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by Seth Rogovoy
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., June 13, 1996 -- There has been a lot of talk in these parts lately about the "American musical tradition" and just what constitutes it, much of it prompted by the development of the National Music Center in Lenox and its mission to "preserve our nation's musical heritage."
For a number of years now, the Berkshire-based musical duo of Bill Crofut and Chris Brubeck has been mining that heritage in all its beauty and variety to come up with a unique fusion, which they will be presenting on Friday night at 8 at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown in a program aptly-titled "An Evening of Americana." The duo will be joined by guitarist Joel Brown. Tickets are $7, $6 for Clark members and $5 for students and children. For more information call (413) 458-9545.
A typical Crofut and Brubeck concert finds the musicians exploring the American spirit in song, drawing from a well that includes folk, jazz, blues, country and western and art music. With Brown, they function much like a well-seasoned jazz trio, taking well-known standards and lesser-known obscurities and filtering them through their unique sensibility, to say nothing of their unique arrangements, which variously find Crofut singing and playing banjo and Brubeck, son of famed composer/pianist Dave, doing duty on trombone, bass, piano and vocals.
Crofut and Brubeck recently completed a marvelous album of songs by Dave, Iola and Chris Brubeck, which features guest vocals by soprano Frederica von Stade on a number of cuts. To be released by Telarc in July, the recording will undoubtedly be a revelation to those unaware of the Brubeck clan's talents as conventional songwriters.
Though you may not have heard his name, you've definitely heard Tim Reynolds play, because he's been the featured guitarist on all the Dave Matthews Band releases. Reynolds doesn't tour with the band as an official member, however, because he has his own group, TR3, which just released a new album, "Light Up Ahead." The disk showcases Reynolds' virtuosity not just on guitar but also on percussion, on nine funky tracks that cross experimental, progressive- and neo-hippie rock with jazz fusion. He's also an impassioned singer. Catch TR3 at the Iron Horse in Northampton tonight at 8:30.
Don't forget about the Rock and Reggae Festival this Saturday at Butternut Basin in Great Barrington from 1 to 8, featuring The Wailers, Bim Skala Bim and other great rock and reggae bands, including Ultra Sonic Love, which has just been added to the bill.....
Blues fans might want to cheer for the hometown team at the Riverfront ArtsFest in Troy, N.Y., when the Berkshires' own Barnyard Blues Project will perform on Saturday at 1, on a bill that includes such top blues names as Magic Slim and Carey Bell over the course of the two-day festival.....
Richard Nader, who is booking the concerts at the National Music Center in Lenox this summer, called last week to respond to criticisms levelled here and elsewhere of the venue's programming, which includes shows by Paul Anka, Jose Feliciano, Victor Borge and the Sammy Kaye Orchestra. Among his comments, Nader said, "We're not in the business of presenting cutting-edge acts like the kind you'd see at the Iron Horse. That's not our mission or criteria. Our criteria is to give as broad a representation of American music as we can in our initial season. People suffer from a lack of information about who we are and what we're about. We're right on track and fulfilling our mission. But more of an education campaign is needed to prevent our being compared to clubs or Tanglewood."....
Veteran Berkshire scenester Steve Ide has joined country- rock outfit Out of the Blue on lead guitar and vocals. Catch the group on Friday night at the Old Egremont Club in South Egremont and next Thursday at the Macano Inn in Housatonic.....
Boston singer-songwriter Greg Greenway will kick off the Stone Chapel Concert Series, a new contemporary folk-music series, on Sunday, June 30, at 4 at St. Andrew's Chapel on Washington Mountain Road in Washington, in front of Bucksteep Manor. The monthly series will continue on July 21 in the barn at Bucksteep with a double-bill featuring the Berkshire's own Anson Olds and Belchertown's Jim Henry. Vikki True will perform on Aug. 11, and shows will continue into the fall. Proceeds from the June show will benefit the town-owned chapel, built in 1899 and said to boast marvelous acoustics, and the July and August shows will benefit the Becket Arts Center. For more information or reservations call (413) 623-5438 or send E-mail to darkmoon@vgernet.net.....
The Clark Art Institute has announced its Summer Band Concerts lineup. The free, outdoor series (it moves indoors in case of rain) kicks off on July 2 with Skip Parsons Clarinet Marmalade, and continues on July 9 with the Berkshire Highlanders, on July 30 with the Bear Bridge Band, and on Aug. 3 with the Little Big Band. All shows are at 6 except the last one, which is at 5. Children, blankets, lawn chairs and picnic suppers are encouraged at these always-colorful events.....
This summer the annual Hartland Folk Festival in East Hartland, Conn., celebrates its 10th anniversary on July 20 with a lineup featuring such new-folk luminaries as Bill Morrissey, Chris Smither, Dave Mallett, Lucy Kaplansky, Salamander Crossing and Lui Collins, among others. Call (860) 653-5577 for more information....
(This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on June 13, 1996. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1996. All rights reserved.)
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