Saturday, August 31, 2013

Wine Classes in Dalton--only $30 for 3 September sessions by Philip S. Kampe

What a great way to learn about wine and cheese.
Kollin Kozlwoski, wine guru, of Kelly's Package Store in Dalton is offering a deal, as they say,
"You can't refuse".
Kollin's goal is to educate YOU about wine and in this case, cheese pairings.
At only $10 a class, who could refuse?

There are thee classes offered (You must sign up for all three) at the classroom at Kelly's Package Store.
The three classes are on three TUESDAY nights in September, from 6:30-8pm.
All classes feature SIX wine with cheese pairings.

Class1:
September 10th
A vertical overview of specially picked wines. What this means is a selection of wines, from different vintages (years) normally from the same producer. Six wines will be picked and paired with a variety of matching cheeses.

Class 2:
September 17th
This session is named 'The French Connection' and will feature six French wines from different regions.
All wines will be paired with cheese selections.

Class 3:
September 24th
The New World Wines
Think young winemakers creating their own traditions. Normally, New World wines are focused on concentrated fruit, much to the American taste profile. Add six cheeses, maybe, also, New World cheese makers to the wines and you have an interesting class.

For $30, can you go wrong?
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When: Tuesday evenings, September 10th, 17th & 24th
Time: 6:30-8pm
Where: Kelly's Package Store
653 Main Street
Dalton, Ma
How to RSVP: (necessary) Call 413-684-0870
Reservations are required (Only 6 seats vacant)

Philip S. Kampe

The BerkshireLife@gmail.com

Friday, August 30, 2013

No Bad Breath at the Labor Day 'GARLIC FESTIVAL' in Bennington, Vermont (August 31st & September 1st) by Philip S. Kampe

Well, this is the weekend I have been waiting for:
1) Donal Fox at Tanglewood, Lenox, Ma. (Saturday 1pm)
2) Harry Connick, Jr. at Tanglewood, Lenox, Ma. (Saturday 7pm)
3) Garlic Fest in Bennington, Vt. (Saturday and Sunday 10-5pm)

This weekend brings back the Southern Vermont Garlic and Herb Festival to Bennington.
Originally the Garlic Fest was in Wilmington and moved to Bennington a few years ago.
Entrance is a bargain, $5 for one day or $8 for the weekend.
There will be over 150 vendors, selling everything garlic--and that means Garlic Ice Cream--which was not
a big seller at Fabulous Phil's in 1993, but, now is a 'Cult' festival favorite.

The crowd last year topped 15,000. This year, a larger crowd is anticipated.

The Festival is dubbed as one of the 'Top Ten Events in Vermont' by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.

Garlic farmers will show you the different shapes, sizes and various types of garlic they grow.
Garlic will be sold in many forms, raw, garlic jelly, garlic braids, roasted garlic, garlic soap, garlic oil and garlic costumes.

There is a lot for kids to do:a hay maze, a pie-eating contest, inflatable fun toys and a workshop led by Home Depot.

What goes best with garlic? Beer? The festival will have a beer garden, featuring garlic cocktails.

There will be 'Live Music' both days. Bands include the Jeff McRae Band, Road House, Carma, Molly Durnin, Blues Sanctuary and the Funk in the Trunk band.

Leave your pets at home. They are not allowed at the festival.

What a wonderful weekend to look forward to. I hope to see you at one of the venues.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What: Southern Vermont Garlic and Herb Festival
When: Saturday and Sunday (August 31st & September 1st)
Time: 10am-5pm
Parking: Free
Where: Camelot Village, Bennington, Vt.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sunday, August 25, 2013

John Williams' Film Night at Tanglewood by Maria Reveley

photos courtesy of Hilary Scott/BSO

The weather has been exceptional lately in the Berkshires, and last night was fabulous. Warm, sunny, clear and cooling in the evening. So, for John Williams' Film Night, all was perfect to attract a large and enthusiastic crowd.

Mr. Williams entered the stage to an ovation from the crowd. His 41-year artistic history writing themes and scores for Steven Spielberg's super successful films makes him a known master musician to many throughout the world. Mr. Williams has won five Oscars, and been nominated for 48, the most nominated living person in the Academy! Who does not recognize some of his most famous film themes from Jaws, E.T The Extra-Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones films, Jurassic Park, Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Sometimes, just hearing a few notes can bring terror, joy and other emotions to the listener immediately.

