[JPL] Pittsfield CityJazz Festival kicks-off today

[EdBride at aol.com]

The expanded Pittsfield (Mass.) CityJazz Festival kicks-off at noon  today, 
with a concert by the Eagles Stage Band, on City Hall steps. It is a  beautiful 
Indian Summer day, and it's a great, 16-piece band. The rest of the  weekend, 
a dozen or more venues will be presenting regionally-based musicians,  no 
cover, no minimum.
 
Since everything this weekend is free, no press credentials are required.  
Anybody wishing passes for the ticketed events, please contact me  off-list.
 
The larger events start on Oct. 15, and they run through the weekend  ending 
Oct. 19. I won't bore you with all the details here, but the full  schedule is 
available at _www.PittsfieldCityJazz.org_ (http://www.pittsfieldcit
yjazz.org/) . You  will find that we have several distinguishing elements:
    *   the world premiere of an improvisational piece by Evan Lurie, in  
conjunction with "The Big Read." This is the NEA initiative to encourage  
reading, and Pittsfield's activities revolve around "To Kill a  Mockingbird." Listers 
with children may recognize Lurie as  musical director of "The 
Backyardigans," a Nickelodeon show. He was  also co-founder of the Lounge Lizards. His piece 
represents a return to  performance after an absence of some years.   
    *   the collaboration between the New Black Eagle Jazz Band and the 
Pittsfield  CityJazz Youth Orchestra (a county-wide ensemble of high school 
musicians,  formed explicitly to play traditional Jazz that has been re-scored for  
symphony);  
    *   the festival's first-ever Jazz Vocal night, featuring Teri Roiger,  
the John Memegon Trio, and JPL member Ron Gill and his quintet; and  
    *   "organic Jazz," wherein the noted and notable German organist Barbara 
 Dennerlein concludes her first U.S. tour. Barbara played four sold-out  
concerts at the Rochester International Jazz Festival, and appeared at the  
national conference of the American Guild of Organists. She will be previewing  her 
brand new CD here, and will be playing both the pipe organ and Hammond  B-3.
Onward,
Ed
 
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