Jazz@Rochester

Live shot... Gabriel Alegria Sextet @ Exodus to Jazz

It's heating up...

Take links, add some jazz . . . Take Five

My posting will probably slow down for a few days (although I hope to get at least one post out while in NYC, hopefully from some great jazz club so it will be short as I'll be writing it on my phone. So let's Take Five:

• As NY writer Larry Blumenfeld notes in the post "more change we can believe in" on his blog ListenGood, no Cuban musician who has shown an intention to return to the island has been able to enter the U.S. since 2003. The post links to more information about the policy and what you can do. Heck, I bet dollars to donuts that Bush didn't even like jazz. Obama had Marsalis in the White House on Inaugural night. Let's hope that O ends this silly policy that has deprived the U.S. of hearing this wonderful music again. Listen Good focuses on New Orleans and how its musical culture is trying struggling to survive, as well as live music in New York and elsewhere.
• David Hill is writing over at Hot House, a blog dedicated to jazz criticism where he is "building a catalogue of critical writings, discussing jazz of many eras, reviewing books and new albums that come out, and trying to find an answer to the eternal question, 'What is jazz?'"
• The Jazzarific site is dedicated to true jazz lovers and proclaims itself as "your one-stop resource for online jazz music and information on jazz artists and jazz monuments." It's also the home of the Jazz Vinyl Podcast.
• They're listing the headliners for the 2009 Freihofer’s Jazz Festival at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on the Creative Capital blog over at the Albany Times Union. We have to wait a couple more months before the Rochester International Jazz Festival releases its lineup.
• The incomparable Ella Fitzgerald singing Misty with the Tommy Flanagan Trio around 1965 in London.

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

So what's a little snow? Perhaps some jazz will melt it.... Here's your jazz over the next 7 days

Hoping to get a post or two off while I'm in NYC on business. Although I'm there for a legal geek fest (Legal Tech) , but while you wait, here are the listings for live jazz in Rochester for the next seven days.

Thursday, January 29th

• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Matt Valerio @ Grill at Strathallan, 7:00 pm
• Bobby Henrie & The Goners @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm
• Marc Cassara @ Pane Vino, 8:00 pm
• Dave Rivello Ensemble @ Village Rock Café (East Rochester), 9:00 pm

Friday, January 30th

• Bobby DiBaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Madeline Forster @ PaRe Bar & Grill, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet (Exodus to Jazz) @ Clarion Riverside Hotel, 8:00 pm (doors open at 7:00 pm)
• Stephane Wrembel Trio @ Smith Opera House (Geneva), 8:00 pm
• Dark Holler Duo @ Little Theatre Café, 8:30 pm
• Bob Sneider Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Mark Cassara Four-Piece @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm

Saturday, January 31st

• Tony Giannavola @ PaRe Bar & Grill, 7:00 pm
• Steve Greene & Tina Albright @ Bodhi's Cafe & Lounge, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Kinloch Nelson, Maria Gillard, Al Power, Dawn Thompson @ Mez, 8:00 pm
• Mike Allen/Nick Weiser Band @ Pane Vino, 8:00 pm
• Ted Perry Trio @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:30 pm
• Mike Kaupa Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Jennifer Heieck Band @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes on East, 9:30 pm
• Ache @ Tapas 177 Lounge, 11:00 pm

Sunday, February 1st

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Dr. Lonnie Smith @ Albright Knox Art Gallery (Buffalo), 2:00 pm
• Jazz Night & Open Jam Session w/ Mike Allen @ Lovin Cup, 7:00 pm

Monday, February 2nd

• Big Apple Mondays Swing Dance Class and Live Jazz with Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Cafe, 8:30 pm

Tuesday, February 3rd

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

Wednesday, February 4th

• Stardust Ballroom Dance Series: Johnny Matt @ Edgerton Community Center, 1:00 pm
• AMP @ 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!

