PLEASE NOTE: THIS CONCERT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO STORM WARNINGS. A NEW DATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON.
Pittsfield — As part of Pittsfield’s annual 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival, Berkshires Jazz will present saxophonist Scott Robinson in concert on Saturday, February 15, 7:30 p.m., at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Pittsfield.
Sponsored by the City of Pittsfield and Downtown Pittsfield Inc., the 10×10 festival features new art, dance, music, theater, and more, with each entry themed on 10. Running from February 13 to 23, the Upstreet Arts Festival takes place in various venues throughout Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District.
Performing on 10 different saxophones, Robinson will play 10 songs that were made popular by 10 different saxophonists. Joining Scott will be Benny “Fingers” Kohn on piano, Jon Suters on bass, and Conor Meehan on drums.
If you heard Robinson play with Ted Rosenthal at the Linde Center last September, you probably walked away shaking your head in disbelief, because his playing is unforgettable not only for its technical brilliance but also for its deep expressivity.
When describing Robinson’s performances, it is always difficult to know what to emphasize, his virtuosity or his taste. To many of us, good taste would mean his solos are musically satisfying, emotionally resonant, and never excessive or self-indulgent.
But with Robinson, there is much more to it than that. The reason he has appeared on more than 275 LP and CD releases is found in the depth of his versatility: He plays convincingly across many genres—from swing to pop to avant-garde—on multiple saxophones and on rare woodwinds and brass instruments. In his solos, one can easily hear that Scott’s overall mindset as a musician is about serving the music rather than showing off with gratuitous displays of virtuosity.
If you ask Ron Carter or Paquito D’Rivera or the Maria Schneider orchestra why they enjoy working with Robinson, they will talk about his phrasing, his sense of space, the conversational, singing quality of his playing, and his refusal to overplay—even when his technical prowess would allow it. They will tell you about the way he balances innovation with tradition.
Rufus Reid, Buck Clayton, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s will give you the same report, as will dozens of other collaborators, including four who won GRAMMY awards for recordings Robinson played on.
Robinson is deeply rooted in bebop, swing, and classic jazz traditions, often channeling the influence of players like Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins. But whether swinging hard, exploring avant-garde textures, or performing on rare saxophones, Scott’s playing is always intelligent, deeply expressive, and uniquely creative.
Berkshires Jazz Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve jazz music by presenting live jazz events, encouraging jazz education, and promoting the local jazz scene in Berkshire County.
Hear saxophonist Scott Robinson with Benny Kohn, Jon Suters, and Conor Meehan, Saturday, February 15, 7:30 p.m., at St. Stephen’s Church, 67 East Street, Pittsfield, right on Park Square. Tickets and more information are available here.
