NEW MASSJAZZ GUIDE PROMOTES VIBRANT JAZZ SCENE IN MASSACHUSETTS

(Boston) - The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) has released its 2017-2018 MassJazz Guide showcasing the Bay State’s vibrant year-round jazz scene of festivals, concerts, night clubs, jazz brunches, college courses and radio programs.

The free, 40-page MassJazz Guide includes stories on celebrated jazz musicians such as bassist Esperanza Spalding and pianist Yoko Miwa, jazz singer and radio executive Amanda Carr of WICN-FM and the New England Jazz Hall of Fame in Worcester. Berklee College of Music’s new partnership with the Shanghai Conservatory in China is covered, along with the upcoming Beantown Jazz Festival and other festivals in Massachusetts this fall.

Read the online version here.

Jazz promoters such as Fred Taylor, Berkshires Jazz, Woods Hole Jazz Series, Northampton Jazz Series, John Coltrane Memorial Concert and Mandorla Music are profiled, along with WGBH-FM’s award-winning jazz programs.

The 2017-2018 issue features notable Boston jazz clubs such as Les Zygomates Wine Bar, Darryl’s Corner Kitchen + Bar and Slade’s Bar & Grill, while also listing jazz brunches throughout the state.

The free MassJazz Guide is available at visitor kiosks, college campuses, and venues where live jazz is heard year-round.  See Distribution here.

Find ongoing information on live jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com, the Mass Jazz blog or on Twitter.com@massjazz and Facebook.com/MassJazz/

 For more information about visiting Massachusetts, go to MassVacation.com.

All Star Jazz Musicians Perform at the Fred Taylor Scholarship Fund Concert at Berklee Performance Center on September 12

An all-star ensemble of jazz and blues musicians are performing a benefit concert for the Fred Taylor Scholarship Fund at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 12, 2017. 

 ·         Grammy-winning percussionist and composer Terri Lyne Carrington 

·         Grammy-winning jazz vocalist, composer, and lyricist Kurt Elling

·         Grammy-winning jazz pianist, composer, and educator Danilo Pérez 

·         Grammy-winning bassist and composer John Patitucci

·         Acclaimed chart-topping jazz and blues vocalist Catherine Russell, 

·         Rising saxophonist, singer, and composer Grace Kelly 

·         Renowned jazz piano virtuoso and composer Monty Alexander

·         Rising trumpeter and composer Jason Palmer, 

·         Singer-songwriter Kat Edmonson

·         Longtime Boston trumpeter and bandleader Bo Winiker

·         Blues legend James Montgomery

Robin Young  of WBUR-FM, Boston's NPR news station, will host the event along with Kelly.

Purchase tickets here.

Les Zygomates September Lineup of Live Jazz & Blues on South Street in Boston

Don't miss great local jazz and blues at Les Zygomates Wine Bar on South Street in Boston's Leather District, just moments away from South Station.  The year-round music calendar features some of Boston's finest jazz and blues artists, as well as visiting musicians.

Check out the full menu, and make reservations here.

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

The 10th Annual Martha's Vineyard Jazz & Blues Summerfest in Oak Bluffs, September 1 - 3

The 10th Martha’s Vineyard Jazz & Blues Summerfest takes place at Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, September 1 to Sunday, September 3, 2017.

The annual 3-day concert series is produced by Shelia Baptista, President of Lewis and Kirk Music, Inc. 

Tickets are available online.

The main goal of Martha’s Vineyard Jazz & Blues Summerfest is to empower women in the music and art industry and empower women to fight cancer. The event donates funds to two breast cancer organizations – The Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Group and Support Connection of NY.

The 2017 lineup includes:

Friday, September 1

SAGE is an all-women’s jazz blues and contemporary ensemble featuring Bernice Brooks, Tia Fuller, Kersten Stevens, Miriam Sullivan, Ragan Whiteside, and Miki Hayama.

Etana, a Jamaican-born singer, debuted in 2006 as one of the most powerful and distinctive voices in reggae.

Saturday, September 2

Jazzmeia Horn is a Nubian jazz singer, winner of the 2015 Thelonius Monk International Vocal Jazz Competition, and known as one of New York’s rising stars.

Phyllis Yvonne Stickney is a stand-up comedian, motivational speaker, published author, poet, writer, Founder/Executive Director for the non-profit community based organization Alternative Careers in the Arts, and named one of the 200 African American Women who has changed the world by Essence Magazine.

Sunday, September 3

Phyllis Yvonne Stickney

Grace Kelly is a 24-year-old saxophonist, singer, and composer who wrote her first song at age seven, and recently won “Jazz Artist of the Year” in the 2016 Boston Music Awards and “Alto Saxophonist of the Year” by NYC Jazz Fans Decision 2016.

Wayna is a Grammy-nominated, Eithiopian-born, sing/songwriter who was called “a standout on the indie front” by Billboard Magazine.

Full bios are available here.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Boston Jazz Fest at Seaport Marine Park is Saturday, August 26

The annual Boston Jazz Fest takes place from noon to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 26 at the Flynn Marine Park in South Boston.

Among the featured performers:  Elan Trotman, Sivani Arbel, Matt Savage, Pat Braxton, Erena Terakubo and Groovalottos.

Find year round jazz by visiting MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

2017 Salem Jazz & Soul Fest is August 19-20

The 11th Salem Jazz and Soul Festival takes place on August 19-20, 2017 along the sandy shores of Salem Willows.  The event is free and open to the public.

This year's festival kicks off on Saturday, August 19 with the Salem H.S. Jazz Band and ends with The A-beez, a Boston-based music collective dedicated to soul, funk and R&B.

On Sunday, the festival opens with the North Shore Jazz Project All-Stars and closes with the BT/ALC Big Band.  Here is a full schedule of performances.  

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information go to North of Boston CVB, Salem Tourism Office or MassVacation.com.

New Black Eagle Band Performs at The Firehouse Center for the Arts on August 12

New Black Eagle Jazz Band performs at The Firehouse Centerfor the Arts in Newburyport at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 12, 2017.

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online.

New Black Eagle Band formed in 1971 and is known for their New Orleans Style Jazz, gospel, and blues sound.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com