Friday, August 4, 2017

Cecile McLorin Salvant Performs at Shalin Liu Performance Center on August 6



Cecile McLorin Salvant performs at The Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 6, 2017.

Tickets can be purchased here.

Cecile McLorin Salvant is a Grammy-winning jazz vocalist and songwriter with influences of jazz, blues, folk, and classical sounds in her music.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Thursday, August 3, 2017

25th Annual Onset Blues Festival on August 5 in Onset



Onset Blues Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary on Saturday, August 5, 2017 from noon to 9:00 p.m. at Prospect Park in Onset Village.

Tickets and general information are available here.

The festival features Gil David Correia & The Shameless.

Guest starts include Diane Blue, a crowd-pleasing entertainer with her voice and harmonica; 

Jerry Portnoy, a harmonica blues musician, who has toured with Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton;

Cheryl Arena, also a harmonica blues musician and a Boston native;

GregPiccolo, a saxophonist from the jump blues band Roomful of Blues.


Full line up and bios are available here.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Tower of Power and Average White Band Perform at The Music Circus Tent on August 5



Tower of Power and Average White Band perform at The Music Circus Tent in Cohasset at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 5, 2017.

Tickets can be purchased online.

Then, on Sunday, August 6, the two bands perform at the Melody Tent in Hyannis, Cape Cod.  Buy tickets here.  

Tower of Power, formed in 1968, is an American R&B-based horn section from Oakland, California.

Average White Band is a Scottish funk and R&B band from the 1970s.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

2nd Annual Dudley Jazz Festival Takes Place in Dorchester on August 5



The 2nd annual Dudley Jazz Festival takes place at the Mary Hannon Park in Dorchester starting at noon ton Saturday, August 5, 2017.  The park is located at 613 Dudley Street.

Organized by the Creative Cultural Arts, a non-profit ground that provides performance opportunities for musicians deserving wider recognition.

The festival is free and open to the public.   Among the highlights is a performance by The Makanda Project featuring the compositions and arrangements of Kuumba Frank Lacy. 

The Makanda Project

Here is the schedule for the festival: 




4:30 p.m. The Makanda Project
Kurtis Rivers, Joe Ford – alto saxophone
Arni Cheatham, Sean Berry – tenor saxophone
Charlie Kohlhase – baritone saxophone
Jerry Sabatini, Phil Grenadier – trumpet
Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Sarah Politz, Bill Lowe – trombone
John Kordalewski – piano
John Lockwood – bass
Yoron Israel – drums
For more information about the Dudely, contact Creative Cultural Arts at 617-631-9808

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at massjazz.com

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com


Wednesday, August 2, 2017

The Newport Jazz Festival August 4-6


The Newport Jazz Festival takes place on Friday, August 4 to Sunday, August 6 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Fort Adams Park in Newport.

The 2017 schedule of performances, directions to the park, and general information is available here.

Tickets are available here.

Performances include:

Cecile McLorin Salvant, a 2016 Grammy Award winner for her album For One To Love; 

Rhiannon Giddens, founder of Grammy award-winning string band Carolina Chocolate Drops;

The Roots, the official house band on The Tonight Show and named one of the greatest live bands by Rolling Stone;

Andra Day, awarded multiple Grammy nominations and recently toured with Lenny Kravitz; 

Naturally 7, best known for jazz interpretations and performed with Michael Buble on his world-tour;

Leslie Odom Jr, winner of Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role in “Hamilton”; and many more.

The full lineup and bios are available here.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Chris Smither Performs at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport on August 4


Chris Smither performs at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, August 4, 2017.

Tickets can be purchased online.

Chris Smither is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter with heavily influences from blues and American folk music.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Monday, July 31, 2017

Chicago Performs at the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis on August 2




Chicago performs at the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 2, 2017.

Tickets can be found online or at the Melody Tent Box Office.

Chicago is an American rock band with a distinctive jazz sound, thanks to its horn section.  It is known as the longest-running and most successful groups of all time. Chicago was recently ranked #9 in Billboard magazine’s recent Hot 200 All-Time Top Artists, and was inducted into the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Friday, July 28, 2017

4th Annual Cambridge Jazz Festival Features Tia Fuller, Pieces of a Dream, Receitas de Samba, Ron Savage Trio and Berklee All Stars on Sunday, July 30


Tia Fuller 


The 4th Annual Cambridge Jazz Festival takes place on Sunday, July 30 from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Danehy Park in North Cambridge.  Here are directions

The festival is free but donations are encouraged.  Eric Jackson, popular jazz radio host on WGBH, is master of ceremonies.

Among the performers:

Tia Fuller, saxophonist and faculty member at Berklee College of Music who has toured with BeyoncĂ©;

Pieces of a Dream, an American R&B and jazz group from Philadelphia;

Receitas de Samba, a samba duo featuring Bill Ward and Anna Borges; 

The Ron Savage Trio featuring Eula Lawrence; and 

Berklee Summer Jazz Workshop All Stars directed by Terri Lyne Carrington

See full Bios here.

The festival's mission is to entertain, and inform people about the American art of jazz through live performances, and provide inspiration and scholarship to young musicians in the community.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com


Jazz Singer Amanda Carr Performs at Maudslay Arts Center in Newburyport on Saturday, July 29



Popular jazz singer Amanda Carr and her group Les Femmes de Chanson perform at the Maudslay Arts Center in Newburyport at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 29, 2017.

Tickets can be purchased online at Eventbrite.com.

A multi-styled vocalist and pianist, Amanda Carr was nominated for the Boston Music Award’s “2016 Jazz Artist of the Year.”  She has performed with some of the country's leading orchestras, from the Boston Pops to the Glenn Miller Band.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts at MassJazz.com.

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

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.
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

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

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-20th century American jazz.

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...