Saturday, March 6
Berks Jazz Fest Day at VF Outlet Center
Free community concert
20th Anniversary Preview Concert
featuring
Swing House with opening act GAMUT
Designers Place
1 p.m.
Sunday, March 7
Reel Jazz Classics
Free Community Jazz Film Fest
Miller Center for the Arts/RACC
2 p.m.
Art Blakey.
John Coltrane. Duke Ellington. Ella Fitzgerald. Woody
Herman. Wes Montgomery.
Thanks to the amazing Jazz Icons DVD series, fans will be
able to enjoy vintage, unseen concerts from these timeless
legends of jazz on the big screen at the
Miller Center for the Arts.
"Reel Jazz
Classics" is set for Sunday, March 7, starting at 2
p.m., at the Miller Center for the Arts located on the
campus of Reading Area Community College. Admission is FREE.
Jazz enthusiast and former WEEU radio personality Lew Runkle
will be the host of the jazz film fest.
The VF Outlet Berks Jazz Fest has partnered with the
producers of the
Jazz
Icons series -- four boxed sets, 30 individual DVDs
-- to screen selections of the legendary artists mentioned
above
for this special
"Countdown to
the 20th" community event.
The Jazz Icons DVDs feature full-length concerts and
in-studio performances by the greatest legends of jazz,
filmed all over the world from the 1950s through the 1970s.
Beautifully transferred from the original masters, each of
the DVDs features rare performances that have never been
officially released on home video, and in many cases, were
never broadcast.
Click on the following artists to enjoy a preview of the
vintage concerts:
Art Blakey,
Ella Fitzgerald,
John Coltrane,
Wes Montgomery,
Woody Herman,
Duke Ellington.
Wednesday, March 10
"CHOPS" documentary and special Berks Jazz Jam
Free community event
Miller Center for the Arts
6 p.m.
The
Berks Jazz Fest's education committee has put together a strong
schedule of activities for this year's event.
One of those events is the special "Berks Jazz Jam Night" at the
Miller Center for the Arts on Wednesday, March 10.
"Berks Jazz Jam Night" is part of the
"Countdown to 20th" series of events.
The evening kicks off with the screening of the award-winning
documentary
"CHOPS"
at 6 p.m., followed by a special edition of the monthly
Berks Jazz
Jam.
“CHOPS” tells the story of a group of
kids with extraordinary musical ability who learn to make the most
of their gifts in an acclaimed public school jazz program in
Jacksonville, Florida.
Follow their musical journey from Florida to New York City, where
they compete against the top high school jazz bands in the nation at
the prestigious
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Competition and
Festival.
Following “CHOPS” will be a special Berks Jazz Jam, hosted by Mike
Eben, with guest musicians Larry McKenna on tenor sax, Tony Miceli
on vibes, Dave Brodie on bass and Dan Monaghan on drums.
Music fans of all ages are welcome. Admission is FREE. Bring
instruments to be part of the jam, or come to learn!
"Berks Jazz Jam Night" is sponsored by the Project Penske, a program
of the Reading Musical Foundation, and Voices published by
Reading Eagle.
VIEW "CHOPS" preview
Thursday, March 11
Dave Posmontier Quintet
featuring
David Cullen, Bob Howell, Erick Johnson, Chico Huff and
Dave Posmontier
Gerald Veasley's Jazz Base at Crowne Plaza Reading
7 p.m.
CLICK HERE for complete information.
Friday, March 12
Tower of Power Tribute
Dance Hall Docs
with special guest Brent Carter
Inn at Reading Ballroom
8 p.m.
CLICK HERE for complete information.
Saturday, March 13
Berks Jazz Fest Night at Reading Royals
with post-game auction of jazz-themed jerseys
Reading Royals vs. Toledo Walleye
Sovereign Center
7:05 p.m.
CLICK HERE
for complete information.
T
uesday,
March 23
Frank Vignola's Hot Club:
Celebrating 100 Years of Django Reinhardt
Miller Center for the Arts
7:30 p.m.
Guitar virtuoso Frank Vignola has made a lot of fans in the
Berks area following his two amazing concerts at Gerald
Veasley's Jazz Base during 2009.
It was during those concerts that Vignola developed the plan
to put together Frank Vignola's Hot Club to celebrate Django
Reinhardt's 100th birthday in 2010.
A leading proponent of Reinhardt's gypsy jazz style of
playing, Vignola has assembled a dynamic quintet for a
searing tribute to one of his earliest musical influences.
Frank Vignola's Hot Club: Celebrating 100 Years of Django
Reinhardt concert is scheduled for Tuesday, March 23, 7:30
p.m., at the Miller Center for the Arts on the Reading Area
Community College campus.
Frank Vignola's Hot Club evolved from 20 years of commitment
to the Django legacy, including gypsy jazz appearances with
musicians from Bireli LeGrene and Babik Reinhardt (Django's
son) to Mark O'Connor and Tommy Emmanuel, as well as a
five-year stint with Reinhardt friend and enthusiast Les
Paul.
Only a musician the caliber of Frank Vignola, an
accomplished and influential guitarist in his own right,
could dare tackle the monumental task of honoring the
centennial of the legendary Django Reinhardt.
Special preview! Check out YouTube videos of Frank Vignola's
Hot Club performing live at The Wagon Shed:
Gypsy Mania
Rimsky Korsakov
Belleville
Diminishing Blackness
Carmen Medley
