Dave Read

Chris Botti at Tanglewood

Chris Botti put on a tremendous show in Ozawa Hall, which was packed to the rafters with lawn patrons given refuge from the rain. Botti is a versatile trumpeter, playing plenty of straight ahead jazz but also pop, rock, and classical in this genre-agnostic show that featured two guests along with a very impressive band. He’s pretty loquacious, too, unlike his hero Miles Davis, whose LPs Kind of Blue and Sketches of Spain were the sources for two numbers that were highlights of tonight’s program. In addition to Botti’s own virtuosity, they showcased the brilliance of Brazilian guitarist Leonardo Amuedo. Everyone in the band had plenty of opportunities to display their artistry: Billy Childs on piano, Tim Lefebvre on acoustic and electric bass, Billy Kilson on drums, and Andy Ezrin on keyboards and sythensizer. (Lefebvre and Ezrin are Massachussetts natives.)

Serena McKinney and Lisa Fischer perform with Chris Botti, Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood, Aug. 5, 2012. — Serena McKinney and Lisa Fischerperform with Chris Botti, Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood, Aug. 5, 2012; Hilary Scott photos.

The special guests were Lisa Fischer, longtime vocalist with the Rolling Stones, and the young classical violinist Serena McKinney, each of whom added exciting and beautiful facets to the show (while wearing high heels that could pierce your heart!).

Botti is more engaged with his audience than any musician we’ve seen at Tanglewood, more so even than James Taylor and Garrison Keillor. Not only did he descend from the stage to play in the aisle, in a duet with Ms. Fischer, who sang The Very Thought of You while seated in the lap of a patron, but also he invited a young girl on stage to play drums on the final number, Nessun Dorma, the aria from the last act of Puccini’s Turandot.

In this celebratory 75th anniversary season at Tanglewood, the first in over a decade not to be followed by a Labor Day weekend jazz festival, jazz fans have not been overlooked! Even before the arrival of the BSO, there was Diana Krall in the Shed folowed the next night by the very jazzy Silk Road Ensemble with Yo Yo Ma in Ozawa Hall. Next up will be another Ozawa Hall jazz concert bill headlined by the Wynton Marsalis Quartet, with opening act Christian McBride Trio on Aug. 20, followed on Aug. 26 by the Chick Corea and Gary Burton Hot House Tour, with the Harlem String Quartet.

Berkshires news for cyclists, walkers, and hikers

Ashuwillticook Trail extension gets federal funds

News from Berkshire Bike Path Council: The Berkshire Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) prioritized federal funding for the extension of the Ashuwillticook Trail north from Lime Street in Adams to Hodges Cross Road in North Adams.

Berkshire bike paths get $13 million

The MPO allocated $13,000,000 towards construction of bike paths in Berkshire County in their 5-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The funds require the towns and cities to fund complete project design, environmental permitting and Right of Way before construction money is released and depending upon costs, other sources may also be needed to make up any deficits . The exception is the Mohawk Trail Phase II project in Williamstown and North Adams that funds design, environmental permitting and Right of Way with a Scenic Byways grant. The Town of Lee also has Scenic Byway funds to assist their effort in preparing for construction funds.

Adams and North Adams successfully raised the required funds to bring their project from Lime Street Adams to Hodges Crossing in North Adams to construction. The MPO committed to funding the extension’s construction at a well-attended MPO meeting but required additional funds from the communities involved.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission needs help

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission needs help to identify preferred routes and provide input for what factors help you decide where to ride. Eyes on are needed to report back on road conditions and traffic flow. A draft map and information can be found here: berkshireplanning.org.

Ashuwillticook Rail Trail Count 2012

BRPC’s intern, Eric Magazu counted trail users this July. He counted all the people crossing the entry gate to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. Each user was counted by mode. The direction of travel was not considered (i.e. whether individual was entering or leaving the trail); If an individual crossed the gate and immediately turned around, they counted twice. The position of observation was near the restrooms at the south trailhead, adjacent to the US7 Route 8 Connector Road. The methodology for counting users was different than in years’ past, but heavy use of the Trail remains consistent. This methodology will be used in the future so data will be comparable. While we appreciate all the volunteers who have helped with this effort in the past, we welcome the support of BRPC in this effort to collect important data.

Stockbridge schedules 160th annual Laurel Hill Day August 18, 2012

Stockbridge’s Laurel Hill Association will hold its 160th annual Laurel Hill Day on Saturday, at 2:00 P.M. at the rostrum on Laurel Hill. The rostrum is located behind the Stockbridge Town Offices building on Main Street. The public is invited to attend. In the event of rain, the program will be held in the Stockbridge Library on Main Street.

The speaker for the Program will be Mr. Robert Chicks, President of the Tribal Council of the Stockbridge Munsee Community of the Mohican Nation. Mr. Chicks’ topic will be Stockbridge and the Mohican Connection. Joanne Schedler, member of the Tribal Council, and Sherry White, Historic Preservation Officer, will also attend Laurel Hill Day.

Association President Kirsten Fredsall will preside. The recipient of the annual $2,000 college scholarship will be announced. Belle Fox-Martin, Minister, will give the Invocation and the Benediction.

