We recently decided to make a return trip to the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown after a too-brief visit in August. While we were looking for other things to do, we noticed that the museum was hosting a jazz combo called Dueling Vibes on Saturday evening.
What we didn’t realize was that we were going to see (and hear) three world-class musicians — vibraphonists Warren Wolf and Joe Locke, accompanied by Richie Goods on upright and electric bass. Wolf and Locke came out early to talk with the audience for a half hour, then three of them returned to wow us for 90 minutes.
These guys were terrific, performing everything from jazz standards to some Tina Marie funk. The two-vibes lineup was varied occasionally with Locke and then Wolfe moving to piano, but mainly it was all mallets, all the time, with some pieces played at lightning speed. I am not a vibes aficionado, so I have to admit that Wolf and Locke were new to me. But their bios show that they are at the top of the heap.
The show was hosted by Jazz in the Berkshires, and it turned out to be the unexpected highlight of our trip.