Aaron Goldberg Trio holds down at the first "Jazz Day at SUNY Brockport"

The jazz does not just happen here in the city. It's all around us. Heads up that the New York City jazz artist Aaron Goldberg and the Aaron Goldberg Trio will be in residency during "Jazz Day" at SUNY Brockport on Friday, February 6th. The day-long event includes a symposium, “Jazz and its Evolution,” a master class for area jazz musicians of all skill levels, and a cocktail reception. The celebration of jazz will be capped by a concert by the Trio at The College's Tower Fine Arts Center Mainstage at 7:30 pm that evening. The Tower Fine Arts Center is located at 180 Holley Street in Brockport, NY.

Inspired by the rhythms of Brazil and Portugal, Goldberg is a rising star in the new generation of jazz artists. After attending the Berklee School of Music, Goldberg moved to New York City, where he has worked and studied with Betty Carter, Joshua Redman and Wynton Marsalis, among others. Marsalis has said that Goldberg is "a modern improviser of great clarity, finesse and dexterity.” Goldberg debuted as a bandleader and composer with the recording, Turning Point. About his most recent recording, Worlds, the Boston Globe raved “it's a gorgeous session that makes a compelling case for Goldberg's ensemble as one of the era's definitive piano trios.” There is more on the Trio's MySpace page.

This inaugural Jazz Day at SUNY Brockport is sponsored by the Marc and Ann Iacona Family. Iacona, President of Simcona Electronics Corporation, a Rochester-based company, is also the executive producer of the Rochester International Jazz Festival. Iacona believes that “music education is critical to understanding the intricacies and nuances of jazz. Musicians and non-musicians alike can develop a passion and deeper appreciation for what they’re hearing through music education.” His generosity has transformed Jazz Day from an idea to a projected three-year commitment. Jazz Day is also supported by the Brockport Foundation. Events surrounding Jazz Day on the Brockport campus include:

• 10:45–11:45 am: Symposium: “Jazz and its Evolution” at Edwards Hall, Room 100/“Blue Room” (free & open to the public).
• 4:00–5:00 pm: Master Class in the Tower Fine Arts Center/Lobby (free & open to the public).
• 6:00–7:00 pm: Cocktail reception in Edwards Hall Lobby (Ticket required). The reception will feature an open wine bar and hearty hors d’oeuvres, including several new gustatory creations from the kitchens of Garnishes Catering. Edwards Hall is located across Holley Street from Tower Fine Arts Center.
• 7:30–9:00 pm: Aaron Goldberg Trio in Concert at Tower Fine Arts Center/Mainstage (Ticket required).

The symposium and master class are free and open to the public, and will be moderated by Goldberg. Tickets for the concert are $12/General, $10/Seniors, College at Brockport Faculty and Staff and $8/Students. A combination pass that includes entrance to the reception and the concert is priced at $25 and is available by phone at (585) 395-ARTS or at the Tower Fine Arts Center Box Office. Tickets for the concert itself can also be obtained at all Rochester area Wegmans markets.

Latin Heat series at Exodus to Jazz continues with Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet

On Friday, January 30, we'll again get a chance to hear the Afro-Peruvian musical cocktail of Gabriel Alegria and his sextet. This return engagement to Exodus to Jazz (and my third time hearing him in Rochester) will further deepen my appreciation of Alegria's unique blending of the rich Afro-Peruvian musical heritage, Peruvian folk music, and other flavors.  As an added bonus, I hope I'll get another chance to see that wild man percussionist "Huevito" playing the cajón, a box-like percussion instrument.  The guy is smokin!

This penultimate gig of ETJ's "Latin Heat" series (it was supposed to be the last, but there's still one, Susan Pereira & Sabór Brasil, to be rescheduled) will commence at the Clarion Riverside Hotel, 120 Main Street East, Rochester, NY, 14604 at 8:00 PM with two one-hour sets. Doors will open at 7:00 PM. Reserved seats are $25; General Admission seats are $20 (for more information on the new approach, see my earlier post here). To order tickets, go to TicketWeb.com or email your order to Exodus to Jazz.

