Jazz Singer Kurt Elling Performing at Scullers in Boston on February 25-26

Legendary jazz vocalist Kurt Elling is performing at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston on Friday, February 25, and Saturday, February 26, 2011.  Tickets to the show are $30 and can be ordered online.

For a list of upcoming concerts at Scullers, click here. 

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

US Census Bureau Pays Tribute to Jazz as Part of Black History Month

John Coltrane

Profile America for the 23rd day of Black History Month, 2011.

It has been called "the only true American art form." Over a century old, it's appreciated around the world -- what else but the music called jazz? A blend of religious and work songs, Spanish and French influences, ragtime and marching bands, all laid over African rhythms, the history of jazz is uniquely tied to the African-American experience. From Jelly Roll Morton to Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis on to Wynton Marsalis, African-Americans have kept jazz evolving through the decades. Nearly 8 percent of adults in the U.S. attend a live jazz performance at least once a year.

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This special edition of Profile America is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

Stan Strickland and Dancers Perform at Boston Center for the Arts on February 24

Jazz saxophone and flute player Stan Strickland is performing with dancers Callie Chapman and Sara June at the Cyclorama at Boston Center for the Arts on Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets to the show are $20 and can be ordered online. 

A veteran jazz player has performed all over the world, opening for Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, Strickland  is featured in a film documentary entitled Black Man Up, with Blair Underwood and Lamar Burton.  He has worked with dozens of choreographers, including Alvin Ailey, Jose Limon and Bill T. Jones.

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.

Congratulations to Jazz Drummer Roy Haynes on Winning Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

Congratulations to Roy Haynes, who grew up in Roxbury and learned his music there, for receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

Boston Herald jazz writer Bob Young noted, "Roxbury-born Roy Haynes has kept some pretty good company in his nearly seven decades in the music business. Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Pat Metheny have all shared the stage with the man known as the father of modern jazz drumming."

With this award, Young writes,  Haynes joins "Dolly Parton, the Ramones, Julie Andrews and the Kingston Trio as a Grammy award Lifetime Achievement honoree."

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

Don't Worry, Be Happy: Bobby McFerrin is Performing at Berklee in Boston on February 24

Ten-time Grammy Award winnder Bobby McFerrin, considered one of the most gifted improvisational jazz vocalists of all time, is presenting Sing Song at the Berklee Performance Center on Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 8:15 p.m.

For this concert, McFerrin performs an improvisational program with Berklee student vocalists in the 24-member Singing Tribe Ensemble, conducted by associate voice professor Joey Blake.

Tickets to the concert are $10 and can be ordered online.

For a full schedule of upcoming concerts at Berklee Performance Center, click here.

For year round information on jazz clubs, concerts, campus activities, and jazz festivals throughout Massachusetts any time of year, visit MassJazz.com.

For visitor information about Massachusetts, visit MassVacation.com.

Celestial Septet Performing at UMass Amherst on Thursday, February 24

Avant-garde jazz ensemble Celestial Septet: Rova Sax Quartet + Nels Cline Singers, perform at the Bowker Auditorium at University of Massachusetts in Amherst on Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets to the show are $12 general admission and $7 for students, and can be purchased online.

The concert is part of the Magic Triangle Jazz Series presented in conjunction with WMUA radio.  For a list of other concerts coming up in this series, click here.

For year round information on jazz clubs, concerts, campus activities, and jazz festivals throughout Massachusetts any time of year, visit MassJazz.com.

For visitor information about Massachusetts, visit MassVacation.com.

Samantha Farrell Performing at BOND Restaurant & Lounge on Wednesday, February 23 in Boston

Samantha Farrell is performing at the new jazz series at BOND Restaurant and Lounge at the Boston Langham  Hotel on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

"She possesses a liquor-honey voice, deft guitar work and slightly melancholic tones that meld to form an aching and elegant aural tapestry," wrote Ben Evans about Farrell in the Huffington Post.  Originally from Boston, the singer-song writer got her start in Los Angeles and has been touring the country for the past few years, playing at concert venues and festivals.

Samantha's show is part of the new BOND Jazz Experiment that features upcoming and established jazz artists on Wednesday nights.  A special menu is available.  For reservations, call 617 956-8765.

For a full schedule of artists coming to the BOND Restaurant and Lounge, click here.

For year round details on jazz clubs, hotel brunches, campus activities, jazz festivals and concerts throughout Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com

For visitor information on Massachusetts, go to MassVacation.com.