Thursday, December 7, 2017

Aardvark Jazz Orchestra Performs Christmas Concert at Emmanuel Church in Boston, December 9


The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra celebrates its 45th  Annual Christmas Concert at Emmanuel Church in Boston's Back Bay at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 9, 2017. 

The concert features joyful jazz carols and original compositions by Aardvark founder and music director Mark Harvey.  These compositions include The Prophet (December 1997), inspired by legendary social activist Kip Tiernan (1926-2011); Blue Butterfly (December 2009) for beloved storyteller Brother Blue; and No Walls, Aardvark’s anthem of inclusivity, first performed in December 2004 as a tribute to Doctors Without Borders. 

Tickets are $20 at the door.  Emmanuel Church is located at 15 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116. For more information, please call 617-776-8778  or  617-452-3205.

For more details on jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

To learn about visiting Massachusetts, go to MassVacation.com


Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Jazz Trumpeter Chris Botti Performs at Boston's Wilbur Theatre on December 7-9, 2017


Grammy Award winner Chris Botti is performing three nights at The Wilbur Theatre in Boston on December 7-9, 2017.  Tickets are $50-70 and available to order online. 

Botti is the largest-selling American instrumentalist artist, thanks to his ongoing association with PBS, which has led to four #1 jazz albums, as well as multiple Gold, Platinum and Grammy Awards.  He has recorded with the Boston Pops, as well as Tony Bennett, Yo-Yo Ma, Joni Mitchell, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble and many others.

Read more about Chris Botti.

Here is a calendar of upcoming concerts at The Wilbur.

For more about jazz in Massachusetts read the current issue of the 2017-18 MassJazz Guide.

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




Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Les Zygomates November Lineup of Live Jazz & Blues on South Street in Boston


Don't miss great local jazz and blues at Les Zygomates Wine Bar on South Street in Boston's Leather District, just moments away from South Station.  The year-round music calendar features some of Boston's finest jazz and blues artists, as well as visiting musicians.

Check out the full menu, and make reservations here.

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

Monday, November 13, 2017

Theo Croker Quintet Performs at UMass in Amherst on Wednesday, November 15


Jazz trumpeter Theo Croker performs with his Quintet at Bowker Auditorium at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 15, 2017.

Tickets range from $10-$35 and you can purchase online or at the venue. 

Croker is a recognized musician, singer and bandleader and the grandson of the late, great trumpeter Doc Cheatham. Croker's most recent recording, Escape Velocity, is described as a genre-bending journey through bop, soul, funk, R&B, and beyond.   It is produced by Dee-Dee Bridgewater. 

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com



Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Master Ukulele Star Jake Shimabukuro Performs at The Cabot on October 28


Renowned ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro performs at The Cabot Theatre in Beverly at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 28, 2017, as part of Fred Taylor's Jazz & Heritage Series. 

Tickets to the show can be purchased online or at the venue. 

Shimabukuro combined the qualities of a long line of virtuoso ukulele players with modern rock musicians to create a sound that’s uniquely his own but still firmly grounded in Hawaiian tradition.

The Cabot is a distinguished performance space that first opened in 1920 as a vaudeville venue.  It has been completely restored in recent years and today is a popular destination for high quality performing arts.

Here are upcoming concerts in Fred Taylor's Jazz & Heritage Series

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Pink Martini Performs at Cary Hall in Lexington on October 19


Pink Martini, the internationally acclaimed ensemble that fuses jazz, pop and show tunes into a multi-lingual celebration, performs at Cary Memorial Hall in Lexington at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 19, 2017.

Purchase tickets online or at the venue.

Led by vocalist China Forbes, Pink Martini has just released its ninth album, Je Di Oui!.  Here is information on the band.

Here is a schedule of upcoming concerts from Spectacle Management.

Find year round information on live jazz in Massachusetts as MassJazz.com.

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

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Jazz Legend Pharoah Sanders Headlines John Coltrane Memorial Concert on October 7 at Northeastern Universty


Jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders is performing at the 40th anniversary John Coltrane Memorial Concert at Blackman Theatre, Northeastern University, at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 7, 2017.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the venue.

The annual concert is put together by the Friends of John Coltrane Memorial Concert, a non-profit organization of jazz musicians and scholars devoted to the music of Coltrane.

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

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com.




HONK! Festival of Activist Bands in Somerville & Cambridge this Weekend


Don't miss the annual HONK! Fest taking place in Davis Square, Somerville and Harvard Square, Cambridge the weekend of October 7-8, 2017

Here is the full schedule of bands participating. 

On Sunday, a parade of bands go from Davis Square to Harvard Square between noon and 2 p.m., followed by music on the main stage of the Oktober Fest until 6 p.m..

HONK! Fest is free and open to the public.

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

Friday, September 29, 2017

Free Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival Takes Place on Saturday, September 30


Story on Beantown from MassJazz Guide 

Don't miss the free annual Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 30, 2017 in Boston's South End neighborhood.

The festival features dozens of jazz performances, plus a marketplace of food vendors, artisans, and jazz organizations.

You can pick up a free copy of the MassJazz Guide from the WGBH, JazzBoston and Berklee College of Music exhibit booths.

On the festival site, check out Darryl's Corner Bar + Kitchen, which offers live jazz year round.

Find year round jazz at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Jazz Festivals in Massachusetts this Fall


Check out these great jazz festivals taking place in Massachusetts in September and October, 2017, taking place from Boston and Cambridge/Somerville to Falmouth, Cape Cod and Pittsfield in the Berkshires.

You can find more details on Massachusetts' robust jazz scene through the newly published MassJazz Guide, a 40 page magazine listing festivals and concerts, nightclubs and jazz brunches, college courses and radio stations and much more. 

