Category Archives: Press

Posted in Berklee • Press • Shows

First SJSF/Berklee Summer Series concert of 2016 in Derby Square, Salem, 5/14/16

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MIXLA featuring Zahili Gonzalez Zamora will perform at SJSF/Berklee Summer Series on May 14 in Derby Square

MIXLA featuring Zahili Gonzalez Zamora, a trio consisting of students from the Berklee College of Music, will play the first SJSF/Berklee Summer Series concert of 2016 in Derby Square, Salem, on Saturday, May 14.

February 5, 2016 (Salem, MA) – The free SJSF/Berklee Summer Series show will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. and will feature an educational interview about music and the Berklee experience. MIXLA featuring Zahili Gonzalez Zamora,

Howling Wolf Taqueria will sponsor the performance, which marks the festival’s first outdoor show of its 10th season

Pulling from three dynamic spirits of The Zahili Gonzalez Zamora Project, a new mixture of sonic masterpieces is born. MIXCLA is a play on words between mezcla and mix. It is also a merging of cultures hailed from the mountains of Chile, to the traditions of Japan, which driven by the fires of Cuba achieve a truly unique Latin jazz experience. MIXCLA is led by composer/pianist and singer Zahili Gonzalez Zamora, with Gerson Esteban Lazo Quiroga on bass and backing vocals, and Takafumi Nikaido on percussion. This mixture of cultural spices makes the perfect recipe for one of a kind musical experience.

Three more SJSF/Berklee Summer Series concerts will take place this year: Maddie Jay & the pH Collective on June 11; Selah Poitier on July 9; and RickExpress on Aug. 13.

The 10th-annual Salem Jazz and Soul Festival will follow during the weekend of Aug. 20-21, featuring 10 bands, a kids’ tent, music-education tent, artisan fair and 21-plus beer pavilion. The two-day concert is free.

The festival is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization that produces free concerts and raises money for music education causes on the North Shore.

Check salemjazzsoul.org for more information. Photos provided upon request.

Media Contact: Judy Parisella
Email: jparisella@salemjazzsoul.com

Posted in News • Press

The 94th Annual ‘Celebrate Salem Awards’

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Salem Chamber of Commerce logo
SJSF has been nominated for the 94th Annual ‘Celebrate Salem Awards’
The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, now in its 10th Season is honored to be one of only 36 in total nominated, and one of 6 in The Community Service Award.  This recognition is awarded to a member or organization who has an outstanding record of community service and volunteer participation.
PLEASE consider voting for us for this prestigious honor.
The deadline to vote is April 12th!
Posted in Education • Press

SJSF’s MusicKidz relocates to Salem’s Point neighborhood

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The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival’s popular MusicKidz program has relocated to Salem’s Point neighborhood.

2016 MusicKids 135 Lafayette v3
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 5, 2016 – The MusicKidz program is a workshop for children in grades K-5 and takes place the second Saturday of every month, beginning Feb. 13, in the Community Room of 135 Lafayette Apartments. It runs from 10 to 11 a.m. and parental supervision is required.

Classes cover such subjects as creative movement, rhythm and world music. The class is taught by Justine Pasquale, a Salem State University graduate and teacher in Malden public schools.

“135 Lafayette and Peabody Properties, Inc. are very excited to be offering the MusicKidz Program, in conjunction with the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, for our young residents as well as the youth in the community,” said Marcy Grady, residential services coordinator at 135 Lafayette Apartments. “We look forward to a memorable experience of fun and sharing the joy of music with our residents and the neighborhood youth.”

Saturday will begin the fourth year for the MusicKidz workshop, which has been run out of Salem Library and Salem YMCA in the past. According to the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival’s educators, the new location is a perfect fit.

“We’re thrilled about our partnership with Peabody Properties to bring MusicKidz to 135 Lafayette,” said Nick Giarratani, the festival’s education director. “We’re hoping this new location will attract children from the Point neighborhood and inspire them. We’re happy we can provide such a service to a most deserving neighborhood.”

MusicKidz is sponsored by the Howling Wolf Taqueria and made possible through a grant from Cell Signaling Technologies.

The nonprofit Salem Jazz and Soul Festival’s mission is to produce free concerts and support music-education causes on the North Shore of Massachusetts. It is celebrating its 10th season in 2016.

