Jazz@Rochester

The party's over . . . live jazz in Rochester at the dawn of 2009

Closing out 2008 on a sad note, as many of you know already the great jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard died over the weekend of complications from a heart attack. NY jazz writer and historian Marc Myers has a thoughtful profile on Hubbard on his blog Jazz Wax. Another great artist to join those jazz sessions that must be going on up there. Out...way out....

Now that the party is over and 2008 comes to a close, here are the live jazz listings in and around Rochester for the next seven days...the first days of 2009. Have a wonderful and, we hope, prosperous and healthy new year!

Thursday, January 1st (like you're going to want to go out...)

• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Bobby Henrie @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm

Friday, January 2nd

• Bobby Dibaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Ryan T Carey and the El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Funkbox with Jimmie Highsmith Jr. @ Pazzo's Cucina, 7:30 pm
• Mark Cassara 4 Piece @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm

Saturday, January 3rd

• Ryan T Carey and the El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Ted Perry Trio @ Little Theatre Café, 8:30 pm
• Devin Kelly Organ Trio CD release party featuring Bob Sneider and Dino Losito @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Mike Allen with Greg Wachala Band @ The Mez, 8:00 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes (East Ave.), 9:30 pm

Sunday, January 4th

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Fundraiser for Melissa's Living Legacy Teen Cancer Foundation featuring three bands, including Jazz, Old School and the Christine Baze Band @ Lovin Cup ($20 suggested donation, $10 with Student I.D.), 3:00 pm
• Jazz Night & Open Jam Session w/ Mike Allen @ Lovin Cup, 7:00 pm
• Blue Notes for Freddie "A jazz vigil for Freddie Hubbard 1938-2008" Listening Party, hosted by Derrick Lucas @ WGMC Jazz 90.1, 10:00 pm to 1:00 am

Monday, January 5th

• Brad Batz Group @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm
• Big Apple Mondays Swing Dance Class and Live Jazz with Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Café, 8:30 pm

Tuesday, January 6th

• Johnny Matt Big Band @ Edgerton Community Center, 1:00 pm
• Jim Nugent Trio @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm

Wednesday, January 7th

• Brad Batz Group @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Fairport High School Jazz Combos and the Bill Tiberio Band @ Fairport High School (1 Dave Paddock Way, Fairport 14450 (Rm. 313), 7:00 pm
• Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm
• Jazz Jam Session w/host Troup Street Band @ Clarissa's, 9:30 pm (sign up at 8:30 pm)

We've compiled these listings from information obtained from the performing artists themselves and other sources. The aim is to give you a one stop place to find all your jazz in Rochester. Please forgive me for any discrepancies with reality and feel free to let me know what the problem is, and I'll get the corrections up on the site as soon as possible (click on the "Send an email to Jazz@Rochester" link). If you go out to hear a performance listed here, feel free to drop a comment to this post about how it went. I want to hear from you!

Get 'em while they're "cheap"! Rochester International Jazz Fest ticket price going up on January 1st

The price for the coveted Club Pass to the 2009 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, running from June 12-20, will be increasing at noon on January 1st. Club Passes permit access to all non-Eastman Theatre shows. Right now, Club Passes are $105, plus a $4 service charge. At noon on New Year's Day, the price increases $30 to $135 plus a $4 service charge. For details, visit the RIJF's site or Ticketmaster.

Grammy winning Maria Schneider coming home to Eastman in January

Wanted to makes sure you all knew (there's been some ads, etc., but it can't help to repeat) that world-renowned composer,band leader and multiple Grammy Award winner Maria Schneider will be bringing her 18-piece jazz orchestra to the Eastman Theater on Friday January 23, 2009 at 8:00 pm.

Rochester International Jazz Festival producers John Nugent & Marc Iacona are teaming up with the Eastman School of Music's Ray Ricker and the Institute for Music Leadership at ESM to present Maria Schneider in a grand “homecoming” to Eastman. The acclaimed jazz composer graduated from Eastman in the mid 1980’s. RIJF has created the RIJF-ESM jazz scholarship program seven years ago with the intention to help deserving student’s education costs. Ricker notes that on January 22-24, 2009 ESM is

...bringing together music school leaders from around the country to take part in a workshop entitled, Preparing the Generation-E Musician: The Place of Entrepreneurship in Higher Education Music School Curriculum. Who wants to talk about entrepreneurship all day! We need music, and what a perfect fit for us to present Maria. She epitomizes today’s entrepreneurial musician. You can’t argue with two Grammy-winning recordings achieved with internet only sales!

