(Above) The festival opens with jazz harpist Brandee Younger and her trio. (Below) Jazz veterans The Cookers bring their hard bop to the stage on Saturday night. 
Jazz is back in the Berkshires: the Williamstown Jazz Festival is showcasing national and local musicians at the Clark Art Institute and venues on the Williams College campus and Images Cinema in Williamstown. This inaugural festival draws upon a rich and little-known history of jazz and African American culture rooted in the Berkshires.
For an inaugural festival, the lineup of artists is especially remarkable. Day one is the festival opener: the Brandee Younger Trio with Allan Mednard on drums and Rashaan Carter on bass starts at 5 p.m. Younger is a formidable jazz harpist in the tradition of Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby. Her latest album, “Gadabout Season,” is an intimate recording.
“My music incorporates soul and traditions of Black music,” Younger told the Banner. “I’ll be performing songs at the festival from ‘Gadabout Season’ and at least one tune from songs by both Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby. The harp I play on is Alice Coltrane’s. I consider myself its custodian.”
At 7 p.m., Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton will headline. Fischer is one of the great vocalists in jazz and rock and was featured in the 2013 movie “20 Feet from Stardom” that tells the story of backup singers who propelled the music and careers of rock stars. Fischer toured for years with the Rolling Stones.
On Saturday “Rhythm & Reels” will begin at 11 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. featuring a range of films that show performances as well as historical documentaries. The festival’s intention is to have the films attest to “how the rhythm of jazz has shaped the art of storytelling on screen.” Admittance is limited to holders of a three-day pass or a Saturday day pass.
That evening there’s more live music: the early show features Steve Turre’s All-Star Band.
Trombonist Turre is a longtime member of the Saturday Night Live Band. Independently, he also describes himself as a “seashellist.” With his group Sanctified Shells, he “utilizes the seashell in a larger context, transforming his horn section into a ‘shell choir.’”
Saturday night ends with The Cookers. The veteran septet is made up of Azar Lawrence, Cecil McBee, George Cables, Eddie Henderson, Billy Hart, David Weiss and Donald Harrison. Bringing together their independent experiences performing with Herbie Hancock, Charles Lloyd, Lee Morgan, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins and many other greats, The Cookers have their own refined sound. Hard bop, postbop or just beautiful music that swings and is harmonic, this ensemble of seasoned musicians encompasses the history of iterations in jazz.
Stick around for Sunday morning. From 11 a.m. until three in the afternoon, youth bands and ensembles are performing at the Clark Art Institute. Later in the day, the Wanda Houston Quartet and the Kris Allen Trio are performing. Houston is an acclaimed vocalist based in the Berkshires. Allen is the Lyell B. Clay Artist in Residence in Jazz at Williams College and a composer and saxophonist.
The festival closer on Sunday is trumpeter and composer Arturo Sandoval. Sandoval’s work holds to both the traditions of his native Cuba as well as contemporary jazz idioms. And be sure not to miss learning about the musical cornerstone behind the festival at 2 p.m. on Sunday when 2018 NEA Jazz Master Todd Barkan talks with author John Gennari about the history of jazz in the Berkshires. “The Jazz Barn” by Gennari, published in 2025, tells that story.
Barkan founded the legendary Keystone Korner jazz club in San Francisco and later managed the famous jazz club Yoshi’s in Oakland. After then working as a record producer for top labels, he became the director of Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in New York City.
Berkshire jazz and beyond
Jazz is not new to the Berkshires. In the 1950s, Philip and Stephanie Barber established the Berkshire Music Barn in Lenox. The institution became a famous venue where Mahalia Jackson, Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Billie Holiday and many others performed.
Beyond jazz, W. E. B. Du Bois was born in Great Barrington. Quakers in the region were active in the Underground Railroad. The Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail offers sites of cultural importance where visitors can see and learn about Black legacies.
The festival runs Sept. 11 to 13.
Tickets are available as three-day passes ($310 or VIP $400) and one-day passes ($85 or VIP $150). Also, tickets to specific shows can be purchased at varying prices.
ON THE WEB
Learn more at jazzintheberkshires.org/festival
