An Evening Featuring the BEST in Jazz

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International performers Anat Cohen and Marcello Gonçalves will be performing on Saturday, May 17th at 5PM. The Grammy nominated duo will play Brazilian classics and original pieces composed under the influence of choro, samba, bossa nova and more. The performance takes place at Saint James Place, Great Barrington

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.— Clarinetist Anat Cohen and 7-string guitarist Marcello Gonçalves will perform on Saturday, May 17th, at 5 PM at Saint James Place, located at 352 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230.

Cohen, praised by jazz critic Nat Hentoff for her deeply felt storytelling through music, has formed several quartets, a 'tentet', a trio (with her two brothers), a record label and released 21 albums, and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. NPR's Fresh Air has called her a primary force for re-establishing the clarinet as a solo instrument in the 21st century, and DownBeat Magazine has named her the top clarinetist in both the readers and critics polls every year since 2011.

Gonçalves is known as a performer, musical director, arranger, and producer. Both musicians are also educators, with Gonçalves at the Federal University of Rio and Cohen at the Stanford University of Jazz Workshop in California and the New School in Manhattan.

The performance will feature South American jazz and choro music, a Brazilian specialty.

Tickets can be purchased through "Jazz and Classics for Change" at https://jcfc.company.site/. Prices are $45 for adults, $30 for students with ID, and free for children under 12.

 

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Reps. Leigh Davis, Bud Williams Filing Legislation Honoring Freeman

SHEFFIELD, Mass. — State Reps. Leigh Davis of the 3rd Berkshire District and Bud L. Williams, of the 11th Hampden District, are filing legislation establishing Aug. 22 as Elizabeth Freeman Day of Equality, Healing, and Remembrance in the commonwealth.
 
The legislation would direct the governor to annually issue a proclamation recognizing the courageous contributions of Elizabeth Freeman, an enslaved Black woman known as Mum Bett, whose landmark freedom suit helped spark the legal end of slavery in Massachusetts.
 
"Elizabeth Freeman's story began here in the Berkshires, but its impact reached every corner of the commonwealth," said Davis. "More than two centuries later, her legacy continues to inspire us. Establishing Elizabeth Freeman Day will ensure that future generations learn not only about her extraordinary bravery, but also about the power of one person to change the course of history."
 
In 1781, Freeman, of Sheffield at the time, challenged the institution of slavery by filing suit against her enslaver, Col. John Ashley. In the landmark case Brom and Bett v. Ashley, a Berkshire County jury ruled in favor of Freeman and her fellow plaintiff, Brom, granting them their freedom. The case demonstrated the power of the Massachusetts Constitution's declaration that all people are born free and equal and helped pave the way for the Quock Walker decisions that ultimately ended slavery in the commonwealth. 
 
"Freeman's courage changed the course of history in Massachusetts," said Williams. "At a time when the odds were stacked against her, she stood up and demanded that the promises of liberty and equality contained in our Constitution apply to her as well. She risked everything to challenge an unjust system, and her victory helped lay the foundation for the end of slavery in our commonwealth. Her legacy deserves to be recognized and remembered by every resident of Massachusetts."
 
Although unable to read or write, Freeman understood the meaning of freedom and equality and took extraordinary action to secure those rights for herself and others. Her story remains one of the most powerful examples of individual courage in the face of injustice. 
 
Elizabeth Freeman Day will provide an opportunity for reflection, education, healing, and remembrance, said Williams. 
 
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