music

On a recent weekday, the Boston Children’s Chorus rehearsed for its new season. Gathered in a carpeted church room, more than two dozen young people — basses, tenors, altos and sopranos — sang together harmoniously, accompanied by the piano, rotating through several musical pieces, all linked by the season’s theme: “People, Get Ready.”

Berklee College of Music has seen some of music’s biggest talents come through its doors. While DJ and producer Jazzy Jeff did not attend Berklee, he has crossed paths with many of the college’s former students.

Whenever Francesca McNeely heard “Wade in the Water” as a young girl, she simply thought the African American spiritual was an upbeat song. It’s an easy mistake to make, she said.

Lovers of live jazz in Boston face tough decisions this fall: How to choose among the many shows featuring numerous first-rate performers?

Composer, music educator and community organizer Carlos Simon has performed his unique compositions, blending gospel and jazz influences with Western classical chords, all over the world. Now, he’s ready to take on Boston.

Breathy vocals and a scratchy, static-like effect overlay upbeat keys. “Love,” a low voice warbles, elongating the word. “Love” echoes. The multilayered fusion crescendos into a bouncy drum beat, ushered in by the voice rapping, “So we’re leading with love? Yeah, we’re leading with love.”

Tito Jackson, an original member of the hit-making pop group the Jackson 5, has died, his family confirmed Monday. He was 70.

The world of entertainment has lost another important icon. Frankie Beverly, the lead singer and songwriter of the soul and funk band Maze has passed away.

Beginning in 2003, Jen Matson showcased her photography at the Boston Arts Festival, a fine art event founded in 2003 by then-Mayor Thomas Menino. When the city decided to cancel the annual gathering in 2015 during Mayor Marty Walsh’s tenure, Matson stepped in to save it.

Boston Jazz Fest is a free event taking place on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 30 and 31 at Maritime Park in the Seaport District.

Bernice Johnson Reagon, a civil rights activist who co-founded The Freedom Singers and later started the African-American a capella vocal ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock, passed on recently at the age of 81.

When Naomi Westwater was approached to restart the Boston Chapter of We Make Noise, a global music education nonprofit, they thought about how their own skill set would align with the needs of the community. Naturally, Westwater, a Cape Cod-born musician, turned their eye toward music, envisioning a festival by and for women, queer and gender-nonconforming artists.