Lots of Action at JazzBoston's Tent at the 2014 Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival

Saturday, September 27, was a beautiful day for jazz and for Boston. The weather was warm and the vibes hot as tens of thousands of jazz lovers jammed their way up and down Columbus Ave. at the Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival in the South End.

For JazzBoston's eighth appearance at this epic free annual event, we converted half our tent into a TV studio with one set for interviews and another for our "What's your jazz?" marketing campaign. Then we turned over the microphones to some of our favorite local radio hosts, who interviewed a steady stream of musicians and music lovers - among them Chilean saxophonist Melissa Aldana and her Crash Trio; Boston-based drummer and band leader Yoron Israel; MA State Rep. Byron Rushing; Boston City Councilors Ayanna Pressley, Tito Jackson, and Charles Yancey; painter Paul Goodnight; and Columbus Ave. Church Pastor Kevin Coakley.

Eric Jackson - WGBH, Bonnie Johnson - WICN, Lydia Liebman - WECB (until her graduation last June), and Ron Bell - Boston Praise Radio & TV (which plans to add jazz to its format) conducted the interviews, and Jandro Cisneros manned the camera. A few themes recurred over and over:

• The diversity of the crowd and the beauty of so many people coming together without incident. "In other cities, you see this a lot," said Byron Rushing. "In Boston, it is something that has just started happening in the last 15 years, and it's wonderful!"
• Boston's love of jazz and pride in the abundance of great talent here. "We really are jazz lovers in the City of Boston," said Charles Yancey. "People all over the city are starving for jazz," he continued. "We need more jazz venues." And from Tito Jackson, "I don't have to go to NY to hear great jazz music. We have amazing, amazing talent that's here every day, all year round."
• Praise for Darryl Settles, "an entrepreneur with a dream," who founded the BeanTown Jazz Festival in 2001 and produced it for the first 6 years, until Berklee College of Music committed to continue it in 2007.

Videos of the interviews are coming soon to JazzBoston's YouTube channel. Click here for videos of Councilor-at-Large Pressley and JazzBoston board member, educator and musician Emmett G. Price III answering the question, "What's your jazz?" For more photos of JazzBoston at BeanTown, click here.

JazzBird, JazzBoston's free radio app - the portal to hundreds of great jazz radio shows streaming live from stations around the globe - was also popular at BeanTown. Encouraged by our student team of Brian Phillips, Jameel Davis, and Ron Bell Jr., scores of passers-by downloaded the app on the spot, and we sold out our new JazzBird t-shirts. (Look for them soon at the JazzBoston store.) Our membership list also grew during the day, with many new fans signing up.

A big thank-you to the terrific team of volunteers at the JazzBoston tent: Suzanne Aleva, Larry Cronin, Barbara and David Green, Dotty Guild, and Dennis Marfurt. We also want to thank JazzBoston board member and Berklee Provost Larry Simpson for making our presence at the festival possible once again this year.

Local Spotlight by Claire Dickson - New Boston Area Jazz Venues

In the next month, the Boston area will have two more places to go and hear jazz: ACT III in Littleton Common and Maggy's Lounge in Quincy.

The opening of ACT III, formerly the Acton Jazz Cafe, has been highly anticipated by many members of the Boston jazz community. After raising over $15,400 through crowdfunding, having benefit concerts, and qualifying for a Chase Mission Main st. Grant, ACT III is getting closer! Founded by Berklee alumna and restaurant veteran Gwenn Vivian, The Acton Jazz Cafe was a fantastic place to hear the best of Boston's jazz musicians, like Jerry Bergonzi and Lazlo Gardony. Their weekend jazz jams provided playing opportunities for younger players and beginners. Vote for ACT III to receive their grant here. Visit their facebook page to receive updates on their opening.

Maggy's Lounge has prided itself on being a destination for entertainment. They've had hip hop nights, salsa nights, rock nights - but they haven't had a jazz night. That's about to change when they introduce their "Monday Night Jazz Jam" in November. The first jam is November 3rd at 7 pm and will continue to be a weekly event. Go try some of Maggy's pizza and enjoy what will be the first of, hopefully, many jazz events. Follow Maggy's on facebook, and visit their website.

We'll have more information on these new and returning jazz venues in coming issues of the JazzBoston Newsletter. Stay tuned!

Members Connection: Win Free Tickets, Get Great Discounts!

If you're a JazzBoston member, write to newsletter@jazzboston.org now to enter a drawing to win free tickets to any of the events listed below, and please note which shows and dates you're interested in. You must be a JazzBoston member to be eligible to win.

• Become a JazzBoston member now. Annual memberships begin as low as $20.

The Regattabar is offering a pair of tickets to each of the following shows:

Alex Alvear & Mango Blue, October 11, 8 pm
Laurent Coq Dialogue Trio October 14, 7:30 pm
Andy McKee, October 15,7:30 pm
Emily Bear Solo Piano, October 17,7:30 pm
David Maxwell's Boogie Woogie & Blues Piano, October 18 7:30 pm
Julia and the Zerounian Ensemble, October 21, 7:30 pm
Jason Yeager Trio, October 24, 7:30 pm
Fall Klezmer Music Festival, Klezwoods & Klezperanto, October 28, 7:30 pm
Raul Midon CD Release show, October 29, 7:30 pm
Roberto Fonseca, October 30, 7:30 pm
RSE Halloween Show w/Jon Bernhardt, October 31, 7:30

The Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center is offering two tickets to this event:
Daniel Ian Smith's "The Latin Billy Strayhorn" October 16th, 8 pm

From World Music/CRASHarts:

Two tickets for SpokFrevo Orquestra, October 19th, 7:30, at the Berklee Performance Center.

All JazzBoston newsletter subscribers are eligible for 50% off SpokFrevo Orquestra tickets! To buy online, input JBSO50 at the bottom of your shopping cart and click "Add Coupon." By phone, just mention JBSO50 to receive your discount. Expires October 17, 12 pm.

The Arts and Business Council is offering this discount:

JazzBoston members get 20% off the 2014 Musician's Professional Toolbox, including workshops for musicians on social media, fundraising ideas, artist representation, and more. You can sign up for one workshop, or the full program - either way, it's a great way for you to build your business savvy and professionalism as a musician. The next session happens October 20th, 5:30 - 7:30, "Creating Buzz: Leveraging Publicity and Social Media." The series ends December 15.

To get information about a particular program or register online, email D'lynne Plummer, Director of Professional Development, and give her your membership number.