Dan Rosenthal/Eric Hofbauer Quartet

We are excited to kick off 2025 with the Dan Rosenthal/Eric Hofbauer Quartet! Trumpet player &amp; Berklee educator Dan Rosenthal can be seen regularly on Boston bandstands with Charlie Kohlhase's Explorers Club, the Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra, the Fernando Huergo Big Band, among many others. He was also a longtime member of Russ Gershon's Either/Orchestra, and sometimes plays in a family band with his father, bluegrass legend Phil Rosenthal. Guitarist Eric Hofbauer can be seen performing regularly with Charlie Kohlhase's Explorers Club, Tony Malaby's Firebath, the Dylan Jack Quartet and many others. He is Chair of Jazz Studies at Longy School of Music and runs the Creative Nation Music label. The two teamed up to release 'Human Resources' on Creative Nation in 2018, and we're very happy to have them reconvene to kick off Dot Jazz 2025! They'll be joined by bassist Andrew Schiller and drummer Austin McMahon. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Students $10 and kids under 18 free at the door. The Dot Jazz Series is co-produced by Mandorla Music and Greater Ashmont Main Street.

Peabody Hall, Parish of All Saints

Ethan Setiawan & Maurizio Fiore Salas

The Eustis Estate and Mandorla Music invite you to a series of intimate Sunday afternoon concerts in the mansion. Your ticket includes admission to the museum and refreshments. Doors open at 4:00 and music will begin at 5:00. On January 26, we'll feature Ethan Setiawan and Maurizio Fiore Salas. Ethan Setiawan has won both the National Mandolin Championship at Winfield, KS, and the Rockygrass Mandolin Championship. Named “creative and virtuosic” by WBUR, the Portland (ME) - based musician's path has wended its way through traditional bluegrass, to Bach partitas, to free jazz. Maurizio Fiore Salas is an accomplished performer, composer, and arranger, originally from Venezuela and is now based in Massachusetts. His unique style on guitar and cuatro draws on elements from Latin American folklore, jazz improvisation and western classical technique. Their exciting duo project combines elements of jazz with traditional music of the Americas. Historic New England members $25; nonmembers $35. In the event of inclement weather, events may be postponed or cancelled. Please call 617-994-6600 for more information.

Eustis Estate

Jared Sims Quartet

February Dot Jazz = music to lift you up in the midst of winter! Saxophone and flute player Jared Sims (credits include Duochrome, Hellbender, Dead Cat Bounce, Miracle Orchestra etc), is recently back in Boston after some years away, and we're glad to present one of his newer projects, this quartet featuring Rebecca Cline on piano, Keala Kaumeheiwa on bass and Gen Yoshimura on drums. Expect upbeat and funky original music infused with Latin rhythms. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Students $10 and kids under 18 free at the door. The Dot Jazz Series is co-produced by Mandorla Music and Greater Ashmont Main Street.

Ehud Ettun's Desert Snow Quartet

Israeli bassist Ehud Ettun has introduced himself to the international Jazz scene playing with George Garzone, Fred Hersch, Danilo Perez, Donny McCaslin, Anat Cohen, Eli Degibri and others. He is known for his unique approach to the upright bass as a melodic instrument, and not only as a bass instrument. His uniquely developed techniques, make him an in-demand bassist all around the world.&nbsp;He has performed in venues ranging from Blue Note, New York, to Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and concerts and festivals in Europe, North America South America and Asia. In recent years, Ehud started developing his own trio sound having had toured the world performing in New York, Toronto, Boston, Poland, Germany, Serbia, South Korea and more. For this Dot Jazz appearance, Ehud will debut a new project, the Desert Snow Quartet featuring Angela Varo on violin, Tim Ray on piano and Andre Sudol on drums. "Ettun can conjure the deep soulfulness of Charlie Haden." - The Boston Globe $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Students $10 and kids under 18 free at the door. The Dot Jazz Series is co-produced by Mandorla Music and Greater Ashmont Main Street.

