Saturday, February 8, 2025

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

BITS & BYTES: Michael Benedict Jazz Vibes at Spencertown Academy; Mural artists at The Licht; Guild of Berkshire Artists at The Colonial; Film club at Lenox Library; ‘Jaws’ at The Clark

Spencertown Academy Roots & Shoots Concerts Series presents Michael Benedict Jazz Vibes.

Spencertown Academy presents Michael Benedict Jazz Vibes

Spencertown, N.Y.— On Saturday, February 22nd at 7:30 p.m., Spencertown Academy Roots & Shoots Concerts Series presents Michael Benedict Jazz Vibes. 

The acclaimed quartet features vibraphonist Michael Benedict with Joe Finn on guitar, Pete Toigo on bass, and Pete Sweeney on drums. Their repertoire includes straight ahead jazz standards, Latin-American songs, and original material.

As a vibraphonist and drummer, Benedict is currently the leader of two ensembles, Jazz Vibes and Bopitude. He has released six recordings to date, including “Five and One,” which Downbeat Magazine named one of the best albums of the year and “Circulation: The Music of Gary McFarland,” which was an editor’s pick in Downbeat Magazine and listed as one of the year’s best jazz albums by National Public Radio. His latest album, “1-2-3 GO,” earned him the Nippertown Local Hero Award for best local/regional release and WCDB SUNY Albany 90.9FM Radio recently voted him “Best Jazz Musician.”

Benedict has performed and/or recorded with jazz luminaries Gary Smulyan, Harry Allen, Dick Oatts, Ralph Lalama, Bruce Barth, Joe Locke, Renee Fleming, and Gene Bertoncini. He was a member of the Spike Jones Orchestra, and the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra.

The concert is on Saturday, February 22nd at 7:30 p.m., Spencertown Academy. Tickets and more information can be found online.

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Lichtenstein Center for the Arts presents ‘Off the Streets,’ a group show of artists who have enriched Pittsfield’s streetscape with their stunning public art

Pittsfield— From February 5th through the 28th, Lichtenstein Center for the Arts presents “Off the Streets,” a group show of artists who have enriched Pittsfield’s streetscape with their stunning public art.

Local Mural Artists get “Off the Streets” and “Onto the Walls!” This exhibition promises a tour de force of creativity and a celebration of our community’s artistic spirit. Featured artists include Hope Aguilera, Mike Carty, Huck Elling, Diane Firtell, Frances Chloe Jones-Whitman, Pops Peterson, Cara Petricca, Stef Quetti, Shelsy Rodriguez, and Jesse Tobin McCauley. 

Courtesy Love Pittsfield.

The exhibit runs from February 5th through the 28th at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, located at 28 Renne Avenue in Pittsfield. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, February 13th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. More information can be found online. 

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Guild of Berkshire Artists presents ‘Coming of the Light’ in the lobby of the Colonial Theatre

Pittsfield— From February 2nd through April 26th, Guild of Berkshire Artists presents “Coming of the Light” in the lobby of the Colonial Theatre. 

The Guild of Berkshire Artists curates seasonal art exhibitions for the lobby of Berkshire Theatre Group’s historic Colonial Theatre. The “Coming of the Light” consists of thirteen works of art selected from Guild of Berkshire Artists applicants by jury. Medias include oils, textiles, pastels, and photography. Styles range from realistic to geometric to abstract.

Alvin Ouellet, ‘Studio in Winter,’ oil on canvas, 36×26. Courtesy Guild of Berkshire Artists.

The exhibit runs from February 2nd through April 26th in the lobby of the Colonial Theatre, located at 111 South Street in Pittsfield. There will be online receptions with the artists. The schedule of receptions and more information can be found online. 

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Kanopy Film Club at the Lenox Library

Lenox— From February 5th through March 26th, on alternating Wednesdays at 5 p.m., the Lenox Library presents the Kanopy Film Club, a new film club led and curated by film researcher and screenwriter Nannina Gilder.

Kanopy, a free streaming service available through nine of the libraries in the Berkshires (Lenox, Williamstown, North Adams, Adams, Pittsfield, Stockbridge, Lee, Great Barrington, and Sheffield,) offers an eclectic, fun, and surprising selection of films and TV shows from classics to new releases. The Kanopy Film Club will highlight what’s available and offer a communal viewing experience and post-viewing discussion. 

Courtesy Lenox Library.

The club opens on February 5th at 5 p.m. with a viewing of Gregory La Cava’s “My Man Godfrey” at the Lenox Library, located at 18 Main Street in Lenox. The full schedule and more information can be found online. 

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Clark Art Institute to screen ‘Jaws’

Williamstown— On Thursday, February 6th at 6 p.m., the Clark Art Institute, in partnership with Images Cinema, will screen the latest installment in their Hollywood Auteurs film series, “Jaws” (1975.)

A film that Steven Spielberg did not want to make, “Jaws” relies on the creative improvisations of three no-name actors (Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw) and the inspired editing of Verna Fields, who believed firmly that was you can imagine is more frightening than what you can see. Shot on the open ocean, “Jaws” is a populist, post-Watergate look at corrupt authority.

‘Jaws,’ Steven Spielberg, 1975. Courtesy The Clark.

The free screening is on Thursday, February 6th at 6 p.m. at the Clark Art Institute, located at 225 South Street in Williamstown. More information can be found online.

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The Edge Is Free To Read.

But Not To Produce.