Waterfront Performing Arts Series - Free Dancing and Music at Boston's Christopher Columbus Park on August 14

The City of Boston's Waterfront Performing Arts Series is presenting free dance lessons plus a night of swing at Christopher Columbus Park in Boston's North End on Tuesday, August 14, 2012, starting at 6:00 p.m. and ending at 8:00 p.m.

Boston Swing Central, based in Charlestown, is providing free dance lessons for the first hour, then Phil McGowan and the Easy Winners Band brings everything to full swing with an hour of dancing.

The event is free and open to the pubic, and is part of the City of Boston's summer music series taking place all around the city.  For more information, visit the Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events.

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

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

Jazz Vocalist Tierney Sutton Performs in Rockport on August 15

The Tierney Sutton Band  is performing at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport on Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $31-$52 and can be purchased online or at the venue.

The band features acclaimed jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton,  pianist Christian Jacob, bassist Trey Henry, and drummer Ray Brinke. 

The concert is the kick-off to the 1st annual Rockport Jazz Festival, which debuts this week with a great line-up of jazz performances from August 15-19.  

Rockport Music has an exciting schedule of jazz and other music this summer and fall.

Find year round details on live jazz in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

For tourist information, go to MassVacation.com.

Provincetown Jazz Festival Runs August 11, 13 on Cape Cod

Sharon Clark 

The 8th annual Provincetown Jazz Festival on Cape Cod is taking place on Saturday, August 11 in Provincetown and Monday, August 13, 2012  in Cotuit this year.

Tickets to the event are $25 and can purchased online or at the door. Here is the full schedule.

Among the performers on Saturday, August 11, at Provincetown Town Hall, are jazz vocalist Sharon Clark, saxophonist Paul Carr, pianists Chris Grasso and Alex Brown, drummer Joe McCarthy and bassist Will Slater.

Performers on Monday, August 13, at the Cotuit Center for the Arts,  include Steve Ahearn on trumpet and flute, Bruce Abbott on sax and flute, Fred Boyle on piano, Ron Ormsby on bass, and Bart Weisman on drums.  Mr. Weisman is also the founder and producer of the Provincetown Jazz Festival.

You can find more details on jazz festivals in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com/festivals.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com. 

Merrimack Jazz Fest: Saturday, August 11 Performers Playing Indoors at Tsongas Arena

News from Merrimack Valley Jazz Festival.

The main event on Saturday August 11th will still take place INSIDE the beautiful Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell.    DOORS open at 2 PM….. MUSIC STARTS at 4PM.   GREAT FOOD, GREAT BANDS, GREAT FUN and all that JAZZ.

Tonight’s weather forecast for the Kick-off event on Friday, August 10 is calling for heavy rain and thunder storms.    Keeping public safety at the forefront we have cancelled tonight’s event only.      There will be no performance at the Sampas Pavilion at the Vandenberg Esplanade.

We hope to see you tomorrow for  the 2^nd annual Merrimack Valley Jazz Festival Musical Event!.  Come cheer, chow, sip and swing inside the beautiful Tsongas Center!

For more details MerrimackValleyJazzFestival.

Merrimack Valley Jazz Festival in Lowell Slated for August 10-11

The 2nd annual Merrimack Valley Jazz Festival is taking place on Friday, August 10 and Saturday, August 11 in Lowell, Massachusetts.

The opening night festivities on Friday take place starting at 5:00 p.m. at the Sampas Pavilion on the Vanderberg Esplanade, and feature six jazz performances ranging from contemporary and classic jazz to Latin and funk.  This night is free and open to the public. 

On Saturday, August 11, the festival moves to the Riverwalk Park behind the Tsongas Center Arena in Lowell, from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m., with doors opening at 2:00 p.m.  In the event of rain the event moves inside the Tsongas.

Tickets to the Saturday festival are $17 if you order tickets online, or $20 the day of the festival at the gate. 

