June 14-16 at various locations in downtown Lee, Massachusetts
Sponsored by Berkshire Gateway Preservation, Inc. in collaboration with Berkshires Jazz, Inc., the festival includes headline concerts, a free afternoon of jazz in the park in front of Lee Congregational Church, outdoors food vendors, a display of vintage automobiles, and two jazz brunches. Headline performers include regional favorites Wanda Houston and Samirah Evans, singing classic duets, plus a night of Brazil-flavored jazz with guitarist Diego Figueiredo and saxophone legend Ken Peplowski.
The weekend opens on Friday, June 14, with a 7:30pm concert of “Classic Duets and More.” The concert entails a rare pairing of Samirah Evans and Wanda Houston, two of the region’s most exciting and accomplished vocal artists. They will be accompanied by three of the Berkshires most noted instrumental artists: Benny Kohn, piano; Andy Wrba, bass; and Conor Meehan, drums. The weekend continues on Saturday June 15 (7:30pm) with a night of Brazilian-tinged jazz, featuring the fiery guitarist Diego Figueiredo, legendary reedman Ken Peplowski, plus special guest vocalist Chiara Izzi. The musical approach for Saturday has been described as “bossa nova with a fiery modern flavor”.
The headline concerts take place in the Lee Meeting House, a venue of extraordinary audio quality and visual appeal. Also known as Lee Congregational Church, it is located on the Common in downtown Lee, Massachusetts, the gateway to the Berkshires. Tickets for each concert are $25 in advance, $30 on the day of the event.
On Saturday afternoon, the park in front of the church becomes an outdoors music fair, with jazz being performed between 11:30am and 4pm (see website for update on performers). Along with the free music, food vendors will be on hand, plus a display of vintage automobiles.
Starving Artist Café will have jazz brunches on both days. Saturday, June 15 (10am-noon) will feature the music of Gary Miller’s Release the Penguins; Sunday, June 16 (11am-2pm), the Rich Vinette Quintet holds sway.
The festival is made possible through the support of several organizations and sponsors, including Adams Community Bank, Berkshire Bank, Canna Provisions, Consolati Insurance, Greylock Federal Credit Union, and the Lee Chamber of Commerce.
For detailed information, continual updates, and a link to the online box office, visit www.BerkshireGatewayJazz.org
The 14th annual Pittsfield CityJazz Festival kick off on Columbus Day weekend, Oct. 5-7, with Jazz About Town, featuring regional musicians in restaurants and lounges around Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District. The holiday weekend continues with a brunch on Oct. 7 at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge. Here’s the schedule:
Friday, Oct. 5:
Panchos, 156 North St,
6-9pm: Gary Miller and Ed Green Jazz Duo
Rainbow Restaurant, 109 First St.
7:30pm: Blue Light Trio
Saturday, Oct. 6
Patrick’s Pub, 26 Bank Row
5:30-8pm: Nico Wohl, guitar trio
Panchos, 156 North St.
6-9pm: Dave Bartley, keyboard and vocal
Mission Bar & Tapas, 438 North St.
8-11pm: Mary Ann Palermo and First Take
Hotel On North, 297 North St.
9-11pm: Banulis & Miller Jazz Duo
Sunday, Oct. 7: Jazz Brunch
Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, 444 North St.
10am-2pm (music until noon) Nico Wohl guitar duo
Monday, Oct. 8, the holiday weekend continues Mission Bar & Tapas, 438 North St. 8-11pm: Andy Wrba and Friends
Enjoy the vibe!
For information on the rest of the festival, including headliners Veronica Swift and Christian McBride’s New Jawn quartet, plus our jazz prodigy concert, click here.
Attention percussion teachers, students, and anyone interested in Latin rhythms: Berkshires Jazz is hosting a free Latin Percussion Workshop this Saturday, Oct. 14, at Wood Brothers Music Store (Allendale Shopping Center, Pittsfield. 1-2:30pm). The clinic will be conducted by Roger Squitero, percussionist with the Dizzy Gillespie Afro- Cuban Experience.
