Cool city, hot jazz. Jazz Week ’12 is upon us, Boston’s annual aggregation of some of the best and brightest in the city’s polyglot jazz scene. Now through May 6 there will be literally hundreds of performances at some 90 venues scatted throughout the area. Here’s some of what’s hot:
- Jazz Swarms is a way to energize your lunch break at South Station. If you like large, same-instrument ensembles, South Station is your destination this week. Today, April 30, it’s flutes and Matt Samolis. Tuesday May 1 it’s clarinets, courtesy of Todd Brunel. Get over the hump Wednesday with a little help from Greg Moore and his trombones. Thursday Ken Fields’ saxes shake up the venerable rail station venue and Friday May 4 Jerry Sabatini’s trumpets echo off the walls.
- While Jazz Swarms at South Station, improvisation gets explained at the Boston Public Library Thursday May 3 at 6 p.m. Tom Hall is the guy presenting this interactive workshop, one that focuses on how to increase your awareness of the improvisational possibilities of each moment – whether you’re playing an instrument, playing with your kids or working at your job.
- Kids only realize their possibilities if they’re taught to. Riffs & Raps® – Jazz for the Very Young introduces children to the Reed family, to folks such as Tyrone the Tenor Saxophone. Master teachers and performers Arni Cheatham and Bill Lowe show kids how reed instruments work, defining the tone, pitch and character of each. Kids learn the elementary lessons of reed instruments by playing their own straw kazoos. The venue for this one is the Boston Children’s Museum, and the time is 2 p.m. on Saturday May 5.
There’s lots more in store for jazz devotees this Jazz Week ’12. The overarching theme this year was inspired by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) designation of today, April 30, as International Jazz Day. The idea: to demonstrate just how powerful an international language jazz is. It bridges divides, fosters freedom of expression and opens some surprising doors.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Werner Kunz)