During the program the choir from the First Congregational Church of Stockbridge will sing Mohican Sunrise, a composition by Brent Michael Davids, the Native American composer and flutist whose Stockbridge Mohican Song was written for and sung on the July 2, 2005 performance of A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood.

ps21 Chatam schedule

TAKE Dance returns to PS21 Friday and Saturday, August 10 and 11 with the world premiere of a new work created especially for PS21, along with two other expressive and distinctive pieces. This contemporary dance ensemble will perform at 8:00 pm under The Tent at PS21, located at 2980 Route 66 in the Town of Chatham.

Led by Japanese native, Juilliard graduate and Paul Taylor Dance Company alum Takehiro Ueyama, Take Dance blends eastern and western sensibilities to communicate the universal human condition. Take Dance is known for bringing a unique depth and fulfilling experience to audiences through diverse movement, musical choices, subject matter and artistic partnerships.

The Friday and Saturday shows will include three pieces: “Salaryman,” “Distance of the Moon,” and the premiere of a yet to be named work made especially for PS21.

Take Dance Company will be at PS21 Friday and Saturday, August 10 and 11, at 8:00pm. Admission is $30 non-members, $25 members, and $18 students. Please call 518.392.6121 or visit www.ps21chatham.org. Tickets will also be available at the door until the show sells out.

PS21 presents five dance companies this summer:

Jamal Jackson Dance Company,
Dances for a Variable Population,
Take Dance,
The Vanaver Caravan,
Parsons Dance.

PS21: Performance Spaces for the 21st Century is a not-for-profit organization in Chatham, NY, dedicated to the performing arts and to serving a diverse community with concerts, programs and residencies by professional artists and ensembles, youth and children’s programming and cultural education opportunities for all ages.

Elm Court, last Berkshire cottage, sold to developers

Elm Court, the Sloane-Vanderbilt estate, built in 1886 on Old Stockbridge Rd. in Lenox, 55,000 sq. ft. on 44 acres, the largest shingle style residence in the country, was sold by its 4th generation owners to developers in Colorado for a little less than ten million dollars. (See Bob Villa video about fixing-up Elm Court.) With that transaction, the Berkshire Cottage era has come to an end. Speaking of rapacious developers, the best of the lot today would be hard-pressed to match the me-my-mine meme that was the defining characteristic of the bluestockings who inspired Mark Twain to coin the “Gilded Age,” whence the Berkshire cottage had its day in the sun.

More here: Berkshire cottages Shadowbrook, Bellefontaine, Belvoir Terrace, et. al.

Tanglewood 75th anniversary concert

By Dave Read, July 14, 2012 performance – Tanglewood threw an impressive party in recognition of its 75th anniversary as the summer home in the Berkshires and educational component of the Boston Sympony Orchestra. The Tanglewood Medal was instituted and shortly after intermission of the 3 hour program, Boston Pops conductor laureate John Williams presented it in abstentia to Seiji Ozawa, whose acceptance message was read by Yo Yo Ma.

Ozawa’s 29 year tenure as BSO music director was followed by the ill-fated term of James Levine, acknowledged tonight as the orchestra’s first American-born music director, but also unable to attend. Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart doubled as MC to start the program, addressing not only the 18,000 in attendance but also the world wide audience who will see the version that PBS plans to air on August 10 (check your local listings).

Boston Pops play Copland and Bernstein

Lockhart led the brass of the Boston Pops in Fanfare For the Common Man, by Aaron Copland, who headed the composition faculty of the Tanglewood Music Center for twenty five years. It was followed by excerpts from TMC alumnus Leonard Bernstein’s On The Town, which seems to represent the quintessential Pops repertoire, with its variety of memorable melody, rhythm, and musical whimsy.

James Taylor sings Ol’ Man River with Boston Pops

Next up was James Taylor, the esteemed pop culture chameleon, BSO patron, and intentional Berkshireite, who performed a three song set celebrating the Great American Songbook, along with the Pops under the baton of John Williams. It was an impressive performance by JT, who sings Ol’ Man River in the following clip:

Inaugural Tanglewood Medal presented to Seiji Ozawa

Seiji Ozawa on video recieving inaugural Tanglewood Medal during BSO's 75th Anniversary Gala concert at Tanglewood July 14, 2012. — Seiji Ozawa on video recieving inaugural Tanglewood Medal during BSO’s 75th Anniversary Gala concert at Tanglewood July 14, 2012 Hilary Scott photo.

By intermission, the attendant throng had been presented with an exceptional musical sampler. For Tanglewood regulars, it was typical fare; for first-time or infrequent Tanglewood visitors, it was an opportunity to cross items off their musical bucket list.

Whether the program was chosen for the general familiarity of the selections, or for their suitability in displaying the virtuosity of the soloists, the result was thrilling. Thirty minutes of Tanglewood’s 75th anniversary celebration ran from James Taylor, John Williams and Boston Pops sampling the Great American Songbook, to Emanuel Ax playing Haydn’s Piano Concerto in D with Stefan Asbury conducting the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, to Yo Yo Ma playing Tchaikovsky’s Andante Cantabile with the TMCO, followed by Anne-Sophie Mutter, whose performance of Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy, with Andris Nelsons leading the TMCO, nearly blew the roof off the joint.