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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.

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.

 

Project portrays creativity behind bars

“I Too Can Create”

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.

 

Project portrays creativity behind bars

Pittsfield CityJazz Festival April 23-May 1, 2022

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.

  • “Jazz About Town” takes on two forms:
    • the first Berkshires Jazz Jam (Saturday, April 23, at Mission Restaurant, 7-10pm), with rotating local artists; and
    • the annual Jazz Crawl  (Saturday, April 30, various venues through Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District).[see updated schedule below]
  • Jazz prodigy Ruby Farmer, a 16-year-old bassist who will be appearing during the 100th birthday observation of Charles Mingus. She will be accompanied by Benny Kohn (piano) and Conor Meehan (drums). Wednesday, April 27, 7pm. Berkshire Athenaeum, sponsored by the Friends of the Athenaeum. Free.
  • The George Russell, Jr. Trio with vocalist Lydia Harrell. The Boston stalwarts make their Berkshires debut with a program of jazz and blues. Click here for more information and tickets. 
  • The first stop on a CD release tour by the DIVA Jazz Orchestra (“DIVA Swings Broadway”).
    Plus: the latest iteration of the Berkshires Jazz Youth Ensemble will open for DIVA’s concert, a matinee on Sunday, May 1. Click here for more information and tickets.

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.

Annual Jazz Crawl
April 30, 2022
Sponsored by Pittsfield Cooperative Bank

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

 

 

Dave Kidd interviews take on a new life

 

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.)Dave Kidd interviews take on a new life

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.

 

 

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