While the BSO has yet to formally usher in the summer season at Tanglewood, there has been plenty of music emanating from all around the campus, and this weekend is no exception. On Saturday night at 7pm, rock singer-songwriter Elvis Costello and his band, the Imposters, bring Costello’s blend of new-wave melody with soul and Americana touches, followed by one of the most unlikely yet gorgeous duos, Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin fame and bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss, on Sunday at 7:30pm. As for James Taylor on July 3 and 4, don’t even think about going anywhere near Tanglewood if you don’t already have tickets; those shows have been sold out for months. (Sat, Jul 1; Sun, Jul 2)
Mark Morris Dance Group will kick off this summer’s Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival with the evening-length work, The Look of Love, as the season’s first week-long engagement in the Ted Shawn Theatre, running today through Sunday. The Look of Love is an homage to the music of the late Burt Bacharach, a towering figure of popular music who died this past February. (Wed, Jun 28-Sun, Jul 2)
Capital Region Classical continues its Tannery Pond summer series with renowned Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg at the Darrow School in New Lebanon, N.Y., on Saturday at 7:30pm. Giltburg’s program of Russian piano works includes his own arrangement of Shostakovich’s Third String Quartet, as well as works by Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev. (Sat, Jul 1)
The North Adams, Mass.-based musical collective Floating Tower brings its multimedia collaboration with artist Joe Wheaton, a unique, poignant musical tribute to the people of Ukraine, to the Adams Theater in Adams, Mass., on Saturday and Sunday. The program,
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors: An Immersive Musical Homage to the Spirit of Ukraine, centers around a classic Ukrainian art film of the same name. Using the film as a starting point, composer Mátti Kovler -- born in Moscow, raised in Jerusalem, and now based in Brooklyn and North Adams -- has brought together Ukrainian musicians and artists for this benefit for Ukrainian refugees. (Sat-Sun, Jul 1-2)
For 30 years, Puerto Rican ensemble Plena Libre has been blending traditional Puerto Rican plena rhythms with modern Afro-Caribbean influences in their contemporary compositions. The group brings its fusion of a hard-hitting horn section, master hand drummers, and lush vocal harmonies to PS21 in Chatham, N.Y., on Sunday at 6pm. (Sun, Jul 2)
Tatiana Eva-Marie brings her fusion of French pop derived from the Django Reinhardt tradition of so-called Gypsy jazz with Balkan and folk influences to the Falcon in Marlboro, N.Y., on Sunday at 7:30pm. Eva-Marie’s upcoming album, DJANGOLOGY, combines the music of Django with her own lyrics in French, English, and Rromanes set to her original arrangements. (Sun, July 2)
And finally on Wednesday at 6pm, the Clark Art Institute continues its five-part outdoor concert series with a performance by Grammy Award–winning musician and troubadour Joe Henry. A hyper-literate storyteller, by turns dark, devastating, and hopeful, Henry draws an author’s eye for the overlooked detail across a broad swath of American musical styles. As a producer, Henry has worked with artists as varied as Bonnie Raitt, Rhiannon Giddens, Bettye LaVette, Elvis Costello, Aimee Mann, and Aaron Neville. He has also written a number of songs for his sister-in-law, Madonna, as well as for Rosanne Cash and Madeline Peyroux. (Wed, Jul 5)
Missed any of that? You can revisit the Rogovoy Report on WAMC’s website at wamc.org, where you will find a complete transcript plus links to artist and venue websites as well as ticket links.
Seth Rogovoy is editor of the Rogovoy Report, available at rogovoyreport.substack.com.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.