April is JAM (Jazz Appreciation Month). Regarded as “America’s Music,” jazz is a complex melding of the African and European traditions steeped in the rich American experience to form a musical tradition uniquely us. A key characteristic of jazz is improvisation. True jazz is never fully orchestrated but rather re-created by individual players who improvise upon what has been played before within a tightly choreographed ensemble. In short, jazz is always cooking, but never done!
In its almost 100-year history, the jazz canon now includes many fine recordings. The Nashua Public Library works hard to develop our jazz collections, and we carry almost 600 jazz recordings on CD ranging from Jelly Roll Morton to Diana Krall with everything in between. While many great performances were captured live and in the studio, many jazz lovers believe the best way to enjoy jazz is to hear it performed live. Take the fan who believed that Sonny Rollins just sounds better live, so he secretly recorded the saxophonist’s September 15, 2001 concert at Boston’s Berklee Performance Center. I’ll spare you the legal entanglements, but a couple of years later Sonny released the recording on a CD called “Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert.” The sound may not be studio quality but the performance is great!
There’s nothing quite like live jazz. You can hear the big names at Scullers in Boston or Cambridge's Regattabar, or you can savor fine jazz much closer to home. Here are few local venues to check out:
In Nashua
Crowne Plaza Nashua
2 Somerset Parkway
Nashua, NH 03063
603-886-1200
Live Jazz Music every Thursday 5-9
Manhattan on Pearl
70 E Pearl St.
Nashua, NH 03060
(603) 578-5557
Occasional jazz – check for dates and times
Michael Timothy’s Wine & Jazz Bar
212 Main Street
Nashua, NH 03060
JAZZ HOTLINE: (603) 595-9334
Jazz Friday & Saturday, 8:00 to Midnight
In Bedford
C.R. Sparks
18 Kilton Road
Bedford NH
603-647-7275
Jazz Thursday
In Hollis
The DreamFarm
64 Dow Road
Hollis, NH 03049
Email: info@thedreamfarm.org
Contact for jazz events
In Manchester
Hilton Garden Inn Manchester Downtown – The Patio
101 South Commercial Street
Manchester, NH 03101
603-669-2222
Seasonal jazz outdoors
Strange Brew Tavern
88 Market Street
Manchester, NH 03101
(603) 666-4292
Occasional jazz – check for dates and times
Unwined
865 Second St.
Mallard Pond Plaza
Manchester, NH 03102
603-625-9463
Jazz Wednesday nights and weekends
In Merrimack
Silos Steakhouse
641 Daniel Webster Highway
Merrimack, NH 03054-2713
603-429-2210
Jazz Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays
In Portsmouth
The Press Room
77 Daniel Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-431-5186
Jazz almost every night! Call for details.
...and just across the border in Massachusetts
Acton Jazz Café
452 Great Road (Rte 2A)
Acton, MA 01720
978-263- 6161
Open 6 p.m.-midnight Wednesday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. on Sundays.
Jocko’s Jazz at the Sahara Club
Sahara Club
34 Bates St.
Methuen, MA 01844
978-683-9200
Ricardo’s Café Trattoria
110 Gorham St
Lowell, MA 01852
978-453-2777
“A taste of Italy and a side of jazz”
Let me know if I've missed your favorite venue. And don't forget to catch our up-and-coming musicians at Nashua North & South High and other schools. The local jazz scene is very much alive and fluid, so check the Hippo and the Telegraph's Encore for the latest information. Above all, please patronize our local musicians and do your part to keep America's music alive!