Ricker's last comment is from Schneider's innovative creative process in which she has eschewed the major labels and raised funds for composing and producing CDs from her fans through ArtistShare and then sold the resulting acclaimed CDs on the Internet only. Schneider was one of the first artists to use ArtistShare. Her most recent album, Sky Blue, also done through ArtistShare won Jazz album of the year in this year's Downbeat Critics poll. The Maria Schneider Orchestra also received Best Big Band and Maria was named Composer of the year and Arranger of the year in that poll. A piece on that album Cerulean Skies was awarded a Best Instrumental Composition Grammy in 2008.

Tickets are $40, $30 and $20 (plus service charges) and are on sale at the RPO Box Office at East Ave & Gibbs St. (next door to the ECMS), online at RPO.org, at all area Wegmans Stores and through Charge by Phone at 585-454-2100. All University of Rochester students get a 15% ticket discounts; just show your ID. In addition, since the Rochester International Jazz Festival is also behind this performance,its e-news emails have also included a sweetener. If you've purchased an RIJF 2009 Club Pass Series ticket, just take your ticket or a copy of the email we sent you showing proof of purchase to the RPO Box Office on East Ave. and you'll get 15% off tickets in any section for Maria's show (limit 1 per Club Pass).

Check out Anna Reguero's article in the D&C, Eastman School of Music grad Maria Schneider jazzes up her musicianship with a keen business sense.

Holidazed? Some jazz over the next seven days is just the ticket ....

Merry Christmas from Jazz@Rochester! Just couldn't get a post out yesterday, what with the holiday and being out of town with family. Plus there was the near certainty that few of you are out looking for jazz on Christmas day, and even fewer of you were out playing it (at least for the public). I've tried to cull out the false positives where possible, but I suggest you look to the venue's site or call first before heading out to any of the gigs today. Surprisingly enough, not much for today, Christmas Day...

Thursday, December 25th (Merry Christmas folks....)

• Bill Slater @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 11:30 am & 5:00 pm (OK, I'm a little late with the first...sorry)

Friday, December 26th

• Bobby DiBaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Ryan T Carey and the El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• Tommy Gravino @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm
• Chet Catallo and the Cats Christmas All-Star Band featuring Todd East, Jimmie Highsmith Jr., Peter Cwazik, Steve Curry, Nick Murray, Julius Varrenti, Teressa Wilcox, Mike Catallo, Carmen Vallone @ Water Street Music Hall, 7:30 doors, 8:00 pm show
• Just In Time @ Leaf & Bean, 8:00 pm
• Bill Dobbins Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Mark Cassara 4 Piece @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm
• Prime Time Funk @ NOLA's BBQ, 9:00 pm

Saturday, December 27th

• Peter Patall @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Just In Time @ Starbucks (Penfield), 8:00 pm
• Bob Sneider Trio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Collaboration of members of Footnote, Dog House and the Coupe DeVille's John Cianciola @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes (East Ave.), 9:30 pm

Sunday, December 28th

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Jazz Night & Open Jam Session w/ Mike Allen @ Lovin Cup, 7:00 pm

Monday, December 29th

• The White Hots @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Big Apple Mondays Swing Dance Class and Live Jazz with Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Cafe, 8:30 pm

Tuesday, December 30th

• Jim Nugent Trio @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff Jazz Duo @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm

Wednesday, New Year's Eve

• I'll add to the list as I find more, but these are the New Year's Eve events with a jazz twist that I know about now.
• Phil Freeman @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm
• Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Mike Kaupa Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 9:00 pm
• Kinetik~Flo (with OnQu) @ Club Pazzo (36 W. Main St.), 9:00 pm
• Hard Logic @ Bistro 135, 10:00 pm

We've compiled these listings from information obtained from the performing artists themselves and other sources. The aim is to give you a one stop place to find all your jazz in Rochester. Please forgive me for any discrepancies with reality and feel free to let me know what the problem is, and I'll get the corrections up on the site as soon as possible (click on the "Send an email to Jazz@Rochester" link). If you go out to hear a performance listed here, feel free to drop a comment to this post about how it went. I want to hear from you!

