Pittsfield CityJazz Festival

New Black Eagles Jazz Band to Perform Traditional Jazz Masterpieces With Pittsfield CityJazz Youth Orchestra in Oct. 17 Headline Event

PITTSFIELD, Mass., Apr. 23, 2008 – The Pittsfield CityJazz Festival and the Colonial Theatre today announced a collaboration that will return the festival to that historic venue for a headline concert on Oct. 17. “Jazz Meets Symphony” will feature the New Black Eagles Jazz Band and the Pittsfield CityJazz Youth Orchestra, performing traditional Jazz masterpieces that have been re-orchestrated for symphony configuration.

The fourth annual Pittsfield CityJazz Festival spans two weekends, Oct. 10-19, and will feature regional musicians throughout the city on Columbus Day weekend (Oct. 10-12), Jazz in the Schools throughout the week, and headline concerts on Oct. 17-19. Details will be announced later this spring, with news updates here.

This is time-tested, and time-honored, material. It has been performed by the Black Eagles with the Boston Pops, the Scottish National Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, the Limburg Symphony, and more. And now, we are bringing this repertoire to Pittsfield for the first time.

One of the top traditional Jazz bands in the country, the Black Eagles have performed at small clubs and large festivals around the world. The youth orchestra is an all-star group comprising members of the Jazz ensembles of Pittsfield and Taconic High Schools, plus the Pittsfield Chamber Orchestra.

Stay tuned!

Here is the New Black Eagle Jazz Band, playing in 1989 for the 100th anniversary celebration of the yearly midsummer Marblehead, MA, Race Week:

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Alto sax phenom Grace Kelly, who appeared at both the 2006 and 2007 Pittsfield CityJazz Festivals, has won four 2008 Downbeat Magazine Student Music Awards: Jazz Soloist, Jazz Vocalist, Extended Composition (101), and Arrangement (I Want To Be Happy). Congratulations, Grace!

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The Pittsfield CityJazz Festival is pleased to help spread the word about the John Pizzarelli Quartet, who are coming to play in Pittsfield, on Thursday, June 5, at 8pm at The Colonial Theatre. The concert is a benefit for The Berkshire Music School, which also is a co-sponsor of the Festival.

A $75 VIP ticket includes a backstage “Meet the Artist” and a $35 donation to the School. Reserved tickets are $40 and $25, with student admission at $10. For information, call the Colonial Theatre box office: 413-997-4444, or order online at the Colonial Theatre website.

John Pizzarelli has had a multi-faceted career as a jazz guitarist, vocalist and bandleader. Internationally known for classic standards, late-night ballads, and the cool jazz flavor he brings to his performances and recordings, he has recently established himself as the consummate entertainer and radio program host with the launch of “Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli” a nationally syndicated radio program co-hosted with his wife, Broadway star Jessica Molaskey.

Born on April 6, 1960, in Paterson, New Jersey, Pizzarelli has been playing guitar since age six, following in the tradition of his father, guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli. Hanging out with his father, John was exposed to all the great jazz music of the era, from Erroll Garner and Les Paul to Django Reinhardt. He began playing with his father at age 20, before going out on his own.

Using greats like Nat “King” Cole and Frank Sinatra and the songs of writers like Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen as touchstones, Pizzarelli is among the prime contemporary interpreters of the great American songbook, bringing to the work his signature style and brilliant guitar playing. John Pizzarelli and his band have earned rave reviews, often, in fact, comparing them to jazz icons such as Nat “King” Cole: For Pizzarelli, the comparison to the Nat “King” Cole Trio is the highest of compliments. “I’ve always said in my concerts that Nat ‘King’ Cole is why I do what I do.”

With Telarc’s recent release of Dear Mr. Sinatra, an homage to ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes,’ Pizzarelli’s album count now stands at 21, an odyssey that began with My Blue Heaven in 1990. Some of his most recent CDs include, Knowing You (Telarc 2005), Bossa Nova (Telarc 2004), and Live at Birdland (Telarc 2003).

Enjoy!

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In our ongoing commitment to bringing high-quality Jazz to the Berkshires, the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival is proud to be affiliated with the percussion master Royal Hartigan, in a salute to his forebears…and those of all of us.

Fittingly set for Mother’s Day, “Ancestors - a concert in honor of our loved ones, with Blood Drum Spirit: the Royal Hartigan Ensemble,” will take place on Sunday, May 11, 2008, at 3pm at St. Stephens Church, Park Square in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The concert is dedicated to Mr. Hartigan’s parents, James and Hazel Hartigan, and his Uncle Ray Hart, who taught tap dancing throughout the Berkshires from the 1930s to the 1960s.

A free-will offering is requested and all proceeds will be donated to the Elizabeth Freeman Center and HospiceCare in the Berkshires.

Royal Hartigan, a percussionist and Pittsfield native, will be joined by bassist Wes Brown, saxophonist David Bindman, and pianist Art Hirahara.

Hartigan is releasing two double CDs, “Blood Drum Spirit Live in China” and “Ancestors.” The ensemble will perform in New York shortly after its Pittsfield appearance before departing on a tour of China and Hong Kong in late May and June.

For concert details, background on the musicians, or other information, contact Royal Hartigan at 508-999-8572, via email at royaljhartigan@yahoo.com, or www.royalhart.com.

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Businesses and organizations that have supported the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival include: [Read more →]

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The Don Ellis bio-pic, ‘Electric Heart,’ which made its northeast debut at the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival in 2007, will be shown at the 51st annual Monterey Jazz Festival. We’re honored to have been one of the first venues to screen this film. Congratulations to film maker John Vizzusi and to those who brought this interesting story to the silver screen.

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