“The Gateway to the Berkshires”
and more
Details on headline concerts and ticket info here.
For the complete schedule of free and ticketed events, visit BerkshireGatewayJazz.org
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
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
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
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.
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.
There 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.
Jazz-inspired artwork by current and former prison inmates
Art and music go hand in hand with a broad, inclusive definition of community – one that recognizes and celebrates the humanity of everyone. Jazz music, in particular, has a powerful legacy of social justice and inclusivity which is celebrated in a project that coincided with the 2022 Pittsfield CityJazz Festival. The Berkshire House of Corrections and the Committee for Public Counsel Services, in collaboration with Berkshires Jazz, Inc., encouraged the creation and presentation of unique works of art crafted by inmates at the House of Corrections. With the theme of “I Too Can Create”, the work embodies the notions of community, music, art and humanity.
Sharing this artwork created by currently and formerly incarcerated individuals emphasizes an idea of community that encompasses people inside and outside the Berkshire House of Corrections walls. Three pieces were singled out for their content, emotion, and creativity; two by current inmates are identified only by their initials; the third piece, by former inmate Kevin Scace, was created while he was incarcerated, and is among his works that were displayed in April at the Elusie Gallery in Easthampton.
The project mentor was Phyllis Kornfeld, author, artist, and teacher of art to incarcerated men and women for 40 years. She observes, “It is always an illuminating, exciting event to see the prisoners discover something very positive, and mysterious, coming from inside themselves. The art is often miraculously fresh, and despite the context, there is a lot of joy.” The project was coordinated by Katherine Grubbs, of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, and Alan Bianchi at the Berkshire House of Correction.
In one of the myriad comments about the arts, John F. Kennedy remarked, “After the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we, too, will be remembered not for our victories or defeats in battle, but for our contribution to the human spirit.”
These three artworks explore that human spirit. They were displayed at the Berkshire Athenaeum and Berkshire Museum (pictured here) during the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival.
Tickets Now On Sale
The Pittsfield CityJazz Festival returns after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The event spans two weekends, taking place from April 23 to May 1, and becomes part of Jazz Appreciation Month.
The festival is made possible by a $10,000 grant from The Feigenbaum Foundation, and sponsorships from Berkshire Bank, Greylock Federal Credit Union, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, and WETF, the jazz station (www.jazzradioWETF.org).
The lineup includes something for everybody.
And once again, jazz brunch at Dottie’s opens our closing day. Open 8am-2pm, with music from 10am-noon, featuring Dave Bartley and Pete Toigo.
4-6pm: Benny Kohn | Jeff Stevens Duo
• Hotel on North, 297 North Street
5-7pm: Dave Bartley Trio
• Flat Burger Society, McKay Street
5:30-7:30pm: Ennis/McEachern Quartet
* Methuselah, 391 North Street (updated item)
6-8pm: Luke Franco Quartet with special guest Mike Fahn
• Berkshire Palate, 297 North Street
7-10om: Andy Kelly’s Gypsy Jazz Ambassadors
• 101 Restaurant, 1 West Street
8-10pm: Kris Allen Trio
• Methuselah, 391 North Street
8-10pm: Michael Junkins Trio
• RJ’s Restaurant, 109 First Street
Preserving local jazz history beyond the Berkshires
By Barbara Kidd Seddon
[The legendary Berkshires radioman David Kidd interviewed countless jazz figures who performed here during the 1950s. In this blog post, his daughter Barbara reflects on those days. Barbara is Treasurer and a founding Board member of Berkshires Jazz, Inc. We encourage others to contribute their anecdotes about jazz in the Berkshires. Ed.]
As far as back as I can remember, my life at home was surrounded by music, whether it was jazz, folk or classical. Jazz musicians such as Rex Stewart, Randy Weston and Odetta were frequent guests. I grew up with Rex Stewart’s kids. As a result, our home was always desegregated, which made for a totally non-discriminatory upbringing. I went to Tanglewood for the classical music (my dad was an usher for several years) and to Music Barn to see such greats as Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck and many more (and where I ushered) … (my personal favorite was Josh White.)