Just moved into a new neighborhood of jazz . . . on Alltop

On Twitter, I've been watching announcements of new categories on the new aggregator Alltop, which gathers feeds of the five most recent posts from "all the top" blogs and online information sources about all kinds of topics from A to Z. They recently opened up one in the "jazz" category and guess what? There was Jazz@Rochester! Cool...

If you'd like to check out a bunch of other great jazz blogs and jazz news sources, we're in a great neighborhood of jazz on Alltop, including many of those you'll find in my blogroll and some others you'll probably find there soon enough. I encourage you to check it out as well as the hundreds (thousands?) of other categories.

Take Five Friday . . . the Yuletide version

Well, the recent weather situation here in Rochester sort of put me off track. I was writing the Take Five Friday post and after coming home and shoveling for what seemed hours, my back ached and I didn't remember to finish and publish the post on Friday (this is becoming a trend...). Well since it's the holidays and I'll be visiting the wife's family on Friday, by executive fiat this post is likely going to serve as your Take Five Friday post for both December 19th and December 26th (who knows, I may relent). We'll get back on schedule in 2009....

• Straight, No Chaser Blog is doing a Top Ten Jazz Christmas Albums Countdown starting with this December 10th post, to be completed this weekend, I think.
• On NPR's Take Five sampler, they're letting you listsen to Cajun Carols: New Orleans Christmas Jazz
• Also from NPR is this broadcast of a Jazz Piano Christmas 2008 for you to give a listen, with Arturo O'Farrill, Ellis Marsalis, Eliane Elias, Angel Echevarria, and Rebeca Mauleon.
• Check out the Swingin' Christmas station on AccuJazz.com.
• While I can get into some Vince Guaraldi as much as the next guy, and have 3 or 4 other LPs and CDs with holiday jazz, I think my favorite his Blue Note's Yule Be Boppin' with some hep cat stuff on Cool Yule from Kurt Elling, Bob Dorough reprising his bit with Miles on Blue Xmas. and cuts from Pat Martino, Joe Lovano, Charlie Hunter, Elaine Elias and a host of others.

Sorry, but I couldn't find anything exciting jazz-wise for Hanukkah. If you're aware of something nifty, I encourage you to tell us about it in the comments to this post. 

So take five and explore. Let me know what you think in the comments ....There will be five more next week. Have a Yule that's cool....

The weather outside is frightful... Cancellations

As I look out my window at work at Broad and Exchange, I'm having a bit of trouble seeing very far as the snow is really falling out there. Given the danger of traveling the roads (the only one I intend to travel is the one home...), it is not surprising that I'm hearing of some cancellations for jazz gigs tonight.  So far, I've heard of these two:

• Susan Pereira & Sabor Brasil (Exodus to Jazz) @ Hyatt Regency Hotel Rochester, 8:00 & 10:00 pm
• Jimmie Highsmith Jr. & Friends @ Charlie Brown's on the Green, Durand Eastman Park, 7:00 pm

I would contact the venues for any of the gigs on my listings post for tonight as you're likely to see many more cancellations.  When I hear of any more, I'll cross them out on the Rochester jazz listings post from yesterday.

The bells will not be the only thing jingling . . . Holiday season jazz in Rochester

Well, it's time for the holidays and while there's snow in the air, caroling and other holiday trimmings, you can still find some jazz here and there in Rochester clubs and restaurants (and other places as well). Others will catch it at parties, I expect. Crappy image, I know, but it was one of the first image I tried to "Photoshop" back in the days when there was no such thing.  I've become a bit better at it than that now.

Thursday, December 18th

• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 7:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Lumiere @ Little Theatre Café, 8:00 pm
• Artisan Jazz @ Starry Nites Café, 8:00 pm

Friday, December 19th

• Joe Pera @ Edgerton Community Center, 2:00 pm
• Ryan T Carey and Tommy Gravino with the El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• Jimmie Highsmith Jr. & Friends @ Charlie Brown's on the Green, Durand Eastman Park, 7:00 pm [CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER]
• Bobby Dibaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Hot Jazz on a Cold Winter Night with Ted Poor, Clay Jenkins with the Eastman Allstars, Gabe Condon Septet & the Honeoye Falls-Lima Jazz Ensemble @ Westminster Hall & Chapel, 3886 Rush Mendon Road, Mendon, 7:30 pm
• Susan Pereira & Sabor Brasil (Exodus to Jazz) @ Hyatt Regency Hotel Rochester, 8:00 & 10:00 pm [CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER]
• Ted Nicolosi and Shared Genes @ Mona Lisa Café, 8:00 pm
• Mike Kaupa Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Jennifer Heieck Band @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm
• Filthy Funk @ Dub Land Underground, 10:00 pm

