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Concerts, events

A look-ahead to 2024

Thank you for taking part in our 2023 programming,
our most ambitious and successful year to date.
Here’s a preview of what’s coming in 2024.

Feb. 24
Pittsfield’s 10×10 Upstreet Winter Arts Festival
“10 by Duke,” a celebration of Duke Ellington’s 125th birthday

April 19-28
Pittsfield CityJazz Festival
Featuring The Marcus Roberts Trio, “From Rags to Rhythm to Duke”
Plus our annual “jazz crawl,” prodigy concert, and more

July
Berkshire Jazz Showcase
Presenting regionally based artists,
outdoors on the Pittsfield Common

August
Bousquet Jazz Festival
at the base of Pittsfield’s historic ski area

September
Lenox Jazz Stroll

Autumn date tba:
LuLuFest Lenox
featuring all women-lead bands

November
Fall Jazz Sprawl
Local and touring groups,
plus a concluding headline concert

Additional programming to be announced. Please check back.

The Berkshire Fall Jazz Sprawl!

The second annual Fall Jazz Sprawl

Nov. 6-12, 2023
7 days, 7 events, 7 groups
Plus a concert by

Dorado Schmitt and sons Amati and Samson,
and the
Django Festival All-Stars

The Berkshire Jazz Sprawl

“A brilliantly cohesive group of musicians who have taken America by storm“

Nov. 12, the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden St., Pittsfield
And what a great conclusion to our 2023 programming. Enjoy this snippet

Full Jazz Sprawl schedule:
Monday 11/6
Methuselah, Pittsfield, 7-10pm, $3 cover
Mary Ann McSweeny Trio

Tuesday 11/7
Berkshire Dream Center, 475 Tyler St., Pittsfield. 4:00-5:15pm, Free
Tarik Shah Quartet

Wednesday 11/8
Lion’s Den, Stockbridge, 6:30-9:30pm, $10 cover
Chris Pasin Quartet

Thursday 11/9
Gateways, Lenox, 6-9 pm, Free
Natalia Bernal, Jason Ennis, Fumi Tomita

Friday 11/10
Hot Plate Brewery, Pittsfield, 7-10pm, Free
Jazz Jam with Benny Kohn

Saturday 11/11
Lion’s Den, Stockbridge,7-10 pm $10 cover
Howard Paul

Sunday 11/12
Dottie’s, Pittsfield, Free (food and beverage menu available), 10am-noon
Brunch with Chantell McFarland

Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden St., Pittsfield, 8pm

Dorado Schmitt and sons Amati and Samson,
and the
Django Festival All-Stars

Lenox Jazz Stroll Brings the Swing

Fourth annual Lenox Jazz Stroll
Sep. 15-16, 2023
Friday, Sept. 15: Kickoff concert, Gateways Inn
Saturday, Sept. 16: Main Event, 1-7pm, Lilac Park
Plus evening performances around town

Here is the schedule for the fourth annual Lenox Jazz Stroll, on Saturday, Sept. 16 in picturesque, historic Lenox, Mass. Welcoming all ages, the free event includes performances by nationally recognized musicians along with Berkshire favorites.

The main event will be held at Lilac Park on Saturday, September 16 between 1-7pm. Additional events include a kick-off concert with the Ted Rosenthal Trio on Friday, September 15 at 6pm, along with Saturday evening performances throughout downtown Lenox at local restaurants.

Lenox Jazz Stroll Brings the Swing

Schedule

Friday, September 15
6-9pm – Peggy Stern Trio, Gateways Inn
Free: reservation strongly encouraged

Saturday, September 16
Lilac Park, Main St.
1:00pm – Wanda Houston
2:15pm – The Lucky 5
3:30pm – Michael Junkins Group
4:45pm – Scott Robinson Quartet

6-9pm – Benny Kohn Trio, Pizzeria Boema

7:30-9pm – Ted Rosenthal Trio, Gateways Inn

The Lenox Jazz Stroll shows a picture of the healthy jazz scene in the Berkshires. It presents a combination of top-tier musicians who make their home in the Berkshires and touring artists who love to perform here. Since its inception in 2020, the Lenox Jazz Stroll has become a staple of the fall music scene. The combination of world-class musicians, local artists, and community partners creating together results in what makes the Berkshires such a beautiful place to live, work, and play.

Updates and details –including rain locations as this event is rain or shine– can be found at www.lenoxjazzstroll.com, www.milltownfoundation.org/events-lenox- jazz-stroll and social media.

