Jazz Day Camp of The Berkshires In Concert at Bounti Fare Restaurant

Jazz Day Camp of The Berkshires In Concert at Bounti Fare Restaurant

August 17, 2018
Adams, MA.

I attended a very special event that happened last evening right in our own backyard. The Bounti Fare Restaurant hosted a concert for the Berkshires Jazz Day Camp.

The camp was for five days hosted by Jacob Keplinger. The students came in from all over Berkshire County and there was a young man from Boston as well.

Each professional musician is also a teacher, in fact, some teach at several schools. The instructors included bassist Alex Blake, who started his career with Sun Ra; drummer Victor Jones, who has played with Chaka Khan; and pianist Charles Blenzig, who has played with Marcus Miller and Michael Brecker, Alex Foster, saxophonist, who has played with several artists over the years and has been a resident of the Saturday Night Live band for 28 years and most importantly, North Adams native Richard Boulger, the originator of the camp, plays trumpet, and got his start with Freddie Hubbard.

Richard Boulger was instrumental in conceiving and implementing the camp. He teaches in the public-school system in New York City in the Brownsville section a socio-economically depressed part of the city.  Notwithstanding the same young jazz students come out of his program and go on to the jazz program at Lincoln Center under Winton Marsalis then from any other school in the city.  

This was an unexpected treat for everyone in attendance. It all happened because of few key people that include of course Richard Boulger, William Kolis, Mike Mach, Jacob Keplinger, and important contributions from folks like Edmund St. John.  Kolis and St. John are lovers of the arts and have been major supporters of live music in the Berkshires. Kolis was involved with Nashville in the Berkshires Music Festival for two years and I have seen Edmund at many live concerts over the years that I was covering.

It is nice to see influential and affluent people giving back to the community and more importantly to the arts and our children. A big thanks goes out to all those gentlemen that had a hand in making this event happen. Also sponsors such as Berkshire Bank, Ellen and David Clarkson and the St. John's helped to make this event a reality.

The young folks in High School that are musicians had an opportunity to work with these professionals and learn how to play music without any notes, music sheets, iPads or anything, just open-ended jamming. Although it was for only three days these talented young people put on one great show. All the horns, bass, keyboards, vibes and drums all came together and the pros added their own flavor to the mix. This was a very unique form of entertainment and quite enjoyable. I felt I was witnessing something very special, it felt that way all night. I have to give the nod to all of these wonderful teachers that showed these youngsters what they were capable of creating. It’s a beautiful thing and even more impressive to unfold before your eyes.

My nephew is Bryan Brophy, he plays the keyboards. If it wasn’t for him I would not have found out about the event. We are of course very proud of his accomplishments as are all the other parents there in attendance.

One of the things that made the evening so special was the fact that it was so up close and personal. The pros there were very helpful in explaining how things developed during the camp with all the young musicians. Additionally, they spoke with the parents of the children whenever they could, offering encouragement and letting them know of the potential these amazing kids have.

One thing I learned from Charles Blenzig and Alex Foster was that there are many fine music schools and parents don’t have to pay upwards of 50k for exclusive schools like Berkley. That was an eye-opener for a lot of folks there looking for direction to get their children in to keep them developing all their talents.

There were some performances by the pros that were excellent. This segment of the show was an interesting contrast to all the kids joining in. I have provided a short clip of bassist Alex Blake showing how one instrument can entertain an entire audience.

The Jazz Day Camp of the Berkshires and last night’s concert was a fantastic success and I hope the community continues to support this kind of event more often. It’s all about supporting music programs in our schools and encouraging today’s generation to carry on and be able to become teachers themselves one day. What better way to give back than to mentor an upcoming musician? This is what it’s all about.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

August 18, 2018

MuzikMan Productions

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 Note: This is by no means a professional video, I took it with my phone just to get a snippet of a bass solo by one of the pros at the concert that evening-KH

Concert Review: The Weight

The Weight Turn On The Colonial Theater

Pittsfield Massachusetts

December 3, 2015

http://www.theweightband.com

With old man winter quickly approaching, the Colonial Theater in Pittsfield, Massachusetts was warmed up by the sounds of The Weight. Featuring former members of The Band, Levon Helm Band and Rick Danko Group, the legendary sounds of that fondly remembered band called “The Band” come shining through with this all-star cast of players. Their namesake is after one of their more famous tracks and they represent this classic music most appropriately.

