James Montgomery Blues Band Performs at Bull Run Restaurant on December 17

The James Montgomery Band is performing at Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley on Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 8:00 p.m., in celebration of its new CD, From Detroit to the Delta.

Tickets to the show are $15 and can be purchased online or at the door.  Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for dinner and seating.

For a list of upcoming concerts at Bull Run, click here.

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

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com.

Jazzy, Snazzy Christmas Concert at Mechanics Hall in Worcester on Friday, December 16

The Adagio Big Band is performing its Jazzy, Snazzy Christmas Concert at Mechanics Hall in Worcester on Friday, December 16, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

The 27-piece band features amazing horn and string sections, jazz vocalists and an exciting combination of ballet and swing dance productions.  Tickets to the show are $26-$30 and can be ordered online.

For a schedule of upcoming performances at Mechanics Hall, located at 321 Main Street in downtown Worcester, click here.

For year round details on jazz concerts, night clubs, weekend brunches and campus events throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com.

Check out 7th annual Holiday Jam live on WICN Radio

From 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 14, 2011, the WICN 90.5 FM Holiday Jam House Band is back for the seventh year featuring  Musical Director and pianist Pamela Hines, bassist Bob Simonelli and drummer Kenny Hadley.

Click here to listen live.

This year's performers include Grace Kelly, Amanda Carr, Dan Gable, Greg Abate, Kaourko, Dick Lupino, Suzanne Cabot, Dan Moretti, Daniel Ian Smith & Jerry Sabatini.

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

For tourist information go to MassVacation.com.

NEC Millennium Gospel Choir Performs at Boston's MFA on December 16

The Millennium Gospel Choir of the New England Conservatory of Music is performing live at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on Friday, December 16, 2011, from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m.

The concert takes place at Remis Auditorium   Tickets are $25 for general admission and $20 for MFA members, seniors and students, and can be purchased online.

Find more information on the Millennium Gospel Choir on Facebook.

For year round jazz in concert halls, clubs, hotel lounges and college campuses throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com

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

Ten Tumbao, Afro-Cuban Band, Performing at BOND Lounge at Langham Boston Hotel on Wednesday, December 14

Ten Tumbao, a funky, soulful Afro-Latin-Caribbean band, performs at the BOND Restaurant | Lounge at the Langham Hotel in Boston on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

Tumbao is a Cuban word signifying rhythm, flavor, style and flair and the band lives up to those descriptions.

 Located at the Langham Boston Hotel,  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 reservations call 617 956-8765.

For a full schedule of artists through this winter, click here.

For year round jazz in concert halls, clubs, hotel lounges and college campuses throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com

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

Discover Roxbury Hosting Discussion on Jazz History and Civil Rights on December 14

Discover Roxbury, a non-profit group taking pride in the history, culture and community life of Roxbury, is hosting a discussion about jazz and its connection to the Civil Rights Movement in Roxbury during the 1950s.

The event takes place at Haley House Bakery Cafe, 12 Dade Street in Roxbury, on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.  For directions, click here.

For more details on upcoming events, you can follow Discovery Roxbury on  Facebook  and Twitter.

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

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

Jazz Sax Stars Grace Kelly and Phil Woods perform in Rockport on December 11

Star jazz saxophonists Grace Kelly and Phil Woods are performing together in concert for two shows at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport on Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Tickets are $39-$49 and can purchased online or by calling 978 546-7391.

Kelly is an 18 year old rising jazz star in the music world, who has already toured the world and recorded several award-winning albums.  Woods is a veteran jazz legend whose illustrious career puts him in the pantheon of great saxophone players of his generation.

For more information on jazz concerts, night clubs, campus events, weekend brunches, radio programs and other jazz-related events taking place in Massachusetts year round, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourist information contact MassVacation.com. 

Massachusetts has great live jazz on Saturday, December 10

 Haily Niswanger

Looking for great live jazz in Massachusetts on Saturday, December 10?  Here are three shows to put you in the holiday spirit, recommended by MassJazz:

39th Christmas Concert

Aardvark Jazz Orchestra
Emmanuel Church
151 Newbury Street
Back Bay, Boston

Haily Niswanger Quartet
Parish Center for the Arts
10 Lincoln Street
Westford

Poetic Rhythms: Jazz and Poetry
with Robert Pinsky, former US Poet Laureate 
Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center
333 Nahanton Street
Newton

Or, check out dozens of places around Massachusetts where you can catch live jazz: at hotels, night clubs, college campuses and more!

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

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com.