Music entrepreneur Maria Schneider brings more than her Orchestra back to Eastman

As you can see from my live shot from Friday night, I had the opportunity to catch the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra at Eastman Theater. As I have had little exposure to Schneider's music, the concert was an introduction for me to the lush and intricate soundscapes that she and her all-star jazz orchestra create. All the better that it was live and in the expansive space of the Eastman Theater (although at times that space also detracted from it).  My jazz listening has for the most part focused on smaller groups, trios, quartets, rarely going much over the sextet range except for the great local high school bands and occasional larger ensembles at the Rochester International Jazz Festival and the Chicago Jazz Festival when I lived there.  Schneider's group of 18 musicians, many of whom she's been working since the early 1990s, took solos that repeatedly sent chills down my spine, but when they came together as a group they seemed like one organism and again with the spine.  Music that does that to me does not come around often. 

What I didn't mention in my brief note was that the next day I was also going to catch Ms. Schneider in a much different context. Schneider, a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, came "home" to Rochester help the Institute for Music Leadership (IML) at the Eastman School of Music—which was formed in 2001 to help the music school's students, alumni, and professional musicians with providing education and tools to become leaders in the music industry and shape the musical and cultural future—by serving as a centerpiece to its 3-day workshop "Preparing the Generation E Musician: The Place of Entrepreneurship in Higher Education Music School Curriculum."  The workshop, which finished up yesterday, brought the leaders of nearly 50 higher education music schools together to brainstorm incorporating entrepreneurship into their curriculum and help their students become involved in creating that future and a rewarding career in what they love.  Schneider's concert on Friday, which was co-sponsored by the Rochester International Jazz Festival, was a part of that workshop.  As using the Internet and other new media tools to build the future of music promotion and culture is one area in which I'm intensely interested (this blog being one facet of that interest), after inquiring I was also given an opportunity to attend the Saturday session of the workshop by Ramon Ricker, Eastman's Senior Associate Dean for Professional Studies, Professor of Saxophone and Director of the Institute for Music Leadership. Schneider was the keynote that morning to tell her story and field questions from the attendees.

Schneider is like a poster child for the type of musician that the IML is trying to build and support. She has built a richly rewarding career, both in critical acclaim and in more worldly ways, through forging a different path and utilizing the Internet.  After arriving in New York City in 1985 after graduating from Eastman, she worked as a music copyist and studied with Bob Brookmeyer and through luck and her talent became an assistant to her compositional idol Gil Evans.  In those times she did a lot of writing for others, trying to write in their voice. This lead her to start the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra in 1993 to find her own. The group did five years of weekly gigs at a place called Visiones in Greenwich Village, gigs at which she often made less than the cab fare it took to get her there and back and for which her band members were paid just a bit more than she was.  But it was her music and, little did she realize at the time, she was building an audience that would help her launch her career in a different direction later. She received Grammy Award nominations in each of her first three albums, Evanescence, Coming About, and Allegresse. After realizing how the record company (and the industry as a whole) keep artists in a more or less share-cropping situation (my thought, not her words...), Schneider went a different direction after being approached by her friend Brian Camelio about an idea he had, which became the ArtistShare site. The one thing about an music recording that cannot be fileshared (and this was the big thing in the recording industry at the time of ArtistShare's creation) is the creative process itself.  ArtistShare takes an innovative approach using the Internet that allows an artist's fans to show appreciation by funding their recording projects in exchange for access to that process. As you increase your participation in the project (i.e., by paying more) you have more access to the artist, from just prepaying for the CD or download to being an "Executive Producer" on some projects, which gets you into the recording session itself, credit on the liner notes, face time with the artist, and other perks. It's sort of crowdsourcing the funding and production of a recording or other project through the fans of the artist. The resulting recording project is sold only through ArtistShare on the Internet. This is where the fan base that Maria had built in the five years of low-paying gigs at Visiones paid off.  In 2005, Schneider released her first album through ArtistShare Concert in the Garden, which one the 2005 Grammy for Best Large Ensemble Album and became the first Grammy award winner with Internet-only sales.  That album also wone the Jazz Album of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association and the Downbeat Critics Poll.  Her most recent ArtistShare project, Sky Blue, was released in 2007 and nominated for two Grammy's, winning one for Best Instrumental Composition for the piece Cerulean Skies (which she ended her concert here with).

