The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire and Hudson Valley Cultural Preview
Aug 9-14, 2023
With so much going on culturally speaking in our greater Berkshires/Hudson Valley region, this is my highly selective, curated snapshot of some of the most promising upcoming events …
CARLOS SANTANA, JACK DeJOHNETTE and ALL-STAR LINEUP to PAY TRIBUTE to MILES DAVIS at UPAC
Famed guitarist Carlos Santana is a last-minute addition to Jack DeJohnette’s Tribute to Miles Davis … and more at UPAC in Kingston, N.Y., on Wednesday, August 9, at 7:30pm. Jack DeJohnette, celebrated for his work with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Bobby McFerrin, Bill Evans, and as a band leader and composer in his own right, brings together an all-star lineup in tribute to Miles Davis, including clarinetist Don Byron, Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, Living Colour drummer Will Calhoun, trumpeter Wallace Roney, Jr., plus drummer, vocalist, and composer Cindy Blackman-Santana, best known for her long tenure with Lenny Kravitz. (Wed, Aug 9)
MATISYAHU and G LOVE BRING ROOTSY SOUNDS to BEARSVILLE THEATER
A double-bill featuring spiritual singer-songwriter Matisyahu and roots artist G. Love and Special Sauce bring their summer tour to the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, N.Y., on Thursday, August 10, at 7:30pm. Grammy Award-nominated Matisyahu is widely recognized for his unique fusion of spiritual themes with reggae, rock, and hip-hop beatboxing. G. Love & Special Sauce are known for their innovative blend of alternative hip hop, blues, and funk. (Thu, Aug 10)
CONTEMPORARY BALLET GROUP PAYS TRIBUTE to DAVID BOWIE at JACOB’S PILLOW
New York-based Complexions Contemporary Ballet pays tribute to David Bowie with their evening-length Bowie-inspired work, STAR DUST, featuring a host of Bowie’s greatest hits, at Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, Mass., from Wednesday, August 9, through Sunday, August 13, in the Ted Shawn Theatre. Complexions is known for its lively contemporary ballets set to music by the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Metallica, and Lenny Kravitz. (Wed-Sun, Aug 9-13)
TWO-PART EXPLORATION of HOLOCAUST COMPOSERS at TANGLEWOOD
Terezín Music Foundation director Mark Ludwig explores the Nazi “cultural cleansing” policy targeting jazz, modernist, and non-Aryan — including all Jewish — composers before and during World War II, in Immersion: Defiant Music Part 1, at the Linde Center at Tanglewood on Friday, August 11, at 4:30pm. The exploration continues Saturday, August 12, at 3pm, in a program showcasing music and art created by prisoners in the Terezin concentration camp. (Fri-Sat, Aug 11-12)
CLASSICAL VIOLIN MEETS FLAMENCO in CHATHAM
Violinist/violist Miranda Cuckson, guitarist/composer Pedro Cortes, and percussionist/vocalist Jose Moreno join forces for a concert fusing flamenco and classical violin at First Reformed Church in Chatham, N.Y., on Saturday, August 12, at 6pm, as part of the Garage at Chatham music series. The trio will perform Grace and Passion, by Pedro Cortes and Dave Soldier, who has performed as violinist, guitarist, and composer/arranger with Bo Diddley, John Cale, and Kurt Vonnegut. (Sat, Aug 12)
MARMEN QUARTET PERFORMS HAYDN, BEETHOVEN at TANNERY POND
The London-based Marmen Quartet performs works by Haydn, Beethoven, and Ligeti at Tannery Pond, located at the Darrow School in New Lebanon, N.Y., on Saturday, August 12, at 7:30pm. Presented by Capital Region Classical, the quartet won first prize at both the 2019 Bordeaux and Banff International String Quartet Competitions. (Sat, Aug 12)
ARTURO O’FARRILL HEADLINES WEEKEND of LATIN MUSIC at MAVERICK
Seven-time Grammy Award-winning Latin jazz pianist Arturo O’Farrill leads his quartet in a program of Cuban-influenced jazz at Maverick Concerts in Woodstock, N.Y., on Saturday, August 12, at 8pm, as part of Maverick’s Latin Voices: Celebrating Hispanic and Latino Traditions in Classical and Jazz series. The series continues Sunday, August 13, at 4pm, when Maverick presents the Dali Quartet, focusing on masterpieces of the Spanish and Latin American repertoire. (Sat-Sun, Aug 12-13)
LALA TAMAR BRINGS MIDDLE EAST FUSION to RACE BROOK LODGE
Israeli vocalist Lala Tamar brings her contemporary blend of Middle Eastern fusion to the Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, Mass., on Sunday, August 13, at 8pm. Accompanied by guitarist Ofer Ronen, Lala Tamar draws on her Moroccan and Brazilian ancestry to create a unique blend of world music uniting Latin and Arab, Jewish and Muslim, African and Asian, East and West, with percolating contemporary pop, hip-hop, and electronic textures. (Sun, Aug 13)
NEAVE TRIO PLAYS BRAHMS, RAVEL in PLAINFIELD, Mass.
The Grammy Award-nominated Neave Trio -- featuring violinist Anna Williams, cellist Mikhail Veselov, and pianist Eri Nakamura -- will perform Brahms’s Piano Trio No. 1, op. 8; Ravel’s Piano Trio in A minor, op. 67; and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Five Negro Melodies for Piano Trio in the free Concerts at 7 chamber music series based at the Plainfield Congregational Church in Plainfield, Mass., on Monday, August 14, at 7pm. (Mon, Aug 14)
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Roll Call: Founding Members
Anne Fredericks
Anonymous (6)
Erik Bruun
Benno Friedman
Richard Koplin
Steve and Helice Picheny
Rhonda Rosenheck
Elisa Spungen and Rob Bildner/Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook
Julie Abraham Stone
Mary Herr Tally