Tribute To a Jazz Knight

Ellie Shearing (center) and members of Berkshire Gateway Jazz
during a May 2014 interview regarding her husband, Sir George
Shearing. Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

This weekend marks the third annual Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend, to be held in my former town of Lee, Massachusetts. This year's festival, which runs from Thursday, June 5 through Saturday, June 7, will include a tribute to the late jazz pianist, Sir George Shearing.

Last March I was hired by Berkshire Gateway Preservation Inc. to travel to New York City, and film an interview with Shearing's widow, Ellie Shearing, in the beautiful apartment the couple shared near the City's Central Park/Museum Mile. The completed video, with Ms. Shearing recalling her famous husband's life and career (in front of his grand, Bösendorfer piano), will kick off this weekend's festival, with a free screening at the Lee Library, starting at 6 p.m. (the video will also be airing on CTSB-TV).

"The sounds of Shearing": behind the scenes.
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights
reserved.

I enjoyed putting this latest music documentary together. It was interesting to learn about Shearing, who triumphed over the odds (and blindness) to become one of the most influential piano players in the world of jazz, with a distinct style that became known as the "Shearing Sound." I had a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the Shearings' home/ recording studio, and heard stories of the many jazz greats who connected with the pianist over the years. It turned out that he and Ellie used to live part-time in Lee, Massachusetts, so this weekend's events seem especially fitting. 

Friday's concert, to be held at the newly restored First Congregational Church in Lee, will feature The Sounds of Shearing, a tribute band to the jazz legend, with members of George Shearing's original Quintet. Proceeds from the concert will help benefit the efforts of the Berkshire Gateway Preservation. For more information about the festival and how to purchase tickets, visit the Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend website.

Related Links (updated June 6):

"Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend: Shearing ensemble honors a master," Berkshire Eagle, June 6, 2014

"Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend tribute to George Shearing to open summer music scene," Berkshire Eagle, May 27, 2014

www.georgeshearing.net

Dia de Los Muertos

Today Norman Rockwell Museum is presenting its annual walking tour of the Stockbridge Cemetery, burial site of such town luminaries as The Sedgwick Family, Elizabeth Freeman, and Norman Rockwell. The tour kicks off at 5 p.m., with a cider and donut reception outside of the town's clock tower (site of Rockwell's 1971 Springtime in Stockbridge painting).

A few weeks ago I headed over to the cemetery, in an attempt to take some "spirited" photos for inclusion in a Halloween events commercial being produced by the Greater Springfield Visitors Bureau and CBS-3 Springfield. It was a bright, late summer day, but my intent was to get some shots that verged on the "scary" and "sinister." Here are a few of the more successful shots:

Camera: Canon EOS 60D, mostly manual setting/non-flash.

All photos by Jeremy Clowe for Norman Rockwell Museum.

©Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

Fright-Filled Links:

"ZombieFest TV spot," CBS-3 Springfield

"Luminaries" (photos by JC), Norman Rockwell Museum Facebook

"Exploring The Stockbridge Cemetery," Norman Rockwell Museum blog (written by JC)

The Best Medicine?

What a difference a week makes. Last Monday morning who could have predicted the events that would transpire in the days ahead? The Boston Marathon bombing... Senate vote on gun control... the Texas fertilizer plant explosion... oy. Hard to find much to laugh about, yet last week also marked my return to performing with the Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe, and we had our first rehearsal on the same day we all learned about the bombing.

The Berkshires are not that far from Boston, and over the last ten years I have made frequent trips to Beantown... I have some truly fond memories, both personal and professional, and would certainly count it as one of my favorite cities. So it was unnerving to learn about this attack on a city with such charm and history, during a public event that has come to symbolize such good will.



As an event, the Marathon is also about endurance and triumphing over adversity. Keeping this theme in mind, the city of Boston certainly honored the victims of this tragedy. Last Friday was surreal, as I drove to work and heard news about the manhunt for the bombing suspects and subsequent lockdown of the area. All day long we were glued to the internet or TV trying to keep up on the latest of this very tense ordeal...

Photo courtesy and © Spectrum Playhouse. All rights reserved.

So as the evening rolled around, it was something of a release to join my improv comrades for our show at Lee's Spectrum Playhouse. It's odd... I remember starting RBIT over twelve years ago, right after September 11th, and there was something similarly poignant back then about being able to soldier on in the midst of darkened skies...


I haven't been to a RBIT rehearsal or gig in a few months, and there were a few changes. First, our friend and co-founder Frank La Frazia has moved to Brooklyn to further pursue his career. This meant filling the leadership role which he had provided for most of the last decade. I decided to step up and host the show, which was a new experience... not something I have done too often in this context, but it felt good. We had a meeting this past weekend to talk about the future of the group and it seems there is a desire to keep moving forward.

Waving goodbye to our friend Frank. Photo courtesy and
©Spectrum Playhouse. All rights reserved.

At this point, if I am to remain active with the group, I need to be able to take it to the next level as a performer. I have been checking out some performances recently with Schenectady's resident improv group, The Mop & Bucket Company— these guys certainly know their stuff... dipping into long-form improv, and benefitting from a fairly seamless presentation of their performances. 


My fellow improv buddy Paul and I decided to take one of their open drop-in classes, and it was nice to get some outside feedback on how to strengthen our improvisational skills. The best piece of advice: jump into scenes without knowing what you're going to do. I tend to want to come up with the most clever lines, but that's not what this is about... it's more about being instinctual and truthful, which I understand... it is challenging, but most definitely funny seeing actors react in the moment and try to figure it all out.

Courtesy and ©Spectrum Playhouse.
All rights reserved.

So in the midst of all this uncertainty, our Friday show went great. It felt a bit more spontaneous, while still having the benefit of good rehearsal to support an underlying structure. I think I could actually keep at this for a little while, as long as the rest of the group stays committed... they seem to be. And so we move on... until the next big challenge... unavoidable, but not necessarily insurmountable. 

Post-show, as we celebrated at a nearby pub, news came over one of the TV screens that the second bombing suspect had finally been caught. It was pretty wild how in this new technological age things had been "resolved" so quickly... of course I feel for the friends and families of the victims, who are left with the task of finding some kind of peace...

Related Link:

www.berkshireimprov.com