Another collaborator has been George Lucas, and Mr. Williams composed the scores for all six Star Wars films, and will be working on another this year. He currently holds the title of Laureate Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. Early on as he began to work in the film industry, Mr. Williams worked with accomplished composers including Bernard Herrmann, Alfred Newman, and Franz Waxman and he went on to write music for more than 200 television films and themes for NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press and others.

The evening started with "Hooray for Hollywood" to get everyone in the mood. Mr. Williams then introduced David Newman, son of Alfred Newman, to the audience. Mr. Newman has made film music the center of his life, and has become a film music historian as well. He conducted Fox Fanfare/Conquest from Captain from Castile; Cathy's Theme from Wuthering Heights, with Elita Kang as solo violinist; and the main title from How the West Was Won. His energy and enthusiasm was contagious.

He then focused on music by Henry Mancini, along with clips from the related movies. The them from The Pink Panther had the audience chuckling often, and seeing Peter Sellers in one of his stellar roles made many nostalgic for his brand of humor. The finale from Breakfast at Tiffany's was riveting, seeing Audrey Hepburn drenched in the rain, looking for Cat and deciding to give up her freedom for love. Next was Casablanca, one of the most famous movies and film music ever made. The shots of Ingrid Bergman still linger!

After the intermission, Mr. Williams returned to conduct the Flight to Neverland from Hook and he then presented the highlight performer of the evening, Audra McDonald. Ms. McDonald has won five Tonys, a rare achievement with only two others who have also - Angela Lansbury and Julie Harris (who sadly just passed away this weekend). Ms. McDonald is a versatile artist, superb in singing (opera as well), and acting, having had a starring role for several years in the series, Private Practice. She acknowledged how magical Tanglewood is as a performance space and also acknowledged her reverence for Mr. Williams and the BSO.

Ms. McDonald sang a list of songs from a wide range of movies: Lose That Long Face from A Star is Born; It Might as Well be Spring from State Fair; Too Late Now from Royal Wedding, and several others. Her command of diction and her ability to convey the feelings in each song is remarkable. She returned to sing As Time Goes By from Casablanca with Mr. Williams accompanying on the piano.

What a finale! The audience left smiling, many of them humming songs from the program. Another spectacular Tanglewood evening, magical and perfect!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Michael Feinstein's American Songbook by Maria Reveley

Michael Feinstein's American Songbook by Maria Reveley
On August 16th, Cranwell Resort, Spa and Golf Club sponsored a wonderful evening at Tanglewood focusing on the American Songbook, as interpreted by Michael Feinstein, with The Boston Pops Orchestra. To start, Keith Lockhart conducted the orchestra in a film grouping starting with Hooray for Hollywood, playing the main theme from "Gone With the Wind." After Unchained Melody from the film "Ghost," the Pops played Lawrence of Arabia. These themes represented the power of the melody in films, and how music can keep the memory of a film fresh forever. Mr. Lockhart's conducting was energetic and enthusiastic.

Michael Feinstein gave the audience some information about these film scores, then sang a song that was Frank Sinatra's favorite, "All My Tomorrows Belong to You." This was news to me, and I appreciated the insight only Michael can give, with his immense knowledge of the American Songbook.

Michael then brought out Faith Prince, currently on Broadway in "Annie" playing Ms. Hannigan. Ms. Prince is an accomplished Broadway performer, having won the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards for her performance as Miss Adelaide in "Guys and Dolls." She has been nominated too many times to list, and has appeared on television with a recurring role in Spin City, among other appearances. She has an award winning record, A Leap of Faith, and has appeared with the Boston Pops several times since her debut in 2003. This was the first time Michael and Faith have shared a stage! Both were in great form, and Faith dedicated her first song to the recently passed Edyie Gorme. That song, a favorite of mine, was "What Did I Have I Don't Have Now?," in a beautiful rendition. Michael sang a solo from Oliver, "As Long As She Needs Me'" and he was in fine form, with a strong, solid voice. They also sang a Cole Porter song, "It Was Just One of Those Things." It was a delight to see these performers together singing songs that hold up so well over time.

After intermission, the Boston Pops returned with a tribute to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers - with "I Won't Dance," and "Dancing in the Dark," among others. One could picture Fred and Ginger dancing around the stage! And, Michael sang another favorite of mine, "The Way You Look Tonight."