In telling her story and in interplay with the audience at the workshop, Maria Schneider showed how passionate she is about her music and about how students entering the "real world" can follow their passion and not starve.  Given her life story and success, I thought a lot of what Schneider was worth capturing and sharing with my readers, many of whom are musicians or interested in the music scene as more than just casual listeners. I took a few random notes as she spoke and thought I'd set them out below (these paraphrase what she said; they are not quotes as I'm a notoriously slow note taker):

• In writing their music, artists often underestimate the size of their potential audience, thinking that no one will want to listen to what they are passionate about, and try to write for the masses to be more likely to make sales or get a record deal. When they go out and perform before the audience for that music written "for the masses" and play their own stuff, that audience leave them.  It's better to go with what your passionate about and build your audience for that, sometimes slowly.
• Artists often take the attitude that being "popular" equates with "less than" and that they are destined to toil in obscurity to keep their art pure. That leaves artists open to exploitation by the business world. 
• Schneider insists that it's not about manipulating one's art to make money, but having an attitude that what you do has value. Artists are smart enough to be doing what they love and have to realize that they deserve to get paid adequately to do it. 
• There are many ways that musicians can use their talent that has value. A friend and former classmate of Schneider's who teaches preschool kids music in innovative ways uses her training and is valuable as much as Yo-Yo Ma.
• The music industry and its business model is crumbling. Now is the time to for students, music faculty, and professional musicians to get involved in how that industry will change and place their interests and those of their listeners at the front of it.
• The music itself is isn't enough anymore. Fans and listeners need a connection with the artists and their stories. This is why Schneider at concerts, including Friday's appearance, often explains what was going through her mind or explains the images invoked as she conceived of and wrote a piece. It is also why sharing the creative process is at the core of the success of ArtistShare. 

Schneider talked about a lot of this with WXXI's Bob Smith a few months ago on his 1370 Connection, currently available through the IML's site.

Following her presentation, I stuck around while a number of groups of students and faculty, who had been brainstorming during the previous day presented a series of "rocket pitches" to the audience and a panel of judges describing different ways to bring entrepreneurship to their schools. While they were still not completely ready for prime time, each of the proposed ideas had one or more kernels that could be viable in bringing an entrepreneurial spirit into the music schools and students, and some even to make a few dollars.

By the way Maria, I think the person you mentioned but couldn't remember the name of when talking about musicians building their own "tribes" to support their art may be Seth Godin....

Take Five jazz links and call me in the morning . . . oops it is already

As you can see from the prior post this evening, I was busy earlier listening to the outstanding Maria Schneider Orchestra in the Eastman Theater. Nonetheless, it's Friday and time to Take Five ... links that is (OK, technically it is Saturday, but it's still night, so I'm going to take some liberties):

• In honor of Maria Schneider, who really put them on the map, check out ArtistShare, a site that has been allowing fans to show appreciation for their favorite artists by funding their recording projects in exchange for access to the creative process. Maybe buy Schneider's album Sky Blue.
• A number of social networking sites for jazz artists have started to sprout around the Internet, including Jazz Musician Space: The Social Hang For Jazz Artists, where they can network, promote their music, and establish a web presence. They say fans are welcome as well.
• Jonesin for some notes on hard bop? The Jazz Note SDP blog may just fit the bill. It is devoted mostly to that body of music produced between the early 1950s and the mid-1960s. The writer, Ken Blanchard places Miles at the center of it.
• Mark Myers has two posts over at JazzWax, where he sets out "10 Jazz Genius Moments" (actually it's 10 each, adding up to 20), which are:

  ...mere moments in jazz recordings that blow me away. Some of these thrilling phrases and passages were planned out ahead of time by recording artists or arrangers. Others were improvised and turned out brilliantly. In either case, these subtle touches are the reasons why particular songs stand out for me and hit their target.

