All that jazz

We visited the Berkshire Hills of Lenox, Massachusetts earlier this month to check out the tradition of audience picnics on the lawn during the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s annual Tanglewood Jazz Festival. (You can see photos of a few picnickers in the October issue of Hudson Valley Connoisseur

While we were there, I was able to catch performances by the Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band (hot, hot, hot!) and the always-incredible trumpeter Hugh Masekela, both of whom brought the audience to their feet. (Who could resist those rhythms?) I was impressed by the elegance of the grounds at Tanglewood, and the splendor of Seiji Ozawa Hall (what beautiful wood!) Tanglewood is an easy drive from most of the Hudson Valley and well worth a visit.

There is more jazz in store for me this weekend, as I’m catching Saturday evening’s performance of a guitar virtuoso, violinist extraordinaire, and bass master at The Egg in Albany: Rite of Strings featuring Al Dimeola, Jean Luc-Ponty, and Stanley Clarke.

And I’ll be there on Sunday when Wynton Marsalis & The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra swings into Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston. I'll be taking the kid to that one after the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival in Saugerties – which I try to never miss. We’ll be the folks in the audience who stink ;-) …

We are so lucky to live in an area with such an incredible offering of things to do. The hardest part each weekend is simply deciding where to go and what to do. At HVC's Web site, we've recently added an interactive searchable calendar with thousands of regional events -- just to make things easier for you (or maybe that should be harder.)

PS I have been busy getting the October issue of Hudson Valley Connoisseur ready for you -- and you’ll be able to read it starting next week when it arrives at local bookstores; look for details at our Web site.