Lenox — Mill Town Foundation continues its support for jazz music in the Berkshires with the 2023 Lenox Jazz Stroll, September 15 and 16, Friday and Saturday. This year’s festival features two days of jazz at venues in the town of Lenox. The Peggy Stern Trio opens the festival on Friday night, followed by performances throughout the day on Saturday, including a headline performance by the Scott Robinson Quartet at Lilac Park.
There are so many great jazz musicians in the Berkshires that whenever they all get together, we end up calling it a festival. Or, if performances are partly out of doors, we call it a Stroll.
The Lenox Jazz Stroll started in 2020 in response to pandemic restrictions and the urgent need for live music performances in safe spaces. Artists that year were Benny Kohn Mary Ann McSweeney; Berkshire Jazz Quartet; Richard Stanmeyer; and a closing set with Kris Allen, Luques Curtis, and Jonathan Barber. The pubic response was so strong that a follow-up in 2021 was called for.
The Stroll took a leap forward in 2021 with appearances from internationally known musicians along with local and regional acts. Artists included Ray Anderson’s Pocket Brass Band; Wanda Houston; Ted Rosenthal; Armen Donelian; Todd Reynolds; and the Jason Ennis Trio, featuring Natalia Bernal, Greystone Quartet, and Nelson Patton.
The lineup for this year’s Stroll comprises many familiar faces. The Peggy Stern Trio kicks off the festival on the evening of Friday, September 15, at 6 p.m. (You may remember Ms. Stern from July’s women-led jazz festival Lulufest). Ted Rosenthal is a regular at Gateways Inn and will close the festival there on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Acts performing at Lilac Park on Saturday include local favorites The Lucky Five, Wanda Houston, Michael Junkins, and Scott Robinson. On Saturday evening, before Ted Rosenthal’s set, the Benny Kohn’s trio will appear at Pizzeria Boema.
Here is the schedule for the 2023 Lenox Jazz Stroll:
Friday, September 15
Gateways Inn, 51 Walker Street, Lenox
6 p.m. to 9 p.m. — Kickoff concert with the Peggy Stern Trio
Saturday, September 16
Lilac Park, Main Street, Lenox
1:00 p.m. — The Lucky Five
2:15 p.m. — Wanda Houston
3:30 p.m. — Michael Junkins Group
4:45 p.m. — Scott Robinson Quartet
Pizzeria Boema, 84 Main Street, Lenox
6 p.m. to 9 p.m. — Benny Kohn Trio
Gateways Inn, 51 Walker Street, Lenox
7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Ted Rosenthal Trio
Admission is free to all Lenox Jazz Stroll events. Reservations are encouraged for indoor performances, as seating is limited.
Mill Town Foundation has partnered on this production with the Lenox Chamber of Commerce, Lenox Cultural District, Blue Q, lead sponsor Jan Perry Realty, and, of course, Berkshires Jazz.