Revolutionary Snake Ensemble

The November Dot Jazz show features Ken Field's Revolutionary Snake Ensemble!&nbsp; For this appearance, the RSE will be: Ken Field - saxophones Jerry Sabatini - trumpet Dave Harris - trombone &amp; tuba Blake Newman - bass Phil Neighbors - drums The Revolutionary Snake Ensemble is a funk/street beat improvisational brass band performing a unique blend of original and traditional music. Labeled “explosive” by the Boston Globe. Leader Ken Field is a saxophonist/composer/improviser/one of Boston’s most dedicated and versatile musicians. Since 1988, he has been a member of Birdsongs Of the Mesozoic, a New Music/ chamber rock ensemble that began as a spinoff from the legendary Mission of Burma. The story of the RSE began Field assembled an improvisational horn and percussion group in 1990 to entertain at a pagan women’s ritual celebration. Field decided to continue the project, conceiving it initially as an improvisational group rooted in Boston’s free jazz/improv scene. NYC Jazz Record writes that “Revolutionary Snake Ensemble has been putting its unique and somewhat twisted twist on the New Orleans brass band tradition for more than 25 years…hard-partying avant-funk, with boisterous soloing." KBCS Seattle Public Radio says that RSE “continues to mine the vein of New Orleans – with post-bop, and touches of Avant – this band cooks; edgy, raucous, fun, and first rate!” And the Boston Herald adds that “People tend to think of second line bands – brass bands steeped in New Orleans traditions – as instant party starters. It’s a great compliment, maybe the best compliment ever, but it limits the sonic and emotional range of these bands. Revolutionary Snake Ensemble can absolutely get a party started. But on the local horn collective’s fourth album,&nbsp;I Want That Sound!, the players also explore the wild outerlands of jazz." $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Students $10 and kids under 18 free at the door. Special offer: Advance ticket buyers can show their ticket for 10% off dinner (alcohol excluded) at <a href="https://tavolodotave.com/">Tavolo</a>, around the corner at 1918 Dorchester Ave. The Dot Jazz Series is co-produced by Mandorla Music and Greater Ashmont Main Street.

Adam O'Farrill's Stranger Days

"There’s little disagreement that [Adam O'Farrill] is among the leading trumpeters in jazz — and perhaps the music’s next major improviser." - NY Times Trumpet player Adam O’Farrill and his quartet Stranger Days will appear in concert at Theodore Parker Church on Saturday evening, October 16th. The"omnipresent, omnivorous young trumpeter” (David A. Graham, The Atlantic) and his brother Zack come from a rich musical background: their grandfather was the Afro-Cuban-Irish composer and arranger Chico O’Farrill; their father is the cultural boundary-pushing composer and pianist Arturo O’Farrill, and their mother Alison Deane is a classical pianist and educator.&nbsp; O’Farrill’s music is both abstract and personal, his compositions reflecting such diverse subjects as being mixed race, growing up in New York, family history, and spirituality, while drawing inspiration from film, literature, and folk traditions. In addition to his work as a bandleader, O'Farill is an in-demand sideman, performing regularly with bandleaders Hiromi,&nbsp;Mary Halvorson, Anna Webber and others. Stranger Days also features Xavier Del Castillo on tenor sax, Walter Stinson on bass and Zack O’Farrill on drums. Doors open at 7:30 and music starts at 8. General admission tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Students with ID $15 at the door only. Kids under 18 are free.

Parish Hall, Theodore Parker UU Church

Jason Robinson's Janus Ensemble

The music of American composer, saxophonist, flutist, and scholar Jason Robinson ("rugged and scintillating," New York Times) thrives in the fertile overlaps between improvisation and composition, acoustic music and electronics, tradition and experimentalism. Initially a devotee of post-1960s jazz and creative music, Robinson is celebrated for bringing together various historical directions in jazz--bebop, post-bop, the avant-garde--with an improvisatory and compositional sensibility drawn from and extending the languages of John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, and Lester Young. His musical interests, however, span far and wide. Born in 1975, he is a critically acclaimed distinctive voice in a generation of creative musicians in equal dialogue with jazz, popular music, experimental music, and electronic music. Jason Robinson’s Janus Ensemble&nbsp;ranges in size from quartet to full 11-piece ensemble featuring pianists Joshua White and Angelica Sanchez, guitarist Liberty Ellman, bassist Drew Gress, percussionists Ches Smith and George Schuller, trombonist Michael Dessen, trombonist and tubist Bill Lowe, tubist Marcus Rojas, and fellow reedists Marty Ehrlich, JD Parran, and Oscar Noriega. Members of the group reside across the United States, from California, to New York City, to small town New England. The group's latest releases are the first two albums in Robinson's Ancestral Numbers composition series, Ancestral Numbers I and Ancestral Numbers II, the first released in May 2024 and the second on 8 October 2024, both on Playscape Recordings and featuring a quintet version of the ensemble with Robinson, trombonist Michael Dessen, pianist Joshua White, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Ches Smith. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Students $10 and kids under 18 free at the door.

