Hot Club of Cowtown Performs at Firehouse Center for the Arts in Newburyport on July 26

The Hot Club of Cowtown performs at the Firehouse Center for the Arts in  Newburyport at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 26, 2017.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or at the venue.   The Firehouse Center is located at Market Square in Newburyport.

For the past 20 years, the trio's individual virtuosity blends jazz, blues, country and bluegrass.  Here is info about the band.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com. 

Jazz Pianist Paul Broadnax & Friends Perform at Maudslay Arts Center in Newburyport on July 23

Well-known jazz pianist Paul Broadnax and Friends perform at the Maudslay Arts Center in Newburyport from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 23, 2017. 

Tickets to the show are $20 and can be purchased online through Eventbrite.

Broadnax has performed throughout the world, and has played with well-known jazz artists like Clark Terry, Cab Calloway, Donna Byrne, Rebecca Parris and Lionel Hampton.

The Maudslay Arts Center has a full summer program of great music.

Find year round details on jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

To find out about visiting Massachusetts, go to MassVacation.com.

Chris Lydon's Meditation on Transcendentalists and Jazz Artists

Open Source host Christopher Lydon has a great riff on the connections between the 19th century transcendentalist philosophers and the 20th century jazz artists.

Both Ralph Waldo Emerson and Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington were gods of their respective centuries, Lydon says, and "liberators of individual geniuses" around them.

Both Emerson and Ellington were "itinerant performers" traveling the country, and both were "inescapably American."

Lydon also likens Henry David Thoreau to jazz singer Billy Strayhorn.

Here is the full video.



Open Source is doing a series of radio broadcasts in celebration of the 200th anniversary birth of Henry David Thoreau.

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

Berkshires Jazz Presents 100th Birthday Salute to Buddy Rich with the Greg Caputo Big Band on July 22

Berkshires Jazz celebrates the 100th birthday of jazz drummer legend Buddy Rich with a concert by the Greg Caputo Big Band at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 22, 2017 at the Lee Meeting House Congregational Church in Lee, MA.

Tickets to the show are $25 in advance and can be purchased online.  The price at the door on the night of the concert is $30.

The Congregational Church is located at 25 Park Place in Lee.

Caputo is considered a leading ambassador for classic swing and big band jazz.  He has performed with Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Harry James, Nelson Riddle, Benny Goodman , Sheila Jordan, Sammy Davis Jr. and many others.

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

For tourist information, go to MassVacation.com.

Jazz + Blues Music Festivals in Massachusetts Through October 2017

The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) has compiled its 2017 schedule of jazz + blues music festivals taking place throughout the Commonwealth this summer and fall.

See the entire MassJazz Festival season here.  In addition to jazz and blues, the festival schedule also includes related musical genres such as American roots, Brass Bands and Latino.

MassJazz.com was created with MOTT in 2009 as a way of highlighting the robust live jazz and blues scene in Massachusetts.  You can find details on jazz clubs, radio stations, college courses, concert venues and events-by-month at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

2017 Betances Festival Celebrates Boston's Latino Music, Dance, Cuisine and Culture

Festival Betances is one of New England's most popular Latino festivals, offering musical and dance performances, cuisine, heritage and culture for families.  Named for Ramon Emeterio Betances, a 19th century Purto Rican who founded a hospital and advocated for his fellow citizens, the festival represents the diversity of Latino culture.

This year's musical line-up features top salsa stars such as Vinny Rivera, Alexander Faria Orchestra, Jorge Arce and the Humano Multicultural Project, the Eric German Orchestra, Zayra Pola & 3nity, Ray De La Paz Orchestra, and Johnny Rivera.  Here are descriptions of the performers.

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

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com.

Tanglewood Holds Centennial Celebration Concert Honoring Ella Fitzgerald on July 9

Photo courtesy of EllaFitzgerald.com 

A centennial concert in honor of jazz great Ella Fitzgerald is taking place at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 9, 2017 at Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood.  Tickets range from $12 to $55 and can be purchased at the venue.

Featured  guests include Dawn Upshaw, soprano; Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano; Lee Musiker, piano; members of the Boston Pops; and TMC vocal fellows.

Ella Fitzgerald was born in 1917, and became one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century.  Known as the First Lady of Song, Fitzgerald won 13 Grammys and sold over 40 million albums.

Here is a schedule of performances at Tanglewood this summer.

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.