Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Jazz Vocalist Jon Regen Performs at Scullers on Wednesday, September 21



Jazz vocalist, pianist and songwriter Jon Regan is performing at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to the show are $20 and can be purchased online.

Based in New York City, Regan studied with legendary pianist Kenny Barron.  His latest album, Revolution, has ten original compositions, is being hailed as a masterpiece of invention, musicality and verve.

Scullers Jazz Club at the Doubletree Suites by Hilton Hotels, is considered one of the world's premier jazz clubs.  For a schedule of upcoming performances, click here.

For year round news on jazz concerts, festivals, campus events, brunches and nightclubs in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com.

Blues Singer Shemekia Copeland Performs at Regattabar on Wednesday, September 21


Powerful blues singer Shemekia Copeland is performing at the Regattabar Jazz Club in Harvard Square on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online or at the door.

Copeland, born in Harlem in 1979, is a talented young singer who has performed around the world, opening for the Rolling Stones and headlining the Chicago Blues Festival. 

Located at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, the Regattabar Jazz Club has a great schedule of performances featuring great jazz and blues musicians coming to town this fall.

For a full schedule of jazz festivals, night clubs, campus events, brunches and concerts in Massachusetts throughout the year, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Bruce Gertz Quintet kicks of Jazz at the Arsenal series in Watertown on Monday, September 19


Jazz bassist Bruce Gertz and his quintet are performing at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown, Massachusetts, on Monday, September 17, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets to the show are $18 and can be ordered online.

In addition to Gertz, the quintet includes Jerry Bergonzi on tenor sax, Phil Grenadier on trumpet, Steve Hunt on piano, and Austin McMahon on drums.

The performance is part of the newly named Jazz at the Arsenal series taking place this fall. 

For more information about the Arsenal Center for the Arts, click here.

For year round information on jazz concerts, festivals, campus events, night clubs, brunches and jazz-related activities in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com or BostonUSA.com.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Great Live Jazz in Massachusetts on Saturday, September 17

Yoko Miwa 
 
Looking for live jazz in Massachusetts on September 17, 2011?  There are hundreds of jazz clubs, concert halls and college campuses in Massachusetts with great live jazz and blues this weekend.  Here is just a sampling:


Newton
Highland Jazz Series presents
Rebecca Parris and Paul Broadnax
Newtown South High School
140 Brandeis Road
 
Cambridge
Stanley Sagov & The Remembering the Future Band
Regattabar Jazz Club at Charles Hotel
One Bennett Street

Charles Farrell, Evan Parker & Jim Schapperoew
1353 Cambridge Street

Michael Borgida & Company
403 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge

Boston  
Makanda Project Summer Project with Voices
Roxbury Heritage State Park
183 Roxbury Street, Roxbury

Toni Carelli Group
Top of the Hub
Prudential Center, 52nd floor
Back Bay, Boston

Yoko Miwa
129 South Street
Downtown

Henri Smith
604 Columbus Ave
South End

Zili Misik
541 Tremont Street
South End

Cape Cod
Tema Jazz featuring Steve Tapper
Grand Cru @ the Cape Codder Resort & Spa
1225 Iyannough Road
Route 132 & Bearse's Way
Hyannis

Central Mass
 Philippe Crettien Trio
452 Great Road
Acton

Phyllis Fallon & Workingman’s Band
48 Monument Square
Concord

North of Boston
Diane Blue 
15 Kearney Square
Lowell



For tourist information year round in Massachusetts, visit MassVacation.com

Thursday, September 15, 2011

James Farm kicks off Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival in Boston on September 23

James Farm
James Farm, a powerhouse jazz ensemble featuring saxophonist Joshua Redman, pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer Eric Harland, kicks off this year's Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival with a concert at the Berklee Performance Center on Friday, September 23, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets to the concert are $30-$42 and can be purchased online through World Music.

The 11th annual festival runs September 23-25, with an all-day, free outdoor festival schedule for Saturday, September 24, featuring an international cast of great performers including Oleta Adams, Danilo Perez, Pablo Ablanedo, Berklee Global Jazz Institute and more.

You can find a complete schedule by visiting BeanTown Festival.

For a history of the BeanTown Jazz Festival, click here.

For year round details on jazz festivals, concerts, campus events, brunches, radio stations, organizations and musicians in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com.


Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Jazz Saxopohonist Andrew Halchak Performing at BOND Lounge in Boston's Langham Hotel on Wednesday, September 14


Standout saxophonist Andrew Halchak is performing at the BOND Lounge at Boston's Langham Hotel on Franklin Street on Wednesday, September 14, 2011, from 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.  There is no cover charge.

Halchuck is a Berklee graduate who is now pursuing his master's degree at New England Conservatory.  He is from Tuscon, Arizona, and has performed across the United States and Europe.

The show is part of BOND's Jazz Experiment series every Wednesday night, which features some of the city's best emerging jazz players. 

BOND restaurant | lounge is open seven days a week, offering gourmet sandwiches for lunch, afternoon tea, and global cuisine for dinner, plus an extensive wine list and distinctive cocktails. A special jazz menu is available on Wednesdays

For year round details on jazz nightclubs, concerts, campus events, brunches and festivals throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com or BostonUSA.com.

Mexican Jazz Singer Magos Herrera Performs at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston on Wednesday, September 14

Magos Herros 
Grammy-nominated jazz singer Magos Herrera is performing at Scullers Jazz Club at the Doubletree Suites by Hilton Hotel on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets to the show are $20 and can be purchased online.  Dinner and show is also available for $62.  For more details call  617-562-4111.

Born in Mexico City, Herrera combines a modern interpretation on jazz performance with Latin culture and Afro-Cuban influences.She has six CDs, including Distancia, which earned her a nomination for best jazz vocal.album in 2009.

For a schedule of upcoming performances at Scullers Jazz Club, visit the calendar of Coming Attractions

For full details on jazz concerts, festivals, campus events, brunches, radio stations and other jazz-related activities throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com or BostonUSA.com

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

7th annual Pittsfield City Jazz Festival Taking Place October 7-20 in Western Massachusetts



Grace Kelly, Phil Woods, Armen Donelian, Greg Caputo, and the BerkshiresJazz Youth Ensemble are among the performers at the 7th annual Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, October 7-20, 2011.

The festival gets under way on Columbus Day weekend, Oct. 7-9 with Jazz About Town, when several restaurants and lounges in downtown Pittsfield offer a variety of instrumental and vocal jazz performances, both indoors and outdoors. Among the many highlights:

  • The inauguration of the festival’s Piano Prodigy Series, with Alma Macbride, who won the Mary Lou Williams centennial competition at Lincoln Center at the age of 14. Alma performs in a free concert at the Berkshire Athenaeum on Wednesday, Oct. 12.
  • Jazz pianist Armen Donelian appears at the festival for the first time on Oct. 14. Renowned for both his original compositions and interpretations of jazz and classical works, Donelian’s trio includes bassist Dave Clark and drummer George Schuller.
  • Grace Kelly returns to Pittsfield, concluding a year-long tour on Oct. 15, with NEA Jazz Master Phil Woods. The two appeared on stage at the festival in 2006, when Woods gave then 14-year-old Kelly his legendary leather cap, giving rise to the name of their new CD “Man with the Hat.” Grace and Phil welcome their friend, drummer Gregory Caputo, who will appear with them as a special guest artist.
  • The festival concludes on Oct. 20 with jazz-themed Third Thursday block party.
For more details visit http://berkshiresjazz.org/

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com and BerkshiresVisitorBureau.

For year round jazz festivals, concerts, campus events, brunches, radio stations and more, visit MassJazz.com


Monday, September 12, 2011

Cuban Jazz Pianist Alfredo Rodriguez Performs at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston on Tuesday, September 13

Cuban jazz pianist Aflredo Rodriguez is performing at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston, Massachusetts on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets to the show are $20 and can be purchased online.

Rodriguez left Cuba in 2009 to pursue a musical career and has since played around the world.  His influences range from Back and Beethoven to Bill Evens and Thelonius Monk.  Quincy Jones, with whom Rodriguez has toured and collaborated with on new compositions, said about Rodriguez, "He is very special and I do not say that easily because I have been surrounded by the best musicians in the world my entire life and he is one of the best.”

For more upcoming concerts at Scullers Jazz Club, located at the Doubletree Suites by Hilton at 400 Soldiers Field Road in Boston, click here.

For year round details on concerts, festivals, campus events, brunches, radio stations and other jazz related resources, visit MassJazz.com

For tourist information about Massachusetts, visit MassVacation.com or BostonUSA.com.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

9/11 Berklee Memorial Concert in Boston

Berklee College of Music is hosting a musical tribute on the ten year anniversary of 9/11 in Boston on Sunday, September 11, 2011.  The concert takes place at the Berklee Performance Center starting at 7:30 p.m.