Theodore Parker UU Church

Catherine Bent & Ian Coury

Ian Coury is an award-winning 10-string bandolim (Brazilian mandolin) player from Brazil who has shared stages with Brazilian legends like Toninho Horta and Hamilton de Holanda. Still in his early 20s, he is a gifted composer and a phenomenal master of his instrument. English-born cellist and composer Catherine Bent, an alumna of Cirque du Soleil, has performed and recorded with artists as diverse as Joe Jackson, Lee Konitz, Donna Summer, and poet laureate Robert Pinsky. She tours in Brazil and Europe and has a worldwide reputation as the leading cellist in Brazilian choro music. The two have a musical connection that transcends their backgrounds and crystallizes around their passion for the Afro-European traditions of Brazil. Catherine Bent has developed a rhythmic technique for playing the cello that replaces the guitar and percussion in a traditional rhythm section. Each instrument deftly contributing melody, rhythm and harmony, the duo is complete in itself: lyrical, harmonically sophisticated, and deeply grooving.&nbsp; Ian and Catherine's unique instrumentation and flights into spontaneous territory set them apart from other choro musicians in Brazil and beyond. In addition to representing both classic and modern repertoire, they also perform their original compositions in choro, samba and forró styles. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Students $10 and kids under 18 free at the door. Advance ticket buyers can show their ticket for 10% off dinner (alcohol excluded) at Via Cannuccia, down the street at 1739 Dorchester Ave. The Dot Jazz Series is co-produced by Mandorla Music and Greater Ashmont Main Street.

Lee Fish and Friends

Join us for summer concerts on the expansive lawn of the Eustis Estate, presented with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mandorlamusic.net/" target="_blank">Mandorla Music</a>. Bring a picnic and enjoy music as the sun sets. Lee Fish is one of the Boston jazz scene's most in-demand drummers, and we're very pleased to have this opportunity to present him as a bandleader. Before studying with luminaries like Danilo Pérez, Terri Lyne Carrington and Joe Lovano at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, Lee grew up on the road with his parents’ band Amante, joining them onstage at venues from Quebec to Florida starting at a very young age. For this performance, he's gathered three of his closest musical friends: tenor saxophonist Gregory Groover, Jr., harpist Charles Overton and bassist Max Ridley. Tickets are free; donations are encouraged.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.historicnewengland.org/get-involved/memberships/" target="_blank">Become a member of Historic New England today</a>&nbsp;to help us continue to offer free programs for all to enjoy. Alcohol is not permitted. Refreshments are available for sale. Please bring your own lawn chairs and blankets. Dogs on leashes are welcome. In the event of rain, the concert will be canceled or rescheduled.

Ivanna Cuesta Quartet

The 2024-2025 Dot Jazz Series kicks off on September 7th with the Ivanna Cuesta Quartet. In addition to Ivanna on drums and electronics, the quartet also features saxophonist Rick DiMuzio, pianist Jose Soto, and bassist Max Ridley. Ivanna Cuesta was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and attended the Dominican Republic Conservatory and Berklee College of Music. The drummer, composer, educator and synthesist released her debut album, Letter to the Earth, in June.&nbsp;This collection of original compositions and free improvisation is inspired by Cuesta's love of the natural environment of her home country and by her concern about the state of the planet: "Since I was little I always loved nature and I was surrounded by many trees, rivers, and beaches in my country, the Dominican Republic. But climate change is a reality, and everything that I experienced as a child has been disappearing so fast— and now, they are just memories.” In addition to her work as a bandleader, Cuesta is an in-demand sideperson. Recent appearance include Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, Claudia Medina, Kevin Harris, Gabrielle Goodman and many others.&nbsp; "There are no lectures here. Just, at times, an atmospheric plea in music, to help save our planet." - Tim Larsen, Jazz Views $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Students $10 and kids under 18 free at the door. Special offer: Advance ticket buyers can show their ticket for 10% off dinner (alcohol excluded) at <a href="https://tavolodotave.com/" target="_blank">Tavolo</a>, around the corner at 1918 Dorchester Ave. The Dot Jazz Series is co-produced by Mandorla Music and Greater Ashmont Main Street.

