Semenya McCord Performs at Vernissage's in Brookline on July 19

Jazz and gospel singer Semenya McCord is performing at Vernissage Restaurant in Brookline on Thursday, July 19, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.  Admission is $15.

The popular singer is also a noted educator who taught at UMass/Darthmouth for many years; she is currently teaching at Knox College and Carl Sandburg College in Illinois.

McCord is also on the faculty at the Lowell Summer Jazz Camp which runs from July 16-29, 2012. 

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com.

Arturo Sandoval, Latin Jazz Star, Performs in Rockport on July 20

Rockport Music is presenting legendary jazz trumpet player Arturo Sandoval in concert at the Shalin Liu Performance Center at 37 Main Street in Rockport on Friday July 20, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets range from $45 to $78 and can be purchased online or at the Center's box office.

Born on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba, Sandoval is considered one of the great trumpet and flugelhorn players in the world.  He has won six Grammy Awards (12 nominations), six Billboard Awards and an Emmy Award.

Rockport Music has a great line-up of jazz, including its first annual Rockport Jazz Festival on August 15-19, 2012.  For a full schedule of jazz, folk, classical and world music at Rockport, click here.

For details on year round jazz festivals, concerts, campus events and jazz activities in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com.

Festival Betances, Celebrating Latino Culture, Takes Place in Boston on July 20-22

The annual Festival Betances, which celebrates Latino culture in Boston, takes place in at Plaza Betances, 100 W. Dedham Street, in Boston's South End on July 20-22, 2012. 

This year's theme is La Famila Villa Victoria.  Among the performers at the three day fest are Salsa singer Mel Martinez, doing a homage to Frankie Ruiz, and Salsa start Osvaldo Roman. 

The annual festival is organized by Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion, a community organization formed in 1968.

You can find a schedule of festivals - including jazz, blues and world music, by visiting MassJazz.com.

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

Korean Jazz Pianist in Concert at Berklee Performance Center on July 18

Hey Rim Jeon, the noted jazz pianist, composer and educator from Korea, is giving a concert at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 at 8:15 p.m.  Tickets are $12 at the door.

The concert is also being streamed online at Concert Windows.

Hey Rim Jeon is the first Korean faculty member at Berklee College of Music.

You can find year round details on live jazz in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com. 

2012 MassJazz Travel Guide Available for Free at Visitor Centers in Massachusetts

A free copy of the 4th annual MassJazz Travel Guide is now available at visitor centers, concert venues, jazz clubs, and college campuses throughout the state. See distribution locations.

The 40 page Guide is a handy compendium of hundreds of jazz festivals, indoor and outdoor concerts, jazz summer courses and other jazz-related activities taking place in Massachusetts between July and November. 

This year's cover features Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, who is giving a concert at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport on Friday, July 20, then again at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston in November.

Among the highlights this year are new jazz festivals taking place around the Commonwealth: the Rockport Jazz Festival (August15-19); the Berkshire Getaway Jazz Weekend (September 14-16) in Lee, and the Holyoke Latin Jazz Festival (October 13).  And this year’s Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival (September 29) is celebrating women in jazz with a line-up of great female performers.

Here is a full list of jazz  festivals in Massachusetts this summer and fall.

MassJazz was launched in 2009 by the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism to promote the state’s jazz scene year round to the travel industry.

  

Other supporters of MassJazz include Berklee College of Music, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, WGBH 89.7 FM, Cirque du Soleil, Rockport Music,  Downtown Boston BID, the Top of the Hub Restaurant, Scullers Jazz Club, Regattabar Jazz Club, Wilbur Theatre, Cape Cod Melody Tent, South Shore Music Circus, Palace Theatre, Northeastern University,  JazzBoston,  and other jazz groups across the state.

To find out more about live jazz in Massachusetts year round, visit MassJazz.com and Massjazz.blogspot.com.  You can also follow MassJazz on twitter. 

For information about visiting Massachusetts any time of the year, go to MassVacation.com.

 

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Free Boomtown Festival Taking Place in East Cambridge on July 16-19

The Boomtown Festival! 2012 is taking place at the Multicultural Arts Center of Cambridge on July 16-19, 2012 in the outdoor Cantanni Courtyard next to the Center.

The event is free and open to the public and features four days of art, live music and cultural activities.

Among the jazz bands performing are Fernando Brandão, the New World Jazz Composers Octet, Rhythmic Explorations and The Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band.

To see a full schedule, click here.

You can find year round details on jazz, blues and world music by visiting MassJazz.com.

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com.

Free Outdoor Summer Jazz Concerts in Boston and Across Massachusetts This Summer

MassJazz has compiled a list of dozens of free outdoor music concert series taking place across Massachusetts from now through Labor Day.

See the 2012 Summer Concert Series listings here.

The schedule includes annual concert series taking place in greater Boston and from Cape Cod to the North Shore.  Berklee College of Music has over a dozen series in various parks, plazas, shopping areas and even on Boston Harbor Island.

You can also find a schedule of outdoor jazz festivals taking place in the Bay State this summer and fall.

For year round details on jazz concerts, festivals, campus events, jazz organizations, radio programs and educational opportunities, visit MassJazz.com.

To find visitor information, go to Massvacation.com and BostonUSA.com.