Dizzy Gillespie is generally credited with bringing Afro-Cuban rhythms to the American jazz scene, and Roger Squitero is helping to perpetuate that movement. Here’s a unique opportunity to get inside tips from one of the top percussionists in jazz. No charge, thanks to a grant from The Feigenbaum Foundation.
Please contact web@BerkshiresJazz.org with any questions.
Spanning two weekends, our 13th Pittsfield CityJAZZ Festival festival kicks-off with the popular “jazz crawl” on Friday, Oct. 6. Various local restaurants and lounges present local musicians in Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District. No cover charge!
It’s no secret that the Berkshires are home for some amazing talent, and it’s a pleasure to present so many of them in a concentrated timeframe and format.
For full details on this year’s festival, including our jazz prodigy concert and headliners, click here.
Here’s the Jazz Crawl schedule so far. Check back for possible changes and updates.
Friday, Oct. 6
Panchos, 156 North St,
6-9pm: Nico Wohl, guitar
Patrick’s Pub, 26 Bank Row
7-10pm: Andy Kelly Jazz Ambassadors
Rainbow, 109 First St.
7:30pm: Blue Light Trio
Saturday, Oct. 7
Panchos, 156 North St.
6-9pm: Banulis and Miller Jazz Duo
J. Allen’s Clubhouse Grille, 41 North St.
7-10om: Andy Kelly Gypsy Jazz
The Rainbow, 109 First St.
7:30pm: Mary Ann Palermo and First Take
Patrick’s Pub, 26 Bank Row
6-9pm: Kozinski/Ricker Guitar Duo
Mission Bar and Tapas, 438 North St.
8-11pm: Sarah Clay Duo
Sunday, Oct. 8
Jazz Brunch at The Rainbow, 109 First St.
11am-3pm: Mary Ann Palermo and First Take
The Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, Oct. 6-15, 2017, is a celebration of America’s classical music, our cultural gift to the world. Spanning two weekends, our 13th annual festival kicks-off with the popular “jazz crawl,” on Columbus Day weekend, Oct. 6-8. Local musicians perform in restaurants and lounges in Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District. (click here for schedule) It’s no secret that the Berkshires are home for some amazing talent, and it’s a pleasure to present so many of them in a concentrated timeframe and format. Capping off both weekends, there will be jazz brunches on Oct. 8 and 15.
One of the most important aspects of the festival is our Jazz Prodigy series, featuring young performers whom we expect to become significant figures in jazz. As has happened for the past three festivals, this year’s artist, pianist Caelan Cardello, comes to us from Jazz House Kids, the renowned educational and performance program in Newark. A high school student in Teaneck, New Jersey, Caelan and his trio appear at the Berkshire Athenaeum on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 7pm. Thanks to the support of the Friends of the Athenaeum, there is not charge for tickets to this event.
Our two marquee events show remarkable range and diversity…from the New Orleans mainstay Samirah Evans –with special guest Charles Neville– to a celebration of Dizzy Gillespie’s 100th birthday. Tickets are now on sale for both events.
There are two jazz brunches, Oct. 8 and 15, at The Rainbow Restaurant (Oct. 8) and Dottie’s Coffee Lounge (Oct. 15).
Details for the headline concerts follow.
Friday, Oct. 13, your lucky day
[This show is sold out]
One of the most popular jazz and blues vocalists in pre-Katrina New Orleans, Samirah Evans dedicates time to perpetuating indigenous American music. With a mix of swampy, sultry, and soulful takes on jazz standards and originals, she first performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1990, and became a regular fixture for fourteen consecutive years.
While living in New Orleans, Samirah appeared in concert with such notable musicians as trumpeter Terence Blanchard, saxophonist Charles Neville, and drummer Shannon Powell (Harry Connick, Jr. band and Diana Krall).
Hurricane Katrina caused Samirah and her husband to seek out new living arrangements outside of New Orleans, so they moved to his native town of Brattleboro, Vermont in the fall of 2006. Her debut performance was at the Vermont Jazz Center with the VJC Big Band. She soon found herself sharing the spotlight with the legendary Shelia Jordan as a principal in a musical theater performance, Beatnik Café’, depicting the beatnik generation.
