Gary Bartz News

A new jazz master is coming to the Monadnock Region to perform his special musical magic. With two degrees from NYU, Alex Minasian has, at a remarkably young age, established himself as a versatile pianist, educator, and impresario in many different musical genres.

Jazz vocalist Salvant dazzled Segerstrom Center audiences when she first appeared at the Center in 2014; Fortner has been called one of the top jazz pianists of his generation and is recognized for his virtuosic technique and captivating performances.

This year's edition features the return of live music, with a diverse assemblage of world-class and emerging jazz musicians, performing in spacious, nine-acre Waryas Park, located in downtown Poughkeepsie, in New York's historic Hudson River Valley, just 90 miles north of New York City.

As trending in the greater jazz community, creative women earned significant recognition: Composer-orchestra leader Maria Schneider, whose album Data Lords (ArtistShare) is Record of the Year, and drummer-producer educator Terri Lyne Carrington, Jazz Musician of the Year, won multiple awards. Women prevailed in several other instrumentalists' categories, too.

See all results of JJA members' 25th annual voting in 47 categories that honor writers, photographers, broadcasters, books, documentaries, podcasts and live-stream productions as well as musicians' achievements, at JAJazzAwards.org. 

The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner, streamed live from the Annenberg Center on Thursday, December 17 at 7 PM.

The Jazz Foundation of America will continue its fundraising efforts on behalf of musicians affected by the pandemic, with “BIRD CALLS,” on Thursday, December 10th, a livestream concert celebrating the centennial of saxophonist, composer, and legendary musical innovator Charlie “Yardbird” Parker.

The Jazz Foundation of America, the 31-year-old New York-based non-profit serving the jazz community, will continue its fundraising efforts on behalf of musicians affected by the pandemic with “Bird Calls,” a glittering December 10 livestream celebrating the centennial birthday of alto saxophonist Charlie “Yardbird” Parker.

The live music community came together to raise funds and awareness for racial equality with the new one-day, donation-based virtual event, Justice Comes Alive.

The Vermont Jazz Center will present an online event on Saturday, May 23rdand Sunday, May 24th with drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science. The activities will be livestreamed from the VJC's website at www.vtjazz.org beginning at 8:00 pm on Saturday and continuing Sunday, May 24th, from 2:00 - 5:00 PM.

New York vocalist Kendra Shank pays tribute to her friend and mentor Abbey Lincoln (1930 - 2010) in a program of songs composed by the legendary singer, songwriter, actress, poet, civil rights activist, and NEA Jazz Master whose powerful messages of love, struggle, hope, and freedom are timeless and timely. Shank's CD A Spirit Free: Abbey Lincoln Songbook (2007, the first Lincoln songbook ever recorded) received a New York Times Critics' Choice, 4 stars in DownBeat, and numerous 'Best of the Year' awards, among other accolades.

BroadwayWorld Critics' Pick and StageSceneLA Award-winner Scott Dreier, star of last season's acclaimed hit Doris and Me, will return to The Colony Theatre in Burbank with his holiday concert, The Merry Little Christmas Show, for two performances only. Along with special guest Kurtis Simmons and music director Andy Langham, Dreier will perform on Sunday, December 15, at 3pm and 6pm.

The 2019 Newport Jazz Festival® presented by Natixis Investment Managers, set for August 2 - 4 at Fort Adams State Park and the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino, gets hipper and hotter as new artists are announced, and today's Wave 3 announcement is definitely hip and hot. 

Brooklyn Music School (BMS) presents the 6th Annual Middle School Jazz Festival today, March 2, 2019 from 12pm to 6:30pm, with a concert at 4:30pm, followed by a jam session with students, faculty, and guest artist. BMS is located at 126 Saint Felix Street, Brooklyn. Concert tickets are a $10 suggested donation.

THE GREEN ROOM 42 Broadway's newest intimate concert venue will present Alyson Cambridge, featuring the Alex Minasian Trio, on Friday, March 29 at 9:30 PM.

Brooklyn Music School (BMS) presents the 6th Annual Middle School Jazz Festival on Saturday, March 2, 2019 from 12pm to 6:30pm, with a concert at 4:30pm, followed by a jam session with students, faculty, and guest artist. BMS is located at 126 Saint Felix Street, Brooklyn. Concert tickets are a $10 suggested donation.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts presents the Kenny Barron Quintet for two performances on November 3, 2018 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, the Los Angeles Times calls Barron "one of the top jazz pianists in the world" and Jazz Weekly calls him "The most lyrical piano player of our time." For his return to the Center's Jazz Series, Barron brings his quintet, which includes Mike Rodriguez, trumpet; Dayna Stephens, tenor saxophone; Kiyoshi Kitagawa, bass; and Jonathan Blake, drums.

City Parks Foundation's SummerStage is proud to announce the 26th Anniversary celebration of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. The free festival is New York City's annual salute to the legendary late saxophonist, featuring storied veteran players as well as young jazz musicians who continue to shape and drive the art form. This year's festival runs August 22 through August 26 at parks and venues around Manhattan and will include free concerts, panel discussions, and workshops - focused in Harlem where Parker worked and in the East Village where Parker lived.

City Parks Foundation is thrilled to announce the 2018 season of SummerStage, New York City's largest free outdoor performing arts festival, bringing more than 100 performances to Central Park and 17 neighborhood parks throughout the five boroughs. This year's festival, presented by Capital One, will showcase over 200 unique artists hailing from New York City and around the globe, performing shows across a diversity of genres and disciplines, including indie-rock, hip-hop, Latin, jazz, R&B, salsa, opera, contemporary dance, and spoken word.

The Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture presents the New Cuban Express and the Steven Kroon Latin Jazz Sextet as part of a Latin jazz double bill in the Repertory Theater of Hostos Community College, 450 Grand Concourse in the Bronx, on Saturday, May 5, 7:30 PM.