Saturday, December 20th

• Dave Spinner @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Red Hot Holiday Ball (Groove Juice Swing) @ Tango Café Dance Studio, Beginner lesson at 7pm, Music starts at 8pm
• Ryan T. Carey and Tommy Gravino with the El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Ted Nicolosi and Shared Genes @ Pane Vino Restaurant, 8:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Starry Nites Café, 8:00 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Little Theatre Café, 8:30 pm
• Paul Hofmann Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Mark Cassara 4-piece @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes, 9:30 pm

Sunday, December 21st

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Jazz Night & Open Jam Session w/ Mike Allen @ Lovin Cup, 7:00 pm

Monday, December 22nd

• The White Hots @ Little Theatre Café, 8:00 pm
• Big Apple Mondays Swing Dance Class and Live Jazz with Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Café, 8:30 pm

Tuesday, December 23rd

• Jim Nugent Trio @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Nate Rawls @ Edgerton Community Center, 7:30 pm

Wednesday, December 24th

• Christmas Eve with Bill Slater @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 5:00 pm

We've compiled these listings from information obtained from the performing artists themselves and other sources. The aim is to give you a one stop place to find all your jazz in Rochester. Please forgive me for any discrepancies with reality and feel free to let me know what the problem is, and I'll get the corrections up on the site as soon as possible (click on the "Send an email to Jazz@Rochester" link). If you go out to hear a performance listed here, feel free to drop a comment to this post about how it went. I want to hear from you!

Obligatory Grammy jazz nominations post ... The envelope pulleeeze!

A bit late due to aforementioned issues with time, etc., but the 51st Grammy Award nominations are out. I felt compelled to put up a "here are the Grammy nominations" post. Don't always agree with their choices, but there are a few good ones in there.  and here are the nominations for jazz (that would be Field 10, Categories 45 for your Grammy novices):

Best Contemporary Jazz Album

• Randy in Brasil—Randy Brecker (MAMA Records)
• Floating Point—John McLaughlin (Abstract Logix)
• Cannon Re-Loaded: An All-Star Celebration of Cannonball Adderley—Various Artists (Concord Jazz)
• Miles from India (TWO CD SET)—Various Artists (4Q/Times Square Records)
• Lifecycle—-Yellowjackets featuring Mike Stern (Heads Up International)

Best Jazz Vocal Album

• Imagina: Songs of Brasil—Karrin Allyson (Concord Jazz)
• Breakfast on the Morning Tram—Stacey Kent (Blue Note)
• If Less Is More...Nothing Is Everything—Kate McGarry (Palmetto Records)
• Loverly—Cassandra Wilson (Blue Note)
• Distances—Norma Winstone (ECM)

Best Jazz Instrumental Solo

• Be-Bop—Terence Blanchard, soloist (Track from: Live At The 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival--Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary All-Stars) (Monterey Jazz Festival Records)
• Seven Steps To Heaven--Till Brönner, soloist (Track from: The Standard, Heads Up International)
• Waltz For Debby—Gary Burton & Chick Corea, soloists (Track from: The New Crystal Silence, Concord Records)
• Son of Thirteen—Pat Metheny, soloist (Track from: Day Trip--Nonesuch Records)
• Be-Bop--James Moody, soloist (Track from: Live At The 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary All-Stars) (Monterey Jazz Festival Records)

 Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group

• The New Crystal Silence—Chick Corea & Gary Burton (Concord Records)
• History, Mystery—Bill Frisell (Nonesuch Records)
• Live—Brad Mehldau Trio (Nonesuch Records)
• Day Trip—Pat Metheny with Christian McBride & Antonio Sanchez (Nonesuch Records)
• Standards—Alan Pasqua, Dave Carpenter & Peter Erskine Trio (Fuzzy Music)

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

• Appearing Nightly—Carla Bley and Her Remarkable Big Band (WATT)
• Act Your Age—Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band (Immergent)
• Symphonica—Joe Lovano with WDR Big Band & Rundfunk Orchestra (Blue Note)
• Blauklang—Vince Mendoza (Act Music and Vision)
• Monday Night Live At The Village Vanguard—The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (Planet Arts Recordings)

Best Latin Jazz Album

• Afro Bop Alliance—Caribbean Jazz Project (Heads Up International)
• The Latin Side of Wayne Shorter—Conrad Herwig & the Latin Side Band (Half Note Records)
• Song for Chico—Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra (Zoho)
• Nouveau Latino--Nestor Torres (Diamond Light Records)
• Mighty Pirates - Marooned/Aislado—Papo Vázquez &The Mighty Pirates (Picaro Records)

Well, there they are.  Click on the links to be taken to buy them on Amazon.  I will try to give some of these a listen and may post later and may also find and link to some posts from other jazz writers and bloggers about the nominees.  Let me know what you think in the comments.