Michael brought out another friend, Cheyenne Jackson, a theater veteran who will next be seen in DIRECTV's "Full Circle," a television drama. Cheyenne also just release an original album entitled, "I'm Blue,Skies." They sang a duet, "Side by Side" and Cheyenne demonstrated his great voice and soft shoe abilities.

All in all, the concert was a great one. I often wonder how many people in their twenties, know these songs, and have heard of Frank Sinatra or the Gershwins, etc. Michael Feinstein is an important keeper of the light in regard to this music, along with others, and I commend his efforts. This music is not only beautiful, but is a big part of our musical history.
May it live forever!

photos courtesy of Hilary Scott/BSO

FILM NIGHT at Tanglewood--August 24th, Saturday by Philip S. Kampe

Since moving to the Berkshires in 1982, from teaching journalism in Europe, 'FILM NIGHT' at Tanglewood has been a family tradition of ours. When the kids were young, we would listen to the Boston Pops form the lawn, often covered by a blanket, as the first hint of fall fell upon Tanglewood.
Now, it is 2013, the kids are married and we (Maria &I) are full-fledged Grandparents to a 17 month old.
Life changes, but, 'FILM NIGHT' remains.
I urge you to attend John Williams' 'FILM NIGHT', Saturday, August 24th at 8:30pm (at the Shed).
Joining Maestro John Williams and the Boston Pops is Conductor David Newman, who dazzled the audience earlier on the podium, as well as Tanglweood favorite, Tony award winner, Audra McDonald.
Tonight's program features selections by Henry Mancini, Max Steiner and Alfred Newman, father of conductor David Newman.
Audra McDonald will sing selections from 'A Star Is Born', 'State Fair' and the 'West Side Story'.
Arrive early.
Bring along a picnic.
A bottle of wine.
and Don't forget the blanket!

Tickets are available online at www.BSO.org or at the gate.
Tickets range from $21 for the lawn to $117 (prime tickets) in the Shed.

Friday, August 23, 2013

The 8th Annual Craft Ber Festival--Dalton, Ma. 2-6pm Saturday, August 24th/150 Beers/50 Breweries $25/$30

Saturday, August 24th, 2-6p… it’s the Berkshires 8th Annual Craft Beer Festival!

Here are your beer fest details & Sunny Forecast!
The Berkshires 8th Annual Craft Beer Fest:
Who:        Kelly’s Package Store & OVER 50 Breweries
What:        OVER 150 Craft Brews, Live Music, & Food Truck for cash sales
When:        Saturday, August 24th, 2-6p – $25 before / $30 at door
Where:        Holiday Brook Farm – 100 Holiday Cottage Rd. Dalton / Route 9 Dalton
Why:        Raise money for the Dalton CRA, enjoy beer, and have a ton of fun

Breweries:
Amherst Brewing / Anderson Valley / Atlantic Importing Co. / Baxter / BBC / Big Elm / Blue Moon / Boulder / Boulevard / Breckenridge / Brewmaster Jack / Brooklyn / Cape Anne / Cayman Jack / CBC – Cambridge Brewing Co. / Chimay / Cisco / Citizen Cider / Commercial Dist. / Craft Brewers / Crazy Mountain / Dogfish Head / Full Sail / Geary’s / Girardi / Goose Island / Great Divide / Green River Ambrosia / Gritty’s / Harpoon / Heavy Seas / Heineken / Innis & Gunn / Jack’s Abby / Lagunitas / Left Hand / Leinenkugal / Mayflower / Mike’s Hard Shandy / Narraganset / Newcastle / Old Burnside / Oskar Blues / Peak / Redd’s / Sam Adams / Schmaltz / Shipyard / Shock Top / Sierra Nevada / Sixpoint / Slumbrew / Smuttynose / Southern Tier / Strongbow / Troegs / Uinta / Vintage Tea / Wachusett / Westfield River / Woodchuck / Woodstock Inn

Features:
Fundraiser for the Dalton CRA
SPECIAL CASK from Jack’s Abby – once it’s gone, it’s gone!
150+ professional craft brews
30+ tables of craft beer
Homebrew demo’s from award winning homebrewers
Food truck catering by Ozzie’s Steak & Eggs for cash sales
Live music by Lady Di & Her Knights
Live demo – Hand-rolled, infused, barrel aged cigars from guyandladybarrel.com
Oktoberfest high-rise lean-on’s provided by a gracious customer
Comfortable facilities provided by White Wolf Excavating
Billboards by Lamar Advertising
2 massive big top tents by Robert Lyons
Holiday Brook Farm demo tent
A Kelly’s Package Store production

Cups:
This year, we are going the route more and more beer festivals are going – reusable cups & rinsing stations.
We have nice tasting cups this year and we ask that you use the one we give you as long as possible, rinsing as you need, and come to us if you need a new one.
Utilizing reusable cups will not only enhance your tasting experience by having a more robust and clearer cup to examine the brews in than years past, but it will be better for the environment, and also be easier to pour kegged beer into.
So save your cup! It’s a win-win-win.

