Jazz Composers Showcase: 10 World Premieres at 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival at Berkshire Museum Theatre

In the most significant project in its 18 years of bringing jazz to the region, Berkshires Jazz, Inc. has commissioned ten original compositions from jazz artists in the northeast. The new works make their world premieres on Feb. 25, in concert at the Berkshire Museum (7:30pm), in conjunction with Pittsfield’s annual 10x10 Upstreet Winter Arts Festival.

An all-star trio of Eugene Uman, piano; Mary Ann McSweeney, bass; and Conor Meehan, drums will perform the new works, joined by the composers and one or more of the composing cohort. The concert will be hosted by Tom Reney, the dean of New England jazz radio (WFCR/Northeast Public Media)....

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In the most significant project in its 18 years of bringing jazz to the region, Berkshires Jazz, Inc. has commissioned ten original compositions from jazz artists in the northeast. The new works make their world premieres on Feb. 25, in concert at the Berkshire Museum (7:30pm), in conjunction with Pittsfield’s annual 10x10 Upstreet Winter Arts Festival.

An all-star trio of Eugene Uman, piano; Mary Ann McSweeney, bass; and Conor Meehan, drums will perform the new works, joined by the composers and one or more of the composing cohort. The concert will be hosted by Tom Reney, the dean of New England jazz radio (WFCR/Northeast Public Media).
The 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival is the perfect vehicle to showcase the awesome creative talent that abounds in the region. The commissions and concert were underwritten by a grant from The Mill Town Foundation, as part of a downtown music initiative that encourages live performances in Berkshire County, he added.

With most of the composers performing their own works, the bands will have a different flavor as well as configuration for each selection. Instruments include saxophones, guitar, piano, bass, drums, trumpet and trombone. No two groups will be the same, in this panoply of jazz excellence. There will be an opportunity to meet-and-greet the artists after the concert, with a cash bar at the Berkshire Museum.

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