The heat continues at Exodus to Jazz with Susan Pereira & Sabor Brasil on Friday

[THIS SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO ROCHESTER BEING A REALLY SNOWY PLACE ON FRIDAY]Exodus to Jazz brings some more heat in the second installment of its "Latin Heat" series, with Susan Pereira & Sabor Brasil laying down the samba and bossa nova sounds of Rio and Brazil to the Clarion Riverside Hotel (oops) Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Rochester on Friday, December 19th, with sets at 8:00 & 10:00.

Formed in 1991 by Susan and Brazilian drummer Vanderlei Pereira, Sabor Brasil is one of the most popular Brazilian ensembles in the NYC area. Featuring their debut album, Tudo Azul, Susan Pereira and Sabor Brasil bring their fusion of traditional Brazilian styles with contemporary jazz. Vocalist, pianist and percussionist, Susan Pereira draws on many influences in her compositions and arrangements, including samba, bossa nova, choro and Bahian rhythms and styles.

The "Latin Heat" series concludes (as does the Fall/Winter series) on January 30th with the Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet at the Clarion on January 30th. More later on that.

All shows are at 8:00 and 10:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased for individual shows or for packages. One date is $25 reserved seating, $20 general admission and the last two dates is $42/$34. Students get a 50% discount. Purchase through Ticketweb.com or email your order to exodustojazz@aol.com. More information is available at the Exodus to Jazz website or by calling (585) 733-7685.

Take Five Friday on Sunday . . . ? Some jazz links for you to explore

OK ... OK ... it's Sunday, but I have a good excuse. However, I don't want to short change you, so away we go--this time it's Take Five Sunday ....

• As a former Chicagoan, I have a special place in my thoughts for Studs Terkel, a truly remarkable human being who was an essential part of that great city's character.  In 1992, Studs appeared on Marion McPartland's Piano Jazz radio program on NPR. 
• "Hey, that cat is soooo out" ... Jazz has always had its own lingo.  AllAboutJazz.com has started to collect some of this word jazz. Also check out Boing Boing's post awhile back on a lexicon of jazz hipster talk "Vout" that Slim Gaillard (heard on Kerouac's On the Road) put together.
• Thelonious Monk plays Lulu's Back In Town for the Norwegians in 1966 on YouTube, with Charlie Rouse (tenor sax), Larry Gales (bass), and Ben Riley (drums).
• Larry Blumenfeld writes the blog ListenGood, another ArtsJournal blog, which looks at the "crisis in New Orleans; the struggles of a musical culture to survive. Live music in New York and elsewhere. Life-affirming sounds caught in performance, on recordings, and anywhere else I find them." As a new father, Larry's not writing as much as before, but it's worth a look.
• In 1995, Dr. Billy Taylor did a 4-part series of lectures on What is Jazz? at the Kennedy Center. The files are .au files. Try clicking on them and give them time to download.

So take five and explore. Let me know what you think in the comments ....There will be five more next week.

Live shots ... Candido Camero trading fours at Exodus to Jazz

The "Latin Heat" sets begin at ETJ with NEA Jazz Master Candido Camero with Freddy Colon Latin Jazz Ensemble.

Some jazz listings ... for your listening pleasure

Back in town and ready to get out and see some jazz music around Rochester. Here are your listings for the next seven days.

