Wes Brown and Friends at PESKEOMPSKUT PARK

Thursday, August 22, 2024, 6:30 pm until 8:30 pm
Jazz Standards and Interpretations. Presented by the Shea Theater and RiverCulture. Free!

WES BROWN & FRIENDS
Jazz Standards and Interpretations
Thursday, August 22, 2024
Peskeompskut Park, Turners Falls, MA
Avenue A and Seventh Street
6:30-8:30PM. FREE!
Bring a lawn chair and a picnic dinner
Rain Date Friday, August 23.

Legendary upright bassist and local resident WES BROWN shares the Peskeompskut Park bandshell with regional musicians for this summer evening of jazz and musical interpretations.

Joining Wes are:
DON ANDERSON, trumpet
JILL CONNOLLY, vocals
SCOTT SASANECKI, guitar
DAN DEWALT, trombone/keyboard
JULIAN GERSTIN, congas/percussion
GARY FIELDMAN, drums
NAT NEEDLE, vocals/keyboard

BIO: Wes Brown is a bassist, flutist, pianist, composer, drummer, and dancer who has played with artists from three different centuries. He has toured the world with many groups, including the legendary pianist Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines, Anthony Davis, Bill Barron, Ed Blackwell, Talking Drums, Anthony Braxton, and the Black Rebels reggae ensemble. His musical experience includes Jazz, Afro-pop, high life, reggae, blues, and gospel styles. Wes has appeared on dozens of recordings with various artists, and for years taught bass and directed the Gospel Choir at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
Wes Brown and Friends is part of the Turners Falls Summer Series sponsored by The Mass Cultural Council, RiverCulture and Greenfield Cooperative Bank with additional support from the Shea Theater Arts Center and the Montague Cultural Council.

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors and Underwriters

Australis Aquaculture • Artisan Beverage Cooperative • Benjamin Company • Berkshire Brewing Company • Cohn and Company Real Estate Agency • Community Credit • Common Capital • Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts • Connecticut River Internists • Dean's Beans • Easthampton Savings Bank • FirstLight GDF Suezna • Gill Tavern • Goff Media • Great Falls Harvest • Green River Festival • Greenfield Community College • Greenfield Cooperative Bank • Greenfield Savings Bank • Loot • Massachusetts Cultural Council • Montague Bookmill Montague WebWorks • Northeast Solar • People's Pint • Rainmaker Consulting • The Rendezvous • Solar Store of Greenfield • Stobierski and Connor • Told Video • True North Transit • Turn It Up

Exciting News for A Happening IV: Leviathan

Cloudgaze and Eggtooth Productions are thrilled to announce that we have received a generous grant from the Markham-Nathan Fund for Social Justice to support our 2024 Immersive Arts Festival, “A Happening IV: Leviathan.”

This festival will transform the Shea Theater into an exploration of theme, hosting installations, music, theatrical performances, and movement pieces, featuring the collective contributions of over 30 local artists. Audiences will experience otherworldly environments and narratives inspired by folklore, fairy tales, horror motifs, American literature, and the mythos of the Old Testament, all of which delve into the central question guiding the festival: "What does it mean to encounter something greater than yourself and to be consumed by it?" Through this theme, we explore how a community reemerges and imagines itself after destruction and transformation.

With the support of the Markham-Nathan Fund, we are excited to create an event that complicates perspectives and fosters meaningful dialogue. We are grateful for this partnership and for the work of the Markham-Nathan Fund for Social Justice.

Thanks to the Mass Cultural Council for their vital support this year.We'd also like to thank the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts for their support in the form of a Flexible Funding grant. We couldn't do this work without you!