In the fifties my father –David Kidd– was asked to do a talk show, which he called the Story of Jazz, on WBRK, the local radio station, and it was recorded in our living room. This meant no talking or other distractions while my father was talking. It was a labor of love on his part, as he received no remuneration for it. However, as a result, he has left a legacy the likes of which few people have left. That legacy consists of about 60 hours of interviews with people like Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and many more. Eventually WGY in Schenectady offered him a slot on Monday nights which he did from the late fifties until he passed in 1966 at the age of 49. [Dave is pictured here, right rear, with his wife Barbara (the author’s mother), Henry “Red” Allen (l) and Buster Bailey.]
With the help of Ed Bride, President of Berkshires Jazz, I was able to find a permanent home for these interviews at the International Jazz History Database, which is housed at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. You can enjoy them any time, at https://www.jazzhistorydatabase.com/archives/david-kidd/index.php.
"10 by Tin Pan Alley" Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. 7:30pm Berkshire Museum, 39 South St., Pittsfield, Mass.
The theme of this special program is a mashup between Pittsfield’s annual 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival and New York’s legendary composers’ haven known as Tin Pan Alley. The trio and their selections explore the NY-Berkshires connection in multiple ways … one of them unexpected.
The wide-ranging repertoire will include jazz interpretations of 10 familiar songs that were written in or about New York. There are countless candidates for inclusion, the band will perform old and new, legendary and rising, favorites and obscure. It’s a one-of-a-kind program, which reflects the unique nature of the subject: New York.
In addition to the repertoire, the performers all have roots in both New York and the Berkshires. Formed specially for this occasion, the “Berkshires, New York Trio” (also known as the Ted Rosenthal Trio) includes leader and pianist Ted Rosenthal (NY-based, with a residence in Otis), bassist Martin Jaffe (Berkshire native, operating out of NY since graduating from Juilliard), and drummer Conor Meehan, who has lived full-time in New York and is now a full-time Berkshires resident (Richmond).
The venue for “10 by Tin Pan Alley” is the Berkshire Museum theater, which features a Steinway grand, excellent sightlines, and outstanding acoustics. Limited seating, pandemic protocols will be followed, including masks and proof of vaccination.
Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door ($5 discount for Berkshire Museum members).
The 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival is an annual Pittsfield event, spanning 10 days (as you’d suspect), featuring events with a theme of 10. For example, 10 short plays; an art show where paintings measure 10×10 inches; 10 minutes of fireworks (yes, in February. And in this case, preceding our “10 by Tin Pan Alley” concert). All events take place within the City’s Upstreet Cultural District.
Staying indoors on New Year’s Eve? Enjoy a special concert featuring the amazing flutist Andrea Brachfeld with Insight. The in-person performance, which took place at Saint James Place in Great Barrington, Mass., will be streamed as part of our way of celebrating the end of 2021.
Virtually join Andrea and her virtuoso trio: Bill O’Connell, piano; Harvie S, bass; and Jason Tiemann, drums. As a way spreading good music and celebrating the season, the group will be performing “If Not Now, When,” an aptly-named original work that was commissioned by Chamber Music America.
So, ring out the old and usher in the new year with some of the most creative music you’re likely to experience any time soon. Recorded in high resolution, it’s a free concert, although voluntary contributions are always welcome.
Happy New Year!
Ted and Karrin will perform their Wonderland holiday show –jazz versions of holiday favorites and more– on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021 at the Gateways Inn in historic downtown Lenox, Mass. There will be two shows, at 5 and 7pm.
Karrin Allyson is a 5-time Grammy nominee with a major touring career, and appears in the
Berkshires for the first time since her thrilling performances at the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival and the inaugural Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend. Ted Rosenthal is one of today’s most noted jazz pianists, with periodic appearances at the Gateways and other venues. They will be joined by New York-based artists Noriko Ueda, bass, and Tim Horner, drums.
The Gateways Inn, in the picturesque village of Lenox, has fast become one of the best and most popular jazz rooms in the county. This is a rare opportunity to see these world-class artists working together in such an intimate setting.
“For those who like their holiday music sleek, chic, and elegant, Wonderland takes you there.” – Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune
Online box office:
First set, 5pm:
https://gatewaysinn.ticketleap.com/wonderland5pm/
Second set, 7pm:
https://gatewaysinn.ticketleap.com/wonderland7pm/
Gateways Inn will also be serving dinner that evening. Separate dinner reservations recommended.
The concert is part of the Gateways jazz series, curated by Andy Wrba and presented in cooperation with Berkshires Jazz, Inc.