jazz prodigy

Berkshires Jazz Fall Sprawl, Nov. 18-20

Presents Artists in Downtown Lenox and Pittsfield

The downtowns of Pittsfield and Lenox, Massachusetts will be sprawling with live jazz on the weekend of Nov. 18-20, with the first Berkshires Jazz Fall Sprawl. Artists range from small, local groups to the 17-piece Amherst Jazz Orchestra, and spotlight 16-year-old prodigy Brandon Goldberg, who is making his Berkshires debut that weekend in a sold-out show.

Most of the events are free, thanks to the sponsorship of the Mill Town Foundation, whose downtown music initiative is bolstering the presence of live music in the Berkshires. In fact, if you’ve got your tickets for Brandon Goldberg, you’re covered for the only ticketed event. The full schedule is at the bottom of this page.

Brandon Goldberg found his passion for jazz by listening to his favorite artists including Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane. He has performed at the Newport, Litchfield, Twin Cities, and Caramoor Jazz Festivals as well as the Monterey Jazz Festival with the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra and Bravo Niagara Festival of the Arts. He has played on the stages of the most prestigious jazz clubs including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Dizzy’s Club, Birdland Theatre.

And now, he’s coming to the Berkshires with his trio, including Ben Wolfe on bass and Aaron Kimmel on drums. We’ve been watching Brandon since he was 12 years old, and finally have the opportunity to bring him from his home in Miami to introduce him to Berkshires audiences. Ventfort Hall, the historic Berkshire cottage (104 Walker Street, Lenox, Mass.) is the perfect place, the building which the movie world saw as the setting for The Cider House Rules. Cash bar will be available before and after the concert, when there will be an opportunity to meet the young artist, who is preparing to go into the studio to create his third CD. Tickets are sold-out, but keep you eye on this young musician, who will be back on larger stages before you know it.

What’s this about a sprawl? What’s that about?

Now, as to what makes the sprawl. We have sponsored Jazz Crawls, with performances from one end of downtown Pittsfield to the other, in somewhat chronological sequence. And, there have been Jazz Strolls, movable feasts of jazz performances, rotating among a small number of nearby sites in historic Lenox Village. The “sprawl” is a new concept, with jazz and blues performances in both Lenox and Pittsfield, sometimes overlapping. A veritable sprawl. There’s plenty to choose from on this opening weekend of the holiday season.

Here’s the schedule:

November 18
6-9pm: Teri Roiger Piano Trio
Gateways Inn, Lenox

7-10pm: Misty Blues
Firefly, Lenox

7-10pm: Don Mikkelsen Quartet
Berkshire Palate, Pittsfield

7-10pm: Michael Junkins Trio
Methuselah, Pittsfield

November 19
6-8pm: George Oldziey Trio
Apple Tree Inn, Lenox

6-9pm: Armen Donelian & Friends
Gateways Inn, Lenox

7-10om Wanda Houston Band
Firefly, Lenox

7-10pm: Andy Kelly and Friends
101 Restaurant & Bar, Pittsfield

7-10pm: Amherst Jazz Orchestra
Flat Burger Society, Pittsfield

November 20

4pm: Brandon Goldberg Trio [ticketed event] Ventfort Hall, Lenox

6-9pm: Luke Franco Trio
Gateways Inn, Lenox

See you there!