October 2008

Step Out to Hear Jazz in Boston...Without Breaking the Bank

Members Connection: Programming at Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center Changes Hands; Free Tix to Lewis Nash Concert
How To Know If You're a JazzBoston Member
Write Us, Join Us, Please Pass This On...

Step Out to Hear Jazz in Boston...Without Breaking the Bank

During a time when belt-tightening is the order of the day, jazz lovers take heart: there are plenty of free or low-cost live events happening all over town, many on a regular basis. Below you'll find a sampler of some of those. For full details, go to the JazzBoston Events Calendar at http://www.jazzboston.org

The city's weekly no-cover-charge jam sessions are where both young up-and-comers and veterans get the chance to stretch beyond where they usually go during their regular gigs. Trumpeter Jason Palmer (photo left, above) leads the Sunday session at Wally's Jazz Cafe from 4 to 7 p.m., while over in Charlestown on Sundays the Bar at the End of the World hosts a jam session starting at 8 p.m. At Sally O'Brien's in Somerville, the Infinite Ensemble leads a Monday session from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Grayson Farmer and the Wild Sextet is the house band at the 11 p.m. Thursday session at Matt Murphy's Pub in Brookline; and vocalist John Minnock hosts the weekly jam session at the Red Pepper Restaurant in Framingham that kicks off at 7 p.m. every Friday.

You can also catch reedman Kurtis Rivers and his quintet every Sunday night at the VFW Ramsey Post, Dorchester, and pianist Al Vega and his trio Sunday nights at Lucky's Lounge and Fridays at the Caprice Restaurant and Lounge.

There are a number of free special events taking place over the next month, from concerts to clinics. This Saturday, Oct. 25, the Aardvark Jazz Orchestra presents its quadrennial "Election Special" concert at 8 p.m. at MIT's Killian Hall, featuring a new work by Mark Harvey, Aardvark's founder and director. The ESP Vocal Jazz Trio performs at 12:15 p.m. on Nov. 6 at the Boston Atheneum; the Makanda Project, featuring guest trombonist Craig Harris, appears at the Dudley Branch Library on Nov. 8 from 2 to 5 p.m.; and vocalist Dominique Eade performs at New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall on Nov. 17 at 8 p.m.

Berklee College of Music is offering three 1:15 p.m. clinics that are free and open to the public in its Berk Recital Hall, 1140 Boylston St., Boston. Pianist and composer Michael Weiss presents "Wayne Shorter's 'High Life': A Compositional Treasure Trove" on Oct. 27; Avishai Cohen leads a trumpet clinic on Oct. 28; and Mike Rossi presents a saxophone clinic on Nov. 5. For details go to http://www.berklee.edu/events/

Members Connection: Programming at Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center Changes Hands; Free Tix to Lewis Nash Concert

Shelley Neill, jazz singer and Executive Director of the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, has taken over the reins of music programming at the Center from veteran presenter Fenton Hollander, who has retired from the business. Also changing is the name, from the Real Deal Jazz Club and Cafe, which Hollander booked for the past four years, to the Jazz Club at the Multicultural Arts Center.

JazzBoston's newest Membership Partner, the Jazz Club now offers discounted tickets to all shows to JazzBoston members. As a special offer, the Jazz Club is giving away a pair of free tickets to the 9:30 p.m. show this Friday, Oct. 24, featuring drummer Lewis Nash (photo left) and his trio's tribute to Tommy Flanagan. The first JazzBoston member who writes to newsletter@jazzboston.org will receive the two tickets.

"Fenton's tenure here was strong," said Neill about Hollander, whose Water Music company pioneered jazz cruises in Boston, booked the Regattabar for two decades, and brought national acts to venues like Symphony Hall and Berklee Performance Center. "He presented some great shows. We hope to see that tradition continue."

The venue's seating capacity has been reduced from approximately 200 to 175, and new chairs and refurbished tables are in place. Seating is general admission, and complimentary appetizers are now included in the ticket prices. The club will also book blues, soul, Latin and world music performers, with the rest of this year's schedule including vocalist Sheila Jordan with pianist Steve Kuhn on Nov. 14, and singer/songwriter Marta Gomez and her group on Dec. 12.

"We realize that there are a lot of crazy things going on with the economy," said Neill, "but we feel that music is one of the universals that helps people get through both good times and bad times."

JazzBoston members also receive discounts at the Regattabar, Scullers, The Beehive, Ryles, The Redline Restaurant, the Vernissage Restaurant's "JazzThursdays at Vernissage," Restaurant Laura's "Thursday Night Jazz To Dine By", and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's Thursday evening jazz series, "Jazz at the Gardner." For discounts at all these venues, just show your JazzBoston card at the door, or when calling for reservations, give your name and member number.

Current JazzBoston members please note: check the expiration date on your membership cards and sign up to renew. Click here to renew now.

How To Know If You're a JazzBoston Member

"I receive the JazzBoston e-newsletter - doesn't that mean I'm a member?" "What's the difference between being registered as a musician on the JazzBoston website and being a member of JazzBoston?" Whenever we publish a special offer for JazzBoston members, we get questions like these.

If you're confused about whether you're a member of JazzBoston, you're not alone. We think this confusion arises because JazzBoston sends its e-newsletter to everyone who signs up for it, and we post gigs on our events calendar for every musician, presenter, or agent who submits them.

These services are free to fans and musicians, whether or not they join JazzBoston. We offer them free because we want to spread the word about Boston's exciting jazz scene as widely as possible. That's part of our mission. But if you don't have a black and white JazzBoston membership card with our logo on the front and spaces for your member number, expiration date, and signature on the back, you're not a JazzBoston member.

The support of our members makes these free services and many others possible. So if you're not already a member, we hope you'll consider joining JazzBoston and supporting our city's jazz community. Membership at the Friend level is just $20. Click here to join now.

Write Us, Join Us, Please Pass This On...

Please tell us what you think of this e-newsletter and what kinds of information you'd like to see included in future issues. Email us at newsletter@jazzboston.org. If you'd like to know more about JazzBoston and consider becoming a member, go to http://jazzboston.org/ And pass this e-newsletter along to all the jazz fans and music lovers you know!

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