2017 Berklee Chinese New Year Concert

Yazhi Guo

The annual Chinese New Year Concert at Berklee is taking place at 8:00 pm. on January 31, 2017 at the Berklee Performance Center at 136 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston's Back Bay.

Tickets are $12 at the door. 

The concert is an annual celebration among Chinese and other Asian populations at Berklee. A collaboration between the Chinese Student and Scholar Association and Bridge the Gap, this year's concert aims to connect cultures and musicians, and to bridge the cultural gap between Western and Eastern music. 

The development of Chinese music will be condensed into a 90-minute program, with unique arrangements of both Chinese folk songs and pop music, along with dance and other forms of performance, to show the audience a brand new perspective on China.

Find out more about Berklee College of Music. Read story on Chinese pop star and Berklee alumni Leehom Wong. 

For year round information on live jazz, blues and world music in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com. 

Boston University Commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with Duke Ellington Concert

Photo of Randall Keith Horton by Conor Doherty, courtesy of BU Today

Boston composer, arranger and musician Randall Keith Horton is presenting at concert entitled "Hope, Despair and the Blues," in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Monday, January 16 at the GSU Metcalf Ballroom at Boston University.

The concert features music of the Sacred Concerts of Duke Ellington performed by BU’s Big Band and the Inner Strength Gospel Choir and conducted by Mr. Horton.  

Read a full description of the concert, and of Horton's connections to Boston and to Ellington, at BU Today. 

Also, read this address by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the importance of jazz, delivered at the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1964, courtesy of Jazz 91.9, Atlanta's jazz station.  

A signifiant collection of Martin Luther King's writings and materials is housed at Boston University's Martin Gotlieb Archival Research Center. 

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

Blues legend Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson Performs at Bull Run Restaurant on January14

Legendary blues artists Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson is performing at the Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley, Massachusetts at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 14, 2017.  Tickets to the concert are available online or at the venue.

The Mississippi native moved to Chicago in the 1970s and helped showcase the city's strong blues tradition along with Otis Rush.

Here is a schedule of upcoming performances at Bull Run.

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

Find visitor information at MassVacation.com or MerrimackValley.org.

4th annual Narrows Blues Festival in Fall River on January 13

The 4th annual Narrows Blues Festival, featuring top blues artists, is taking place on Friday, January 13, 2017 at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River.

Tickets can be purchased online for $32 in advance and $37 the day of the show.

This year's festival includes the Eric Gales Band, Davino and the Vagabonds, Nick Schnebelen and Jimmy Bez Blues Band.

Here is a full schedule of upcoming concerts at the Narrows Center for the Arts.

Find more live jazz and blues in Massachusetts in January here.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

MassJazz Posts Dozens of Live Jazz & Blues Performances in Massachusetts in January 2017

There are dozens of live jazz & blues performances in January taking place throughout Massachusetts, according to MassJazz.  They range from concerts featuring trumpeter Christian Scott, guitarist Pat Metheny, Italian vocalist Roberta Gambarini and guitarist John Abercrombie to night jazz sessions in local jazz clubs, restaurants and hotels.

In the greater Boston area, you can find jazz every night at the week at places like Top of the Hub, Darryl's Corner Bar + Kitchen, The Beehive, Wally's and others.  Here is a full list of jazz clubs in Massachusetts.

Find details on Massachusetts' vibrant jazz community by visiting MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

Berklee College of Music Student Pens Song about Equal Pay for Women

Mina Alali, a student at the Berklee College of Music, has written a new single, "22 Cents Less," which calls for closing the income wage gap between men and women in the United States.

The music video for the song was filmed in Boston, where Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a bipartisan pay equity bill on August 1, 2016, to ensure equal pay for comparable work for all Massachusetts workers and equal opportunities to earn competitive salaries in the workplace.  The bill passed unanimously by both legislative branches,

"If young girls hear this song and are inspired to advocate for themselves someday, I will consider it a great success," states Mina. "People are used to hearing about the wage gap on the news and in political settings but we don't often hear about it on YouTube or on the radio."

Here is the video.

39th John Coltrane Memorial Concert Takes Place at Northeastern University on Saturday, October 29

The 39th John Coltrane Memorial Concert is taking place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 29, 2016 at the Blackman Auditorium at Northeastern University.

 Tickets are available online or at the venue.

The concert, entitled An Evening of Ballads & Blues, features music composed or made famous  by John Coltrane.   The evening is hosted by Eric Jackson, co-produced by Leonard Brown and Emmett G. Price III.

The concert is organized by the Friends of John Coltrane Memorial Concert (fJCMC) in collaboration with the Northeastern Center for the Arts and Northeastern Department of City and Community Affairs.

The JCMC ensemble includes Carl Atkins (reeds and woodwinds), Billy Buss (trumpet), Consuelo Candelaria (piano), Allan Chase (reeds and woodwinds), Jeff Galindo (trombone), Jason Palmer(trumpet), Nat Reeves (bass), Ron Savage (percussion), Rick Stepton (trombone), Stan Strickland (reeds. woodwinds and voice), Bobby Tynes (reeds and woodwinds).

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