Among the performing artists at this year's Festival: Amanda Carr and the Le Creme de Les Femme, Gregg Hopkins Berklee All-Star Faculty Big Band, UMass/Lowell Faculty Jazz Ensemble, Henri Smith's Friends and Flavours New Orleans Band, Compaq Big Band and Adagio Big Band.

Special guests this year are the Adagio Dancers, a professional dance troupe from Mill City Dance in Lowell.

The festival is sponsored by the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, the Lowell Sun, MassJazz and others.  Here is a full sponsorship list.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

For year round tourist information go to MassVacation.com 

Three Outdoor Jazz Festivals in Massachusetts This Week: Martha's Vineyard, Provincetown and Lowell

Christian Sands, Performing at Martha's Vineyard 

Massachusetts is earning its reputation as the State of Jazz this week, with three jazz festivals taking place, according to MassJazz, which promotes live jazz in the Bay State year round.

August 4-12

2nd annual
Martha’s Vineyard Jazz Festival

Oaks Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard
Performers for the week include Jason Moran, Terri Lyne Carrington and Nasheet Waits, Drew Davidsen, Elan Trotman, Gerald Veasley, Edmar Colon and Frederick Yonnet and Urban Harmonica.  Also: book readings and signings, film presentations and an art exhibit. 

 

August 10-11

2nd annual
Merrimack Valley Jazz Festival

Tsongas Center & River Walk
Lowell Heritage State Park
Lowell
Performers include Amanda Carr and the Le Creme de Les Femme, Gregg Hopkins All-Star Faculty Big Band, Berklee College, Henri Smith's Friends and Flavours New Orleans Band, Compaq Big Band and Adagio Big Band.

 

August 11 & 13

ProvincetownJazz Festival

Provincetown & Cotuit, Cape Cod
Performers include Sharon Clark, Paul Carr, Chris Grasso, Alex Brown, Joe McCarthy and Zach Brown in concert at Provincetown Town Hall on August 11.  Then on August 13, Bruce Abbott, Steve Ahern, Fred Boyle, Ron Ormsby, Tedi March, Debra Mann, Alan Clinger and Bart Weisman perform at the Cotuit Center for the Arts.

You can find a full schedule of jazz festivals from now through October in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com/festivals.

You can pick up a free copy of MassJazz Travel Guide at these locations.

Here is tourist information about visiting MassVacation.com.

Bob Nieske Jazz Group at Top of the Hub Restaurant in Boston on August 4

The Bob Nieske Group, featuring jazz singer Maggie Galloway, is performing at the Top of the Hub Restaurant in Boston's Back Bay on Saturday, August 4, 2012, from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.

Located on the 52nd floor of the Prudential Tower in Boston's Back Bay, Top of the Hub is one of the great Boston nightspots to enjoy great jazz nightly, plus terrific food and an amazing view of greater Boston. 

For a schedule of nighty jazz at Top of the Hub, click here.

Read a story about Top of the Hub in the current issue of MassJazz Travel Guide.

Find year round details on live jazz in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

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

Combo Sabroso Performs at Tito Puente Series in Boston on August 2

Latin dance band Combo Sabroso is performing at Sheehy Park in Boston's Mission Hill on Thursday, August 2, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

The concert, located at 1545 Tremont Street, is free and open to the public.  It  is part of  Tito Puente Latin Music Series organized  by Berklee College of Music in partnership with Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion and Socidead Latina.

MassJazz has compiled a schedule of free outdoor jazz concert series as well outdoor jazz festivals taking place throughout Massachusetts this summer and fall.

For details on visiting Massachusetts any time of year, go to MassVacation.com. 

Laurence Hobgood Quartet Performs at Regattabar in Harvard Square on August 2

The Laurence Hobgood Quartet is performing two shows at the Regattabar Jazz Club in Harvard Square, Cambridge, on Thursday, August 2, 2012 at  7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or at the door.

Both shows are hosted by jazz radio host Eric Jackson of WGBH.  The award-winning quartet includes Laurence Hobgood on piano, Matt Rybicki on bass, Jaret Schonig on drums, and Jimmy Greene on sax.

