Thursday, July 6, 2017

Darryl's Corner Bar + Kitchen features live jazz with trumpeter Darren Barrett on Sunday, July 9

Darren Barrett 

Darryl's Corner Bar + Kitchen in Boston's South End has a full line-up of live music this week, featuring rhythm and blues musicians from Berklee College of Music; a classic big band; and Canadian Grammy Award winning trumpeter Darren Barrett.  Here is the schedule below:

Thursday July 6 : Aaron Venable & Co. (7:00 p.m.)
Friday, July 7 : Briana'Lise & The Fellas (7:00 p.m.)
Saturday, July 8 : DCBK House Band (7:00 p.m.)

Sunday, July 9 : Darren Barrett Band (6:00 p.m.)

Here is the menu at Darryl's

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com


Bobby Keyes Jazz Trio Performs at Maudslay Arts Center in Newburyport on July 8


The Maudslay Arts Center presents the Bobby Keyes Trio in concert at the  at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 8, 2017.  Tickets to the show are $28 and can be purchased online or by calling 978 499-0050.

Bobby Keyes is a versatile guitarist who blends a range of music - jazz, r&b, country, pop and swing - into a distinct American sound.   His newest album is Dojogobo.

Located in Newburyport, the Maudslay Arts Center is now in its 25th year of staging live music through the summer.  Here is the upcoming schedule.

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Jason Palmer Performs at NEC's Jordan Hall on June 28


Jazz trumpeter Jason Palmer is performing at the Jazz Lab at the New England Conservatory of Music at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 28, 2018. The concert takes place at Jordan Hall and is free and open to the public.

Palmer is a well-known musician, composer and educator who performs regularly at Wally's Cafe in Boston's South End when he is not on national or world tours.

The Jazz Lab provides opportunities for motivated students to spend a week on campus working with like-minded musicians, a world class faculty and renowned guest artists.

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.





Thursday, June 22, 2017

Jazz Trumpeter Chris Botti Performs with Boston Pops at Tanglewood on June 24


Jazz trumpet player Chris Botti & the Boston Pops Orchestra perform at Tanglewood at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 24, 2017.   Special guest conductor is Lawrence Loh.

Tickets to the show start at $23 and can be purchased online or at the venue.

Here are directions to Tanglewood.

Winner of numerous Grammy Awards, Botti has become the largest-selling American instrumentalist artist, selling more than four million albums.

Here is a schedule of jazz, pop and rock concerts taking place at Tanglewood this summer.

To learn more about jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Jazz Singer Tierney Sutton Performs at Regattabar in Harvard Square on June 22


Jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton and her band perform at the Regattabar at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 22, 2017.

Tickets to the show are $35 ($27 for students) and can be purchased online or by calling 617 661-5000.

Sutton, a seven-time Grammy nominee, has been performing and recording for 20 years, and has released nine CDs.  She is performing from her latest CD, The String Variations.  

Here is a recent interview with Tierney Sutton.

See calendar of upcoming events at Regattabar.

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




Friday, May 26, 2017

Jazz Singer Amanda Carr Becomes Executive Director of Jazz Radio Station WICN in Worcester



Congratulations to jazz artist Amanda Carr, who has been named as executive director of WICN-FM(90.5) in Worcester. 

“It’s an honor to be taking on this new and exciting leadership position at WICN,” Carr said in an announcement. “This station gave me my first interview as a jazz artist over 20 years ago, and I have been a loyal contributing member ever since, with a closeness to many of the hosts and staff. I’m looking forward to being an integral part of the emerging and exciting Central Massachusetts arts scene along with WICN.”


WICN is a National Public Radio affiliate now in its 47th year.  It has a full schedule of jazz, 24/7

Find out more about jazz in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

For details on visiting Massachusetts, go to MassVacation.com

Friday, May 19, 2017

Fred Taylor's Jazz & Heritage Series at the Cabot


Jazz impresario and jazz hero Fred Taylor has launched a new Jazz & Heritage Series at  The Cabot Theatre in Beverly.

