Jazz Festivals

Before I start, I phoned the Montreal Jazz Festival office and confirmed that the province of Quebec has banned smoking in restaurants and clubs which means I will probably lose some sleep  during their festival.

The following listed are personal recommendations for Jazz Festivals in MA and RI and be aware I have not attended some of them, but their line ups are worth checking out:
    
Marblehead Jazz Festival - Unusual in that the events are spread out over several Saturdays
over the summer(6/9, 6/23, 7/7, 7/21, 8/4, 8/18). I figured that I would keep an eye on their schedule in case I'm in their neck of the woods. Straight ahead players.

Tanglewood Jazz Festival (8/31, 9/1, 9/2) - I always wanted to go to an outside event and be dressed like everyone else. You know what I mean. Blue blazer, tan slacks and topsider shoes with no socks. Straight ahead players.

BeanTown Jazz Festival (9/27, 9/28, 9/29) - I think this used to called the Boston Globe Jazz Festival. It's produced by the Berklee College of Music. Most events are on the streets. I going because my son has lived in Boston for the last ten years and he has no choice but to put me up for a few days. Headliners are straight ahead, but you can always find some cutting edge music.

Berkshire Jazz Festival (7/25, 7/26, 7/27) -   Located in the Western part of MA. A long four
to five hour car ride from Burlington may hinder my attendance. Straight ahead players.

JVC Jazz Festival (8/10, 8/11, 8/12, Newport, RI) - The grandfather of outdoor jazz festivals which began in 1954. You need to go at least once in your life time, just to say you've been there. Bring deep pockets, 'cause it ain't cheap in Newport. It's been a while since I have attended. In fact, the last time I was there, most performances were at the minor league baseball park in the center of town. Now most events take place at Fort Adams.

I had a friend who use to live there year round, so lodging was never a problem and I used to cook for us, because the restaurants always had long lines during the festival. My friend brought me to a 24-hour jazz radio station which was located on the main road into Newport. He called me up one night, crying, and told me the station went out of business and shut down.  All music was from LPs. You know, those 12" CDs. I used to stroll down the main street parallel to the docking area to get away from the festival crowds and heard some pretty decent music in the clubs. They probably don't exist anymore either.