With so much going on culturally speaking in our region, this is my highly selective, curated snapshot of some of the most promising events happening this weekend …
Jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard stops by MASS MoCA in North Adams with his Grammy Award-nominated quintet The E-Collective, joined by the acclaimed Turtle Island Quartet, performing music from Blanchard’s 2021 album Absence, inspired by the music of Wayne Shorter, tonight at 8pm. (Fri, Aug 26)
Speaking of jazz, saxophonist Grace Kelly brings music from her brand-new album, All That I Need, to the Lee Meeting House, in Lee, Mass., on Sunday at 7pm, as part of the Berkshires Jazz series. Kelly’s connections to the Berkshires are long and deep, going back to the age of 14, when she sat in with alto saxophonist Phil Woods at the 2006 Pittsfield CityJazz Festival. Five years later, at age 19, Kelly was the headliner and Woods was her guest. Kelly is also now a singer-songwriter, and her new album features a jazzy, hard-rocking original composition about female empowerment, “We Will Rise,” inspired by Maya Angelou. (Sunday, Aug 28)
Brattleboro, Vt.-based singer-songwriter Ruth Garbus brings her moody, electro-folk sounds to the Clark in Williamstown, Mass., tonight at 6pm in a free, outdoor concert. With her soaring soprano and unusual jazz chords, Garbus sounds like a Joni Mitchell for the techno era. (Fri, Aug 26)
Yoko Miwa, a rising star of jazz piano, brings her adventurous trio to The Foundry in West Stockbridge, Mass., on Saturday at 7pm, in a concert presented by the West Stockbridge Historical Society. The Japan native boasts a muscular approach to her instrument, one that makes full use of the keyboard, especially the lower registers. From a home base in straight-ahead jazz, Miwa and her trio venture into territory including bebop, pop, gospel, rock, and classical, and in addition to original compositions, her repertoire includes songs by the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Richie Havens, and Billy Preston. (Sat, Aug 27) Berkshire Opera Festival’s 2022 season culminates with a new staging of Mozart’s comedy-tragedy masterpiece Don Giovanni at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Mass., tonight at 7:30pm. (Fri, Aug 26)
Virtuosic singer, songwriter and guitarist Martin Sexton is at Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., for two shows on Saturday at 5 and 8pm. (Sat, Aug 27)
The Jupiter String Quartet makes its Music Mountain debut in Falls Village, Conn.,
performing works by Haydn, Steve Taylor, and Tchaikovsky on Sunday at 3pm. (Sun, Aug 28)
World-renowned bassist and Plainfield resident Avery Sharpe will present his composition 400: An African American Musical Portrait, in the Concerts at 7 series in Plainfield, Mass., on Monday at 7pm at the Plainfield Congregational Church. (Mon, Aug 29)
Seth Rogovoy is editor of the Rogovoy Report, available at rogovoyreport.com.
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