Read MassJazz Guide online or pick up a free copy at one of these outlets.

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

Friday, September 22, 2017

Newton Jazz Festival, September 24, Features Gypsy Jazz 400 Group


The annual Newton Jazz Festival takes place from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 24, 2017 and features the Gypsy Jazz 400, featuring jazz violinist Tomoko Iwamoto.

The festival is free and open to the public, and is the first of several jazz festivals in Massachusetts this fall.

Find more about the live jazz scene in Massachusetts by picking up a free copy of MassJazz Guide, 2017-2018, a free, 40 page magazine with profiles of artists, schedules of concerts, and other resources such as jazz brunches, concerts, college courses, nightclubs and more.

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

Saturday, September 16, 2017

NEW MASSJAZZ GUIDE PROMOTES VIBRANT JAZZ SCENE IN MASSACHUSETTS


(Boston) - The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) has released its 2017-2018 MassJazz Guide showcasing the Bay State’s vibrant year-round jazz scene of festivals, concerts, night clubs, jazz brunches, college courses and radio programs.

The free, 40-page MassJazz Guide includes stories on celebrated jazz musicians such as bassist Esperanza Spalding and pianist Yoko Miwa, jazz singer and radio executive Amanda Carr of WICN-FM and the New England Jazz Hall of Fame in Worcester. Berklee College of Music’s new partnership with the Shanghai Conservatory in China is covered, along with the upcoming Beantown Jazz Festival and other festivals in Massachusetts this fall.

Read the online version here.



Jazz promoters such as Fred Taylor, Berkshires Jazz, Woods Hole Jazz Series, Northampton Jazz Series, John Coltrane Memorial Concert and Mandorla Music are profiled, along with WGBH-FM’s award-winning jazz programs.

The 2017-2018 issue features notable Boston jazz clubs such as Les Zygomates Wine Bar, Darryl’s Corner Kitchen + Bar and Slade’s Bar & Grill, while also listing jazz brunches throughout the state.

The free MassJazz Guide is available at visitor kiosks, college campuses, and venues where live jazz is heard year-round.  See Distribution here.

Find ongoing information on live jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com, the Mass Jazz blog or on Twitter.com@massjazz and Facebook.com/MassJazz/

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



Monday, September 11, 2017

All Star Jazz Musicians Perform at the Fred Taylor Scholarship Fund Concert at Berklee Performance Center on September 12



An all-star ensemble of jazz and blues musicians are performing a benefit concert for the Fred Taylor Scholarship Fund at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 12, 2017. 

 ·         Grammy-winning percussionist and composer Terri Lyne Carrington 
·         Grammy-winning jazz vocalist, composer, and lyricist Kurt Elling
·         Grammy-winning jazz pianist, composer, and educator Danilo PĂ©rez 
·         Grammy-winning bassist and composer John Patitucci
·         Acclaimed chart-topping jazz and blues vocalist Catherine Russell, 
·         Rising saxophonist, singer, and composer Grace Kelly 
·         Renowned jazz piano virtuoso and composer Monty Alexander
·         Rising trumpeter and composer Jason Palmer, 
·         Singer-songwriter Kat Edmonson
·         Longtime Boston trumpeter and bandleader Bo Winiker
·         Blues legend James Montgomery

Robin Young  of WBUR-FM, Boston's NPR news station, will host the event along with Kelly.





Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Les Zygomates September Lineup of Live Jazz & Blues on South Street in Boston


Don't miss great local jazz and blues at Les Zygomates Wine Bar on South Street in Boston's Leather District, just moments away from South Station.  The year-round music calendar features some of Boston's finest jazz and blues artists, as well as visiting musicians.

Check out the full menu, and make reservations here.

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

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.




Tuesday, August 29, 2017

The 10th Annual Martha's Vineyard Jazz & Blues Summerfest in Oak Bluffs, September 1 - 3



The 10th Martha’s Vineyard Jazz & Blues Summerfest takes place at Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, September 1 to Sunday, September 3, 2017.

The annual 3-day concert series is produced by Shelia Baptista, President of Lewis and Kirk Music, Inc. 

Tickets are available online.

The main goal of Martha’s Vineyard Jazz & Blues Summerfest is to empower women in the music and art industry and empower women to fight cancer. The event donates funds to two breast cancer organizations – The Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Group and Support Connection of NY.

The 2017 lineup includes:

Friday, September 1

SAGE is an all-women’s jazz blues and contemporary ensemble featuring Bernice Brooks, Tia Fuller, Kersten Stevens, Miriam Sullivan, Ragan Whiteside, and Miki Hayama.

Etana, a Jamaican-born singer, debuted in 2006 as one of the most powerful and distinctive voices in reggae.

Saturday, September 2

Jazzmeia Horn is a Nubian jazz singer, winner of the 2015 Thelonius Monk International Vocal Jazz Competition, and known as one of New York’s rising stars.

Phyllis Yvonne Stickney is a stand-up comedian, motivational speaker, published author, poet, writer, Founder/Executive Director for the non-profit community based organization Alternative Careers in the Arts, and named one of the 200 African American Women who has changed the world by Essence Magazine.

Sunday, September 3


Grace Kelly is a 24-year-old saxophonist, singer, and composer who wrote her first song at age seven, and recently won “Jazz Artist of the Year” in the 2016 Boston Music Awards and “Alto Saxophonist of the Year” by NYC Jazz Fans Decision 2016.

Wayna is a Grammy-nominated, Eithiopian-born, sing/songwriter who was called “a standout on the indie front” by Billboard Magazine.

Full bios are available here.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

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...