2nd Annual Dudley Jazz Festival Takes Place in Dorchester on August 5

The 2nd annual Dudley Jazz Festival takes place at the Mary Hannon Park in Dorchester starting at noon ton Saturday, August 5, 2017.  The park is located at 613 Dudley Street.

Organized by the Creative Cultural Arts, a non-profit ground that provides performance opportunities for musicians deserving wider recognition.

The festival is free and open to the public.   Among the highlights is a performance by The Makanda Project featuring the compositions and arrangements of Kuumba Frank Lacy. 

The Makanda Project

Here is the schedule for the festival: 

12 noon   Patrice Williamson Quartet

1:30 p.m. George Russell Jr. Trio

3:00 p.m. Fred Woodard Quartet

4:30 p.m. The Makanda Project, 

Kurtis Rivers, Joe Ford – alto saxophone

Arni Cheatham, Sean Berry – tenor saxophone

Charlie Kohlhase – baritone saxophone

Jerry Sabatini, Phil Grenadier – trumpet

Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Sarah Politz, Bill Lowe – trombone

John Kordalewski – piano

John Lockwood – bass

Yoron Israel – drums

For more information about the Dudely, contact Creative Cultural Arts at 617-631-9808

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at massjazz.com. 

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com. 

The Newport Jazz Festival August 4-6

The Newport Jazz Festival takes place on Friday, August 4 to Sunday, August 6 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Fort Adams Park in Newport.

The 2017 schedule of performances, directions to the park, and general information is available here.

Tickets are available here.

Performances include:

Cecile McLorin Salvant, a 2016 Grammy Award winner for her album For One To Love; 

Rhiannon Giddens, founder of Grammy award-winning string band Carolina Chocolate Drops;

The Roots, the official house band on The Tonight Show and named one of the greatest live bands by Rolling Stone;

Andra Day, awarded multiple Grammy nominations and recently toured with Lenny Kravitz; 

Naturally 7, best known for jazz interpretations and performed with Michael Buble on his world-tour;

Leslie Odom Jr, winner of Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role in “Hamilton”; and many more.

The full lineup and bios are available here.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Chris Smither Performs at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport on August 4

Chris Smither performs at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, August 4, 2017.

Tickets can be purchased online.

Chris Smither is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter with heavily influences from blues and American folk music.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Chicago Performs at the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis on August 2

Chicago performs at the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 2, 2017.

Tickets can be found online or at the Melody Tent Box Office.

Chicago is an American rock band with a distinctive jazz sound, thanks to its horn section.  It is known as the longest-running and most successful groups of all time. Chicago was recently ranked #9 in Billboard magazine’s recent Hot 200 All-Time Top Artists, and was inducted into the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

4th Annual Cambridge Jazz Festival Features Tia Fuller, Pieces of a Dream, Receitas de Samba, Ron Savage Trio and Berklee All Stars on Sunday, July 30

Tia Fuller 

The 4^th Annual Cambridge Jazz Festival takes place on Sunday, July 30 from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Danehy Park in North Cambridge.  Here are directions. 

The festival is free but donations are encouraged.  Eric Jackson, popular jazz radio host on WGBH, is master of ceremonies.

Among the performers:

Tia Fuller, saxophonist and faculty member at Berklee College of Music who has toured with Beyoncé;

Pieces of a Dream, an American R&B and jazz group from Philadelphia;

Receitas de Samba, a samba duo featuring Bill Ward and Anna Borges; 

The Ron Savage Trio featuring Eula Lawrence; and 

Berklee Summer Jazz Workshop All Stars directed by Terri Lyne Carrington. 

See full Bios here.

The festival's mission is to entertain, and inform people about the American art of jazz through live performances, and provide inspiration and scholarship to young musicians in the community.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Jazz Singer Amanda Carr Performs at Maudslay Arts Center in Newburyport on Saturday, July 29

Popular jazz singer Amanda Carr and her group Les Femmes de Chanson perform at the Maudslay Arts Center in Newburyport at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 29, 2017.

Tickets can be purchased online at Eventbrite.com.

A multi-styled vocalist and pianist, Amanda Carr was nominated for the Boston Music Award’s “2016 Jazz Artist of the Year.”  She has performed with some of the country's leading orchestras, from the Boston Pops to the Glenn Miller Band.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Jazz Artist Esperanza Spalding Joins Harvard Faculty in Music Department

Jazz bassist, singer, arranger and composer Esperanza Spalding has joined the faculty of the Department of Music at Harvard University as Professor of the Practice, with an appointment beginning spring 2018.

According to a press release issued by Harvard, "Spalding will teach a range of courses in songwriting, arranging, improvisation and performance, while also bringing her commitment to music as a voice for social justice."

Spalding is a four-time Grammy winner and has five critically acclaimed solo albums, and has won numerous awards for her playing.  She taught at the Berklee College of Music from 2005-2008 after graduating from Berklee with a Bachelor of Music.

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

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com.