Jazz stars salute Hendrix to raise funds for tsunami relief

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A jazzy salute to Jimi Hendrix will raise cash for tsunami relief
PITTSFIELD-Four of the world's greatest jazz saxophonists will blow their horns in a tribute to Jimi Hendrix to raise funds for longterm housing in Sri Lanka for victims of this winter's tsunami. The legendary World Saxophone Quartet, featuring David Murray, Hamiet Bluiett, Oliver Lake and Bruce Williams, will be performing Saturday, March 26, at 7pm at the Berkshire Music Hall in Pittsfield. Pittsfield's own youth drum and dance group, Youth Alive, will open the benefit concert, a collaborative presentation between Helsinki Presents and the Railroad Street Youth Project (www.rsyp.org), in cooperation with the City of Pittsfield's Office of Cultural Development. Media sponsors include the Valley Advocate. Proceeds from the concert will go to Tsunami Relief, Inc., a not-for-profit Sri Lankan-based charity dedicated to providing permanent shelter to Sri Lankans displaced by the tsunami that devastated the Indian Ocean region last December. "The goal of this show," noted Railroad Street Youth Project director Amanda Root, "is to offer the Berkshire Community the opportunity to participate in global giving, and to empower people by presenting them with the opportunity to view the world as a whole community, raising awareness about the global community." Local community groups will also be invited to have a presence at the Berkshire Music Hall during the evening's concert. The World Saxophone Quartet will be playing jazz arrangements, with the addition of trombone, electric bass, and drums, of songs by Jimi Hendrix from their latest album, "Experience," which features classic Jimi Hendrix tunes such as "Little Wing," "Hey Joe," and "The Wind Cries Mary." The Pittsfield concert is the only performance by the Quartet in the region, and will be followed by a week of benefit shows by the World Saxophone Quartet at New York City's famed Jazz Standard nightclub. Jon Pareles of the New York Times called the World Saxophone Quartet "the most original and important group to emerge since Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane redefined group improvisation in the late 1950s." The Quartet places consistently in the top five groups listed in Down Beat's Annual Critic's Poll and tours extensively throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan. Members of the Quartet have worked with Charles Mingus, Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Babatunde Olatunji, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Benny Carter, David Sanborn, McCoy Tyner, and Jack DeJohnette. The members of the World Saxophone Quartet are Hamiett Bluiett on baritone saxophone; David Murray on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet; Oliver Lake on alto and soprano saxophones; and Bruce Williams on alto and soprano saxophones. They will be joined in this special performance by Craig Harris on trombone, Reggie Washington on electric bass, and Lee Pearson on drums. Youth Alive is a volunteer-run drum and dance group based in Pittsfield's Westside neighborhood. Participants in Youth Alive range in age from 6 to 18, and practice bucket drumming, step dance and other performing arts weekly year-round. The group will be celebrated its tenth year in 2006. The Berkshire Music Hall is located at 30 Union Street in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. For tickets or more information about the World Saxophone Quartet benefit tsunami concert on Saturday, March 26, please call 413-528-3394 or visit www.clubhelsinkiweb.com . For more information about Tsunami Relief, Inc, please visit www.tsunamireliefinc.org .
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Greylock Federal Awards Student Scholarships

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Greylock Federal Credit Union awarded 34 scholarships to high school seniors from every public high school in Berkshire County and Columbia County, N.Y.
 
Greylock awarded 25 $500 Greylock Community Enrichment Scholarships to students who exemplify positive community spirit and demonstrate respect and concern for their peers in everything they do, stated a press release. 
 
Applicants were required to write an essay, which demonstrated their positive involvement in the community.
 
"Our scholarship selection committee reviewed every application and essay," said Jennifer Connor-Shumsky, Greylock's Assistant Vice President, Community Support and Events, of the process which received more than 80 applications. "It was really tough to narrow it down, because there were so many incredible students doing some amazing work in the community."
 
The funds will be applied toward state-accredited or nationally accredited two or four-year colleges or universities, or a full-time technical school program.
 
"For the first time ever, we were thrilled that two of the scholarships went to students entering a technical/vocational school," said Connor-Shumsky.
 
In addition to these scholarships, Greylock offers Scholastic Achievement Awards, which are designated for children of Greylock employees who are also high school graduates. This year, Greylock awarded nine $1,000 Scholastic Achievement Awards. These awards are available to all employees.
 
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