Berklee students and alumni will perform original songs and instrumental pieces that were selected from a large field of submissions, presenting  a wide range of genres and styles.

The event will stream live at Concert Window.



Friday, September 9, 2011

WICN to be the home of the New England Jazz Hall of Fame in Worcester, Massachusetts



WICN 90.5 FM Public Radio is going to be home to the New England Jazz Hall of Fame, a tribute to the greats who have made the region’s jazz scene so vibrant. The Hall of Fame is a special project of the New England Jazz Alliance (NEJA), which initiated it as a traveling exhibit in 2001. A decade later, the scope and popularity of the Jazz Hall of Fame has required organizers to find a permanent home.

That will be at the WICN radio station, located at 50 Portland Street in Worcester, right in the heart of the city’s cultural district. The good news was announced on April 29,  2011 during the Smithsonian Institute’s Jazz Appreciation Month, by WICN president Tom Lucci and NEJA president Ed Bride.

“April 29 is Duke Ellington’s birthday,” Lucci and Bride said in a joint statement, “and three Ellington alumni – Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney and Paul Gonsalves – were among the original ten inductees in 2001.”

“We’re thrilled with our evolving relationship with WICN,” said Bride this summer. “The performance space at WICN is an ideal spot to display our historical information as well as host relevant performances.”

The NEJA plans to announce the process for nominating inductees into the Hall of Fame shortly, and the winners will be announced next winter, with an induction ceremony planned for April 2012 during Jazz Appreciation Month sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute.

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

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com.


This article first appeared in MassJazz Travel Guide, summer 2011 issue.

Live Jazz and Blues in Massachusetts: Saturday, September 10, 2011


Mr. Nick and the Dirty Tricks at the Beehive

Looking for live jazz in Massachusetts on September 10, 2011?  There are hundreds of jazz clubs, concert halls and college campuses in Massachusetts with great live jazz and blues this weekend.  Here is just a sampling:

Boston  
Marcio Philomena Group
Felix Peikli Quartet
Boston Ahts Festival
Christopher Columbus Park
North End, Boston

Maggie Galloway and the Bob Nieske Group
Top of the Hub
Prudential Center, 52nd floor
Back Bay, Boston

Elevation Theory
604 Columbus Ave
South End, Boston

Mr. Nick and the Dirty Tricks
541 Tremont Street
South End, Boston

Boston Suburbs
An Evening with Ronnie Earl
Regent Theatre
7 Medford Street
Arlington
 
Matt Savage
National Heritage Museum
33 Marrett Road
Lexington

The American Songbook - The Jazz View
Music of Jimmy McHugh
Arsenal Center for the Arts
321 Arsenal Street
Watertown

North of Boston
September 10
North Shore Jazz Project Presents
J. Geils Quintet
Barn at Castle Hill
290 Argilla Road
Ipswich

 South of Boston
Rock the Bells Festival
Featuring Erykah Badu
Comcast Center
Marshfield

 Cape Cod
Bart Weisman Group
Featuring Marcelle Gauvin
Grand Cru @ the Cape Codder Resort & Spa
1225 Iyannough Road
Route 132 & Bearse's Way
Hyannis, Cape Cod

Central Mass
Nick Goumas Quintet
160 Hollis Street
Framingham

Western Mass
Roy Gerson, jazz pianist
10 Castle Street
Great Barrington


For tourist information year round in Massachusetts, visit MassVacation.com

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

BOND Jazz Experiment at Langham Hotel Boston Announces Fall Lineup of Live Jazz

Felix Peikli 

BOND restaurant | lounge has released an exciting line-up of live music in its Jazz Experiment series for fall, 2001, featuring emerging artists from greater Boston's vibrant jazz community.  The music takes place Wednesday evenings, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., and there is no cover charge.

BOND restaurant | lounge is located at The Langham Hotel, 250 Franklin Street in Boston.  For more information call 617 956-8765, or view performance schedule here:


September 7 ~ Tamara Usatova
Vocalist Tamara Usatova combines her love for soul, jazz and R&B singers in her music with influences from Etta James, Aretha Franklin and Billie Holiday to Anita Baker, Whitney Houston and Chaka Khan to name a few.

September 14 ~ Andrew Halchak
A 2010 graduate of Berklee College of Music, saxophonist Andrew Halchak has played stages throughout the U.S. and Europe. Currently, he’s pursuing his Master of Music degree at The New England Conservatory.

