Jazz stars salute Hendrix to raise funds for tsunami relief

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A jazzy salute to Jimi Hendrix will raise cash for tsunami relief
PITTSFIELD-Four of the world's greatest jazz saxophonists will blow their horns in a tribute to Jimi Hendrix to raise funds for longterm housing in Sri Lanka for victims of this winter's tsunami. The legendary World Saxophone Quartet, featuring David Murray, Hamiet Bluiett, Oliver Lake and Bruce Williams, will be performing Saturday, March 26, at 7pm at the Berkshire Music Hall in Pittsfield. Pittsfield's own youth drum and dance group, Youth Alive, will open the benefit concert, a collaborative presentation between Helsinki Presents and the Railroad Street Youth Project (www.rsyp.org), in cooperation with the City of Pittsfield's Office of Cultural Development. Media sponsors include the Valley Advocate. Proceeds from the concert will go to Tsunami Relief, Inc., a not-for-profit Sri Lankan-based charity dedicated to providing permanent shelter to Sri Lankans displaced by the tsunami that devastated the Indian Ocean region last December. "The goal of this show," noted Railroad Street Youth Project director Amanda Root, "is to offer the Berkshire Community the opportunity to participate in global giving, and to empower people by presenting them with the opportunity to view the world as a whole community, raising awareness about the global community." Local community groups will also be invited to have a presence at the Berkshire Music Hall during the evening's concert. The World Saxophone Quartet will be playing jazz arrangements, with the addition of trombone, electric bass, and drums, of songs by Jimi Hendrix from their latest album, "Experience," which features classic Jimi Hendrix tunes such as "Little Wing," "Hey Joe," and "The Wind Cries Mary." The Pittsfield concert is the only performance by the Quartet in the region, and will be followed by a week of benefit shows by the World Saxophone Quartet at New York City's famed Jazz Standard nightclub. Jon Pareles of the New York Times called the World Saxophone Quartet "the most original and important group to emerge since Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane redefined group improvisation in the late 1950s." The Quartet places consistently in the top five groups listed in Down Beat's Annual Critic's Poll and tours extensively throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan. Members of the Quartet have worked with Charles Mingus, Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Babatunde Olatunji, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Benny Carter, David Sanborn, McCoy Tyner, and Jack DeJohnette. The members of the World Saxophone Quartet are Hamiett Bluiett on baritone saxophone; David Murray on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet; Oliver Lake on alto and soprano saxophones; and Bruce Williams on alto and soprano saxophones. They will be joined in this special performance by Craig Harris on trombone, Reggie Washington on electric bass, and Lee Pearson on drums. Youth Alive is a volunteer-run drum and dance group based in Pittsfield's Westside neighborhood. Participants in Youth Alive range in age from 6 to 18, and practice bucket drumming, step dance and other performing arts weekly year-round. The group will be celebrated its tenth year in 2006. The Berkshire Music Hall is located at 30 Union Street in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. For tickets or more information about the World Saxophone Quartet benefit tsunami concert on Saturday, March 26, please call 413-528-3394 or visit www.clubhelsinkiweb.com . For more information about Tsunami Relief, Inc, please visit www.tsunamireliefinc.org .
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Senior Golf Series Returns in September

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Berkshire County Fall Senior Golf series returns in September with events on five consecutive Wednesdays starting Sept. 18.
 
It is the 22nd year of the series, which is a fund-raiser for junior golf in the county, and it is open to players aged 50 and up.
 
The series will feature two divisions for each event based on the combined ages of the playing partners.
 
Golfers play from the white tees (or equivalent) with participants 70 and over or who have a handicap of more than 9 able to play from the forward tees.
 
Gross and net prices will be available in each division.
 
The cost is $55 per event and includes a round of golf, food and prizes. Carts are available for an additional fee.
 
Golfers should call the pro shop at the course for that week's event no sooner than two weeks before the event to register.
 
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