Two Jazz Shows at Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge on Friday, December 17

Jazz pianist and composer Kevin Harris and his trio - known as the Kevin Harris Project - perform at the Jazz Club of the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Friday, December 17, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.   Harris is a gifted composer whose influences range from Thelonius Monk and Keith Jarrett to Daniel Perez and Frederic Chopin.

Then  jazz vocalist Valerie Stephen takes the stage at 9:00 p.m. for a Tribute to Nina Simone.  Stephens captures the finesse and the fury of Simone, whose iconic music captured a tumultuous time in American life.

 Tickets to each show are $15, or $25 for both shows, and can be ordered online.  Also, discounts apply for seniors, students and members of the Center.

For more details on the Jazz Club, located at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center on 41 Second Street in East Cambridge, click here.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com

For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com.

Rockport Music Presents Jazz Pianist David Benoit Performing A Charlie Brown Christmas on December 14

Innovative jazz pianist David Benoit and his trio are performing the music to A Charlie Brown Christmas at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts on Tuesday, December 14, 2010, at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets to the show are $25.00 to $46.00 and can be purchased online or by calling 978 546-7391.

A pioneer of the smooth jazz genre, Benoit has long been passionate about the music of Peanuts composer Vince Guaraldi and has made numerous recordings related to Peanuts.

For a complete schedule of concerts at the Shalin Liu Performance center, visit Rockport Music.

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

For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com.

Jazz Vocalist Rajdulari Barnes Performing in Boston on December 9

Jazz singer Rajdulari Barnes is performing at the new Cafe Tatant jazz dinner club at the Roxbury Center for the Arts on Thursday, December 9, 2010.  She'll be performing with her group, the Rajdulari Jazz Project.

Doors open at 6:00 p.m., dinner is served at 7:00 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $39 for meal and music per person, or $69 per couple.  Tickets for the show only, without dinner, are $19.

For more information, please call 617 849-6322.

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

Jazz singer Diane Richardson Kicks off new jazz supper club in Roxbury on December 2

Jazz Vocalist Diane Richardson

Roxbury Center for Arts at Hibernian Hall in Boston's Dudley Square is launching a new supper club - called Cafe Tatant - offering fine dining with jazz, rhythm-and-blues and soul music and dancing on Thursday evenings.

Cafe Tatant premiers on December 2, 2010 with Diane Richardson, a well-known jazz singer who is performing with trombonist Bill Lowe, keyboardist John Kordalewski, bassist Ron Mahdi and drummer Ralph Peterson.

George Huggins of Ethnica Gourmet Catering will provide the food as the grand ballroom is transformed into a relaxed listening lounge and supper club.

The nightclub opens its doors at 6:00 p.m.. Dinner is served at 7:00 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. The meal and music package is $39 for one and $69 for a couple.  Tickets for just the show are $19 and can be purchased online.

Upcoming shows at Cafe Tatant in December include:

Rajdulari Barnes and the Rajdulari Jazz Project on December 9

Cornell Coley and his Afro-Latin Ensemble Sugarfoot on December 16

Fulani Haynes and the Jazz Collaborative Holiday Show on December 23.

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

WGBH Hosts Tribute to Ray Smith on November 19

(Boston) - WGBH 89.7 FM is presenting a musical tribute to legendary radio host Ray Smith on Friday, November 19, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. at the station's studios in Brighton.

Radio host Ron Della Chiesa will serve as master of ceremonies, with music by the Paramount Jazz Band.

Admission to the tribute is $120 and includes a pair of tickets and membership in WGBH's Jazz Club. For more details, click here.

Smith, who died in February, 2010 at age 87, worked at WGBH for 38 years, producing over 1,900 programs. His show, Jazz Decades, started in 1958 at another station, is the longest running program in Boston radio history.

For more information on WGBH, visit WGBH.org.

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

Jazz Guitarist John McLaughlin & Fourth Dimension at Boston's House of Blues on November 16

Legendary jazz guitarist John McLaughlin is performing with the 4th Dimension at the House of Blues in Boston on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. (doors open at 7:00 p.m.). Tickets to the show are $29.50 to $39.50 and can be ordered online.

Opening the show for McLaughin is the Jimmy Herring Band.

Founder of the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the 1960s, McLaughlin's lifelong musical and spiritual journey was influenced by John Coltrane. His famous version of Good-bye Port Pie Hat, by jazz bassist Charlie Mingus, remains part of McLaughlin's repertoire today.

For more jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

For tourism information on Massachusetts, visit MassVacation.com.

Las Vegas Rat Pack Show comes to Hanover Theatre in Worcester on November 6

What happened in Vegas comes to Worcester, Massachusetts this weekend when The Rat Pack is Back opens at the historic Hanover Theater on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets are $35, $45, and $55 and can be ordered online or by calling 877 571-7469.

The show recreates the nightclub scene of Las Vegas of the 1950s, when Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Joey Bishop starred at the Sands Hotel, performing a free-wheeling cabaret of songs, jokes, stories, dance routines and quips that captured America's imagination.

The Rat Pack is Back features a big-band 12-piece orchestra and top notch vocalists who recreate the mood and sound of the 1950s.

For a full list of upcoming shows at the Hanover Theatre, click here.

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