She has toured Europe, Asia, and both North and South America as a headliner, and shared stages with a multitude of legendary artists from B.B. King and James Brown, to New Orleans own Queen of Soul, Irma Thomas.
Her live performance repertoire runs the gamut from raunchy blues to jazz smooth as silk. She has often been compared to Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, and Etta James She made countless new friends in the Berkshires in an appearance at Zucchini’s in 2016, and we are delighted to bring her back for the Pittsfield CityJAZZ Festival.
Guest soloist Charles Neville provides a special treat. The second oldest brother of the famed New Orleans musical family, Charles has the most diverse background. His experience on saxophone has included rhythm & blues, funk, jazz, be-bop, popular and even American Indian music. He cites as influences Louis Jordan, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Professor Longhair. He’s a popular Berkshires artist, and we’re delighted to have him on the Pittsfield CityJAZZ Festival program for the first time
Samirah’s group includes three of the top rhythm players on the New York scene, all of whom have deep Berkshires connections: Miro Sprague, piano; Mary Ann McSweeney, bass; and Conor Meehan, drums.
Flavours of Malaysia is the setting for many a rising jazz artist, as well as those whose star has already ascended. Acoustically and visually, it’s a “happening” scene. For our jazz festival audience, Flavours is offering special dinner pricing of $15, for your choice among three of their most popular entrees, with stir-fry, curry, and vegetarian options. For the show only, tickets are $25 in advance, $30 on the day of the show. The doors open at 7:45pm, when the special dinner pricing goes into effect.
This event is now sold-out. If you were lucky enough to get tickets, we look forward to seeing you there.
Saturday, Oct. 14: celebrating Dizzy’s centennial
History has produced its share of great artists and great people, and John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie was both. As a performer, he left behind an incredible record of innovation and inspiration; as a composer, a broad repository of musical masterpieces; and as a man, a legion of friends, colleagues and compatriots who remember him with the same degree of love and esteem they reserve for his work. Those “Dizzy for President” buttons were actually half-serious.
Berkshires Jazz celebrates Gillespie’s 100th birthday with a performance by the Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience, a 6-piece ensemble led by his long-term bassist John Lee. The group showcases the unique rhythms and well-loved melodies (such as “Manteca” and “Tin Tin Deo”) of Gillespie’s oeuvre of Cu-Bop, which he developed in the 40s and 50s with Chano Pozo. That music rings every bit as fresh today, which is why
jazz ensembles around the world are still performing it.
And, the expanded repertoire of the Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience also explores the broader world of Latin-American music–the tunes that Dizzy likely would be playing today.
The musicians are drawn from the high-caliber pool of New York-based talent tha
t frequent the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band and All-Star groups, including trumpeter Freddie Hendrix (photo at right), saxophonist Sharel Cassity, Brazilian pianist/vocalist Abelita Mateus, drummer Tommy Campbell and percussionist Roger Squitero. They perform with energy, verve, and style, putting their own fresh stamp on a well-known genre.
Our all-star youth ensemble opens the musical proceedings at 7:30pm. Tickets are $23-38, and are available here.
“Back in the day,” Berkshire radio personality Dave Kidd, father of Berkshires Jazz treasurer Barbara Seddon, conducted this interview with Dizzy Gillespie; it is now on file at the International Jazz History Database.
If you ask 10 jazz fans to name the greatest big-band drummer of all time, chances are that 8 or 9 of the responses will be “Buddy Rich.” An icon of speed, precision, and taste, Rich still has a worldwide following, 30+ years after his passing. Berkshires Jazz is celebrating his 100th birthday year with a concert on July 22, featuring the big band of drummer Gregory Caputo.
Caputo has always served as a great ambassador for classic swing and big band jazz. His credits include stints with Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Harry James, Nelson Riddle, Benny Goodman, Sheila Jordan, Sammy Davis Jr., and countless world class jazz artists. Local fans remember his appearance in Lee with NEA Jazz Master Phil Woods, which turned out to be Woods’ final appearance in the Berkshires.
