Second annual Berkshire Jazz Showcase

Berkshires Jazz brings five of the most popular regional bands in the second annual Berkshire Jazz Showcase, on the Pittsfield Common, Aug. 3 from noon-5pm. The wide-ranging lineup for the jazz extravaganza will include (in this planned sequence):
• Gina Coleman and Misty Blues
• Paul Green and Two Worlds
• Andy Wrba’s Berkshire Jazz Collective
• First Take with Mary Ann Palermo
• Kyle Murray Quintet

The Showcase will also include food vendors, as well as a beer and wine garden. The event will be held on the field adjacent to the First Street Common’s playground and “splash park”. Bring blankets or chairs, we’ll provide the fun. Prelude music will be provided by Andy Kelly’s Jazz Ambassadors from 10am until noon at The Pittsfield Farmer’s Market.

Berkshire County enjoys a long-standing reputation as a hot-bed of jazz talent, going back nearly 75 years to Music Inn, and now enjoying renewed popularity throughout the region. On any particular weekend, and some weekdays, audiences can find dozens of locally-based world-class musicians in clubs and lounges, but rarely on a main stage. Berkshires Jazz fixed that oversight in 2018, when the showcase took off, from the City of Pittsfield’s outdoor stage as the launching pad. Don’t miss this year’s event, with all new bands.

Lead sponsor is The Berkshire Eagle, with additional support from Mountain One Financial Group, The Pittsfield Cultural Council, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the City of Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development.

[Rain date: Sunday, Aug. 4. In the event of rain on Sunday, the Showcase will be held indoors in the Common Room at the Zion Lutheran Church, starting at 1pm]