FREE Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival Taking Place on Saturday, August 8

An all-star line-up of jazz and roots musicians are set to perform at the Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival in Court Square, Springfield, MA on Saturday, August 8, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The festival is free and open to the public.

Among the performers: Big Chief Donald Harrison with jazz keyboard legend Lonnie Smith; Avery Sharpe and the New England Gospel Choir, featuring Angel Rose and Charles Neville; Elan Trotman; Jeff Holmes Quartet and more.

Here is a full list of this year's performers.

You can find a schedule of jazz festivals throughout Massachusetts in 2015 by visiting MassJazz/Festivals.

For year round details on live jazz in the Bay State, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourism in formation, go to MassVacation.com.

Live Jazz in Massachusetts, Weekend of July 25-26

Adonis Puentes and Voice of Cuba Orchestra

Looking for live jazz in Massachusetts this weekend?  Check out these events taking place Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26, 2015.

Boston Summer Arts Weekend/ Saturday-Sunday
Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Bettye LeVette on Saturday; Aaron Neville on Sunday.

Cambridge Jazz Festival/ Sunday
Nnenna Freelon, Ron Savage Trio, JoAnne Brackeen, Egule Castrillo, Laszlo Gardony and Anthony Toth.

Hyde Park Jazz Festival/ Saturday
John Funhouser Quartet, Fernando Brandao, Daniel Ian Smith & New World Jazz Composers, Gerry Beaudoin and Jesse Williams duo.

Lowell Folk Festival/ Saturday and Sunday
Adonis Puentes and the Voice of Cuba Orchestra, The Original Pinettes Brass Band, both days.

Maudsley Arts Center/Newburyport/ Saturday
Grace Kelly

South Shore Music Circus/ Cohasset/ Saturday
Boz Scaggs

Check out the 2015 MassJazz Guide for live jazz throughout the year.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

Massachusetts Promotes Its Vibrant Jazz Scene

(Boston) – Massachusetts boasts one of the nation’s most vibrant jazz scenes, according to the 7^th Annual MassJazz Travel Guide issued by Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT). 

The 40-page MassJazz Guide highlights hundreds of jazz festivals, concerts, night clubs, college courses and related jazz activities across the Bay State this summer and through spring 2016.  The Guide is free and available at visitor centers around the state and at jazz clubs, hotels, restaurants and college campuses. 

You can read the digital online 2015 MassJazz Guide here.

Top jazz artists performing in Massachusetts in the coming months include Diana Krall, Cassandra Wilson, Chris Botti, Trombone Shorty, Manhattan Transfer, Harry Connick, Jr., Lizz Wright, Ron Carter and Arturo Sandoval.

“Jazz is part of the state’s creative economy,” said Assistant Secretary of Business Development Nam Pham. “The creative economy employs over 100,000 residents and helps to define our quality of life and our appreciation of the arts community.”

Profiled in this issue are impresario Fred Taylor of Scullers Jazz Club; Jose Masso, radio host of !Con Salsa! on WBUR; Israeli clarinetist Anat Cohen; Hungarian pianist Laszlo Gardony; orchestra leader Mark Harvey of MIT: and three jazz students from Berklee College of Music.

  

Rich Doucette, Executive Director of MOTT, praised Massachusetts’ vibrant statewide jazz scene for its “international flavor, with musicians from 100 countries living or studying here.”

In addition to details on the Bay State’s jazz festivals and concerts, the 2015 MassJazz Guide lists jazz radio programs, college courses, jazz brunches, night clubs and organizations, as well as tourism offices throughout the state.

MOTT launched MassJazz in 2009 to promote the Commonwealth’s vibrant jazz scene to visitors and residents.  For more details, visit MassJazz.com or follow on twitter @massjazz.

 For information about visiting Massachusetts, go to massvacation.com. 

You won't be feeling Blue at these Massachusetts festivals

Mass Jazz has updated the 2015 schedule of jazz festivals taking place throughout Massachusetts, from June through October.

The season begins with Django in June, running from June 16th through the 21st in Northampton, and wraps up with the Pittsfield City Jazz Festival, on October 9th through the 18th in Pittsfield.  

Click here to see the complete schedule of the jazz festivals.

Mass Jazz operates out of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism and promotes the state's vibrant jazz scene to residents and tourists throughout the year.

To keep up to date and find more information on live jazz in hotels, clubs, campuses, concert halls and other cultural venues throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

Bass Masters Wooten and Bailey at Berklee Performance Center on June 13

Jazz and funk bass masters Victor Wooten and Steve Bailey are joined by acclaimed drummers J.D. Blair and Derico Watson for an evening of songs from the bass repertoire, including Wooten's solo material, and jazz classics.  It takes place at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston's Back Bay on Saturday, June 13, 2015 at 8:00 p.m.

The concert is in conjunction with the Victor Wooten/Berklee Summer Bass Workshop. The evening's repertoire will include a demonstration of bass extremes,  Students participating in the program may take the stage to show off their skills alongside the bass masters.

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

Jazz Guitarist John Pizzarelli Performs with New Philharmonia Orchestra in Newton on June 12

The New Philharmonia Orchestra is presenting an Evening with John Pizzarelli, renowned jazz guitarist, at the First Baptist Church in Newton on Friday, June 12, 2015 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased online or at the box office.

Guest conductor for the event is Bo Winiker, and master of ceremonies is Ron Della' Chiesa.

Read about the concert and special guests here.

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

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com.

2nd Annual Plymouth Rock Assurance Jazz Fest is May 22-23

The 2nd annual Plymouth Assurance Jazz Fest is taking place on May 22-23, 2015 at the Spire Center for the Performing Arts in Plymouth, starting at 7:00 p.m. each night.

Popular jazz host Eric Jackson serves as master of ceremonies both nights.

The Friday night line-up includes the Johnny Souza Quintete, Marshall Wood Quartet featuring vocalist Donna Byrne and the Harry Allen Quartet. Purchase tix for Friday night here.

The Saturday night line-up includes Yoran Israel and High Standards, Cassandre McKinley and the Paul Broadnaz Trio, and the Joey Calderazzo Trio.  Purchase tix for Saturday night here.

The Plymouth Assurance Jazz Fest kicks off a full season on live jazz festivals in Massachusetts that run through October, 2015.  Here is the complete schedule.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com, or follow on twitter @massjazz.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.