Berkshire Museum opens exhibit of historic photographs by Clemens Kalischer and others from Barber family collection
PITTSFIELD, Massachusetts, Oct. 5, 2006 - The Pittsfield CityJazz Festival remembers Music Inn, the fabled 1950s Jazz haven, in a retrospective on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 14. Featuring a panel discussion, photo exhibit, and preview of a forthcoming documentary, the Music Inn retrospective begins at 2pm at the Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street; admission is free.
A resort where music aficionados could assemble to perform, experiment, and contemplate the future of jazz, Music Inn's heyday was the decade of the 1950s, when it was owned and operated by Stephanie and Philip Barber. They placed an emphasis on world-class performing musicians, Stephanie Barber told The Berkshire Eagle in 1998, on the occasion of a tribute that was produced by the National Music Foundation.
Music Inn and the associated School of Jazz at Lenox were known around the world as a place where the greats and would-be-greats could be found, and everyone was on the same social plane. There was no concept of race or social stature at Music Inn (remarkable, during an era that preceded Brown vs. Board of Education and the Civil Rights movement, Benjamin Barber has pointed out). It exemplified jazz's stature as the great equalizer. All that mattered was having a serious interest in the music.
The legacy of the Barber contribution to this music is now being preserved in a documentary film by Projectile Arts/Barenholtz Productions. The stories behind these and myriad other photos are chronicled in this film, which is set for completion this year. Co-producer Casey Fitzpatrick will introduce the film to the CityJazz Festival audience.
To be moderated by Seth Rogovoy, editor of Berkshire Living Magazine, and sponsored by a grant from the Red Lion Inn, the panel will also include NEA Jazz Master Dr. Billy Taylor; drummer and Jazz historian George Schuller, who is also co-producer of the film; Dr. Benjamin Barber, social scientist and writer, who spent many of his formative years at Music Inn; and Jeremy Yudkin, Boston University professor and author of several books, including one on Music Inn.
The photo exhibit will available with any Museum admission starting on Oct. 13; it will be free of charge on the afternoon of the panel; thereafter, it will continue to be open with any Museum admission, through Oct. 29. Most of the images are from the Stockbridge photographer Clemens Kalischer; others are from the collections of the Barber family or Projectile Arts/Barenholtz Productions.
Besides the Music Inn Retrospective, the festival features a series of headline concerts and dozens of performances in local inns and restaurants, and a full week of Jazz in Schools, with lectures and performances in each of Pittsfield's 10 lower and middle schools. Pittsfield's Sister City Jazz Ambassadors will appear in two schools per day for the five days beginning Oct. 10, to set the stage for the weekend events.
The Berkshire Music School hosts a recital by blind, autistic music savant Tony DeBlois on Thursday, Oct. 12, at 7pm. Free admission, courtesy of the Summer White House, a popular inn in Lenox.
On Friday, Oct. 13, there will be a double bill, with Metta Quintet opening for the Billy Taylor Trio, at the Colonial Theatre. During the daytime on Oct. 13, JazzReach, an educational outreach organization, will bring its multimedia jazz history presentation to high school classes, also at the Colonial.
Saturday is a full day of activities, starting at 2pm with the Music Inn Retrospective. At 5pm, drummer T.S. Monk holds a master class and open sound check at the Colonial (free admission). In the evening, Monk's sextet performs at an 8pm concert.
The festival concludes with a Sunday matinee, featuring alto saxophone great Phil Woods, guest soloist with the U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors, a 19-piece big band.
Ticket information is available at the website below, and 413-997-4444.
The Pittsfield CityJazz Festival is sponsored by the Legacy Banks Foundation, the TD Banknorth Charitable Foundation, The Red Lion Inn, Berkshire Frame Works, the Summer White House, and other underwriters. It is an activity of the Mayor's Office of Cultural Development, in partnership with The Colonial Theatre, the Berkshire Music School, and the Berkshire Museum.
For more information contact Ed Bride Associates.
