Massachusetts has released its third annual MassJazz Travel Guide, a round-up of jazz festivals, concerts and musical events taking place across the Bay State from July through November 2011.    The 40-page magazine is available free to visitors and residents at tourism kiosks, in hotels and nightclubs, and on college campuses.

Some of the biggest names in jazz and blues are performing in Massachusetts this summer, including Christian McBride, Lizz Wright, Oleta Adams, Pat Metheny, Tony Bennett, Paula Cole, Chris Botti, and Return to Forever, the legendary jazz fusion band starring Chelsea-born jazz pianist Chick Corea.

The Guide includes a welcome greeting from Governor Deval Patrick, as well as stories on the 30th anniversary of Jazz in July at University of Massachusetts in Amherst, the 40th anniversary of Jazz at Harvard University and the Global Jazz Institute at Berklee College of Music. Other features include profiles on Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart, Boston jazz club owner Darryl Settles, saxophonist John Payne, and WGBH jazz radio personality Eric Jackson.

“Jazz is part of our state’s cultural richness and vitality,” says Betsy Wall, executive director of the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, a partner in the MassJazz initiative.  “We invite visitors from near and far to experience Massachusetts Jazz in one of America’s cultural capitals.”

In addition to festivals and concerts, MassJazz Travel Guide lists dozens of night clubs, restaurants and hotels that feature live jazz and Sunday brunches, and details on this summer’s Restaurant Week in greater Boston and Cambridge.

The Guide has a section of over two dozen colleges that teach jazz plus dozens of jazz radio programs, including local and syndicated shows.

The MassJazz Travel Guide is available for free at visitor centers around Massachusetts, and at local hotels and restaurants, jazz clubs, college campuses, music stores and other cultural venues.

For more details, visit , MassJazz.com and Massjazz.blogspot.com.   For further information, contact MassJazz at 617 696-9880 ormassjazz@comcast.net