

With snowfall expected in Boston on Saturday, December 14, this concert is the perfect opportunity to cast off the winter blues and embrace the holiday spirit with Jim Brickman's Magic of Christmas concert. Brickman and his band are set to perform both holiday favorites as well as some of Brickman's own hits.

Tickets are $74 (if you wish for a meet and greet prior to performance), $64, $49, and $39. The concert begins at 8:00 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center on Massachusetts Avenue. Tickets are available online via the Berklee site, at the Box Office, and by phone (617 747-2261). 

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

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

Jazz composer/ conductor Ken Schaphorst leads NEC Jazz Orchestra in free concert at Jordan Hall on December 12

"Schaphorst's writing and arranging, like that of Duke Ellington, is for individual musicians."
—Mark Corroto, All About Jazz

Ken Schaphorst, New England Conservatory's chair of jazz studies, leads the NEC Jazz Orchestra in a program of his original music and arrangements in a concert at Jordan Hall in Boston on Thursday, December 12, 2013 at 8:00 p.m..

The concert is free and open to the public.  Here are directions.

Find year round jazz throughout Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

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

New Black Eagle Jazz Band Performs at the Sherborn Inn on Thursday, December 12th

The New Black Eagle Jazz Band is performing at the Sherborn Inn on Thursday, December 12, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.  It's an evening of fine dining and great traditiona, New Orleans-style jazz by one of the region's favorite jazz ensembles.

Formed in 1971, the New Black Eagles have over 40 recordings, and continue to perform reguarly throughout New England, including the second Thursday of every month at the Sherborn.  Here is a schedule of band's upcoming events.

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

Find visitor information at MassVacation.com.
 

Alto Saxophonist Patrick Cornelius Performs this Wednesday Night at Berklee's Cafe 939 in Boston

Patrick Cornelius and friends are performing at Berklee's Cafe 939 in the Red Room on Wednesday, December 11. The concert is part of WBGO and NPR Music's The Checkout series. Tickets for this event are $10 for the public, or $5 with a Berklee ID, and available for purchase online at the venue's site. The show kicks off at 8:00 p.m..

This concert series aims to bring back acclaimed Berklee alumni to their alma mater for a performance in an intimate setting. For this occasion, Cornelius is performing a musical set he wrote, based on Alan Alexander Milne's children's book When We Were Very Young. On this project, Cornelius remarked, "This project has had perhaps more personal meaning to me than anything else I've done in my career."

Cornelius is being accompanied on stage by Kendrick Scott (drums), Peter Slavov (bass), Nick Vayenas (trombone), Jason Palmer (trumpet), Gerald Clayton (piano), John Ellis (saxophone), and Miles Okazaki (guitar).

For more event details, visit the NPR Music page here, or the Cafe 939 site here.

You can find year round details on jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com.