Tanglewood

At the end of the summer of 1968, having published several issues of Avatar, David Wilson and Charles Giuliano parted to pursue new options. For a time they again collaborated publishing a newsletter/ fanzine The WAG Newsletter. They were involved in the music business as critics, publicists, and broadcasters. Eventually, they pursued academic interests, Art History, for Giuliano, and Psychology for Wilson. A couple of years ago they connected and are again working together on projects such as this.

There is a domino impact for the arts in the Berkshires with the merger, over the next year, of the Colonial Theatre and the Berkshire Theatre Festival. A more dynamic Colonial increases the critical mass and leadership of Pittsfield as the matrix and hub of the arts and cultural economy. It is equidistant from the boundaries of the region that represent more than an hour to drive from one end to the other. Strengthening the thriving arts community in Pittsfield changes the paradigm for the region. It increases the potential for synergy or competition.

Recently, the California collectors Sonny and Gloria Kamm visited Pittsfield during a national search for a museum to partner with housing their collection. Over 30 years they acquired 10,000 vintage and contemporary tea pots. Some of them through Pittsfield Gallerist Leslie Ferrin. She hosted a reception in their honor. Today, she and Stuart Chase, director of the Berkshire Museum, announced that the collection will not come to Pittsfield.

The sixth annual Pittsfield CityJazz Festival will run from October 8 to 21. There will be lots of free events as well as ticketed concerts at the Crowne Plaza and Colonial Theatre. There is also a vital educational component with performances and jazz history in local schools. Over ribs and corn bread we talked with organizer Ed Bride about his life long passion for jazz.

In this hilarious production of Tom Stoppard's The Real Inspector Hound the director, Jonathan Croy, has let a brilliant cast off the leash. Much of the humor of this production reaches well beyond the witty, convoluted script of Stoppard. The actors have been encouraged to improvise creating wonderfully inventive physical comedy. There is so much slap stick and flinging about that the cast must be black and blue during the run of this must see show.

With three days of programming the arts and the creative community were underplayed in the recent Berkshire Forum. Although the arts are a major employer and drive the economy of the Berkshires just one session was devoted to this essential agenda. The too few seats at the table excluded any representatives from the four major theatre companies, or even Jacob's Pillow. Mass MoCA director Joe Thompson was included in another panel where he commented on the important Wilco Festival this summer.

The founders of the first Berkshire Forum Tina Chase and Mary Collins George intend to move forward with planning next year. Despite a thin attendance for the three days of lectures, panels and performances they report nearly breaking even. A daunting range and depth of information and insights was provided. It evoked expanding and redefining the branding of the Berkshires. A highlight among many was the dialogue with Boston Globe editor Martin Baron.

During the recent, season ending, Tanglewood Jazz Festival we spoke with Mark Volpe, the managing director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has had his hands full, yet again, with another medical absence by maestro, James Levine. Despite the concerns of some classical critics regarding the continuity and consistency of the orchestra, for the most part, the season has been successful. Even magical. But regarding non-classical programming, of which there is very little in the program, he was quoted making harsh remarks in the Berkshire Eagle. We asked him about that and were surprised but guardedly pleased by his response.

Day two of the annual Tanglewood Jazz Festival. A change in the weather brought out a great crowd on the lawn for the afternoon concert. It headlined the Count Basie Orchestra with Eddie Daniels and Bob James featuring their Broadway Boogie. This closes the season in Lenox.

Grammy winner, and arguably the greatest jazz singer on the planet, Kurt Elling headlined the Saturday evening performance of the two day, Labor Day weekend Tanglewood Jazz Festival. There were sets by emerging artists, Brandon Wright and Kelley Johnson during dining sets in the Jazz Cafe. The packed Ozawa Hall enjoyed the afternoon live broadcast by John Pizzarelli and his clan.

When not collecting social security, or hanging out at the senior center shooting pool Crosby, Stills and Nash are out on tour. They brought their dino rock to Tanglwood last night to a sedate, not sedated, audience. Nice way to end a summer in the Shed.

There's nothing like listening to Beethoven's Ninth at Tanglewood. Kurt Masur ended BSO season at Tanglewood. Indeed an Ode to Joy.

All I can say is WOW!

"My message has to be more complicated... The job of the Sherrif is not a law enforcement job. The Sheriff is responsible for the care, custody and condition of inmates. You can take a broad or a narrow interpretation of that, but either one is public safety, not law enforcement. The Sheriff does not go out busting perps, he doesn’t go on stakeouts. The perception is that he’s Wyatt Earp or James Arness in the Wild West. That’s what people think, but that’s not what the job is."

As the summer season of 2010 winds down it is time yet again to swing in the Wood. The a nnual Tanglewood Jazz Festival returns to Lenox for he last hurrah of summer on September 4 and 5. Get a groove on before heading back to school and work.

Dawn Upshaw did her best, but still couldn't save the schmaltzy sherdherdesses. Descriptions of people engaging in such bucolic activities populate the “Songs of the Auvergne,” a selection of songs written by Joseph Canteloube and performed Friday night by Dawn Upshaw and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood

The total attendance for the weekend long Wilco Solid Sound Festival was about 10,000. But with weekend passes it is not clear just how many tickets were sold. Probably about half that figure. On an artistic level it was a great success. There was a nice mellow energy. With more advance planning and involvement from North Adams administration, merchants, vendors, artists and citizens it will surely be back bigger and better next year.

Up to 5,000 attended the Wilco Solid Sound Festival at Mass MoCA on Saturday. The day ended with a two hour plus Wilco performance on Joe's Field. The three day event winds down this afternoon with an acoustic set by Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy.

There is nothing hard-to-take about the music presented over five days im Osawa Hall at Tanglewood. Under the direction of Gunther Schuller, Oliver Knussen and John Harbison, 20th century composers sing and soar.

The silver haired and silken tongued Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies was the host for the enormously popular John Williams Film night. The Tanglewood program entailed a tribute to collaborations with Steven Spielberg.

Two and half years of planning went into the three day Solid Sound Festival that brought the rock band Wilco to Mass MoCA. If all goes well the museum director Joe Thompson hopes for their return. The experimental Festival will be a template for future events on a large scale. It got off to a great start on a glorious summer night in the Berkshires.

Grammy winner of album of the year Herbie Hancock brought his Imagine tour to Tanglewood. The recent Imagine album took two years to record on location in seven countries with all stars representing eleven nations.

Yo Yo Ma formed the Silk Road Ensemble in 1998. The performance last night at Tanglewood was quite different from what we experienced several years ago. There is more of an emphasis on commissioned works and arrangement's of traditional music some going back thousands of years. It was the exotic high point of a rich and diverse Tanglewood season.

On Friday night, pianist Richard Goode, with the assistance of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, gave the audience at Tanglewood a pitch-perfect performance of Mozart’s jewel-like Piano Concerto No. 14 in E-Flat, K-449. The piece for full orchestra sounds more like a chamber music work, probably because of Mozart’s precise, minute-like composition.

Shakespeare & Company has just received an $800,000 challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation. The funds were released after the Company raised an additional $1.5 million bringing its $10 million Capital Campaign , launched at its 30th Anniversary Gala in May 2007, to a successful conclusion. The centerpiece of the Campaign has been the creation of the Bernstein Center for the Performing Arts , a production center including state of the art rehearsal studios , new scene and property shops , and the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre.