[Dixielandjazz] Jazz is Dead????????

[Stephen G Barbone]

Wow, look what Massachusetts has done to promote jazz. And if you  
check their website (in the 2nd paragraph below) you will find a full  
jazz event calendar, as well as jazz club listings, jazz brunches,  
etc. And it includes OKOM band performances from: New Black Eagles, Dr  
Michael White, Trombone Shorty and The Glenn Miller Orchestra as well  
as the more modern styles of jazz and singers like Tony Bennett and  
Diana Krall.

Mass Jazz works with the state's travel and tourism agencies to  
promote the state as a jazz destination.

Just an example of what can be done when those involved with jazz, (or  
anything) decide to "just do it".

Cheers                                                               
Steve  
Barbone                                                              www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband



Massachusetts Upbeat about Jazz Tourism

New Marketing Initiative Celebrates Bay State’s Jazz Scene



(Boston) -  Massachusetts is singing the praises of its vibrant jazz  
scene to visitors this summer, as tourism officials introduce  
MassJazz, a new marketing initiative to promote the Bay State’s  
extensive jazz activities year round to the tourism industry.

Organizers of the campaign have issued a 40-page MassJazz Travel Guide  
detailing hundreds of outdoor and indoor concerts, jazz festivals,  
nightclubs, radio programs, hotel brunches and jazz connections for  
out-of-town visitors and local residents.   Details are also available  
on http://www.massjazz.com/.

“The beauty of jazz is its influence from musical cultures from across  
the world, while remaining a distinctly American art form,” said  
Governor Deval Patrick. “We want to translate the unique features of  
Massachusetts’s jazz heritage into a strong tourism brand that appeals  
to both domestic and international visitors.”

While promoting jazz concerts, festivals and clubs, organizers also  
plan to support the state’s hospitality industry by publicizing jazz  
gigs and jazz brunches in hotels, restaurants and other venues.

“All summer and fall visitors can hear great jazz from Boston to the  
Berkshires, Cape Cod to the North Shore, and everywhere in between,”  
said Betsy Wall, executive director of the Massachusetts Office of  
Travel & Tourism.  “Our goal is to offer jazz as a new way of  
showcasing the many cultural and hospitality amenities Massachusetts  
has to offer.”

Wall pointed to the strong jazz presence in regions across the state,  
with festivals taking place in Boston, Falmouth, Lenox, Marblehead,  
Melrose, Pittsfield, Provincetown, Salem and Worcester over the next  
four months.

“Of the many cultural riches we have in Massachusetts, our jazz  
treasures deserve to be celebrated in the tourism industry,” said  
MassJazz founder Michael P. Quinlin, who developed the campaign with  
Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, Berklee College of Music,  
Tanglewood Jazz Festival and other jazz advocates in the state.

Quinlin said that Massachusetts has a stellar tradition of producing  
popular jazz musicians like pianist Chick Corea, drummer Roy Haynes,  
saxophonists Sonny Stitt, Phil Woods and many others.

In addition, Massachusetts offers some of the world’s best jazz study  
programs at Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory, UMASS/ 
Amherst and other universities throughout the state.  Numerous jazz  
leaders have studied or taught in Massachusetts, including Quincy  
Jones, Diana Krall, Branford Marsalis, Esperanza Spalding, Archie  
Shepp and Yusef Lateef.

“Today thousands of young people are studying music here, and there is  
a long tradition of jazz musicians learning their craft here and  
taking it out to the rest of the world,” said Tom Riley, vice  
president of external affairs at Berklee.  In addition to its year  
round programs, Berklee hosts the annual BeanTown Jazz Festival in  
Boston each September, which draws upwards of 70,000 participants.

In addition to bolstering visitor attendance at BeanTown, Tanglewood  
and a dozen other jazz festivals across the state, organizers hope to  
develop music education as a tourism product too.  They’ll also  
promote summer jazz courses offered at local universities and at  
cultural venues like Jacob’s Pillow, which offers jazz dance workshops  
each July.

The MassJazz Travel Guide is available for free in tourism centers  
around the state and in local concert venues, jazz clubs, hotels and  
restaurants.  It is being distributed to incoming conventions, tour  
operators and travel agencies throughout North America and to select  
international outlets.

For up-to-date information about jazz activities year round, visit http://www.massjazz.com/ 
.  To request further information, contact MassJazz at 617 696 9880 or massjazz at comcast.net