• Veteran (and recently laid off) Village Voice writer Nat Hentoff mused recently on the role jazz played in hastening the Civil Rights movement. Our new President has Coltrane on his iPod ... just think about that for a minute ...

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

Sky is Cerulean in Eastman tonight

More later on this fascinating evening of lush, large scale jazz with the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra...

Regina Carter to take a bow (and violin) in Penfield on February 6th and 7th

Grammy-nominated jazz violinst Regina Carter will perform eight commissioned works at the 39th Annual Penfield Jazz Fund Raiser Concerts on February 6th and 7th at 7:30 pm at the Fairport High School Auditorium. This will be Carter’s second appearance at the concert series, following a sold-out performance in 2002. Carter has received widespread critical acclaim for her “music that is wonderfully listenable, probingly intelligent and, at times, breathtakingly daring” (Time Magazine). She has recorded seven albums and, in 2006, was awarded the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship. She also has received a Distinguished Artist Award from the International Society for the Performing Arts. According to Penfield Music Commission Project Director Jim Doser, Carter will be the featured soloist on eight commissions written for Penfield and Fairport musicians to perform at the concerts. According to Doser, “[t]here are many jazz festivals around the country where students have an opportunity to perform with professionals, but few where students perform music that has been written just for them.” Carter will perform with jazz groups from both Penfield and Fairport, including jazz ensembles from Bay Trail Middle School and both high schools, the Penfield High School Jazz Choir and Studio Orchestra. Of special note will be a performance by the Penfield/Fairport Swingin’ Strings Ensemble, featuring Carter alongside one hundred string players of all ages from the Penfield and Fairport school systems. Check out this video of Carter playing with Ray Brown at his 75th Birthday.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for students, available at the Penfield High School Music Office, The Bop Shop, Music and Arts, and the Penfield branch of Canandaigua National Bank, the official sponsor of the Penfield/CNB Jazz Series. All proceeds from these concerts will benefit the Penfield Music Club, funding the visitation of guest artists to visit the schools. For additional information, contact Jim Doser at 585-249-6737.

Where is your jazz over the next seven days? Right here in Rochester!

Thursday, January 22nd

• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Mark Cassera @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm
• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 7:00 pm

Friday, January 23rd

• Bobby Dibaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Ted Nicolosi & Shared Genes @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Greg Clark Trio @ Bodhi's Café & Lounge, 7:00 pm
• Maria Schneider Orchestra @ Eastman Theatre, 8:00 pm (see Ron Netsky's profile of Maria Schneider in City)
• Mike Titlebaum and Catherine Gale w/Bob Sneider, Paul Hofman, Dan Vitale & Mike Melito @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Dark Holler Duo @ Little Theatre Café, 8:30 pm
• Mark Cassara Four-Piece @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm

Saturday, January 24th

• Mike Allen @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm
• Fred Vine @ Bodhi's Cafe & Lounge, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Ted Nicolosi & Shared Genes @ Pane Vino, 8:00 pm
• Ted Perry Trio @ Little Theatre Café, 8:30 pm
• Mike Titlebaum and Catherine Gale w/Bob Sneider, Paul Hofman, Dan Vitale & Mike Melito @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Graphite Exhibition Opening, Memorial Art Gallery, 8:00-11:00 pm
• Margaret Explosion @ Graphite Exhibition Opening, Memorial Art Gallery, 8:00-11:00 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes (East Ave.), 9:30 pm
• Tony Padilla & Guest @ Tapas 177 Lounge, 11:00 pm

Sunday, January 25th

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

Monday, January 26th

• 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 27th

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

Wednesday, January 28th

• Todd East @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm
• Abuelita (trio) and Bendings and Breakings @ Java's, 9:00-11:00 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!

