Mount Greylock Jazz Festival On For This Weekend

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Bascom Lodge is open for the season and will host its second annual jazz festival on Sunday, July 12.

ADAMS, Mass. — Bascom Lodge is expecting great weather for the Mount Greylock Jazz Festival this coming weekend.

Bascom Lodge manager John Dudek said the second annual jazz fest will feature four groups with different styles of jazz. He said the Ben Kohn Trio, Lauren Lee's "Space Jazz," the Wes Brown Quartet with Jill Connelly, and the David Ullman Quartet will all play on the mountain.

"On a beautiful day, you couldn't ask for a better back drop for a music festival. You can see 70 miles away, and if it's a nice sunny day people bring lawn chairs and blankets,” Dudek said. "They sit in the meadows on the summit, the music drifts across the meadow and people enjoy themselves.”

Dudek said decent weather on the mountain is incredibly important and most people "won't bother coming up if they see that the summit is surrounded by fog.”

He said the summit was so foggy last year that the festival had to be moved indoors.

"We came to the conclusion that we had to move indoors when the saxophonist was pouring water out of his horn so he could play,” he laughed. "It wasn't raining, just this dense fog that collected moisture on every surface.”

However, Dudek said he expects great weather conditions this Sunday and visitors should expect food venders, beer, and wine.

Dudek said besides musical performances the summit also hosts a variety of presentations and workshops on drawing, night photography, wild mushrooms, presentations by artist in residence, and even a wine making presentation.

A full calendar of Bascom Lodge events can be found on their website.  

Dudek said the calendar is "packed” with events and the 18-week season always goes by fast.

"We are packed with activity and we try to enlarge every year ... but, once the season starts it is frantic work until we are closed," He said. "It really is one massive rush and then it snows."

The jazz concert takes place Sunday, June 12, from noon to 5. The event is free. 


Tags: jazz,   Mount Greylock,   music festival,   

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