For more information, email jparisella@salemjazzsoul.org.

Learn more at SalemJazzSoul.org.

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Posted in Education • Press

North Shore Jazz Project merges with Salem Jazz and Soul Festival

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Two North Shore music nonprofits with similar missions have merged.

North Shore Jazz Project merges with Salem Jazz and Soul Festival
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2016 – The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival (SJSF) and North Shore Jazz Project (NSJP) filed merger paperwork with Massachusetts’ Attorney General in late 2015 and will retain the name Salem Jazz and Soul Festival.

Founded in 2009 to “create an environment on the North Shore where jazz education, performance and appreciation can flourish,” NSJP produced world-class concerts featuring artists such as Joe Lovano, Danilo Perez, Anat Cohen, Roomful of Blues and J Geils, among others. In addition, the NSJP established an all-star high-school student ensemble led by internationally recognized tenor saxophonist and Berklee School of Music professor Mike Tucker. The NSJP All-Stars have appeared at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, Castle Hill, the Litchfield Jazz Festival, Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, Chianti Jazz Lounge and the Cabot and Larcom theatres.

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Posted in Press • Shows

Thank You!

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Heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make our weekend Festival a rousing success!  We wanted to post some links to some of the awesome media that has been coming out since the Festival.  Look for a more organized Thank You and round-up coming soon, once we catch up on our sleep a bit!

Many thanks to everyone who made the Festival what it was- we had a blast and hope you did as well!

Special Thanks to John Andrews from Creative Salem for taking so many excellent photos!

Click Here for Creative Salem’s photo galleries of the Festival

Click Here for Shelley Sackett’s excellent article “Salem Jazz and Soul Fest volunteers walk the walk”

 

 

Posted in Berklee • Press • Shows

Salem Jazz and Soul Festival continues monthly concert series with the Marika Galea Quartet

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Marika Galea Quartet

Salem Jazz and Soul Festival continues monthly concert series with the Marika Galea Quartet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 28, 2015 – The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival will continue its 2015 SJSF/Berklee Summer Series in Derby Square, Salem, on Saturday, June 13 with a concert featuring jazz bassist Marika Galea, and her quartet.

The free show will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. and will feature an educational interview about music and the Berklee experience.

Creative Salem will sponsor the performance.

A rising star and bandleader, Marika Galea is a respected young jazz bassist and composer who has studied with and opened for a number of highly acclaimed artists including Bucky Pizzarelli, Branford Marsalis, Al Jarreau, and Teri Lyne Carrington. Originally from Cananda, Marika is carving out a reputation on this side of the border as a jazz bassist, journalist, and educator with longevity. She is pleased to present her international quartet, including Yoav Eshed (Israel) on guitar, Tomoaki Baba (Japan) on saxophone, and Jongkuk Kim (South Korea) on drums.

Marika’s band members bring their respective talents to Derby Square as well. Yoav Eshed, guitar, has been studying music since he was a toddler and won the third place prize in the 2104 Montreux Jazz Festival International Guitar Festival in Switzerland. Tomoaki Baba, saxophones, began playing in a big band at age seven that ended up playing at the Sydney Opera House during a cultural exchange. Johgkuk Kim, drums, released his first solo album when studying at the Seoul Institute of the Arts at age 16. All members of the quartet are current Berklee College of Music students.

Two more SJSF/Berklee Summer Series concerts will take place this year: Beneil Miller on July 11; and Chuks Okpu on Aug. 8. The ninth-annual Salem Jazz and Soul Festival will be held during the weekend of Aug. 15-16, featuring 10 bands, a kids’ tent, music-education tent, artisan fair and 21-plus beer pavilion. The two-day concert is free.

The festival is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization that produces free concerts and raises money for music education causes on the North Shore.

Check salemjazzsoul.org for more information. Photos provided upon request.

Posted in Berklee • Press • Shows

Salem Jazz and Soul Festival kicks off their SJSF/Berklee Summer Series at Derby Square, Salem

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The Berklee Yellowjackets Ensemble

SJSF/Berklee Summer Series monthly concerts kicks off with the Berklee Yellowjackets Ensemble

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 29, 2015 – Salem Jazz and Soul Festival kicks off SJSF/Berklee Summer Series monthly concert series with The Berklee Yellowjackets Ensemble

The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival will begin its 2015 SJSF/Berklee Summer Series in Derby Square, Salem, on Saturday, May 9, with a concert featuring The Yellowjackets, a band made up of current Berklee College of Music students.

