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USAF Liberty Big Band with Marvin Stamm in Pittsfield concert
BerkshiresJazz presented the U.S. Air Force jazz ensemble, the Liberty Big Band, in a special concert with trumpeter Marvin Stamm as guest soloist, at the Colonial Theatre on April 8, 2011, in the first event of Pittsfield’s 250th birthday celebration. More photos and video should be added soon.
Photos: Lee Everett/Fine Line
2011 Student art contest
Art teachers engaged in the project were coordinator Colleen Quinn, Pittsfield High School; Lisa Ostellino and Barbara Patton, PHS; Marybeth Eldridge, Taconic H.S.; Dale Zola, St. Joseph’s H.S.; Ellie Kreischer and Sophie Lee from Miss Hall’s. Judges were Bill Cormier, of Cormier Art Gallery, and Ken Green of Museum Facsimiles. Project coordinator is Art Niedeck, a Jazz musician and music educator, and chairman of the Education Committee of Berkshires Jazz, Inc. In addition to a cash prize, each of the first three works was framed by Museum Facsimiles, courtesy of Ken Green.
John Pizzarelli to play Berkshire Music School benefit
- Jazz Quartet
- Berkshire Music School Benefit
- Sat. May 14, 2011 – 8PM
- Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield
- Box office: 413-997-4444
Jazz concert April 9 at Williams College
The Bill Lowe Andy Jaffe Repertory Big Band will perform at at Williams College’s Chapin Hall on Saturday, April 9 at 8pm. Admission is free. Music composed and arranged by Andy Jaffe, Frank Foster, Bill Barron, Bill Lowe, and Bill Finegan. This concert is part of a year-long celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Bill Lowe Andy Jaffe Repertory Big Band, and also celebrates Bill Lowe himself, who is the Sterling Brown Professor of Africana Studies this semester at Williams College, teaching Jazz history, of which he himself has been an important part.
Liberty Big Band with Marvin Stamm at the Colonial Theatre April 8, 2011
BerkshiresJazz presents the U.S. Air Force jazz ensemble, the Liberty Big Band, in a special concert with trumpet legend Marvin Stamm as guest soloist, 7:30 PM April 8, 2011, at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Mass. The concert is part of Pittsfield’s 250th birthday celebration, as well as being part of the nationwide Jazz Appreciation Month initiative of the Smithsonian Institution.
“Pittsfield loves a big band, and we’ll have a chance to show that appreciation with one of the finest jazz ensembles of the day” said Edward Bride, president of Berkshires Jazz. “What better way to open a series of celebratory events, as part of Pittsfield’s 250th birthday, than a concert that features jazz, America’s classical music, our cultural gift to the world?”
The USAF Liberty Jazz Band plays familiar and new jazz selections with style and sophistication. The 16-piece ensemble, which has been entertaining audiences for more than a quarter of a century, is based at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts.
Stamm, an alumnus of the Stan Kenton orchestra, divides his career among jazz education, small-group performances, and tours as a guest artist. No stranger to the Berkshires, he is also a mainstay in the Westchester (NY) Jazz Orchestra and has appeared at Tanglewood.
During his visit to Pittsfield, Stamm will also conduct a workshop with the Pittsfield High School jazz ensemble.
April is celebrated nationally as Jazz Appreciation Month, in accordance with a well-established program of the Smithsonian Institution (codified by Congress in 2003). Despite this practice, Berkshire County has been without a significant jazz event during April since the demise of the Williams College Intercollegiate Jazz Festival and its companion Williamstown Jazz Festival. BerkshiresJazz.org is filling this void with the evening concert and daytime workshop. Both events are free, thanks to funding from the Pittsfield Cultural Council and Massachusetts Cultural Council.
“Recognizing both the historical and cultural importance of jazz rightfully focuses attention on our cultural assets, and helps fill the Jazz Appreciation Month void,” said Bride. “The Liberty Big Band was well-received in their previous visit to Pittsfield, in January, 2008, and this marks their first visit since that concert. We’re very fortunate to pair them with Marvin Stamm for a memorable evening.”
Although the concert is free, advance tickets are suggested, and are available at the Colonial Theatre box office, 413-997-4444.
Kent CT holiday concert with Matt Wilson
Kent, Connecticut, is becoming a hotbed of jazz activity, now that the Litchfield Jazz Festival has moved there. On Dec. 11, our friends at the festival are presenting a holiday concert with the legendary drummer Matt Wilson. Read on for more details….
