(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – Nineties alt-rockers Gin Blossoms will kick off the live performance season at the Mahaiwe on Friday, March 6 at 8pm. The season continues with jazz-folk vocalist Madeleine Peyroux on Friday, April 17 at 8pm; Hot Tuna with special guest David Grisman Trio on Monday, July 13 at 8pm, the Brubeck Brothers Quartet celebrating Dave Brubeck’s centennial on Friday, July 17 at 8pm; and Alan Cumming and NPR’s Ari Shapiro in Och & Oy: A Considered Cabaret on Sunday, July 19 at 7pm.
Grammy-nominated Gin Blossoms were one of the top alt-rock bands of the 1990s. Building on the style of college-rock legends R.E.M. and making it more pop-friendly, their hits include “Hey Jealousy” and “As Long As It Matters.”
Singer-songwriter Madeleine Peyroux is known for her soft, sultry, evocative voice. Her music career began with the release of her debut album, Dreamland, in 1996, for which critics hailed her as one of the year’s breakthrough artists. Eight albums later, she continues to challenge the confines of jazz, venturing into the fertile fields of contemporary music with unfading curiosity. Her latest album, Anthem, casts a sober, poetic, and at times philosophical eye on the current state of the world.
Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady founded Hot Tuna in 1969 as a side project during their Jefferson Airplane days. Half a century later, the boyhood pals are still passionate as ever about playing music together. Kaukonen is a leading practitioner and teacher of fingerstyle guitar. Casady is known for having broadened the range and scope of electric bass playing, taking it out of the rhythm category and bringing to it a world of complex and complementary melodies. In 2016, the duo was honored at the Grammys with Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Mandolinist David Grisman began his career during the explosive folk and blues revival of the 1960s, working in the Even Dozen Jug Band before launching a career as a solo artist and a collaborator. His trio includes his talented son, Sam Grisman, on bass, and Texas-born banjoist Danny Barnes, who is equally informed by the bluegrass tradition and the punk rock of his youth.
2020 marks the centennial year of jazz giant Dave Brubeck. To celebrate his life and legacy, Dave’s sons Chris and Dan Brubeck, who performed and recorded with their father since the 1970s, curate a multimedia show with their own Brubeck Brothers Quartet. With Dan and Chris as the foundation, guitarist Mike DeMicco and pianist Chuck Lamb complete this dynamic quartet. Through stories told by his sons and music performed by the Quartet, the show invites audiences to travel along the timeline of Dave’s extraordinary life and career.
Chris and Dan Brubeck have been making music together practically all their lives. Drummer Dan and bassist, trombonist, and composer Chris cut their first record together in 1966 — nearly a half-century ago. They’ve subsequently played a variety of styles in a number of different groups, performing at concert series, colleges, and jazz festivals across North America and Europe, including the Newport, Detroit, Montreal, Playboy/Hollywood Bowl, and Monterey Jazz Festivals.
Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro both transport audiences to other worlds through their stories. Now, they’re joining forces in song. At the Mahaiwe, they will debut their new evening of tunes and tall tales titled Och & Oy: A Considered Cabaret, with musical direction by Henry Koperski.