I will give the abbreviated rundown of the lineup provided right from the band’s website.

Jim Weider is a former member of the legendary group, The Band. From 1985 to 2000, Jim replaced Robbie Robertson as their lead guitarist. 

Randy Ciarlante was a member of the second incarnation of The Band. Up until Levon's passing, he double-drummed in Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble Band.

Brian Mitchell is a current member of Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble Band and is well-known within the circles of the music industry and beyond for his solo career and his high-profile collaborations.

Byron Isaacs is a current member of Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble Band, The Dirt Farmer Band and Ollabelle.

Marty Grebb played with The Rick Danko Band, The Garth Hudson Band, wrote songs with Richard Manuel, and also wrote for and recorded with Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Etta James, Marty also wrote songs, and played for The Band appearing on the Jericho CD.

Now you have to admit that each member of The Weight has an impressive resume. They would prove throughout the night their fine musical pedigree would be consistent. I would classify their music as eclectic at the very least, an enticing mixture of rock, blues, Americana, roots, honky tonk and ragtime. That is a literal musical stew to be sure. There are also hints of a New Orleans spicy flavor to their sound as well particularly when Brain Mitchell picked up the accordion (otherwise known as the organ from hell).

This is one talent laden band. Every member can sing and plays like the polished professionals I anticipated seeing. A highlight of the night was the multitude of instruments Marty Greeb played which included keyboards, guitar and saxophones. They are all very talented however it was not hard to recognize how many different things this man did.

The night started at 8pm sharp, as all shows do at the Colonial and there was no warm up band. As we found out very quickly we did not any other lineup to warm our souls. Some songs just speak for themselves and their history carries a heavy responsibility in presenting them as originally intended. I assure you this was accomplished…just like laying down a royal flush on the card table.

Some of the songs that really spoke to the audience in attendance were “Across The Great Divide” and Springsteen’s “Atlantic City.” You knew instantly it was Springsteen’s song even though this music is quite different from the catalog of “The Boss.” “Cripple Creek” got some hoots and hollers of course as did “The Weight,” as both are signature tunes. For these ears the highlight of the entire evening was “Life’s A Carnival.” Everything about that song featured this band at their best and it bleeds and sweats The Band. They also mentioned former members of The Band during the course of the night paying respect to their legacy and importance to the music they were playing.

It does not get much better than this. Sometimes you have to go see a cover band to enjoy music you loved because the band has long since dissolved or members have passed away. You need not worry, every one of these members is connected with The Band and now they bring this original and unique blend of music to the stage. I am grateful for the opportunity to have witnessed it and would not hesitate to do it again. If you are looking for a great evening of music that will spice up your life and put a smile in your soul make sure you check out The Weight.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-Founder of Write A Music Review, Prog Rock Music Talk, MuzikMan.net, MuzikMan Reviews, New Age Music Reviews, Rate The Tracks

Set List:

1.     We Can Talk

2.     Stage Fright

3.     Across The Great Divide

4.     Atlantic City

5.     King Harvest

6.     Master Piece

7.     Look Out Cleveland

8.     Tears of Rage

9.     Cripple Creek

10.  Ophelia

11.  Caledonia Mission

12.  Down in the Flood

13.  Life’s A Carnival

14.  Makes No Difference

15.  Walcott Medicine

16.  The Weight

17.  Shape I’m In

18.  Chest Fever

Encore:

19. Remedy

20. Rock & Roll Shoes