Thursday, December 11th

• Fairport High School Afternoon Jazz Ensemble @ Eastview Mall (Bon-Ton Court), 5:00 pm
• Tommy Gravino & Friends CD Release @ PaRe Restaurant, 6:00 pm
• Matt Valerio @ Grill at Strathallan, 7:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Nate Rawls Band @ Triphammer Grill, 7:00 pm
• Lumiere @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Standard Jazz Quartet @ Starry Nites Cafe

Friday, December 12th

• Bobby DiBaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Spin It Round NY Nights DJ Unknown presents with Inikori Dance Studio Happy Hour @ Clarissa's, 6:00 pm (9:30 pm, 10:30 pm open salsa dancing)
• Ryan T Carey and Tommy Gravino with the El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• The Westview Project @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm
• Kinloch Nelson @ Bodhi's Cafe & Lounge, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Shared Genes with Ted Nicolosi @ Mona Lisa Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Freddy Colon's Jazz Quartet featuring Candido Camero (Exodus to Jazz) @ Clarion Hotel Riverside, 8:00 & 10:00 pm
• Matt Valerio Band @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Po Boys Brass Band @ Abilene, 9:00 pm

Saturday, December 13th

• Ryan T Carey and Tommy Gravino with the El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• Steve Greene & Tina Albright @ Bodhi's Cafe & Lounge, 7:00 pm
• Shared Genes with Ted Nicolosi @ Mona Lisa Cafe, 7:00 pm
• DJ Unknown spins Brazilian/Jazz/Neo Soul/Plush Lounge @ Venu Resto & Lounge, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• The Westview Project @ Pane Vino Ristorante, 8:00 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Bob Sneider Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes (East Ave.), 9:30 pm

Sunday, December 14th

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Tony Giannavola @ Artisan Works, 1:00 pm
• Jazz Night with Mike Allen & Open Jam Session @ Lovin Cup, 6:00 pm

Monday, December 15th

• The White Hots @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Big Apple Mondays Swing Dance Class and Live Jazz with Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Cafe, 9:00 pm

Tuesday, December 16th

• Jim Nugent Trio @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Nostalgic Reunion Jazz Ensemble @ Edgerton Community Center, 41 Backus St, Rochester, 7:30 pm

Wednesday, December 17th

• Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Jazz Jam Session w/host Troup Street Band @ Clarissa's, 9:30 pm (sign up at 8:30 pm)

We've compiled these listings from information obtained from the performing artists themselves and other sources. The aim is to give you a one stop place to find all your jazz in Rochester. Please forgive me for any discrepancies with reality and feel free to let me know what the problem is, and I'll get the corrections up on the site as soon as possible (click on the "Send an email to Jazz@Rochester" link). If you go out to hear a performance listed here, feel free to drop a comment to this post about how it went. I want to hear from you!

Hot enough to melt our snow ... Exodus to Jazz Latin Heat Series begins on Friday

Exodus to Jazz is lighting the fire for its "Latin Heat" series of jazz with a 2008 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, the legendary Cuban-American percussionist Candido Camero who will be joining Rochester’s popular Freddy Colon Jazz Quartet for an engagement at the Clarion Riverside Hotel on Friday, December 12th. Camero is credited with being the first percussionist to bring the conga to jazz. Born in 1921 in Havana, Cuba, he has performed with seemingly everybody in the jazz including Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Lionel and Slide Hampton, Charles Mingus, Wes Montgomery, Gerry Mulligan, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, and Tony Bennett. Here's a video of Camero in 2007 doing Manteca to give you a flavor for his artistry as a conguero. Rochester-based Freddy Colon appears frequently in Rochester with his quartet and other groups, and is on-air at Rochester radio station WDKX. Colon has performed with many acclaimed artists including Tito Puente, Aretha Franklin, Tito Rojas, Jerry Rivera, Ray Sepulveda, Tito Allen, El Cano Estremera, Soneros del Barrio, Hector Tricoche, Paquito Acosta, Kevin Ceballo, and Zafra Negra.

The "Latin Heat" series will continue on December 19th with Susan Pereira and Sabor Brasil at the Hyatt Regency and end with the Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet back at the Clarion on January 30th.

All shows are at 8:00 and 10:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased for individual shows or for packages. One date is $25 reserved seating, $20 general admission; Two dates is $42/$34 and three dates is $60/$48. Students get a 50% discount. Purchase through Ticketweb.com or email your order to exodustojazz@aol.com. More information is available at the Exodus to Jazz website or by calling (585) 733-7685.

Even though I'm out of town, it's still Friday. So Take Five ...

Friday and I'm so far from home (although being with my parents always is home as well). No jazz here in the small 2,500+ town in SE Kansas (except on the iPod, that is).

