Pittsfield, MA Oct. 15 They were, in a word, fabulous. The 19-piece Army Band Played the National Anthem as the Sunday afternoon crowd stood and sang. Next they came out swinging with an up tempo version of Cherokee. The sound filled the Colonial Theater thrilling an apparent cross section of locals and out-of-towners alike. This final concert in the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival would prove to be the coup de gráce.
Read full review: review of U.S. Army Band, Phil Woods, Grace Kelly.
Pittsfield, MA Oct. 14Drummer T. S. Monk came out swinging with his pack of lions Saturday night on a jam entitled "Dealer Takes Four". The horns blazed away at an up-tempo melody line with close harmony reminiscent of the group "Supersax". Some of Monk's licks were buried by the horns up front in spite of a live afternoon sound check. Nevertheless, he was having a blast back there evidenced by his persistent grin.
Read full review: review of T.S. Monk Sextet.
Pittsfield, MA Oct. 13 Ed Bride, moderator and chairman of the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival Committee, took to the stage at exactly 8:00 P.M. Friday evening to thank Legacy Banks and Mayor James Ruberto for their financial support and vision respectively. He asked for a quick show of hands for first timers at the newly restored Colonial Theater. Most responded in the affirmative.
Read full review: review of Billy Taylor Trio and The Metta Quintet.
Pittsfield, MA - Aug. 26, 2006 Bob Dylan delivered as even and as excellent a show as you could imagine Saturday night at Wahconah Park; it felt like this was a big deal for him rather than another run through a list of old songs in front of a mass of faceless people in another nameless town. It was a remarkable performance of a predictable setlist; he's done so many shows that I'm sure this list was predicted by someone's software program.Review of Bob Dylan concert at Wahconah Park continued ....
North Adams, MA - July 22, 2006 Surely every visit to MASS MoCA is an event. This outstanding museum, which focuses on installation art, calls upon the visitor to be open-minded,non-judgmental, and free-spirited. A trip to this North Adams destination is always an adventure, never disappointing. Review of Ahistoric Occasion: Artists Making History, at MASS MoCA continued ....
Housatonic, MA - July 18, 2006 "Leftover Stories to Tell," a one-night-only show honoring the memory of writer, actor, and monologist Spalding Gray lit up a muggy evening at the Guthrie Center in Housatonic. The show opens what will be an ongoing series of spoken-word performances held in cooperation with the center, Arlo Guthrie’s non-profit educational foundation, and Blue Flower Arts, which sponsors literary readings, lectures, and performances.Review of "Leftover Stories to Tell," at the Guthrie Center continued ....
Lenox, MA - by Frances Benn Hall "It isn't that I haven't prayed for you, Bartley, to the Almighty God. It isn't that I haven't said prayers in the dark night till you wouldn't know what I'd be saying; but it's a great rest I'll have now, and it's time surely."
The speaker is Maureen Stapleton, her Irish voice keening the poignant acceptance in the language from Irish playwright John Millington Synge's Riders to the Sea. In what may have been the final performance of a remarkable career, Ms. Stapleton recorded the lines for my neo-Noh play, The Children of Lir, which was presented at Berkshire Community College on March 23, 2003.
Remembrance of Maureen Stapleton continued ...