In 1950, Philip and Stephanie Barber opened the Music Inn, a groundbreaking home for jazz and blues nestled among the barns and outbuildings of the Wheatleigh estate. This unlikely venue drew legendary Black jazz performers—John Lewis, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Oscar Peterson, Kenny Dorham, and others—many of whom also served as faculty-in-residence at the Lenox School of Jazz, a vital center of the genre’s avant-garde.
In The Jazz Barn, author John Gennari writes that the Barbers’ vision “became pivotal to public understanding of the music’s African roots, its folk properties, and its place in American life and culture.” This special event combines an author talk with a performance by Ron Ramsay’s Berkshire Salon Series, exploring the history and enduring legacy of the Music Inn and Lenox School of Jazz, and the profound influence of Philip and Stephanie Barber on the cultural life of the Berkshires—and beyond. For this special performance, Ron will be joined on stage by Samantha Talora on vocals, Benny Kohn on jazz piano, Charlie Tokarz on woodwinds, and Eileen Markland on fiddle.
IMPORTANT EVENT INFORMATION:
- This 60-70 minute author talk and musical performance takes place in The Mount’s Stable Auditorium, a climate-controlled, 140-seat venue adjacent to the parking lot.
- A cash bar will be open before the event, 5:00 – 6:00 pm.
- Seating for all programs at The Mount is first-come, first-served. If you have seating preferences, we recommend arriving fifteen minutes early.
- Accessible seating is available. To discuss arrangements, please contact us by phone: 413-551-5111 x5; or email: programs@edithwharton.org. For more information about accessibility, review The Mount’s accessibility webpage.
- Questions? Email: programs@edithwharton.org; or phone: 413-551-5111 x2
John Gennari is Professor of English and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at the University of Vermont. Gennari’s previous book, Flavor and Soul: Italian America at Its African American Edge (2017), is a study of Black/Italian cultural intersections in music and vernacular soundscapes, foodways, sports, and other forms of expressive culture. His earlier book, Blowin’ Hot and Cool: Jazz and Its Critics (2006), won the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for Excellence in Music Criticism and the John G. Cawelti Award for Best Book in American Culture Studies.
Ron Ramsay & Samantha Talora have been blending their voices in harmony since 2014, bringing an exhilarating vocal tour de force to audiences throughout the northeast. Launched in 2025, Ron Ramsay’s Berkshire Music Salon Series is an ongoing series dedicated to and inspired by Ron’s lifelong friend and mentor, the late great Berkshire socialite, singer, and entrepreneur Stephanie Barber, founder of The Music Inn and owner of the Gilded Age cottage, Wheatleigh. Together, Ron and Stephanie performed and sang the great songs of the American Songbook, French and German cabaret, and the music of their many famous composer friends throughout Berkshire County. Ron dedicates this series to the memory of Stephanie Barber, his esteemed and wonderful friend.