Kent, CT – The Litchfield Jazz Festival announces “Christmas Tree-O: A Holiday Concert” featuring Artist-in-Residence, drummer, Matt Wilson. The concert will be held at St. Andrew’s Church in Kent on Saturday, December 11 at 3:00pm, and will feature festive jazzy tunes from Matt’s latest release, “Christmas Tree-O,” out now on Palmetto Records. Matt Wilson kicked-off his stint as the Litchfield festival’s first Artist-in-Residence last August, when he taught at Litchfield Jazz Camp, led Artist Talks with Dave Brubeck and Mario Pavone, and performed twice at the 15th Anniversary of the Litchfield Jazz Festival held at Kent School.
Matt Wilson has performed on the Litchfield Jazz Festival 16 times in the past 15 years with a number of different groups, including his own Quartet and his Arts & Crafts Ensemble. He has worked with other well-known artists including Charlie Haden, Elvis Costello, Lee Konitz, Wynton Marsalis and many more. On his “Christmas Tree-O” album, he collaborates with longtime band-mates, reedman Jeff Lederer and bassist Paul Sikivie. The album highlights exciting variations on holiday classics and embodies the spirit of the holiday season.
“Christmas Tree-O: A Holiday Concert” will be followed by a reception across the street at the Ober Gallery, 14 Old Barn Road, Kent. Great gifts will be raffled including a gift basket valued at over $1,500 with holiday treats, gifts from Kent businesses, teas by Harney & Sons Fine Teas, and CD’s from Palmetto Recording Artists including Matt Wilson. General Admission tickets are $15. Reserved Concert Seating and Reception tickets are $40. Tickets can be purchased by mail order to: The Litchfield Jazz Festival, PO Box 69, Litchfield, CT 06759, online at www.litchfieldjazzfest.com/calendar, by phone at 860-361-6285, in person at two Kent locations; Kent Wine & Spirit and J.P. Gifford, or at the door at St. Andrew’s Church, 1 North Main Street, Kent. For more information please call 860-361-6285 or email info@litchfieldjazzfest.com.
2010 Pittsfield CityJazz Festival videos
The American Jazz Repertory Orchestra shares the stage with the Berkshires Jazz Youth Orchestra, in the grand finale to the 2010 Pittsfield CityJAZZ Festival. Events took place at Pittsfield’s (Mass.) historic Colonial Theatre on Oct. 16, 2010. Maestro Clem DeRosa at the helm. Meghan Kelly photo.
These performances were part the 2010 Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, including the Jazz About Town and Jazz in the Schools programs.
Joe Baione Quintet performs at the 6th annual Pittsfield CityJAZZ Fstival.
Pittsfield Sister City Jazz Ambassadors – Kittredge Elementary School in Dalton, Mass.
The Pittsfield Sister City Jazz Ambassadors introduce music to students of all ages, as an ancillary event to the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival. In this case, they visit Kittredge Elementary School in Dalton, Massachusetts.
Bringing professional jazz musicians into the schools helps introduce youngsters to wholesome entertainment while they are still impressionable enough to internalize it. Not only do they hear the music, they learn about its history, and about the evolution of jazz.
Brazilian Jazz Trio at the Berkshire Athenaeum – Pittsfield, Mass.
Buster Rides Again, with the Brazilian Jazz Trio, featuring Warren Byrd (piano), Jay Schwartz (bass), and Tom Parker, leader (drums). Ushering-in the headline weekend of the 6th annual Pittsfield CityJazz Festival
We B 3 organ trio at The Lantern – downtown Pittsfield
Barbershop Jazz Quartet at Shawn’s Barber Shop – downtown Pittsfield
Actually a quintet, the Barbershop Jazz Quartet includes Rob Fisch (brass), Ben Kohn (keyboard), Andy Kelly (guitar), Dan Broad (bass), John Haddad (drums).
Rob Fisch trio at Brulees – downtown Pittsfield
jazz accordionist John Culpo outside Ahava Amore – downtown Pittsfield
Jazz Tuber Trio schedules free concert in Lenox
Jazz Tuber Trio schedules free concert in Lenox
Tuba master Eli Newberger, a co-founder of the New Black Eagle Jazz Band, brings his Jazz Tuber Trio to Lenox for a free concert on Wednesday evening, July 28. The setting is outdoors in Lilac Park, right in picturesque Lenox Village (rain venue: Lenox Town Hall). The New Black Eagle Jazz Band was the first group to make a return engagement to the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival in 2008, after headlining the first festival in 2005.
The Jazz Tuber Trio comprises the saxophone virtuoso Ted Casher, banjoist and vocalist Jimmy Mazzy, and Newberger. Starting time is 7pm, attendees are invited to bring picnics, and lawn chair, blanket, or other seating arrangement.
[mappress]New England Jazz Ensemble
The New England Jazz Ensemble’s first “live” recording, at the inaugural Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, was so successful that the band decided to go live again with its new album. In concert at the Polish National Home theater in Hartford, June 5, 2010.