The series kicks off on Saturday, June 3, with Joey DeFrancesco & The People, and the Grace Kelly Group, and finishes up on Friday, December 8 with the world-famous Glenn Miller Orchestra.

For more information and to order tickets, call 866 811-4111.

Here is a full schedule of events at The Cabot.

Find year round information on the jazz scene in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

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


Friday, May 12, 2017

Mother's Day Weekend at Darryl's Corner Bar & Kitchen features Tia Fuller, Troy Durden and Valerie Stevens


Darryl's Corner Bar & Kitchen in Boston's South End is featuring a great line up of live jazz and blues over Mother's Day weekend.

On Friday, May 12, blues and pop singer Troy Durden takes then stage, then on Saturday, May 13, renowned saxophonist Tia Fuller performs.  Then on Sunday, May 14, jazz and blues singer Valerie Stevens performs during brunch.

Here is a full schedule of live music at Darryl's this spring.

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

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com.

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Singer/Songwriter Lucinda Williams in Concert at Berklee Performance Center on May 10, 2017


Two-time Grammy Award winner Lucinda Williams is in concert at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, 2017.

Tickets to the concert are $35 & $45, and are available online or at the venue.

Here are directions to the Berklee Performance Center in Boston's Back Bay.

Regarded as one of America's most original poet-songwriters, Lucinda Williams follows the blue highways and the back roads of America for her inspiration and material.

This is the only New England appearance of Williams this season.

For more about live music in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.


Friday, April 28, 2017

Massachusetts Celebrates Jazz Month & International Jazz Day on April 30



Governor Charlie Baker has declared April 2017 to be Jazz Month in Massachusetts,  a tribute to the state's vibrant, year-round jazz scene.  Governor Baker called jazz "one of America's most treasured exports, connecting races, cultures and continents."

The proclamation coincides with "Jazz Week 2017," organized each year by JazzBoston, a non-profit organization that promotes jazz year round in greater Boston.

Another resource for jazz lovers is MassJazz.com at the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, a year round marketing effort to promote the state's jazz performance and education.  

Sunday, April 30 is International Jazz Day, which is organized by UNESCO each year to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the world. 

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

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Jazz Greats Branford Marsalis Quartet with Kurt Elling Performs at Cary Hall in Lexington on April 28


Spectacle Management is presenting the Branford Marsalis Quartet with jazz vocalist Kurt Elling at Lexington’s Cary Memorial Hall at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, March 28.

Tickets are $79-$59 and are on sale now at caryhalllexington.com or by calling 617-531-1257.

Regarded as among the most creative and exciting musicians of this generation, Marsalis and Elling joined forces in 2016 to create Upward Spirit, an ambitious album that has been nominated for a 2017 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal album.

The top flight quartet consists of saxophonist Marsalis, pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner.

Here is a schedule of upcoming show presented by Spectacle Management, a full-service booking, marketing and promotion company with offices in Boston and Lexington.


For more jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Cuba Con Salsa Features Pedrito Martinez Group. at Boston's Cutler Majestic


WBUR is celebrating the rich heritage of Cuban music at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at the Emerson Cultler Majestic Theatre.  

Robin Young, co-host of Here & Now, and JosĂ© MassĂł, host of ¡Con Salsa!, emcee the event.

The evening features multiple performances by the Grammy Award-nominated Pedrito Martinez Group

Ned Sublette, author of “Cuba and its Music” and award-winning Cuban singer Gema Corredera will discuss the origins of Cuban music and its influences. Corredera will also join Pedrito Martinez for the final number. 

The event will be recorded live and broadcast throughout the Greater Boston Area. 

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com


Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Trumpeter Terence Blanchard + E Collective Perform at UMass Amherst on April 8


Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard performs with his new quintet, The E-Collective, at the Fine Arts Center at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 8, 2017. 

Tickets are $25-35, and $10 for local students from the five colleges.  To order, call the box office at 413 545-2511 or 800-999-UMAS.  

