Grammy Award-nominated Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez brings his electrifying fusion of Latin, pop, jazz, tango, and funk music to the Linde Center at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass., tonight at 7pm. Rodriguez dazzles on the piano with his fleet virtuosity and his ability to blend genres all in the same musical passage, leading to comparisons with Bill Evans and Thelonious Monk. His music reflects his memories of Cuba, his experiences as an immigrant, and his journey of self-discovery through music. (Fri, Apr 4)
Rob Flax’s Boom Chick Trio returns for their third concert at the Foundry in West Stockbridge, Mass., tonight at 7:30pm. Rooted in equal parts hot swing, indie-folk, and lyrical storytelling, this energetic trio of virtuoso violin, guitar, and bass plus three-part harmony vocals take listeners on a dizzying genre-bending journey from classical and jazz violin to bluegrass fiddle, to blues and rock influences, and beyond. (Fri, Apr 4)
Hudson-based author Jonathan Lerner and his Pulitzer Prize-nominated nephew, author Ben Lerner will team up at the Second Ward Foundation in Hudson, N.Y., tonight at 6pm, for a lively discussion about the highs and lows of adolescence and their process for translating their own experiences into writing: in Jonathan’s new, terrific memoir, Performance Anxiety, and Ben’s critically acclaimed novel of adolescence, The Topeka School (2019), which won the Los Angeles Times Book Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. (Fri, Apr 4)
Alsarah & the Nubatones headline a weekend-long world music festival at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, Mass., today through Sunday. Alsarah is a Sudanese-born singer, songwriter, bandleader, and a somewhat reluctant ethnomusicologist who names Lebanese singer Fairuz, American folksinger Joan Baez, and Yemeni and Balkan music as influences, and has described her work with the Nubatones as “soul music from East Africa.” The festival also includes performances by Palestinian vocalist Amal Murkus with Firas Zreik and oud wizard Huda Asfour. (Fri-Sun, Apr 4-6)
Multiple Grammy Award-winning composer and saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera brings his quintet to perform his eclectic Latin fusion to the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Mass., on Saturday at 8pm. Born in Havana, D’Rivera combines bebop, classical, and Latin music to make for a unique fusion. He has won a combined 16 Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards and is celebrated both for his artistry in Latin jazz and his achievements as a classical composer. (Sat, Apr 5)
Also of note:
Berkshire Bach presents a concert performance of Henry Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas with professional soloists, chorus, and orchestra, led by BBS choral director James Bagwell, at First Congregational Church in Great Barrington, Mass., on Saturday at 4pm.
Capital Region Classical presents pianist Mitsuko Uchida performing works by Beethoven, Schoenberg, Kurtág, and Schubert at Union College’s Memorial Chapel on Sunday at 3pm.
The New York Philharmonic String Quartet performs works by Haydn, Dvořák and Florence Price at the Stissing Center in Pine Plains, N.Y., on Sunday at 3pm.
The Orchestra Now performs works by three European composers at Bard Fisher Center in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., on Saturday at 7pm, and again on Sunday at 2pm.
Seth Rogovoy is editor of the Rogovoy Report, available at rogovoyreport.substack.com.
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