PAUL WINTER SEXTET CELEBRATES HALF-CENTURY MARK WITH REUNION CONCERTS AT MAHAIWE
Paul Winter
(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – Jazz and world-music innovator Paul Winter has chosen to mark the 50th anniversary of his first band, the Paul Winter Sextet, with two reunion concerts at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on June 6 and 7, 2012, at 7:30pm. The band will include four of the original Sextet members – pianist Warren Bernhardt, drummer Harold Jones, bassist Cecil McBee, and Paul Winter on alto sax – along with trumpeter Marvin Stamm and baritone saxophonist Howard Johnson. The Mahaiwe concerts will be a singular event to be filmed for a DVD that will be part of the forthcoming box set Early Winter, with all the Sextet’s Columbia albums, live recordings from their Latin America tour, and also the unreleased recordings from their historic White House concert.
JONATHAN RICHMAN, VICTOR WOOTEN, THE WIYOS, LEVON HELM TRIBUTE PACK HELSINKI
Jonathan Richman
(HUDSON, N.Y.) –A full lineup of music at Club Helsinki kicks off tonight with innovative jazz-roots bassist Victor Wooten, best known for his experimental work with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, followed by a tribute to the late drummer and vocalist of The Band, Levon Helm, featuring top regional performers, on Thursday, June 7. On Friday, June 8, eclectic roots, neo-vaudevillian ensemble the Wiyos performs, while quirky rock legend Jonathan Richman performs on Saturday, June 9, at 9pm.
PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION SHOWCASES BOTANICALS
Photography by Cassandra Sohn
(STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.) – There will be a special art crawl and reception for the fully unveiled, three-part exhibition BOTANOPHILIA, a group show curated by Cassandra Sohn, featuring contemporary photography by Bruce Checefsky, Amiel Gervers, Yvette Lucas, Mona Mark, Cassandra Sohn, and sculptures by Peter Neff, at all locations on Saturday, June 9, 2012, 2 – 7pm. (Berkshire Botanical Garden: 2 – 4pm; Naumkeag: 3 – 5pm; Reception at Sohn Fine Art Gallery: 4 – 7pm)
BERKSHIRE PLAYWRIGHTS LAB KICKS OFF SEASON with GALA FEATURING NEW MAMET WORK
David Mamet (photo Brigitte Lacombe)
(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – Berkshire Playwrights Lab will present the Berkshire Playwrights Lab 5th Season Gala Celebration, featuring new work by David Mamet, a performance by Treat Williams, and an appearance via video by Joe Mantegna, on Saturday, June 9, 2012, at 7:30pm, and staged readings of new plays on July 11, July 23, August 8, and August 22 at 7:30pm at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center (14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, Mass.).
ROLAND MERULLO TO SPEAK ABOUT THE WRITING LIFE at THE CLARK
Roland Merullo
(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.) – Award-winning author Roland Merullo will speak about his convoluted path to becoming an acclaimed and prolific author at The Clark on Sunday, June 10, 2012, at 3 p.m. Merullo has published many essays and more than a dozen books of fiction and nonfiction, ranging from his Revere Beach trilogy, set in his hometown of Revere, Mass., to his most recent novel, The Talk-Funny Girl. A book signing will follow the event, which is free and open to the public.
REGGAE REUNION at THE COLONIAL
Naia Kete
(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – Pioneer Valley-based reggae group ReBelle, formerly known as Black Rebels, will share the stage with Berkshire group Planned Partyhood at the Garage, the nightclub at the Colonial Theatre on Thursday, June 7, 2012, at 9pm. Songstress Naia Kete, who is the daughter of Rebelle founders and lead singers Emmanual Manou Dalomba and Kalpana Devi, will also perform; Kete is returning for a string of East Coast dates from her new home in California, where she recently garnered a management deal with The Knoller Group after being featured on NBC’s The Voice.