The free show will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. and will feature an educational interview about music and the Berklee experience.

The Lobster Shanty restaurant will sponsor the performance.

The Berklee Yellowjackets Ensemble is a sought-after band led by Dave Weigert (drums), a professor in the Ensemble Department. They play the repertoire of the world-renowned Yellowjackets, one of the few jazz bands that has been together for over 30 years. The students—bassist Elin Margareta Sandberg (Sweden), tenor and alto saxophonist Andrew Denicola (Stamford, Connecticut), guitarist Lior Tzemach (Ramat Gan, Israel), and piano synth player Zak Leever (San Francisco, California)—are highly motivated, dedicated, and accomplished musicians.

The selected Yellowjackets repertoire that the ensemble will play is funk oriented and groove based with beautiful, soaring, and expressive melodies and rich harmonies. Audience members will be treated to an uplifting and inspiring performance.

Three more SJSF/Berklee Summer Series concerts will take place this year: Marika Galea on June 13; Beneil Miller on July 11; and Chuks Okpu on Aug. 8.

The ninth-annual Salem Jazz and Soul Festival will follow during the weekend of Aug. 15-16, featuring 10 bands, a kids’ tent, music-education tent, artisan fair and 21-plus beer pavilion. The two-day concert is free.

The festival is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization that produces free concerts and raises money for music education causes on the North Shore.

Check salemjazzsoul.org for more information. Photos provided upon request.

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Posted in News • Press

Salem Jazz and Soul Festival Spring Gala Fundraiser at Beverly’s Larcom Theatre

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Salem Jazz and Soull Festival Spring Gala Fundraiser

Swing, rock, and groove with the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival

At the annual Spring Fundraiser at Beverly’s Larcom Theatre.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2015 – The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival is throwing a benefit concert April 26 featuring the Cape Ann Big Band, a 17-piece swing band out of Gloucester and the North Shore Jazz Project All Stars, an elite youth jazz ensemble, comprised of local high school students. All proceeds will benefit the festival, a volunteer-run nonprofit celebrating its ninth season.

The fundraiser will take place at the historic Larcom Theatre in downtown Beverly on Sunday, April 26 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30). The theater is located at 13 Wallis St.

The benefit is sponsored by Wylie Inn and Conference Center, Marblehead Bank, Salem Cycle, North Shore 104.9 and Chianti Tuscan Restaurant and Jazz Lounge. The night will feature a silent auction of items donated by generous North Shore businesses and artists; raffles and a cash bar.

Tickets (available at www.gimmelive.tv) are $19/$29/$39 and proceeds will fund the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival’s non-profit mission of producing free concerts and supporting music education causes on the North Shore. This is the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival’s only ticketed show of the year.

About the Cape Ann Big Band: Formed in 2010, the 17-piece Cape Ann Big Band is driven by the talents of Cape Ann musicians who pride themselves in performing to entertain and connect with the local community. Bandleader Carlos Menezes Jr. directs the group in jazz, swing, New Orleans street band music, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll — standards from the “Golden era” of swing, pop tunes, and a number of show-tunes derived from popular films. “Moondance”, “Wonderwall”, Van Halen’s “Jump”, “Take the A Train”, Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood”, and a tribute to Frank Sinatra and Basie are just a few of the charts in this season’s repertoire.

About the North Shore Jazz Project All Stars: The NSJP All Stars is a world-class youth jazz band featuring the best high-school aged musical talent on Boston’s North Shore. The group is led by local tenor saxophonist, Mike Tucker, a Berklee College of Music graduate and professor.
In the coming months, the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival will host the following free shows:
• The SJSF/Berklee Summer Series at Derby Square, Salem, with Berklee College of Music student-led bands, on May 9 June 13, July 11 and Aug. 8
• The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, a two-day concert at the Salem Willows, with 10 bands, a music education tent, kids tent, 21+ beer garden, and artisans selling hand-made goods, Aug. 15-16

Please go to salemjazzsoul.org for more information. Photos available upon request.