Here's a full schedule of upcoming performances at Regattabar, located at the Charles Hotel.

For year round details on jazz throughout Massachusetts, check out MassJazz.com

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

Jazz Trumpeter Chris Botti Performs at South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset on August 2

Grammy Award winning jazz trumpet start Chris Botti is performing at the South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset, Massachusetts on Thursday, August 2, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets are $43 to $62 and can be purchased online or at the gate. 

Botti has sold over one million albums and has performed internationally with musicians like Sting, Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock and others.

Botti is also performing in the area on August 10 at the Cape Cod Melody Tent.

For a complete schedule of concerts at the South Shore Music Circus, click here.

Find year round details on live jazz in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com.

Jazz Pianist Jonathan Batiste Performs at Scullers Jazz Club on August 1

Jonathan Batiste, one of the most exciting innovators in jazz, is performing with his group, the Stay Human Band, at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston on Wednesday, August 1, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online or at the door.

Born in New Orleans, Batiste is co-director and musical curator of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, and has performed in over 40 countries, collaborating with Wynton Marsalis, Prince, Jimmy Buffett and others. .

Here's a schedule of upcoming jazz performances at Scullers this summer.

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

Find visitor information on Massachusetts at MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com.

Jazz Duo Performs at Berklee's Summer in the City Series at Regattabar Courtyard, Harvard Square, on Monday, June 30

Upcoming jazz duo Lee Dynes and Amanda Addleman is performing a free concert at the Regattabar Courtyard at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, Cambridge, on Monday, July 30, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.

For directions click here.

The concert is one of dozens of free concerts in Berklee's 2012 Summer in the City Series, which features great young jazz musicians playing in venues all across greater Boston and beyond. 

For a schedule of upcoming performances at the Regattabar Jazz Club, click here.

MassJazz has compiled a list of free outdoor summer jazz concerts taking place across Massachusetts in July and August.

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

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

Jazz Supporters Convene at Boston Public Library on July 31 to Discuss Future of Jazz

 

In the wake of jazz programming cutbacks at WGBH, 89.7 FM, JazzBoston is hosting a meeting at the Boston Public Library on Tuesday, July 31, 2012, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., to discuss the future of jazz.

Dr. Emmett Price, musician, Chair of African American Studies, and Associate Professor of Music and African American Studies at Northeastern University, will moderate the conversation with José Massó, longtime community activist and announcer/producer of ¡Con Salsa! on WBUR FM.  The event is free and open to the public.

The WGBH changes scaled back Eric Jackson's nightly show to weekend nights only, and eliminated the Friday night show, Jazz at Studio Four, by host Steve Schwartz. 

For more information about the jazz gathering at the Boston Public Library, visit JazzBoston.org or the Facebook page, Save Eric in the Evening.

Posted by MassJazz.com.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band Performing in Boston's Copley Square on July 27

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is performing a free concert at the 1st annual Summer Arts Weekend in Copley Square Park in Boston's Back Bay.  The three-day festival is being organized by The Boston Globe and WGBH and a number of local businesses, arts groups and tourism agencies. 

One of New Orlean's most famous bands, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band was formed in 1961 and is considered an authentic proponent of the particular style of jazz that gave New Orleans its rightful designation as the home of jazz.

Preservation takes the stage at 7:45 p.m., and is joined onstage at 8:30 by Del McCoury, one of America's most accomplished bluegrass musicians.

Following that performance, New Orleans' own soul queen Irma Thomas takes the stage at 9:15

To find complete details of the Summer Arts Weekend, click here.

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

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

Funk Band Lettuce Performs at Berklee in Boston on July 23

Lettuce, the funk band, celebrates its 20th anniversary concert at the Berklee Performance Center on Monday, July 23, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. The band came together in 1992 when the musicians were students at Berklee.

Tickets are $26 and $31 and can be purchased online or at the door.

For a full schedule of upcoming concerts at the Berklee Performance Center, click here.

You can find year round jazz all across Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

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