jazz

Saxophonist and Grammy Award-winner Kenny Garrett released his album “Sounds from the Ancestors” on August 27 and is back on the road to showcase its songs along with his earlier compositions.

Musicians are releasing new albums in August and September to showcase their strengths and concerns that incubated during the global pandemic.

The Dudley Jazz Festival is back this summer, showcasing three generations of jazz musicians at Mary Hannon Park on Saturday, Aug. 21, 12:30-4:30 p.m. The beloved festival has been bringing free music to the Roxbury/Dorchester community since 2016.

New England Conservatory faculty member and renowned jazz drummer Billy Hart has been given the highest honor bestowed on jazz musicians by the United States government: the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master title.

Jazz and soul vocalist Allan Harris is finding new audiences to add to his fan base that stretches back decades. A fixture of the NYC music scene, Harris has a new album out this year with all of the songs his own compositions, and he just completed a sold-out gig at Birdland, the legendary jazz club in midtown Manhattan.

Live jazz is back at the Mad Monkfish in Central Square, Cambridge. After a long hiatus of nearly 16 months due to the COVID pandemic, this small restaurant has put music back on its pan-Asian and sushi menu. In the month of July alone, 10 performances will take place, with two shows per scheduled evening.

Samara Joy McLendon, winner of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition in 2019, is at the age of 21 emerging as a powerful vocalist on the cusp of international fame.

Pianist, composer, and Harvard professor Vijay Iyer is unique for being both an award-winning musician and a cognitive scientist. In musical venues as well as classrooms, Iyer continues to excite and challenge audiences with more than ideas.

James Brandon Lewis’s latest album, “Jesup Wagon,” is inspired by George Washington Carver, the Black scientist and polymath whose inventions changed the world. Stirring up the world of music with his saxophone and compositions, Lewis is broadening what music can address and what it can bring to listeners.

Jazz pianist Witness Matlou knows the power that music has to effect social change. It changed his life and has given him the opportunity to give back to his community while traveling the world performing and teaching.

Jazz trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, just 38 years old, is on the cusp of global fame, thanks to his efforts and talent.

On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through April 11, Nubian Square comes alive with the “Nubian Nights” installation, featuring jazz music and synchronized light projections on local businesses. Organized by the Roxbury Cultural District (RCD), the outdoor installations provides a safe, socially distanced art experience for the neighborhood.