September 21 ~ Felix Peikli
Born in Norway, clarinetist Felix Peikli found his way into music through the local Marching Band at the age of 8. Currently a Berklee College of Music student, Felix is a part of the newly founded honors-program Berklee Global Jazz Institute.

September 28, 2011 ~ Ten Tumbao
A funky and soulful Afro-Latin-Caribbean band that mixes spicy rhythms with vocal harmonies, captivating melodies, and a touch of jazz!

October 5 ~ Sharik Hasan
Originally from Bangalore, India, pianist and composer Sharik has studied at prestigious music schools across the globe, including London’s Royal School of Music in London, Paris’ Bill Evans Piano School, and in Boston, the Longy School of Music and Berklee College. 

October 12 ~ Lance Houston
Trumpeter Lance Houston and his talented jazz quartet produce magical and imaginative interpretations of jazz standards. His influences include Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis and Terence Blanchard.

 October 19, 2011 ~ Ameranouche
Ameranouche (pronounced uh-MARE-uh-noosh) features two French acoustic Gypsy jazz guitars and an upright bass. The group tours nationally and has released two albums, largely of original music inspired by legendary Gypsy guitarist, Django Reinhardt.

October 26, 2011 ~ Samantha Farrell
Born and raised in Massachusetts, this singer and song-writer, guitarist translates her soul and jazz/R&B influences into a unique style all her own.  

November 2 ~ Tom Wandell
Jazz drummer Tom Wandel is currently studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Under the tutelage of such jazz legends as John Ramsay and Hall Crook, he has received many accolades and scholarships.

November 9 ~ Violette
Violette’s style has been described as “French tradition, American jazz, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and blue and bluesy.” A Berklee College of Music graduate, Violette has played venues in Paris, Senegal, Boston, New York, St. Martin, Prague and DubaĂŻ.

November 16, 2011 ~ Yuhan Su
Vibraphonist and composer Yuhan Su is firmly rooted in jazz tradition, her music is innovative, emotional, cerebral, and lyrical. Yuhan graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2011, and is currently working on original compositions.

November 23 ~ To be announced

November 30 ~ Alexander Baboian
Best known as a jazz guitarist, playing everything from Bebop to avant-garde modern styles, Baboian also performsin a wide variety of other genres such as Funk, R&B, Pop, Rock, Big Band, and World Music.

BOND restaurant | lounge is open seven days a week, offering gourmet sandwiches for lunch, afternoon tea, and global cuisine for dinner, plus an extensive wine list and distinctive cocktails. A special jazz menu is available on Wednesdays

For year round details on jazz nightclubs, concerts, campus events, brunches and festivals throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com or BostonUSA.com.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Massachusetts Welcomes Tourists This Labor Day Weekend


Tanglewood Jazz Festival in Lenox 
 
Officials at the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism are putting out the welcome mat for visitors to enjoy Labor Day weekend in Massachusetts, with a full schedule of fun and inexpensive travel ideas.

Executive Director Betsy Wall told The Boston Globe,  “The storm has come and gone, but summer is not over.  There are still a lot of things to do in Massachusetts."

For a complete schedule of Labor Day activities in Massachusetts, click here.

Plus, over 50 museums in Massachusetts are offering free admission to military families this weekend, Wall told New England Cable News.  It is part of a national program called Blue Star Museums organized by the National Endowment for the Arts which includes over 1,500 museums around the United States.

One of the big activities taking place this weekend is the Tanglewood Jazz Festival in Lenox, which features some of the world's best jazz artists.  And there are jazz performances all across the state in nightclubs, hotels, and town centers; for more information visit MassJazz.com.

For more details on what Massachusetts has to offer this Labor Day weekend and throughout the year, visit MassVacation.com.




Friday, September 2, 2011

Jazz Artists Robin McKelle and Michael Kaeshammer Performing Tonight at Tanglewood Jazz Festival


Jazz singer Robin McKelle and pianist Michael Kaeshammer are kicking off this year's Tanglewood Jazz Festival on Friday, September 2, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.

You can see the entire line-up of performances throughout the weekend by visiting Tanglewood Jazz Festival.

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

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com.

Sun Broadcasting Corp Launches Sun Music Live Shows at Wally's Cafe Jazz Club this Fall

Sun Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) has begun production of Sun Music Live. The inaugural shows set at  Wally’s CafĂ©  in Boston will f...