The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire & Hudson Valley Cultural Preview
The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire & Hudson Valley Cultural Preview
Sep 20-27, 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 …
ELECTRIC HOT TUNA BRINGS FAREWELL TOUR to ALBANY and KINGSTON
Guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady bring electric Hot Tuna’s farewell Going Fishing tour to the Egg in Albany, N.Y., on Wednesday, September 20, at 7:30pm, and to UPAC in Kingston, N.Y., on Thursday, September 21, at 7:30pm. Hot Tuna began as a 1969 side project to Jefferson Airplane, in which Kaukonen and Casady would explore their love of folk-, country-, and electric blues. Fifty-four years later, the duo brings down the curtain on electric Hot Tuna -- presumably leaving room for acoustic Hot Tuna to continue as a going concern. (Wed-Thu, Sept 20-21)
FRESHGRASS ROOTS-MUSIC FEST RETURNS to MASS MoCA
American Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys, two-time Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning singer and instrumentalist, MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient, and composer of opera, ballet, and film Rhiannon Giddens, Aoife O’Donovan, and Lukas Nelson headline the three-day FreshGrass Festival at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Mass., from Friday, September 22, through Sunday, September 24. FreshGrass features roots music traditionalists and innovators on four stages and platforms throughout the museum’s 16-acre campus. Other headliners include singer-songwriter Allison Russell, banjoist Alison Brown, and the all-star trio of Bruce Molsky, Tony Trischka, and Michael Daves. The annual festival also includes world premieres, emerging artist competitions, and pop-up jam sessions. (Fri, Sep 22-Sun, Sep 24)
KADIR YUCEL BRINGS TRANCE ELECTRONICA to HUDSON
Istanbul native Kadir Yucel brings his unique blend of electronica and progressive rock to the Park Theater in Hudson, N.Y., on Friday, September 22, at 8pm. musician. Born in Istanbul, Yucel moved to the US in 1998. Kadir spent his formative years in New York City and Woodstock, N.Y., and now calls Buenos Aires and the San Francisco Bay Area home. Kadir’s percussive grooves bubble underneath hypnotic synth riffs and haunting melodies. (Fri, Sep 22)
LAURA ANGLADE BRINGS FRENCH-FLAVORED STANDARDS to SPENCERTOWN
Toronto-based jazz vocalist Laura Anglade and her quartet bring their modern take on Broadway, Tin Pan Alley, pre-rock standards, and French classics made famous by Edith Piaf, Michel Legrand, Charles Trenet, and others, to Spencertown Academy in Spencertown, N.Y., on Friday, September 22, at 8pm. Originally from Brousse-le-Château in the south of France, raised in Connecticut, and now based in Toronto, Anglade grew up in a musical household and found inspiration early on listening to her idols, including Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, and Anita O’Day. (Fri, Sep 22)
TRIO CALORE BRINGS BACH, BONIS, and ROTA to NEW MARLBOROUGH
Trio Calore, featuring flutist Carol Wincenc, violinist Kurt Nikkanen, and pianist Maria Asteriadou, will perform works by Melanie Bonis, Nino Rota, Franz Doppler, J.S. Bach, and others at the New Marlborough Meeting House in New Marlborough, Mass., on Saturday, September 23, at 4:30pm. (Sat, Sep 23)
ROOTS MUSIC SUPERGROUP at LEVON HELM STUDIOS
Roots-music supergroup Mighty Poplar, featuring Noam Pikelny and Chris Eldridge of Punch Brothers, Andrew Marlin of Watchhouse, bassist Greg Garrison (Leftover Salmon) and fiddler Alex Hargreaves (Billy Strings) bring their mix of bluegrass classics as well as deep cuts from greats like Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard, John Hartford, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Norman Blake, to Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, N.Y., on Saturday, September 23, at 8pm. The group will also take part in this weekend’s Freshgrass Festival at MASS MoCA in North Adams on Sunday at 2:45pm. (Sat, Sep 23)
PAT METHENY BRINGS INNOVATIVE JAZZ GUITAR to TROY
Innovative contemporary jazz guitarist and composer Pat Metheny brings his signature sound and his solo Dream Box tour to Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, N.Y., on Tuesday, September 26, at 7:30pm. Throughout his career, Metheny has continued to redefine the genre by utilizing new technology and constantly working to evolve the improvisational and sonic potential of his instrument. Thus it’s no surprise that over the years, Metheny has performed with artists as diverse as Steve Reich, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall, Milton Nascimento, and David Bowie. (Tue, Sep 26)
Hey, did you like this edition of The Rogovoy Report? If so, please consider clicking on the “LIKE” button at the very end of this message. It matters to the gods of Substack.
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