There has always been an intersection of jazz and spirituality that has been explored variously by the likes of Duke Ellington, Mary Lou Williams, John Coltrane, and others. Pianist-composer Isaiah J. Thompson will present Modern Jazz Ministry, premiering his most recent work, a suite entitled The Book of Isaiah, at the Linde Center at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass., tonight at 7pm. Isaiah joined the John Pizzarelli Trio in 2019 and has performed with other major artists, including Christian McBride, Catherine Russell and Buster Williams. (Fri, May 2)
Benjamin Hochman presents a solo piano recital at the Clark in Williamstown, Mass., tonight at 6pm. The concert is centered around American composer Matthew Aucoin’s The tracks have vanished, a work inspired by Aucoin’s forthcoming opera, Demons, itself based on Dostoyevsky’s novel of the same name. The recital program as a whole draws on an intricate web of interconnected themes, including nihilism and life under Russian totalitarianism and the genre of opera transcriptions (including from operas by Wagner and Gluck). (Fri, May 2)
Singer and songwriter Kate Pierson, a founding member of the B-52s, the beloved dance-rock band that bridged punk and New Wave with its distinctive retro approach in both music and fashion, brings hits from her old group and her distinctive solo career to City Winery Hudson Valley in Montgomery, N.Y., tonight at 7:30pm. Pierson’s most recent solo album, Radios and Rainbows, is a showcase for Pierson’s distinctive, soaring vocals on numbers evenly divided between dance anthems and politically pointed protest songs. (Fri, May 2)
Modern dance troupe Pilobolus brings its self-styled re:CREATION Tour to the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Mass., on Saturday for two shows at 3pm and 8pm. Among other works from its celebrated repertory, the group will debut its interpretation of Martha Graham’s seminal work, Lamentation, to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Martha Graham Dance Company as part of the Lamentation Variations project. (Sat, May 3)
Also of note:
Richard Barone of the Bongos and Glenn Mercer of the Feelies join forces at the Falcon in Marlboro, N.Y., on Friday, May 2, at 7:30pm, for there “Hazy Cosmic Jive” program of glam-rock from the mid-1970s, including songs by David Bowie, Brian Eno, Roxy Music, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, T. Rex and others that inspired their own future work.
If ever there was someone to the manner born, it’s singer-songwriter Lucy Wainwright Roche, who brings her original folk-rock to the Local in Saugerties, N.Y., on Saturday, May 3, at 8pm.
Chimera, featuring Iva Bittová, Antonín Fajt, Steve Gorn, Timothy Hill, and Michael Bisio, brings its blend of avant-garde jazz, Indian raga, Moravian folk music, overtone singing, as well as early and modern European classical, American folk, and more, to Conking Hall in Rensselaerville, N.Y., on Saturday, May 3, at 6:30pm.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah bring their blend of post-punk and indie-rock to the Egg in Albany, N.Y., on Wednesday, May 7, at 8pm. The group will perform its 2005 eponymous debut album in its entirety
And finally, Seth Rogovoy – that would be me -- will read from and sign copies of his new book, Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison, at the North Adams Public Library in North Adams, Mass., next Wednesday, May 7, at 6pm. The reading will feature multimedia elements, including audio and video, and will be followed by a Q&A and a book-signing courtesy of MASS MoCA’s Research & Development Store. The event is free and open to the public. (Wed, May 7)