Pittsfield, MA (Top40 Charts/ Berkshires Jazz) - Berkshires Jazz, Inc., today announced the headline performers for the sixth annual Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, as well as a special Memorial Day weekend concert with jazz master Randy Weston. The group also announced two aspects to its growing commitment to education: the winner of its Student Art Contest, and the establishment of a new scholarship for a graduating senior from the Berkshires Jazz Youth Ensemble.
The first musical event of the Berkshires Jazz season will be a special concert with Randy Weston, who will perform with his African Rhythms Duo featuring Alex Blaks on bass, on May 29. On the afternoon of the concert, Weston -who will be appearing in the Berkshires for the first time in a decade- will be interviewed in "meet the press" style, facing a media panel chaired by the noted jazz writer Willard Jenkins. Participants will include Milton Bass, the Berkshire Eagle reporter who wrote the first review ever of a Randy Weston performance; Seth Rogovoy, editor of the award-winning Berkshire Living magazine; and Tom Reney, host of the popular "Jazz a' la Mode" show on WFCR-FM, western Massachusetts' NPR station.
The panel and the concert will both be held at the Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street, Pittsfield. The panel is free and open to the public; tickets for the evening concert are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, and are now on sale at the Berkshire Museum box office, 413-443-7171, ext. 10. The concert is presented with the support of the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, The High Meadow Foundation, and the Greylock Federal Credit Union.
The dates for this year's Pittsfield CityJazz Festival are Oct. 8-21. Headliners include
• Oct. 15: the Berkshires debut of Joe Baione, a Delaware-based vibraphone player and his quintet;
• Oct. 16: a guest appearance of baritone saxophone virtuoso Claire Daly, who will be featured as a soloist with two big bands on the program: The Berkshires Jazz Youth Ensemble and the American Jazz Repertory Orchestra (AJRO);
• AJRO is directed by Clem DeRosa, a member of the Jazz Hall of Fame, a big-band drummer and pioneer in jazz education. During his military career, DeRosa served with one of Glenn Miller's Air Corps Bands, and later fronted one of Miller's 'ghost bands,' and the Benny Goodman band, on tours.
AJRO is the musical arm of American Jazz Venues, whose mission is to develop new, younger audiences for jazz and to find new places to perform the music. The band returns to Pittsfield by popular demand, after a 2009 appearance on Independence Day weekend. Besides a set of familiar big-band selections spotlighting Daly and other soloists, AJRO will perform jointly with the Berkshires Jazz Youth Ensemble, directed by Ron Lively, in a finale that will bring all the musicians on stage at once.
Once again, the festival will be collaborating with the schools of Berkshire County with free performances and discussions. Additionally, regional musicians will be appearing in restaurants and lounges on Columbus Day weekend, Oct. 8-10.
One aspect of the festival that has drawn significant local attention over the past two years is the Student Art Contest. This year, there were 56 entries from Miss Hall's, St. Joseph's, and Pittsfield and Taconic High Schools. Art Niedeck, chairman of the Education Committee of Berkshires Jazz, announced the winning entries:
1. First place: Joleigh Ferro (St. Joseph's)
2. Second place: Jae Hyun Seo (St. Joseph's)
3. Third place: Tae Kyung Jeon (Miss Hall's).
The winning entry will become the visual symbol of this year's Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, and will be seen on the festival's poster, web site, advertising, and program cover. Judges for the contest were Grier Horner, Ann Pasko, Craig Langlois, and Mark Tomasi.
Further to its mission of promoting jazz education, Berkshires Jazz announced the institution of a $250 scholarship to a graduating member of the Berkshires Jazz Youth Ensemble. The big band comprises students from five high schools in the County, and the recipient will be announced before the end of this academic year.
For ticketing and other information, visit www.BerkshiresJazz.org.
