THE BEAT

Halloween/Late Fall Preview, Elton John, Baba Olatunji, Radio Beat

by Seth Rogovoy

(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Oct. 30, 1997)

Trick or treat for rock 'n' roll

Rock 'n' roll can be a pretty scary affair, and plenty of local bands and clubs are pitching in to make this year's Halloween -- conveniently falling on a Friday night -- a rocking one. Among the numerous rocking costume parties taking place tomorrow night are those featuring Wishful Thinking at Ozzie's Depot in Dalton, Dredi at the Sip of Seattle in Great Barrington, Cole Connection at the Old Egremont Club in South Egremont, The Rev. Tor Band at Bucksteep Manor in Washington, and Evan Rude and the Motors at Michael's in Stockbridge. For Halloween rocking further afield, check out those monsters of rock Chicago and the Beach Boys at the Pepsi Arena in Albany (are they really dinosaurs?), Commander Cody at the Van Dyck Restaurant in Schenectady, Shemekia Copeland and the King Norris Band at the Iron Horse in Northampton, or Blues Traveler at the Orpheum in Boston.

Feast and famine this fall

The fall concert season is heating up everywhere in the region -- except in the Berkshires, where one year after it opened, the Studio in Pittsfield remains shuttered as it has been since Labor Day weekend. Has the Studio fallen victim to downtown's indifference, the sounds of shows past to forever remain a distant echo of lost promise?

Elsewhere, however, the concert choices are plentiful. In Albany, the fabled Fleetwood Mac reunion checks into the Pepsi Arena on Nov. 26, while Phish is in residence on Dec. 12-13. The band 311 rings in the New Year at the former Knickerbocker Arena on Dec. 31.

The Troy (N.Y.) Savings Bank Music Hall presents a weeklong festival celebrating American fiddle music hosted by fiddle virtuoso Mark O'Connor from Nov. 9 through Nov. 15, culminating in a "fiddle summit" featuring O'Connor along with such top new-acoustic talents as Darol Anger, Richard Greene, Matt Glaser, Sam Bush, Tony Trischka, Russ Barenburg and Jim Whitney. The offerings include folk, bluegrass, jazz and classical, in full-dress concerts as well as workshops, symposiums and master classes. Also coming to Troy is jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis (Nov. 1).

Highlights of the fall season at the Van Dyck in Schenectady include the Brubeck Brothers -- Chris and Dan -- on Nov. 7, and former Police guitarist Andy Summers on Nov. 21.

Over in the Pioneer Valley, big names coming to the Mullins Center at UMass-Amherst include Counting Crows this Saturday (Nov. 1), Elton John (Nov. 5 -- see related item), Live (Nov. 13) and 311 (Nov. 24). Blues Traveler will be at Smith College's John M.^Greene Hall on Nov. 30, and Paula Cole will be at Mt. Holyoke College's Chapin Auditorium on Dec. 9, with Jen Trynin set to open. Top acts coming to Northampton nightclubs include Ben Folds Five at Pearl Street on Nov. 5 and The Nields at the Iron Horse on Nov. 21.

Elton John's blonde cashes in

By now you've all heard that sales of Elton John's new, re-recorded version of "Candle In the Wind" -- strictly speaking, the B-side of the single, "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" -- has surpassed Bill Haley and the Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" and is fast closing in on the all-time highest-selling single, Bing Crosby's "White Christmas," which tops out somewhere around 30 million copies.

"Candle in the Wind 1997," with re-written lyrics dedicated to the late Princess Diana, entered the U.S. singles chart earlier this month at No. 1, making it the fastest-selling single ever, eight-times platinum in the first 24 hours it was on sale.

It already holds the record as world's biggest-selling single ever by a British artist (never mind the Beatles). One out of every 10 people in England owns a copy. The record made it to No. 1 in 21 countries. Not bad for a recycled song about a dead blonde.

Catch John at the Mullins Center in Amherst next Wednesday, Nov. 5.

Olatunji's African drums

Decades before the terms "world-beat" or "Afro-pop" were common currency, Nigerian drummer Babatunde Olatunji was introducing the hypnotic sounds of African rhythms to audiences worldwide. Olatunji has a special relationship with the Berkshires going back to the 1950s, when he was in residence as a teacher and performer at the venerable Music Inn in Lenox. Olatunji's influence on subsequent generations of musicians -- from Carlos Santana to Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead to Brazil's Airto to protege Sophie B. Hawkins -- is impossible to underestimate. The master makes one of his periodic appearances at Kripalu in Lenox this Saturday, Nov. 1, with his performance group, Drums of Passion, at 7:30. Call 448-3185 for more information.

Radio Beat

Another in our periodic, arbitrary listings of our favorite CDs of the moment:

Farewell, my lovely

Due to a change in the Berkshire Eagle's schedule, beginning next week this column will appear with a Friday dateline and a slightly revamped format. Internet readers will probably notice little if any change. The Beat will return to a Thursday format sometime late next spring.

[This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on Oct. 30, 1997. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1997. All rights reserved.]

Seth Rogovoy
rogovoy@berkshire.net
music news, interviews, reviews, et al.

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