Commentary

Sep 10 2019

Haynes Family: a slice of Rox. History

By |September 10th, 2019|Commentary, Forum|Comments Off on Haynes Family: a slice of Rox. History

Haynes Family: a slice of Rox. History By Jawu Miller The Bay State Banner, August 29, 2019, Page 1 The Roxbury in which Michael (in photo) and Roy Haynes were born in the late 1920s disappeared long ago, leveled by the urban renewal wrecking ball in the 1960s. Their family’s three-story frame house, were it [...]

Jul 15 2018

Co-founder Larry Ward talks about Cambridge Jazz Festival at 5

By |July 15th, 2018|Commentary, Forum, Newsletter|Comments Off on Co-founder Larry Ward talks about Cambridge Jazz Festival at 5

Last February Larry Ward (right) and Cambridge Jazz Festival co-founder Ron Savage were presented with the 32nd Annual NAACP Cambridge Branch Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Community Award. (Mutsuko photo) A success from the start, the Cambridge Jazz Festival, July 28 – 29, turns 5 this summer. JazzBoston spoke with [...]

Jul 15 2018

Founder Fred Woodard talks about Dudley Jazz Festival at 3

By |July 15th, 2018|Commentary, Forum, Newsletter|Comments Off on Founder Fred Woodard talks about Dudley Jazz Festival at 3

The Fred Woodard Collective, left to right: Matthew Williams – drums, Fred Woodard – guitar, Akili Jamal Haynes – bass, Fredrick Woodard (Fred’s son) – violin The Dudley Jazz Festival, July 28, is founder Fred Woodard’s gift to the community that has been his longtime home. JazzBoston spoke with the dedicated musician/educator [...]

Jan 15 2018

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the importance of jazz

By |January 15th, 2018|Commentary|Comments Off on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the importance of jazz

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the importance of jazz Opening Address to the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival: God has wrought many things out of oppression. He has endowed his creatures with the capacity to create—and from this capacity has flowed the sweet songs of sorrow and joy that have allowed man to cope [...]

Sep 24 2016

5th annual Beans & Cornbread Jazzfest Breakfast

By |September 24th, 2016|Commentary, Forum|Comments Off on 5th annual Beans & Cornbread Jazzfest Breakfast

Bring out the music in you: Join Mel King and other jazz lovers and community leaders for the 5th annual Beans & Cornbread Jazzfest Breakfast. There's no better way than this to warm up for the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival. Stop by from 9 AM to noon for a home-cooked meal prepared by the chefs [...]

Sep 2 2016

Opportunity Fund Open Application

By |September 2nd, 2016|Commentary, Forum|Comments Off on Opportunity Fund Open Application

Applications are now being accepted for September. The application submission window closes on 9/15. Grants will be made to individual artists for specific needs, such as materials, professional development costs, conference fees, and stipends for teaching artists. Applicants may request up to $1,000. $10,000 will be available per month until it runs out. Learn more [...]

Jul 14 2016

A Newport Snapshot: The Herb Pomeroy Big Band, 1958

By |July 14th, 2016|Commentary, Forum|Comments Off on A Newport Snapshot: The Herb Pomeroy Big Band, 1958

By Dick Vacca It’s mid July, and that means the 2016 edition of America’s oldest jazz festival, at Newport, is just weeks away. Boston jazz musicians, starting of course with pianist George Wein, the event’s founder, have always been a presence at Newport, and sometimes they’ve provided some sensational music. So it was in 1958, [...]

Apr 18 2016

Jazz Speaks for Life

By |April 18th, 2016|Commentary|1 Comment

By Emmett G. Price III – In the foreword to the playbill of the famed 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. passionately affirmed that, “Jazz speaks for life.” He proclaimed, “Much of the power of our Freedom Movement in the United States has come from this music. It has strengthened us [...]

Apr 16 2016

Reasons Why I Love Jazz

By |April 16th, 2016|Commentary|Comments Off on Reasons Why I Love Jazz

By Grace-Mary Burega – Jazz. A single word that encompasses a world full of ideas and people. Multifarious and diverse, yet unifying. As a young adult, I often feel alienated by my love of jazz. I live in a world of swing and bebop, yet my friends seem confused by the name "jazz.” When I [...]

Apr 15 2016

The Duke Ellington Sacred Concerts at 50

By |April 15th, 2016|Commentary|Comments Off on The Duke Ellington Sacred Concerts at 50

By Mark Harvey – The fall of 2015 marked the 50th anniversary of the Duke Ellington Sacred Concerts. These important presentations were significant formulations of the composer’s evolving personal and social religiosity, influenced by the intersections of religion, culture, and civil rights. Further, these works are also abiding testaments to the creativity and deep meaning [...]