His big band is a who’s-who of jazz musicians. Called the “keeper of the big band flame” by Jazz Times magazine, Greg’s repertoire is always presented with great precision and spirit. Classic Drummer magazine describes Greg as “a master drummer who speaks volumes in refined sensibilities and superb technique.” An inductee into the National Jazz Archives, he is also on the faculty of UMass’ highly-regarded Jazz In July program.
Fasten your seat belts for a great evening of some of the finest big-band material you’ve ever heard.
The concert is on Saturday, July 22, 7pm, at the Lee Meeting House (Lee Congregational Church), 25 Park Place in the Berkshire Gateway town of Lee, Mass. A stunning venue, both acoustically and visually, a great place to hear a big band. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 on the day of the event. Click here for online box office.
A centennial birthday tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and the reunion of the New Black Eagle Jazz Band with legendary blues guitarist Duke Robillard highlight the sixth annual Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend, June 15-18 in downtown Lee.
The four-day festival also includes a Fine Art show, al fresco food vendors with daytime jazz, and a wine and beer tasting under a tent in Church Park. The weekend activities are bracketed by a documentary movie screening on Thursday, June 15 and a Father’s Day jazz brunch.
A collaboration of Berkshires Jazz, Inc. and Berkshire Gateway Preservation, Inc., the affair takes place in the western Massachusetts town of Lee, the “Gateway to the Berkshires.” The principal performing venue is the Lee Meeting House (a.k.a. Lee Congregational Church), 25 Park Place.
The headline concerts kick off on Friday, June 16, when the Vermont Jazz Center Big Band and Wanda Houston celebrate the 100th birthday of the first lady of song. Performing and breathing new life into the same musical arrangements used by Ella Fitzgerald, the concert features acclaimed vocalist Wanda Houston singing Ella’s renowned parts. She will be backed by the Vermont Jazz Center Big Band. The repertoire will be a tour-de-force of the great American songbook.
Ella Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century…and perhaps the first jazz artist to become a household name. One of today’s outstanding interpreters of vocal jazz and blues, Wanda Houston has loved –and sung along with– Fitzgerald’s music since she was a young girl. Like Fitzgerald, she is a great singer as well as a superb storyteller; she colors the spaces between her songs with fascinating stories of her youth and the trials and tribulations of life on the road.
The Vermont Jazz Center Big Band is a professional community band that comes together under the auspices of the VJC to rehearse and take on projects. The 16-piece band is directed by trumpeter Rob Freeberg and features many top-flight ensemble players and soloists.
Tickets (click here) are $25 in advance ($30 on the day of the event, if available), and at several locations in the Berkshires, including the Lee Chamber Visitor Center and Wood Brothers Music in Pittsfield.
Traditional Jazz At Its Best
On Saturday, June 17, one of the longest-standing, best-known and highly-respected traditional jazz groups, The New Black Eagle Jazz Band returns to the Berkshires after a three-year hiatus. The band has dozens of audio recordings and DVDs to its name, including one that garnered a Grammy nomination. Of their prowess and creativity, the late N.Y. Time critic John S. Wilson wrote that the band is “So far ahead of other traditional bands…there is scarcely any basis for comparison.”
In 2009, the Black Eagles teamed-up with famed guitarist Duke Robillard for a recording called “Nothing But the Blues.” After many years, they are reunited exclusively for the Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend.
Duke Robillard had his first band in high school, and he was fascinated from the beginning by the ways in which jazz, swing, and the blues were linked. In 1967, he formed Roomful of Blues, and the band was tight enough and tough enough to accompany two of its heroes, Big Joe Turner and Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson on recordings and in live appearances. The Grammy-nominated guitarist won The Blues Music Awards (formerly W.C. Handy Awards) for “Best Blues Guitarist” four times.
Tickets (click here) are $25 in advance ($30 on the day of the event, if available), and at several locations in the Berkshires, including the Lee Chamber Visitor Center and Wood Brothers Music in Pittsfield.
The event is supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, as well as sponsorships from Big Y, Adams Community Bank, Onyx Specialty Papers, Consolati Insurance, Inc. and Aldam Press.
With the 2016 Pittsfield CityJazz Festival in the books, new programming will be be announced here soon – and via our mailing list, which you are welcome to join today: