Reggae Festival, Kevin Burke
by Seth Rogovoy

(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., July 25, 1999) -- Every summer the grassroots Rock and Reggae Festival at Butternut Basin ski area in Great Barrington presents all-day festivalgoers with a lineup of authentic Jamaican roots music and regional variations on the theme.

This year, the ninth annual festival, which takes place this Sunday, Aug. 1, from 1-8 p.m., presents ska and rock-steady pioneers Justin Hinds and the Dominoes along with the Meditations from Jamaica, and New England favorites the Black Rebels along with Big D and the Kids Table, a new ska band from Boston.

Hinds has been making records since 1963, when he first released "Carry Go Bring Come," backed by the legendary Skatalites. A labelmate of Bob Marley and Toots and the Maytals in the 1970s, Hinds plays classic, gospel-influenced, conscious reggae music, much of it gleaned from Biblical texts and infused with positive vibrations. The Meditations, a vocal trio from Jamaica, also have roots that go back to Bob Marley's heyday, having provided backup on such Marley classics as "Rastaman Live Up" and "Punky Reggae Party."

Boston has a history of spawning major ska acts, not the least known of which include the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the Allstonians and Bim Skala Bim. A recent CD, "Shot By Lammi" (Fork in Hand), shows the 10-member Big D and the Kids Table to be worthy successors to those nationally known acts, with its up-to-date blend of horn-fueled ska, hardcore punk and hip-hop.

Tickets for the festival, an annual benefit for the Berkshire Homeless Children's Fund, are only $15. Food and drinks will be available for purchase; coolers are permitted; glass and pets are not. (274-6584)

Kevin Burke: Irish fiddling

The best music always transcends its immediate context and speaks to and with a greater vision. Such is the feeling one gets on listening to "In Concert," the most recent recording by famed Irish fiddler Kevin Burke. Consisting mostly of solo tunes - jigs, hornpipes, reels - the recording is more than a celebration of a great Irish musician or a retrospective of Burke's distinguished career, which has included stints with the Bothy Band, Patrick Street and Open House.

Rather, "In Concert" is the highly personal statement of a virtuoso musician who just happens to specialize in Irish music, and Irish fiddle music in particular. As if to underline the universal nature of his talent and approach, Burke includes a klezmer tune - a Yiddish dance number -- in the program. While Itzhak Perlman needn't worry that Burke will usurp his position as the world's best-known klezmer violinist, Burke acquits himself nicely on the tune, bringing to it his own, unique perspective and interpretation.

Burke, who has also worked with artists including Kate Bush, Christy Moore and the Berkshires' own Arlo Guthrie, performs a duet concert with fellow Patrick Street member, guitarist Ged Foley - who boasts his own impressive resume, including membership in the House Band and Scotland's Battlefield Band -- on Saturday, July 31, at 8, at the Center Theatre on Kemble Street in Lenox. (637-4718)

Backstage bits

No sooner did Paul Simon's double-bill date with Bob Dylan at Albany's Pepsi Arena get us wondering what ever happened to his erstwhile, sweet-voiced partner than did we learn that Art Garfunkel will be performing right here in the Berkshires on Friday, Oct. 2nd at Tanglewood's Ozawa Hall in Lenox. The concert will be a benefit for a local arts organization that has yet to officially announce the date. And that's all I know….

The lineup for next month's Berkshire Mountain Music Festival just gets more and more exciting. New additions to the schedule include Leftover Salmon, Acoustic Junction, Conehead Buddha, Foxtrot Zulu, and the BerkFest Allstar Jam, featuring jazz guitarist John Scofield, Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Brothers Band, Bob Moses, DJ Moses and Fuzz from Deep Banana Blackout (http://www.berkfest.com)….

Look for appearances by the singer-songwriter Williamses of Northampton - Dar and Brooks, no relation - separately in September at Williams College in Williamstown. And next year's Williamstown Jazz Festival is likely to include an appearance by one of the most adventurous, experimental trumpet players on the contemporary scene. No, not Dave Douglas - guess again….

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[This column originally ran in the Berkshire Eagle on July 29, 1999. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1999. All rights reserved.]