Posted in News • Press

Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, city, to host 6th annual Jazz Appreciation Day concert

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City of Salem Jazz Appreciation Day 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival will produce its 6th-annual City of Salem Jazz Appreciation Day concert in early April in downtown Salem.

March 15, 2014 – Salem, MA – The event kicks off Jazz Appreciation month, April, and is put on in partnership with the City of Salem. Salem Five, a major festival sponsor, has donated the room and the concert is free to the public.

The free show will take place in the Salem Five Community Room at 210 Essex Street on the Walking Mall, Saturday, April 4, from 2 to 4 p.m.

Performing this year will be the North Shore Jazz Project All Stars, a big band made up of the North Shore’s premier high school-aged jazz musicians, directed by professional saxophonist Mike Tucker.

The North Shore Jazz Project All Stars
The North Shore Jazz Project All Stars
“The NSJP All Stars played our main festival last year, and the crowd was blown away by their talent, so we thought we’d invite them back to be featured at Jazz Appreciation Day,” said Larry Claflin Jr., the festival’s executive director. “Having these young musicians on stage is at the core of what the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival is about – providing students with an opportunity to perform at no cost to the public.”

This show will open the festival’s ninth season of producing free concerts and supporting music-education causes on the North Shore.

In the coming months, the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, a volunteer-run nonprofit, will put on:

  • A fundraiser gala at the historic Larcom Theater in downtown Beverly, MA, featuring the ever-popular Cape Ann Big Band, and the NSJP All-Stars opening, on April 26.
  • The SJSF/Berklee Summer Series at Derby Square, Salem, with Berklee College of Music student bands, on May 9, June 13, July 11, and Aug. 8.
  • The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, a two-day concert at the Salem Willows, with 10 bands, a music-education tent, kids tent, 21-plus beer garden and artisans selling hand-made goods, Aug. 15-16.

Please go to salemjazzsoul.org for more information.

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Contact: Judy Parisella
Phone: 978-491-7444
Email: jparisella@salemjazzsoul.org.

Posted in Education • News • Press

The Salem YMCA in Partnership with the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival is Pleased to Offer MusicKidz Starting This Month

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YMCA Salem, MA MusicKidz

The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival is relocating its long–‐running MusicKidz to the Salem Y, bringing more music to more kids

Salem, MA – Beginning this month, the Salem YMCA will offer MusicKidz, the popular music enrichment program developed and presented by the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival. MusicKidz offers a range of music concepts and topics to introduce children to the joys of music at an early age. This fun-filled class, geared toward children kindergarten through 5th grade and their parents, will be held in the Music Studio in the Teen Arts Center at the Salem YMCA. Led by music enthusiast Justine Pasquale, an educator and Salem State University graduate, MusicKidz will take place the second Saturday of every month, from 10:00 to 11:00am. Salem YMCA’s Associate Executive Director Charity Lezama said, “We are thrilled to collaborate with the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival to bring MusicKidz to Y families and the Salem community overall. We are so proud of the diversity of our music programs and having a state-of-the art studio available to the community gives us the perfect setting for innovative programs like MusicKidz.” Lezama added, “We are so thankful to the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival and the sponsorship from Howling Wolf Taqueria which enables us to offer this wonderful program to families in Salem.”

The Salem Y is dedicated to providing a nurturing environment where everyone belongs. More than a gym, the Y is a cause, a movement to strengthen the community and the people who live in it. Working closely with community organizations, and local businesses, the Y continues to be part of the broader Salem community through sponsorships and partnerships that bring initiatives like MusicKidz to more people.

Nick Giarratani, Education Director of the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival said, “We are very excited for this new partnership. We’re hoping that teaming up with the Y will allow us to introduce more young kids to the wonders of music!” For more information, please contact Director of Music and Media, Emily Wellman at 978-774-0351 or wellmane@northshoreymca.org.

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About the Y

The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. For over 150 years, the YMCA of the North Shore has been strengthening the foundations of community for the more than 40,000 members it serves in 25 cities and towns. We nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being and provide opportunities to give back and support our neighbors; regardless of age, race, ethnicity or socio-economic background. www.northshoreymca.org.

Contact: Maggie Glidden
Marketing & Communications Director
YMCA of the North Shore
gliddenm@northshoreymca.org
978-564-3098