Women Jazz Stars Perform Benefit Concert for HOPES Music Program in Boston on December 11

Grammy Award Winner Esperanza Spalding

Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington and Esperanza Spalding are performing a benefit concert  to benefit the HOPE music and art therapy program at Massachusetts General Cancer Center. 

The concert takes place at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston on Sunday December 11, 2011 at 4:00 p.m.  Tickets to the event are $75 and can be purchased online.  For more details contact Judy Roberts.

For upcoming jazz events at Scullers, click here.

For year round details on jazz clubs, campus events, concerts, lectures, hotel and brunch gigs and more, visit MassJazz.com.

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

Jazz Singer Jean McKenna O'Donnell Performing at Chan's Jazz Club on December 11

Big Band jazz vocalist Jean McKenna O'Donnell is performing a concert entitled "Celebrate the Seasons" at Chan's Restaurant & Jazz Club in Woonsocket, RI on Sunday, December 11, 2011 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. 

Tickets are $15 and reservations can be made at 401 765-1900.

O'Donnell is performing with the Mike Renzi Trio and special guest vocalist and pianist Daryl Sherman.

The sister of the late jazz pianist Dave McKenna, O'Donnell's CD, Full Circle is a tasteful and persuasive rendition of the American Songbook.

For year round details on jazz clubs, campus events, concerts, brunches and other musical events in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

Westfield Jazz Big Band Performing Free Concert on Thursday, December 8

The award-winning Westfield Jazz Big Band Band is performing at Dever Auditorium at Westfield State College on Thursday, December 8, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

The concert is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the Westfield State College Department of Music.  Dr. Ed Orgill, coordinator of jazz studies, is the conductor.

For more information about Westfield's jazz studies program, click here.

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

For tourist information visit MassVacation.com.

Jazz Singer Tamara Usatova Performs at BOND Lounge in Boston on Wednesday, December 7

Russian-born jazz and soul vocalist Tamara Usatova is performing at the BOND Lounge | Restaurant at the Langham Boston Hotel on Wednesday, December 7, 2011 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

The Berklee graduate cites influences ranging from Etta James, Aretha Franklin and Billie Holiday to Anita Baker, Whitney Houston and Chaka Khan.

The performance is part of the BOND Jazz Experiment, which highlights emerging artists and accomplished performers covering the jazz spectrum, including classic jazz from the American Songbook, rhythm and blues and funk. 

Located at the Langham Boston Hotel,  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 reservations call 617 956-8765.

For a full schedule of artists through December, click here.

For year round jazz in concert halls, clubs, hotel lounges and college campuses throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com

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

Maggie Scott Tribute at Berklee on December 8 Features Esperanza Spalding, Nadia Washington and Others

Maggie Scott, jazz vocal professor at Berklee College of Music for 30 years, is being honored by the college and many of her former students at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 8, 2011 at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston's Back Bay.

Tickets to the event are $20 for reserved seating and $15 for general admission and can be ordered online.

Among the performers and special guests: Antonia Bennett, Lalah Hathaway, Robin McKelle, Esperanza Spalding, and Nadia Washington.

Scott is considered a trailblazer for female musicians, being one of the first women instructors at Berklee, and the first woman named president of the Boston Musicians Association, Local 9-535.

For a year round list of jazz concerts, night clubs, campus events, radio programs, brunches, and live jazz in hotels, visit MassJazz.com.

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

Vijay Iyer Trio and the Miguel Zenon Quartet Concert at Berklee Performance Center on Friday, December 9

Pianist Vijay Iyer and saxophonist Miguel Zenon are playing in concert at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston's Back Bay on Friday, December 9, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. 

Tickets to the show are $40-$50 and can be purchased online. 

The concert is part of the Celebrity Series of Boston, which has been bringing high quality music to Boston since 1938.   For a complete schedule of the 2011-2012 season, click here.

"Iyer and Zenon are two of the most startlingly original and brilliant voices in contemporary jazz," writes Celebrity Series of Boston.  "Both are fearless explorers, ably mining whatever moves them, from honored jazz traditions to hip hop culture, all with technical mastery, grit, and wisdom. In this double bill, audiences will hear the jazz of tomorrow under construction."

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.

Jazz Christmas Concert at Scullers in Boston on December 6 & 7

A Peter White Christmas, starring smooth jazz guitarist Peter White and saxophonists Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum takes place at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston on Tuesday, December 6 and Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 10:00 p.m.

Tickets are $40 and can be purchased online.

For upcoming concerts at Scullers Jazz Club, click here.

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

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