The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire and Hudson Valley Cultural Preview
Feb 14-23, 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 …
SIMI STONE BRINGS VALENTINE’S DAY SHOW to THE COLONY
Woodstock’s own Simi Stone headlines a Valentine’s Day Supper Club at the Colony in Woodstock on Tuesday, February 14, at 8pm. The self-styled “Mountain Motown” singer-songwriter will be fronting a band including pianist Jeremy Baum and percussionist Manuel Quintana. (Tues, Feb 14)
THANK GOD FOR SCIENCE BRINGS EXPERIMENAL BLEND to EGREMONT
At its experimental best, electronic ensemble Thank God for Science sounds like what Radiohead might sound like if it were a jazz group, or what Morphine might have sounded like if its signals got crossed with a pirate radio station, with some New Wave guitar lines and dance rhythms underlining the epic, eloquent melodies that come at a listener from a variety of instruments, including viola, keyboards, and found sounds. The group brings it captivating, cutting-edge sounds to the Egremont Barn in South Egremont, Mass., on Friday, February 17, at 7:30pm. (Fri, Feb 17)
MITSUKO UCHIDA to PLAY BEETHOVEN PIANO SONATAS in SCHENECTADY
Pianist Mitsuko Uchida will present a program of late Beethoven sonatas at Union College’s Memorial Chapel in Schenectady, N.Y., on Friday, February 17, at 7:30pm. A peerless interpreter of Mozart, Schumann, Schubert, and Beethoven, Uchida was recently nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for her recording of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. The concert is a presentation of Capital Region Classical. (Fri, Feb 17)
MENDELSSOHN and DVORAK on CEWM MUSICAL MENU
Works by Felix Mendelssohn and Antonin Dvorak will be juxtaposed in “Town & Country,” at St. James Place in Great Barrington, Mass., on Saturday, February 18, at 6pm, as part of the Close Encounters With Music chamber series. The program will include Mendelssohn’s Trio in C minor and Dvorak’s “Dumky” Trio, opus 90, showcasing the composer’s gifts of melody and inventiveness in a piece built upon the sonorities of Slavic folk music. Performers include pianist Renana Gutman. (Sat, Feb 18)
JAZZ TRIO SWINGS INTO KINGSTON
Jazz guitarist Ed Cherry, pianist John di Martino, and bassist John Menegon join forces for an evening of “Swingin’ Strings” at Senate Garage in Kingston, N.Y., as part of the Jazzstock series on Saturday, February 18, at 7:30pm. (Sat, Feb 18)
STRING QUARTET BRINGS NEW SOUNDS to SAUGERTIES
Saugerties Pro Musica presents the Argus Quartet at the Saugerties United Methodist Church on Sunday, February 19, at 3pm, performing works by Joseph Boulogne, Germaine Tailleferre, and Florence Price, among others, in this free concert. The Argus is an adventurous string quartet devoted to the work of contemporary composers, in the vein of Kronos Quartet. (Sun, Feb 19)
CANADIAN DUO BRING ROOTSY SOUNDS to 8th STEP
Gunning & Cormier, two of Canada’s greatest folk-roots singer-songwriters, celebrate the release of their second duo album, Leather and Dust, at the 8th Step at Proctors (GE Theatre), on Sunday, February 19, at 7:30pm. Dave Gunning and J.P. Cormier combine deep roots in the Celtic traditions of Cape Breton, the rapid fire guitar work of Chet Atkins and Doc Watson, and the compelling song artistry of fellow Canadian songwriters Gordon Lightfoot, Bruce Cockburn and Stan Rogers to create their own, unique blend, which even has room for a Coldplay cover. (Sun, Feb 19)
DON BYRON BRINGS GENRE-DEFYING SOUNDS to THE FALCON
The Don Byron Quartet once again headlines at the Falcon in Marlboro, N.Y., on Sunday, February 19, at 7pm. Byron has been a singular voice in an astounding range of musical contexts, exploring widely divergent traditions while continually striving for what he calls “a sound above genre.” As clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and social critic, Byron redefines every genre of music he plays, be it classical, salsa, hip-hop, funk, rhythm & blues, klezmer, or any jazz style from swing and bop to cutting-edge downtown improvisation. (Sun, Feb 19)
FOLK-ROCK SUPERGROUP WARMS UP WINTER NIGHT in ALBANY
On a Winter’s Night, the new-folk supergroup of singer-songwriters Cliff Eberhardt, John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky, and Patty Larkin, bring their reunion tour to the Egg in Albany, N.Y., on Friday, February 17, at 7:30pm. Think of them as the Traveling Wilburys of contemporary folk music. (Fri, Feb 17)
GRAMMY-WINNING SINGER-SONGWRITERS JOIN FORCES in TROY
Speaking of a new-folk supergroup, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriters Shawn Colvin, Marc Cohn, and Sarah Jarosz team up for a special trio program at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, N.Y., on Wednesday, February 22, at 7:30pm. A singular and enduring talent, Grammy winner Shawn Colvin’s songs like “Sunny Came Home” are slow-release works of craft and catharsis that become treasured, lifetime companions for their listeners. After winning a Grammy for his soulful ballad “Walking in Memphis,” Marc Cohn solidified his place as one of this generation’s most compelling singer-songwriters, combining the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man. Though just barely in her thirties, Texas native Sarah Jarosz has compiled a remarkable career, winning four Grammy Awards in both the Americana and Folk categories. (Wed, Feb 22)
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO BRINGS IT ALL BACK HOME at HUDSON JAZZ FESTIVAL
The Hudson Jazz Festival, based at Hudson Hall and taking place over the course of two long weekends, kicks off on Thursday, February 16 and runs through Sunday, February 26. This year’s lineup includes Sarah Elizabeth Charles and her band SCOPE, Marquis Hill, Michael Mayo, Ulysses Owens Jr. & Generation Y, Aaron Parks and Samantha Rise, vocalist Vanisha Gould and bassist Endea Owens & The Cookout. Grammy Award winner and former Hudsonian Meshell Ndegeocello, best known for her highly personal neo-soul and funk and for contributing to records by John Mellencamp, Madonna, Chaka Khan, and the Rolling Stones, joins pianist Aaron Parks and spoken word artist Samantha Rise for the world premiere of Dreaming Home on Saturday, February 25 at 7pm. (Thu, Feb 16-Sun, Feb 26)
Roll Call: Founding Members
Anonymous
Anonymous
Erik Bruun
Benno Friedman
Richard Koplin
Rhonda Rosenheck