A native of New Orleans, Terence Blanchard is a multiple Grammy Award winning musician and composer who has recorded more than 30 albums.  His latest album is Breathless (Blue Note), recorded with the E-Collective. 

Here is a full lineup of upcoming concerts at the Fine Arts Center. 

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

  

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

International Folk Music Festival at Berklee on March 29


Berklee College of Music presents its annual International Folk Music Festival at Berklee Performance Center at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29, 2017. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at the venue or online.

Berklee's abundant international student population is being showcased at the festival, with traditional folk music from China, Lebanon, Russia, Turkey, Belgium, Iran, Bolivia, Serbia, India, and Puerto Rico. 

In addition to the music, expect a vibrant display of traditional dance and costumes, and instruments from students' homelands.

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Steve Schwartz - Thanks for the Music


In memory of Steve Schwartz, who passed away recently, here is a story below that ran in the 2012 issue of MassJazz Travel Guilde.

Steve Schwartz graced the airwaves at WGBH for nearly 27 years, enlightening listeners with his knowledge, passion and perceptiveness about jazz.

That’s why jazz lovers in Boston and around the nation were dismayed to learn that the station was eliminating his Friday night show, Jazz from Studio Four. And that Steve’s esteemed colleague, Eric Jackson, would have his nightly radio show reduced to weekends only.

Schwartz was gracious about the news, telling The Boston Globe, “It wasn’t a total surprise, but it is a loss. The station is losing a consistent format spread across the week. And the Boston jazz community is losing an important venue for musicians to promote their events.”

Meanwhile, jazz leaders were quick to praise Schwartz and reflect on his contributions.

“Steve’s shows were the most intelligent, well-crafted jazz presentations on radio,” said impresario Fred Taylor, music director at Scullers Jazz Club. “He brought a wealth of knowledge to each record he played.”

“Jazz from Studio Four has been one of my favorite radio shows over the years,” says jazz publicist Sue Auclair. “Steve has very fine musical taste and a gentle radio voice—he picks the really special pieces of music and showcases artists in a really unique way.”

“People like Eric and Steve love and know the music. To a listener like myself, it’s almost like having a History of Jazz class on the radio,” wrote pianist Danilo Perez, head of Berklee’s Global Jazz Institute.

Schwartz was “born and raised in Boston…and discovered jazz on the radio as a teenager living in southern California,” he writes on his WGBH profile, adding, “There’s always new music to discover and old music to rediscover.”

Before coming to GBH, Steve volunteered on Harvard’s WHRB and earned high praise for his jazz show, wrote Globe reporter Ernie Santosuosso.

In addition to being a stellar on-air radio host, Steve is also a talented producer.

“Steve produced many great live recordings from Scullers and other locations that went national on NPR through WBGO in New Jersey under the title Jazz Set,” says Taylor. “And he produced some wonderful live music from the WGBH studio featuring the talents of musicians living and working here in our community.”

“I really loved the recordings he did as well—many for Jazz Set,” says Auclair. “Especially memorable is his recording of the late Shirley Horn at a concert she gave at Sanders Theatre. It was the only time I’d seen Shirley away from the piano and a completely different experience watching her sing directly to the audience! At the end, everyone gave her a standing ovation . . . in tears!”

Along with Jackson, Steve has been ubiquitous on the local jazz scene, introducing acts at Berklee’s BeanTown Festival while supporting local initiatives like JazzBoston.

“Two of JazzBoston’s strongest supporters - Tom Everett, founder of Harvard’s jazz studies program, and jazz journalist and Boston native Nat Hentoff – came to us because of Steve,” says JazzBoston founder Pauline Bilsky.

Optimists hope that WGBH will reconsider its programming and restore jazz to its former presence. In the meantime, Steve remains the class act that had so many listeners tuning in every Friday night.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to be on the radio playing music and producing live broadcasts for all these years,” he writes on Facebook. “Please continue to support the local Boston jazz scene. Go out to the clubs. Buy CDs and downloads. Continue to tune in to Eric Jackson. Jazz in Boston needs to survive. You can make it happen!”

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...