It’s always sunny in a beer tent so rain or shine, it’s a GO! Here is the press release for the beer festival, vendor lists, brews, directions, and other information will be coming out shortly. You can join the event on our facebook page and help spread the word by tweeting it out. We have some unique surprises for you and we hope to see you there!

Ticket information – Online tickets are not available. We looked into it and it would cost the CRA a decent chunk of money so we nixed it. This is a fundraiser, after all!

PRESS RELEASE:
The Berkshires 8th Annual Craft Beer Festival to benefit the Dalton CRA is sponsored by Kelly’s Package Store is at the Holiday Brook Farm on Rt. 9 in Dalton MA on Saturday, August 24th, from 2-6 p.m.
Featuring over 150 exciting and delicious craft brews from over 50 different domestic and European breweries, this is the most diverse and largest craft beer festival in the Berkshires with all proceeds going to the Dalton CRA, a non-profit organization serving Berkshire County so this event is a win-win for the community and craft beer lovers.
Advance tickets are on sale now for $25 through the close of business on the Friday before the festival, day of tickets are $30, designated drivers are free.
To volunteer or for more information, contact Kelly’s Package Store.

Kelly’s “Walken Cooler” (aka walk-in cooler… we like to have fun!)

We have so much great beer that we don’t have a spot for it in the doors so feel free to shop inside our “Walken Cooler”! We have 6 packs of cans and bottles, 12 packs of cans and bottles, seasonal brews, singles, and much more!

August 2013
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Back by Popular Demand, JAZZ artist DONAL FOX plays Ozawa Hall at 1pm, Saturday, August 31st

Donal Fox comes to Tanglewood on Saturday, August 31st ($18-$53)

$40 lawn ticket is good for both performances, including Harry Connick, Jr. at 7pm

Donal Fox:
about touring schedule Programs:
Donal Fox Quartet:
Mashups in Afro-Blue Donal Fox Solo Piano:
Inventions in Blue

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Donal Fox

Pianist, Composer, Improviser
Donal Fox will perform his Scarlatti Jazz Project using his unique Latin, Jazz and Classical Music background at Ozawa Hall during the Labor Day weekend.
His quartet combines deep grooves with sophisticated contrapuntal lines, creating a striking musical collage that is stirring, visceral, imaginative and intellectually satisfying. Fox mines the rich resources of jazz and classical literature, crafting an expanding repertoire of original compositions seamlessly wedded to the undeniable of Afro-Cuban jazz. His inventive blend marches boldly towards new sounds, effortlessly, 'confounding the genre police' (Downbeat)

"Art Tatum on the right hand; Johann Sebastian Bach on the left; Donal Fox in the middle."
— Terrance McKnight, WQXR
"Donal Fox is simply without peer."
— Howard Mandel, Down Beat
Acclaimed pianist, composer and improviser Donal Fox has forged a unique amalgam of jazz, Latin, and classical music. Combining deep grooves with sophisticated contrapuntal lines, he and his quartet create a striking musical collage that is at once stirring, visceral and intellectually satisfying. Like a great DJ digging in the crates for forgotten gems, Fox mines the rich resources of jazz and classical literature, crafting an expanding repertoire of original compositions seamlessly wedded to the undeniable pulse of Afro-Cuban jazz. His inventive blend marches boldly toward new sounds, effortlessly “confounding the genre police.” (Downbeat)
Donal has recorded as composer and pianist for New World Records, Evidence Records, Music & Arts, Passin' Thru Records, Yamaha's Original Artist Series, and Wergo Records. His works are published by Margun Music, G. Schirmer, and Leonellis Music.
Donal Fox is a Steinway Artist.

Photos

photo:
Kristophe Diaz

photo:
Liza Voll

photo :
Lou Jones

photo:
Lou Jones

photo:
Eric Antoniou