Mocean Worker to perform new live score for Tarzan the Ape Man

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NORTH ADAMS-Music and movies are back this summer at MASS MoCA. The 1932 film, Tarzan the Ape Man, will show on the large outdoor screen at MASS MoCA on Saturday, July 2, at 9 P.M. with live music by the genre-defying electronic musician and producer Mocean Worker. MASS MoCA has commissioned Mocean Worker (aka Adam Dorn) to compose a brand new original score to the classic movie, which stars Maureen O’Sullivan and Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller, and his live performance is sure to thrill and amaze. Mocean Worker is no stranger to adding musical accompaniment to film screenings. In 2003, Dorn performed at MASS MoCA spinning to filmmaker Harry Smith’s Animated Dreams. Described as blending “jolts of jazz, chunks of funk and electronic music into a lively, refreshing, sophisticated sound” (Smoothjazz.com), Mocean Worker’s contribution is guaranteed to give an inventive, contemporary spin to the quintessential adventure film. Tarzan the Ape Man was MGM's inaugural "Tarzan" film out of an astonishing series of twelve. For this film, MGM utilized scads of stock footage of the African jungle from a previous feature film, Trader Horn (1931). Aside from this resource, production costs for Tarzan the Ape Man still managed to reach over $1 million for the studio. This film, directed by W. S. Van Dyke based on a character created by novelist Edgar Rice Burroughs, was also the first feature-length film in the Tarzan series to include talking. W. S. Van Dyke’s film tells the story of a great English hunter, James Parker (C. Aubrey Smith), trudging through an African jungle in search of the legendary Elephant Graveyard. Accompanying Parker is his daughter, Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan), and her former beau, Harry Holt (Neil Hamilton). The expedition is continually interrupted by the apprehensive Tarzan, a white man who'd been lost in the jungle years earlier and raised by apes. Tarzan kidnaps Jane and whisks her away to the treetops, where she eventually overcomes her fear of him and teaches him to speak English. ("Tarzan...Jane", not "Me Tarzan...You Jane," as has often been misreported.) The son of legendary producer Joel Dorn (Charles Mingus, Roberta Flack, John Coltrane, Leon Redbone), Mocean Worker/Adam Dorn began his career as an assistant to bassist/producer Marcus Miller (Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, David Sanborn). His credits also include remixing work for Tenacious D (Jack Black), Marcus Miller, Chaka Khan, Miles Davis, and the Neville Brothers, contributions to Bird Up:The Charlie Parker Remix Project, composing for Sundance favorite, The Doe Boy, as well as two documentaries for HBO. Today he’s a DJ/composer/producer who runs the venerable Label M, a label for reissues and rare live recordings of jazz music with his father. Recently Mocean Worker released his newest and fourth album, Enter the MoWo! Seating will start at 8 P.M. Food and drink from Lickety Split and the MASS MoCA bar will be available before and during the event. Tickets for Tarzan the Ape Man and Mocean Worker are $14 in advance or $17 the day of the show. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Adams from 11 A.M. until 5 P.M. (closed Tuesdays). Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or purchased on line at www.massmoca.org. In the case of inclement weather the event will be moved inside to the Hunter Center.
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Berkshire County Arc Golf Event Raises $45K

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire County Arc raised $45,000 at its 29th annual Golf Classic held this summer at Berkshire Hills Country Club. 
 
The funds raised from the event go directly to individuals with disabilities for activities such as art classes, medical equipment, wheelchair swings, concerts, assistive technology, and dream trips to places like Disney, Celtics games, and deep-sea fishing.
 
The money also goes to scholarships to area high school students planning to pursue human service careers.
 
The lead supporters of the event this year were Berkshire Bank, Health New England, Greylock Federal Credit Union, The Notch Insurance Group, Synagex Modern IT, and Advance Manufacturing.
 
BCArc serves around 1,000 individuals with disabilities through a range of programs that include residential services, employment support, day programs, and support for families at their homes.
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