5.29.11
This is an Archival Site
There is now a new Rogovoy Report home
5.18.11
Weekend Preview May 19-24
Bob Dylan tributes, Deborah Voigt, Tom Paxton, Bill Kirchen, John Kirk and Trish Miller
5.18.11
Celebrating Bob Dylan's 70th Birthday in Style
Paying tribute to the greatest rock songwriter ever
5.17.11
FILM REVIEW: In a Better World and Of Gods and Men
Review by Seth Rogovoy
5.17.11
'LIKE' The Rogovoy Report on Facebook
Click 'LIKE' to Receive Facebook feeds from The Rogovoy Report
5.12.11
Deborah Voigt Headlines Mahaiwe Gala
Opera star to sing arias, show tunes on Saturday, May 21
5.15.11
Famed Spiritual Teacher to Speak on Nonviolence
Mother Maya in free talk at Sruti Yoga in Great Barrington, Mass., on Friday May 20 at 7pm
5.12.11
Special Effects Wizard to Be Honored by Film Festival
Doug Trumbull to be Feted by BIFF
5.11.11
Weekend Preview May 12-16
Cultural Highlights of the Berkshire Weekend
6.4.09
Talk about a small world
Elaine and I grew up together, but only just recently met....
5.8.11
Berkshire Living to Cease Publication
A Farewell from Publisher Michael Zivyak
5.8.11
twiGs Branches Out
Lenox boutique launches new e-tail site
5.8.11
[MUSIC REVIEW] Avalon Quartet in Close Encounters at Mahaiwe
Review by Seth Rogovoy
5.8.11
[MUSIC REVIEW] Avalon Quartet in Close Encounters at Mahaiwe
Review by Seth Rogovoy
5.7.11
[FILM REVIEW] Bill Cunningham New York
Review by Seth Rogovoy
5.7.11
[FILM REVIEW] Bill Cunningham New York
Review by Seth Rogovoy
|
[MUSIC REVIEW] James Taylor at Tanglewood
8.22.06
by SETH ROGOVOY, critic-at-large for BERKSHIRE LIVING magazine and WAMC Northeast Public Radio
(Lenox, Mass., 8/22/06) -- James Taylor's concerts at Tanglewood in Lenox. Massachusetts, have become nearly as much of an annual tradition as any other at the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra – as much of a ritual as the annual Independence Day festivities, Tanglewood on Parade, Film Night, and the Labor Day weekend jazz festival.
Taylor's long history with the Berkshires, dating back to his first stay here in the late 1960s and culminating with his move here several years ago, as well as several references to the region in his lyrics, have made him something of the area's adopted hometown hero.
So a James Taylor concert at Tanglewood is never an ordinary affair, and last night's sold-out show was typical – a veritable lovefest between the approximately 18,000 attendees and the quintessential sensitive singer-songwriter, who virtually invented the genre with his landmark 1970 album, SWEET BABY JAMES, and who has continued to please fans throughout the decades with hit albums full of his soulful, all-American mix of folk, country, pop, jazz, rock, blues, and R&B-inflected songs.
Indeed, last night's two-hour-plus concert, on a picture-perfect evening, was a mellow affair that could very well have been a lesson in American music 101. From the opening chords of the country-folk melody, “Something in the Way She Moves” to the closing pop ballad, “The Secret of Life,” Taylor took his audience on a journey through his deep, rich songwriting catalogue, through well-known hits and choice obscurities, through ballads and burners and blues, and even on a few detours, including a honky-tonk number by country legend George Jones, and to the Great White Way for a rendition of “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” from “Oklahoma.”
Last night's concert was a more intimate affair than usual. Taylor sported a stripped-down backing band, including keyboardist Larry Goldings, bassist Jimmy Johnson, guitarist Michael Landau, and the amazing drummer, Steve Gadd. Counting Taylor as a vocalist, the musicians were outnumbered by the singers, who formed a mini choir emphasizing the melodic and harmonic sophistication of so many of Taylor's tunes. But the four musicians, plus Taylor on crisp, clean acoustic guitar, were fully able to pull off the set's more upbeat highlights, including favorite hits like “Your Smilin' Face” and the Marvin Gaye cover, “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You,” which sparked such a frenzy among certain females in the crowd that they felt compelled to join JT on the stage.
The 58-year-old performer was in fine voice last evening, on newer songs including “October Road,” which courtesy of drummer Steve Gadd veered from a Celtic march to a reggae rocker, and on the folk spiritual “The Water Is Wide,” a song that serves as the very foundation of the maritime imagery that infuses so many of Taylor’s songs. His voice soared in from surprising places on his rendition of Carole King's “You’ve Got a Friend,” which he personalized for the evening, singing, “Everybody here in Stockbridge, You’ve got a friend.”
In sum, it was a quintessential night from the quintessential Berkshire performer. For those fans who were shut out of last night’s sold-out show at Tanglewood, take heart. While it may lack the ambiance of the pastoral grounds of Tanglewood, there’s still time to catch James Taylor this Saturday night, when he performs at the Pepsi Arena in Albany.
[This review for Berkshire Living magazine also appeared as an audio review on WAMC Northeast Public Radio Network.]
|
...sites that work