Live Jazz in Massachusetts This Weekend, April 22-24, 2016

SFJazz Collection 

Here is a sampling of live jazz & blues scene in Massachusetts the weekend of April 22-24, 2016.   

FRIDAY, April 22

Karrin Allyson
Scullers Jazz Club
400 Soldiers Field Road
Boston
scullersjazz.com

April 22
Roomful of Blues
Regattabar
Harvard Square, Cambridge
regattabar/

April 22
Jay Geils All Star Quintet
Bull Run Restaurant, Shirley
bullrunrestaurant.com

April 22 
Yonghyun Lee: Hardcore Jazz Party
Red Room at Café 939
939 Boylston St., Boston
berklee.edu

SATURDAY, April 23
Delfeayo Marsalis and Ellis Marsalis
Scullers Jazz Club
400 Soldiers Field Road
Boston
scullersjazz.com

April 23
Second Annual Makanda Saturday Night Dance Party
Hibermain Hall
184 Dudley St., Roxbury
makandaproject.com

April 23 
Howard Brubeck’s Dialogues Combo
Littleton High School
56 King St., Littleton
littletonps.org

SUNDAY, April 24
SFJAZZ Collective
Berklee Performance Center
136 Mass Ave, Boston
berkleebpc.com 

April 24 
Duo Laroo/Byrd W Jason Schwartz & Jon Fisher
Chez Albert
178 N Pleasant St., Amherst
facebook.com

In addition, check out Jazz Week 2016 organized each year by JazzBoston, which runs from April 22 to May 1. 

Find more upcoming jazz by visiting MassJazz.com.   For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com. 

Live Jazz in Massachusetts tonight: Kevin Harris, Minguel Zenon, Women of the World on Thursday, February 11

There is always great live jazz in Massachusetts, but check out these three special concerts taking place on Thursday, February 11, 2016!

Invictus! With Kevin Harris
Berklee Performance Center
136 Mass Ave, Boston 

Kevin Harris 

Miguel Zenon’s Big Band
Fine Arts Center
University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Miguel Zenon

Women of the World

Scullers Jazz Club
400 Soldiers Field Road
Boston

 Check out MassJazz.com for ongoing jazz in Massachusetts.

For information about visiting Massachusetts, go to MassVacation.com.

Live Jazz in Massachusetts in February 2016.

Cyrille Aimee at Scullers on February 14

Check out the MassJazz schedule of live jazz in Massachusetts in February 2016.

Performers range from saxophonists Gerald Albright and Miguel Zenon to pianist Donal Fox and trumpeter Terence Blanchard to vocalists Linda Eder and Tony Award winner Betty Buckley.

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

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com.

Annual John Coltrane Memorial Concert Takes Place in Boston on October 24

The 38th annual John Coltrane Memorial Concert is taking place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, 2015 at the Blackman Auditorium at Northeastern University in Boston.

The theme of this year's concert is Ornette 'N Trane, a tribue to Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane. Eric Jackson, popular jazz host on WGBH, is serving as Master of Ceremonies.

Tickets to the concert are $30 general admission and $25 for seniors and students.  They can be purchased at the ticket office the night of the performance.

Read more about the John Coltrane Memorial Concert, and the Educational Outreach Program.

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

2015 Pittsfield CityJazz Festival Features Randy Brecker, Greg Hopkins and Frank Vignola

The 2015 Pittsfield CityJazz Festival is underway this week, featuring trumpet masters Randy Brecker and Greg Hopkins, guitar virtuoso Frank Vignola and other great performers.  The festival runs through Sunday, October 18, 2015 and includes a variety of concerts.

Here is a full schedule of performances and activities.

The Pittsfield CityJazz Festival is produced by Berkshires Jazz, Inc, a non-profit group formed in 2009 to present jazz performances and promote jazz education in Berkshires County in Western  Massachusetts.

Find more live jazz in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

For information about visiting Massachusetts, to to MassVacation.com.

10th annual Honk! Festival of Street Bands Performs in Massachusetts Weekend of October 9-11

The Honk! Festival of Activist Street Bands returns to Massachusetts this weekend for the 10th annual celebration of live music and spectacle.

Marching bands and street bands come from all across North America, and as far away as France, to participate in Honk!  Here is a roster of this year's performers.

Among the local favorites: AfroBrazil, Dirty Water Brass Band, Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band and the Expandable Brass Band.

On Friday, bands like the Leftist Band from Portsmouth, NH and the Les Vilains Chicots from Paris, France, perform on Boston Common on a day of action in solidarity with workers. On Saturday, the action shifts to Davis Square, Somerville, and on Sunday, finishes up in Harvard Square, Cambridge.
Here is the full schedule of performances.

You can find live music throughout the year in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

Berklee Beantown Jazz Fest Kicks off Season of Live Jazz in Massachusetts

Alissia and the Funketeers Perform at BeanTown on September 26

Jazz is everywhere in Massachusetts – on college campuses, in hotels and restaurants, night clubs and coffee shops, concert halls and outdoor venues. And it flourishes all year round.

Last Spring, Governor Charlie Baker issued a Proclamation declaring April to be Jazz Month in Massachusetts, calling jazz “one of America’s most treasured imports” and praising the state’s “rich jazz heritage.”

The 2015 fall festival season kicks off with the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival in Boston’s South End. The free, annual, outdoor festival runs from noon to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, 2015.  The festival stretches across six blocks, filled with live music on multiple stages, an array of food vendors from all over the world, and local artisans who are selling their wares.

This year’s theme is Jazz: The Voice of the People, and features amazing contemporary artists like trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, clarinet master Felix Peikli, the Mosaic Project featuring Terri Lyne Carrington and Jaguar Wright, Latin percussionist Eguie Castrillo Orchestra, sax player George Garzone, and New Orleans singer Ledisi. Beantown also features dozens of great performers from the Berklee College of Music faculty and students. Here is a full roster of performers.

Below is a schedule of other upcoming jazz festivals in Massachusetts through October, 2015.

September 27-October 4
JazzFest Falmouth 2015
Three-time Grammy Nominee Denise Donatelli, Toni Lynn Washington, Jon Weber, Goodis & Glenn are among the performers. Also, outdoor jazz strolls, jazz brunch and lectures.

October 8-11
HONK! Festival
Davis Square, Somerville
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Activist street bands from all over the world converge to Honk! each year. The 2015 roster includes Brazil, Italy, Germany and Britain. Check out local favorites Dirty Water Brass Band and Samba Tremeterra, as well as the Hot 8 from New Orleans.

October 9-18
Pittsfield City Jazz Festival
Six-time Grammy winner Randy Brecker performs with the Greg Hopkins Jazz Orcestra, plus jazz virtuoso Frank Vignola, the poupular jazz crawl on Columbus Day weekend, jazz prodigy concert, jazz brunch, and nightly jazz in clubs and restaurants.

October 9
Holyoke Latin Jazz Festival
Holyoke War Memorial Auditorium
Downtown Holyoke
Latin Jazz bands include Victor Sterling & Sabor a Timba, WILO & DeLomas & Sones Band and Dino & Su Alegre Swing.

For year round info on live jazz, visit MassJazz.com.  For visitor information go to MassVacation.com.