Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, Mass., celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip-hop — the diverse culture and art movement catalyzed in the Bronx in August 1973 — with a one-of-a-kind program, Hip Hop Across the Pillow, featuring dance artists including Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater, Rokafella and Kwikstep, and d. Sabela grimes, and the Ladies of Hip-Hop, running today through Sunday. (Wed-Sun, Aug 2-6)
15-time Grammy Award-winner Bela Fleck brings his Bluegrass Heart Band to the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Mass., tonight at 8. Widely considered the most innovative banjoist in the world, Fleck finds himself returning to his old-time bluegrass roots on his current tour. (Fri, Aug 4)
Seventies hitmakers Ambrosia, who fused symphonic art rock with a slickly produced, soulful pop sound that garnered them a handful of hits, including “Nice, Nice, Very Nice” and “Biggest Part of Me,” brings its current incarnation, including three of the group’s original members, to the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Mass., tonight at 7:30. The group’s music might remind listeners of such contemporaries as Genesis, Steely Dan, and the Doobie Brothers. (Fri, Aug 4)
The Ulysses Quartet is in residence at PS21 in Chatham, N.Y., on Saturday, as part of the venue’s House Blend Concert Series of adventurous chamber music. At 1 p.m., the quartet will perform Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 9 in C major and Zosha Di Castri’s String Quartet No. 1. At 7 p.m., the quartet will tackle works by composers including Rhiannon Giddens, Tan Dun, Luciano Berio, and Telemann. (Sat, Aug 5)
Peruvian pianist Priscila Navarro performs a program of works by Latin composers at Maverick Concerts in Woodstock, N.Y., on Saturday at 8 p.m., as part of a six-concert mini-series that illuminates the historical significance and celebrates the current vitality of Latinx and Hispanic creativity in the classical and jazz traditions. Also at Maverick this weekend, the Verona Quartet, quartet-in-residence at Oberlin College, performs an eclectic program of works by Mozart and others, on Sunday at 4 p.m. (Sat-Sun, Aug 5-6)
The Bard Music Festival returns for its 33rd season with an exploration of the life and work of English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, which runs at the Bard Fisher Center today through Sunday, August 13. Highlights include Between Two Worlds: London and Berlin, a program contextualizing Vaughan Williams among contemporaries, including Max Bruch, Ethel Smyth, Frank Bridge, and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., and Heirs and Rebels: British Art Songs, featuring works by Maude Valérie White, Liza Lehrmann, Roger Quilter, Benjamin Britten, and Gerald Finzi, on Sunday at 10 a.m. (Sat-Sun, Aug 5-6)
The Aaron Diehl Trio, featuring Aaron Kimmel on drums and David Wong on bass, presents a jazz program including Sir Roland Hanna’s 24 Preludes, in Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, Mass., on Sunday at 8 p.m. (Sun, Aug 6) Groundbreaking female rocker Melissa Etheridge brings her rock anthems and songs of female empowerment to the Egg in Albany, N.Y., on Tuesday, August 8, at 8 p.m. (Tue, Aug 8)
Spiritual singer-songwriter Matisyahu and roots artist G. Love and Special Sauce bring their summer tour to the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, N.Y., on Thursday, August 10, at 7:30 p.m. Grammy Award-nominated Matisyahu is widely recognized for his unique fusion of spiritual themes with reggae, rock, and hip-hop beatboxing. G. Love & Special Sauce are known for their innovative blend of alternative hip hop, blues, and funk. (Thu, Aug 10)
Seth Rogovoy is editor of the Rogovoy Report, available at rogovoyreport.substack.com.
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