Music: The Tanglewood Jazz Festival
Wunderkind trumpeter Christian Scott performs at Tanglewood Saturday night
The Tanglewood Jazz Festival is a heady mix of up-and-coming stars and legendary performers, and you don’t have to choose what to hear if you purchase an-all day lawn pass on either Saturday or Sunday. There’s Marian McPartland recording Piano Jazz on Saturday afternoon and trumpeter Terrence Blanchard closing the festival on Sunday night with a 30-piece orchestra that will play material from his Grammy winning CD, A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina).
Musical Theater: The Next Generation
Finn with protégés Will Aronson and Nikos Tsakalakos
Pittsfield may be a long way from Broadway but Tony-winnng composer William Finn is right at home at Barrington Stage Company where he’s become a mentor to a new generation of songwriters.
On Friday and Saturday (August 29 & 30), he will preside over an evening of new work called Songs by Ridiculously Talented Composers & Lyricists You Probably Don’t Know, But Should...Tickets: 413.236.8888.
Movies: Rankings & Local SchedulesAll of the movies playing in our region listed in order of their critical acclaim, along with links to the theaters and trailers, too. Would you like butter with your popcorn | 
Books: A Baedeker for A StaycationSometimes we take for granted just how historical and beautiful our region is. Inside the Berkshires makes clear how extraordinary our region is and offers up itineraries that are perfect for planning fall foliage tours, where there’s more to look at than leaves. | 
Cinemas Paradiso Close at HandWhile we cannot guarantee chaise-side cocktail service at the venues in our region that feature outdoor movie nights this summer, as in the photo at left, we can promise that seeing movies under the stars is intoxicating in its own way— in fact, far more exhilarating than it logically ought to be. After all, we watch movies all the time, and the blackened sky is ours for the asking every single night. So why is the combination so special? Can’t really say, except that, like an outdoor shower, it tastes ever-so-slightly of forbidden fruit. |