• In 2007, I shared a great YouTube video of a Looney Tunes cartoon The Three Little Bops (you know, the one about the Big Bad Wolf...). Mark Myers over at JazzWax recently explored the lineup of musicians playing those hipster porkers (were they wearing pork pie hats?), which to date has been shrouded in mystery. Investigative reporting at its best....
• As you might remember, I've started a Flickr image pool for Jazz@Rochester where I and several others have uploaded photos of jazz musicians and other jazz images. There's a pool out there of vinyl record covers called Vinyl Junkie, which has a number of images of covers for jazz record album covers. If you're of a certain age, like me, you may still have some of these in your collection.
• OK, it's a bit odd and macabre, but Dutch photographer Jaap van de Klomp has written a book that ranges across the U.S. and Europe to get images of the grave sites of legendary jazz musicians. It's called Jazz Lives (long "i" sound or it would be weirder).
• I don't know if you're familiar with Ning, the DIY social networking folks, but you may want to join up and network with some other jazzers at The Jazz Network, which is one of the growing number of Ning communities featuring jazz. I haven't joined myself (not ready to take on another community yet), but assume I will soon. If you're already there let us know what you think about it in the comments.
• A little plug (in addition to the one up there for the Flickr pool). I've been using the microblogging service Twitter for awhile and created a Twitter account for this blog. If you're on Twitter, follow me at jazzrochester (I have another account where some of my other personalities come out... gregorybell).

So take five and explore. Let me know what you think in the comments ....There will be five more next week.

The next 7 days of jazz in Rochester ... A load of listings for you

I'm going to have to miss this week of jazz as I head out to SE Kansas for some time with Dorothy and Toto (and, more importantly, my parents), but no jazz (other than what's on my iPhone, that is...). Get out and listen to some for me, will ya!

Thursday, December 4th

• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 7:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Lumiere @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Rudresh Mahanthappa's Indo-Pak Coalition @ Bop Shop Atrium, 8:00 pm

Friday, December 5th

• Bob Sneider / Paul Hofmann Jazz Happy Hour @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• Bobby Dibaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Free Flow First Friday with Kinetik-Flo @ Club Network, 420 Central Ave., Rochester, 6:30 pm
• Ryan T Carey and Tommy Gravino with the El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• The Westview Project @ PaRe Bar & Grill, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Kinloch Nelson @ The Mez, 8:00 pm
• Dave Glasser with the Bill Dobbins Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Rochester Brass and Electric @ NOLA's BBQ, 9:00 pm
• The White Hots @ The Victor Village Inn, 34 E. Main St, Victor, no time given

Saturday, December 6th

• Holiday jazz concert with Miche Fambro and John Nyerges @ United Nations Association of Rochester building at 494 East Ave., Rochester, 4:00 pm
• Ryan T Carey and Tommy Gravino with the El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• Ted Nicolosi & Shared Genes @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• The Westview Project @ Pane Vino Ristorante, 8:00 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:30 pm
• Dave Glasser with the Bob Sneider Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes, 9:30 pm
• Brad Batz Group @ Pomodoro's, no time given

Sunday, December 7th

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Tony Giannavola @ Artisan Works, 1:00 pm
• Jazz Night with Mike Allen & Open Jam Session @ Lovin Cup, 6:00 pm

Monday, December 8th

• The White Hots @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Eastman Jazz Ensemble @ Kilbourn Hall, 8:00 pm
• Big Apple Mondays Swing Dance Class and Live Jazz with Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Cafe, 8:30 pm

Tuesday, December 9th

• Jim Nugent Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:30 pm
• Johnny Matt 6 Piece Band @ Edgerton Community Center, 7:00 pm
• Dominic Duval with Bob Sneider @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:00 pm

Wednesday, December 10th

• Andy Stobie and the Greater Finger Lakes Jazz Orchestra @ Bonton Court at EastView Mall, 7:00 pm
• The Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Eastman New Jazz Ensemble @ Kilbourn Hall, 8:00 pm
• Jazz Jam Session w/host Troup Street Band @ Clarissa's, 9:30 pm (sign up at 8:30 pm)

We've compiled these listings from information obtained from the performing artists themselves and other sources. The aim is to give you a one stop place to find all your jazz in Rochester. Please forgive me for any discrepancies with reality and feel free to let me know what the problem is, and I'll get the corrections up on the site as soon as possible (click on the "Send an email to Jazz@Rochester" link). If you go out to hear a performance listed here, feel free to drop a comment to this post about how it went. I want to hear from you!