Lineup for the Bousquet Jazz Festival

The second annual

Bousquet Jazz Festival

Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023
4-10pm, rain or shine
At the base of Pittsfield’s historic ski hill
Featuring hillside jazz with:

The Lucky 5

Claire Daly Quartet

Dominique Eade

And  “apres jazz jazz” with

Benny “Fingers” Kohn and friends

The Lift Bistropub, 8:30pm

Click here for ticket information
or paste this link into your browser
Lineup for the Bousquet Jazz Festival

The Lucky 5
Kip Beacco, guitar/vocals
Carolyn Dufraine, trombone/vocals
Jonathan Talbot, violin
Matt Downing, bass
Tom Parker, drums

Claire Daly Quartet
Claire Daly, baritone sax
Jon Davis, keyboard
Dave Hofstra: bass
Conor Meehan, drums

Dominique Eade, vocalist
Tim Ray, keyboard
John Lockwood, bass
Yoron Israel, drums

Benny Kohn Trio
TBA

Meanwhile, here’s a scrapbook from the inaugural Bousquet Jazz Festival in 2022

Berkshire Jazz Showcase set for July 8

The 5th annual
Berkshire Jazz Showcase
Saturday, July 8, 1-5pm
Pittsfield’s First Street Common

We are delighted to be presenting four of the most popular and versatile regional bands for the fifth annual Berkshire Jazz Showcase, in an outdoor concert from 1-5pm.

Here’s the schedule:

1pm: Wanda Houston, the diva of Berkshire vocalists, making her Showcase debut;
2pm Saxophonist Paul Ostermayer and his quartet
3pm Guitarist Luke Franco and his quartet; and
4pm: Andy Kelly’s Jazz Ambassadors, with their New Orleans repertoire.

As usual, the free event will be held on the field adjacent to the First Street Common’s playground. Bring your own blankets or chairs. Picnic on the lawn or check out the food trucks that will be present. [Rain date is Sunday, July 9]

And, a reminder, it’s free, thanks to generous sponsors The Berkshire Eagle, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, HiBrid, Mountain One, the Mill Town Foundation, and the City of Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development.

See you there!

 

Announcing the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival schedule

Announcing the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival schedule

At a glance

 

Friday, Apr. 21

Open Jam Session

7-10pm, Hot Plate Brewing Co.

Dave Bartley, host and referee

Saturday, April 22

7:30pm, Berkshire Museum

Anton Kot Quintet

With Don Braden, Albert Rivera, Avery Sharpe and Tyler Bullock

Wednesday, April 26

7pm, Berkshire Athenaeum

Jazz Prodigy Concert

Conor McMillen, violin

With Ben Kohn, Dan Broad,  Luke Franco, and Conor Meehan

Sponsored by The Friends of the Athenaeum

Friday, Apr. 28

Annual Jazz Crawl

Downtown Pittsfield, see schedule below

 

Saturday, Apr. 29

7-10pm, Berkshire Palate (at Hotel on North)

Swing dance with The Lucky 5

 

Sunday, Apr. 30

4pm, The Colonial Theatre

Emmet Cohen Trio with Houston Person

Plus the Berkshires Jazz All Star Student Ensemble

 

Annual Jazz Crawl, April 28

Presenting local bands at five venues
in downtown Pittsfield

5:30-7:30pm
Dave Bartley Duo
Jae’s on Winter, 7 Winter St
Dave Bartley, keyboard
Pete Toigo, bass

6-9pm
Jason Ennis Trio
Hot Plate Brewing
1 School Street
Jason Enns, guitar
Matt Cory, Bass
Grisha Alexiev, drums

7-9pm:
Andy Kelly and his
Gypsy Jazz Quartet
101 Restaurant and Bar
1 West St.
(in the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites)
Andy Kelly, guitar
Dan Broad, bass
Leo Russo, tenor saxophone
Charlie Tokarz, woodwinds

7-10pm:
Adithya Vaidhyan Trio
Methuselah, 391 North St.
Adithya Vaidhyan, tenor sax
Anuvind Iyer, keyboard
Curren Flaherty, bass

7-10pm:
Don Mikkelsen Quartet
Berkshire Palate, 297 North St.
(at Hotel on North)
Don Mikkelsen, trombone
Luke Franco, guitar
Nick Edwards, bass
Jimmy Madison, drums

 

Tickets available for all April events

April is Jazz Appreciation Month

Observed annually since 2001, “JAM” is a global celebration
to advance the recognition of jazz as America’s original music.
It is an initiative of the Smithsonian Institution, and was recognized by Congress.
And, it’s our busiest April ever!

