Berkshires Jazz, Inc. has announced the lineup for the nineteenth annual Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, which runs from Apr. 24-May 4 in various locations throughout the City. Starting with an open jam session and ending with a jazz brunch, the events include the popular Jazz Crawl, the jazz prodigy concert, and headline concerts featuring the Count Basie Orchestra and vocalist Dawning Holmes with Grammy-winning pianist Jeff Holmes and special guest Avery Sharpe, plus a special evening with pianist Ben Kohn..
The festival is a highlight of Jazz Appreciation Month, a national observance held during the month of April, that was launched by the Smithsonian Institution in 2001, and later sanctioned by Congress. ...
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Berkshires Jazz, Inc. has announced the lineup for the nineteenth annual Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, which runs from Apr. 24-May 4 in various locations throughout the City. Starting with an open jam session and ending with a jazz brunch, the events include the popular Jazz Crawl, the jazz prodigy concert, and headline concerts featuring the Count Basie Orchestra and vocalist Dawning Holmes with Grammy-winning pianist Jeff Holmes and special guest Avery Sharpe, plus a special evening with pianist Ben Kohn..
The festival is a highlight of Jazz Appreciation Month, a national observance held during the month of April, that was launched by the Smithsonian Institution in 2001, and later sanctioned by Congress.
The 11-day festival is supported by lead sponsor Pittsfield Cooperative Bank and generous grants from The Feigenbaum Foundation, the Lewis-Moulin Family Trust, and other donors and sponsors.
The first weekend is collectively known as “Jazz About Town,” and features local artists. It kicks-off on Thursday, April 24, with an open jam session at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge and restaurant. The jam session will have a house rhythm section, with rotating local artists, and is curated and refereed by pianist Dave Bartley. The festival’s annual Jazz Crawl follows on Friday, and features artists in restaurants and lounges throughout the City’s Upstreet Cultural District. The crawl concludes with a dance set at Wander Berkshires, the new event space at 34 Depot Street, a new cafe, with coffee, tea, kombucha on tap, and a wide selection of craft non-alcoholic cocktails, beer, wine, and BYOB. The festival has added a new event on Saturday, Apr. 25, “An Evening With Ben Kohn”. A legendary keyboard artist in the region, Kohn will appear with his trio and special guests in a cabaret setting, also at Wander Berkshires (formerly Baba Louie’s Backroom). A Sunday jazz brunch at Dottie’s on North Street caps the first weekend. All “Jazz About Town” events are free.
The Jazz Prodigy Concert kicks-off “headline week” on Wednesday, April 30 at the Berkshire Athenaeum. Introducing another young artist to Berkshires audiences, it features bassist Esteban Ruiz, a high school student who is a discovery from the Litchfield Jazz Camp. He will be backed by Ben Kohn on piano and Conor Meehan on drums. The Jazz Prodigy takes place on International Jazz Day, a global celebration that is organized by UNESCO. A free event, it is sponsored by The Friends of the Athenaeum.
There are just two ticketed events, the headline concerts. On Friday, May 2, the remarkable jazz and blues vocalist Dawning Holmes appears at the St. Germain Stage of Barrington Stage, with special guest Avery Sharpe on bass and Grammy-winning pianist and trumpeter Jeff Holmes. And, on May 3, the last of the touring big bands from the jazz era, The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra, directed by Scotty Barnhart, holds sway at The Colonial Theatre. Vocalist Denise Thimes will be guest artist with the Basie ensemble. The Berkshires Jazz All Star Youth Ensemble will open for the Basie band. Links to the box office for each event can be found at www.BerkshiresJazz.org.
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