David Chesnut Jazz Festival

Historic New England and Mandorla Music present the second annual David Chesnut Jazz Festival at the Eustis Estate! David Chesnut was a coachman and chauffeur who worked at the Eustis Estate from the 1890s until 1905. He had a lifelong passion for music as both a performer and connoisseur, and he was active in the community. The David Chesnut Jazz Festival is helping tell a more inclusive story about the people who were part of the Eustis Estate, while celebrating the power of art and community. The outdoor festival will feature performances from 1pm Adventure Time Trio 2pm Jesse Taitt Trio 3pm Devon Gates Quintet 4pm Temidayo Balogun + AKEDE 5pm the Sheryl Bailey Quartet The Boston Outdoor School Preschool Network will host fun family-friendly activities starting at noon. Bring your own chairs and blankets for lawn seating. Festival is outdoors and will be held rain or shine, so dress appropriately for the weather. Food and beverages will be available for purchase, including food from Fresh Food Generation and beverages from Dorchester Brewing Company. Generous support provided by Milton Cultural Council, a program of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Historic New England members $15; Nonmembers $20. Free for under 18. Please call 617-994-6600 for more information.

Live jazz outdoors at the Eustis Estate: Olson Pingrey Quartet

Join us for summer concerts on the lawn at the Eustis Estate, co-presented in partnership with Mandorla Music. Bring a picnic and enjoy music as the sun sets! Our July 11 concert will feature Boston’s most alphabetical jazz group, the Olson Pingrey Quartet (AKA the OPQ. The OPQ is led by the husband and wife team of trombonist Randy Pingrey and baritone saxophonist Kathy Olson. They play a mix of original compositions and inventive arrangements of standards. They'll be joined for this performance by Mark Poniatowski on bass and Austin McMahon on drums. Kathy Olson is originally from Charleston, West Virginia. On the baritone saxophone, alto saxophone, flute, clarinet, or bass clarinet Kathy has performed and/or recorded a variety of styles from contemporary big band to indie rock. In addition to co-leading the Olson Pingrey Quartet, she also leads Achilles Heal Saxophone Quartet and plays with other groups including the Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra, Conical Cacophony, The Two Bari Band, and Pete Kenagy’s Monkfish Jazz Orchestra. Randy Pingrey is originally from Wisconsin and his career got kick-started by the exciting indie-rock scene in Eau Claire, where he was an early member of the Grammy-award winning band Bon Iver. Since moving to the East Coast he has performed and recorded with jazz musicians like Frank Carlberg, Bill McHenry, Anthony Coleman, and Jerry Bergonzi, with indie rock bands like Akron Family, Land of Talk, and Megafaun, and with classical musicians like Norman Bolter, John Faieta, and Doug Wright. Please bring your own lawn chairs and blankets. Dogs on leashes are welcome. Alcohol is not permitted. Snacks and soft drinks are available for sale. In the event of rain, the concert will be canceled or rescheduled.

Summer Concerts at the Eustis Estate: Caio e Jess

Join us for summer concerts on the lawn at the Eustis Estate, co-presented with Mandorla Music. Bring a picnic and enjoy music as the sun sets! We are excited to kick off the summer on June 13 with Caio e Jess. In Northern Brazil, a natural phenomenon occurs called “Encontro das Águas” or “The Meeting of the Waters.” Two distinctly different rivers meet and flow side by side, unmixed for miles, before heading toward the ocean as one. Brazilian guitarist Caio Afiune and American vocalist Jessica Curran strive to embody this philosophy as a married international couple, drawing on their broad cultural and musical perspectives to create genre-bending compositions with poetic lyrics, dreamy landscapes, rich harmonies and a synthesis of acoustic instruments and modern technology. Caio e Jess are gearing up to release their debut full-length album, “The Meeting of the Waters." Both are educators at Berklee College of Music. Jessica Curran - Vocals Caio Afiune - Guitar David Ling - Keys Mike Gary - Bass Bertram Lehmann - Percussion Please bring your own lawn chairs and blankets. Dogs on leashes are welcome. Alcohol is not permitted. Snacks and soft drinks are available for sale. In the event of rain, the concert will be canceled or rescheduled. Please call 617-994-6600 for more information. Advance tickets are free and recommended; donations are encouraged. Become a member of Historic New England to ensure that they are able to continue to offer free programs for all to enjoy.

