Jazz Artist Esperanza Spalding Joins Harvard Faculty in Music Department

Jazz bassist, singer, arranger and composer Esperanza Spalding has joined the faculty of the Department of Music at Harvard University as Professor of the Practice, with an appointment beginning spring 2018.

According to a press release issued by Harvard, "Spalding will teach a range of courses in songwriting, arranging, improvisation and performance, while also bringing her commitment to music as a voice for social justice."

Spalding is a four-time Grammy winner and has five critically acclaimed solo albums, and has won numerous awards for her playing.  She taught at the Berklee College of Music from 2005-2008 after graduating from Berklee with a Bachelor of Music.

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

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com.

Top Jazz Musicians Gather for Tribute Concert to Fred Taylor at Berklee Performance Center, September 12

Berklee College of Music is honoring Fred Taylor with a tribute concert at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 12 at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston. 

The concert is part of an effort by the school to establish a Fred Taylor Scholarship Fund to nurture future students in music business and music performance at Berklee.

You can purchase tickets or donate to the Fund online. 

Artists slated to perform live at the tribute concert include Kurt Elling, Danilo Perez, Terri Lyne Carrington, Grace Kelly, Catherine Russell, Kat Edmonson, John Patitucci, Jason Palmer, Bo Winiker and more, with a special appearance by Pat Metheny.

Artists to appear via pre-recorded video include Bill Charlap, Steve Tyrell, Esperanza Spalding, Christian McBride, Ahmad Jamal, Hiromi, Chris Botti and Herbie Hancock.

Saxophonist Grace Kelly and NPR's Robin Young serve as emcees. 

Founder of Paul’s Mall and the Jazz Workshop, longtime artistic director of Boston’s Scullers Jazz Club and an integral part of Boston’s jazz scene, Fred Taylor is a beloved figure in the jazz, blues and rock communities.  Many of the leading artists of our time - Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis and Dianna Ross - were presented in Boston by Taylor.   He is also credited for developing new talent, including Norah Jones, Esperanza Spalding, Chris Botti, Kat Edmonson and Grace Kelly. 

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com. 

Paula Cole Performs at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport on July 28

Paula Cole performs at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, July 28, 2017.

Tickets can be purchased online.

Paula Cole is a Grammy winning artist whose music features early to mid-20^th century American jazz.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Chicago & The Doobie Brothers Performs at Blue Hills Bank Pavilion in Boston on July 26

Chicago & The Doobie Brothers performs at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion in Boston at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, July 26, 2017.

Tickets can be found online at LiveNation.com

Chicago is an American rock band with horns, and is known as the longest-running and most successful rock groups of all time.

The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band with elements of folk, R&B, and little bit of soul.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

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.