April 15, 7pm, Shakespeare & Co., Lenox
A Gershwin Extravaganza:
Ted Rosenthal, with the Kids 4 Harmony Orchestra
The Ted Rosenthal jazz trio plays his interpretations of George Gershwin compositions.
And, Ted performs “Rhapsody in Blue” with the Kids 4 Harmony strings ensemble
[Another sold-out event at this storied location. For information about Kids 4 Harmony, click here.]

Apr. 21-30
Pittsfield CityJazz Festival
Emmet Cohen, Houston Person, Anton Kot, Avery Sharpe, Don Braden, Albert Rivera, Tyler Bullock and more.
Plus our Jazz Prodigy Concert, a swing dance, a jam session,
and the perennial favorite, the annual Jazz Crawl

Click here for information and tickets for the Anton Kot Quintet
Click here for information and tickets for Emmet Cohen with Houston Person

Details for the “Jazz Crawl” and other events will be posted here in coming days

 

Coming soon

June 9-11
Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend
Featuring Roberta Donnay and the Prohibition Mob Band,
Alexis Cole with the Amherst Jazz Orchestra, and more

July 8
Berkshire Jazz Showcase
Featuring Berkshires-based groups,
outdoors on the Pittsfield Common

July 14-15
LuLuFest Lenox
A music festival with master classes and concerts featuring women-led bands

Aug. 19
Bousquet Jazz Festival
At the base of the ski hill, plus an indoor jam session
The Lucky 5, Claire Daly, Dominique Eade, Berkshires Jazz All Stars, and more

Sept. 15-16
The Lenox Jazz Stroll
Al fresco and indoors, in historic Lenox Village

Nov. 12
Django Festival All-Stars
Their first U.S. date, en route to a week-long residency
at the Birdland Jazz Club in NYC.

And more. Come back for updates.

A tribute to Berkshires’ own Mike Schiffer

Sunday, Jan. 29, 4pm

The Lenox Club, Lenox, Mass

 

He’s been making jazz, and nurturing young jazz artists, for more than 50 years, and Berkshires Jazz thinks it’s about time we paid tribute to Mike Schiffer. At the age of 93, he is still playing. But this time, on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 29 (4pm), he’ll be among us, in the audience.

Known first and foremost as a performer, Mike also booked the talent at the legendary, and lamented, Castle Street Café for as long as the jazz program existed at that Great Barrington venue. He presented young and seasoned artists alike, and introduced audiences to budding talent. Several of them –including guitarist Rob Putnam, and pianists Rob Kelly and Benny “Fingers” Kohn—will serenade Mike at the Lenox Club.  And perhaps a couple of surprises. Your ticket includes complimentary wine, beer, and light hors d’oeuvres.

A tribute to Berkshires’ own Mike SchifferThere will be brief remarks from legislator Smitty Pignatelli, musicologist and jazz historian Jeremy Yudkin, and educator, musician, and presenter Andy Wrba. And some of the best jazz piano you can hear hereabouts. And a few surprises (oh..we already said that). Among them, if we’re lucky, Mike will say a few words and play a number or two.

What promises to be a wonderful event, musically and socially, tickets are sold out.

 

Eddie Allen’s holiday brass

Dec. 10, 2022. 7pm

Shakespeare & Company. Lenox, Mass.

Trumpeter, composer, arranger, and author Eddie Allen is one of the most versatile musicians on the New York scene, playing everything from big bands to ensembles to R&B/Pop to Latin to symphonic to Broadway. His holiday brass septet will feature two trumpets, trombone aEddie Allen’s holiday brassnd French horn, plus rhythm section. They will be playing his original arrangements of favorites from his well-received recording, “Jazzy Brass for the Holidays.”

A brass septet –or, more accurately, a brass-oriented jazz ensemble—is the perfect configuration for this repertoire of holiday music. The family-friendly concert starts at 7pm, and takes place the beautiful confines of the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, on the campus of Shakespeare & Co., 70 Kemble St., Lenox, Mass.

Allen has worked with such jazz greats as Art Blakey, Billy Harper, Randy Weston, Dizzy Gillespie, and Benny Carter. He has recorded and performed with, as well as composed for: Louis Hayes, Lester Bowie, Jack McDuff, Etta Jones & Houston Person, and Mongo Santamaria. You get the picture: he’s one of the most accomplished and well-rounded talents on the jazz scene. And, he continues to work as a freelance musician and clinician.

“Joyous and jazzy brass…” –JazzTimes Magazine
“A horn man to watch.” –The Washington Post
“…Bracingly vivid trumpeter…” –The Village Voice (N.Y.C.)

Usher-in the Christmas season with this musical delight.

Click here for tickets, or paste this URL into your browser:

https://www.shakespeare.org/shows/2022/eddie-allens-holiday-brass

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