Eustis Estate 

Charlie Kohlhase's Explorers Club 'A Second Life" Release Concert

We're excited to present Charlie Kohlhase’s Explorers Club in this concert celebrating the release of ‘A Second Life,’ which comes out in double LP and digital formats on June 7th. 'A Second Life' joins 'The Sound of Dreams: The Arni Cheatham Project' (2021) and 'Sweet Cane' from Bill Lowe and the Signifyin' Natives (2023) on Mandorla Music's label. ‘A Second Life’ is a fantastic collection of Charlie’s original compositions and interpretations of work by Elmo Hope, John Tchicai and Roswell Rudd. The album was recorded in 2022, documenting an important iteration of this long-running band: Charlie Kohlhase on alto, tenor, baritone saxophones, Seth Meicht on tenor saxophone, Daniel Rosenthal on trumpet &amp; flugelhorn, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Josiah Reibstein on tuba, Eric Hofbauer on guitar, Tony Leva on bass and Curt Newton on drums. For this concert, the Explorers’ trombone chair will be occupied by Bill Lowe, who’s come on board since these sessions. Why ‘A Second Life’? Charlie says, “I am a Gay man living with HIV—and the accent should be on living, as the disease is treatable today. I got infected in the winter of 2015 (the winter Bostonians remember as the ‘eight feet of snow’ winter) and what I’ve since learned about HIV is that, untreated, it will turn into full-blown AIDS and kill you in about seven years. Early in 2022 I came to the realization that without the two pills I take daily, I would be dying. I also came to realize that there were people I knew in the ’70s who were likely HIV positive before anyone knew that HIV/AIDS was a thing. I feel like I am living a ‘second life’ now and am grateful for the excellent medical treatment that I’ve received here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This album is dedicated to the 40 million people who have died of AIDS without the benefit of modern treatment, which in some parts of the world continues today, and particularly to those closest to me: Brian Combs, Lionel Cuffie, Barry Savage, and Calvan Vail. Many thanks to ActUp and the other activists who put their bodies and lives on the line to push for more research into the disease at a time when the U.S. government was dragging its feet while thousands were dying. Special thanks to my doctors—Daniel Bourque, Mary Ellen Rhinehart, and Daniel Solomon—who reassured me that I was going to live a normal life.” We hope you’ll come celebrate with us! General admission tickets $15 in advance, $20 day of show. Students $10, under 18 free.

Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra

The 21 piece Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra will present a program of new, adventurous compositions by resident composers David Harris, Darrell Katz, Bob Pilkington and Mimi Rabson. The JCA Orchestra's resident composers have a wide variety of stylistic influences, and unique approaches to composition and ways to integrate improvisation as a compositional device. Since its founding in 1985, the JCA Orchestra has released 12 critically acclaimed CDs and has had appearances with many illustrious guest composer/performers including Henry Threadgill, Julius Hemphill, Dave Holland and Maria Schneider. Personnel for this evening: Conductor: Tino D'Agostino Voice: Rebecca Shrimpton Woodwinds: Hiro Honshuku, Diane Wernick, James Merenda, Phil Scarff, Melanie Howell-Brooks Brass: Dan Rosenthal, Jerry Sabatini, Forbes Graham, Bob Pilkington, David Harris, Lowrider James, Jim Mosher Strings: Helen Sherrah-Davies, Mimi Rabson, Alef Ben Rhythm : Norm Zocher, Vanessa Morris, Henry Wilson, Jesse Williams, Gen Yoshimura $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Students $10 and kids under 18 free at the door. Doors at 7:30.  ** Thanks to our friends at the wonderful Tavolo, 1918 Dorchester Ave., advance ticket holders can get half off post-show dessert just a short walk from the venue.

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

Community recs 💬

S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

The newest events on Joyraft

Just added

Just added to Joyraft

S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

Top 20 on Joyraft

S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

Trending events on Joyraft

Trending 📈

S17: interest based

Your guide to everything free in and around Boston. From events, to fairs, to festivals, to outdoors. Joyraft has all the free events happening near you.

100+ free things to do in Boston and beyond

Free things to do in Boston

Free things to do

S19: interest based

Discover kid-friendly fun in Boston, Massachusetts, and surrounding areas! Enjoy hands-on exhibits at the Boston Children’s Museum, explore the New England Aquarium, and visit the Franklin Park Zoo. Find parks, playgrounds, and seasonal events perfect for families across Massachusetts.

Top 20 kid-friendly things to do in Boston, MA

Kid-friendly things to do in Boston

Kid-friendly events

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.