Exodus to Jazz continues . . . with some twists

Exodus to Jazz, the series of jazz shows that brings both up-and-coming jazz greats and the greats themselves to play for us here in Rochester has announced its 2009 line-up through May.  From the finish of ETJ's "Latin Heat" group of shows through the end, the line-up is all artists who you are familiar with, but each with its own special twist. ETJ promoter Jose DaCosta is also changing the format some, in a way I think will make each an even more enjoyable evening of jazz:

• January 30th: Gabriel Alegria’s Afro-Peruvian Sextet at the Clarion Riverside Hotel. Alegria and his great group of instruments returns to Rochester and brings his distinctive sounds (and
• March 27th: “Sung with Words”—The Helen Sung Trio with Dana Gioia at the Clarion Riverside Hotel. Pianist Sung returns to ETJ with a concept reflecting her willingness to take risks while remaining firmly grounded in jazz tradition, by teaming up with poet Dana Gioia, former NEA Chairman. Dana Gioia’s use of his "instrument" will include narrative featuring the poetry of Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks and others.
• April 24th: "Person to Person" with Eric Person & Meta Four, with Houston Person at the Clarion Riverside Hotel. Alto/soprano saxophonist Eric Person came by in September 2007 and showed us his chops and his creative compositions. He will be joined by his father Houston Person, who is considered by many the natural heir to the Boss Tenor crown with a style in the Gene Ammons/Stanley Turrentine tradition.
• May 21st: The Tamir Hendelman Trio with Terell Stafford at the Hyatt Regency Rochester. Hendelman was here at ETJ in December 2007 ETJ engagement, and has since maintained an active schedule with the Jeff Hamilton Trio, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and recordings with acclaimed vocalists including Natalie Cole’s recent CD release. For ETJ, he is joined by trumpeter Stafford, who has has been integral to groups led by Bobby Watson, Cedar Waldon, Herbie Mann, Jon Faddis and Wynton Marsalis.
• A new date will be announced for the Brazilian jazz of Susan Pereira & Sabor Brasil to replace their Dec. 19th engagement canceled due to snow. 

Here's the final twist.  Each show will start at 8:00 pm (doors open at 7:00 pm), but unlike previous ETJ shows will be two one-hour sets with a 30-minuted intermission, rather than one at 8:00 pm and a separate one at 10:00 pm as were offered in the past. By taking this approach, DaCosta hopes to give audience members a chance to really get their fill of great jazz and also mix and enjoy each other's company between sets.

Reserved seats are $25 (table seating for 2 to 4 people, assigned based on receipt of ticket order);  General Admission seats for $20 (table and theatre style seating on a “first come, first served” basis). Students get a 50% discount on tickets purchased at door with valid student ID. Advance purchase tickets at TicketWeb.com, e-mail order to ExodusToJazz@aol.com, or call (585) 733-7685.

It's soooooo cold ... and as I'm not out hearing jazz, perhaps we should Take Five?

It's Friday and time to Take Five ... links that is:

• What about an Undersecretary of Jazz? Quincy Jones has been trying for years to get Cabinet level Secretary of Culture. Somewhere north of 75,000 have signed the petition.
• Evan Iverson of the Bad Plus has a great interview with Wynton Marsalis on Do The Math. Iverson used the interview as "an opportunity to learn about his current music, namely his most recent large-scale work, Congo Square, an unusually successful combination of conventional big band and the West African group Odadaa! led by Yacub Addy. Frankly, I came away enlightened, impressed, and motivated. I can now see how Wynton has obtained funding and respect for jazz at an unprecedented level: he is one of the most charismatic men I’ve ever met." It's a two parter post (Part 1 and Part 2), with a coda looking at Marsalis's influence on jazz in the U.S. and the controversy surrounding it.
• Jazz Lives is the blog of Michael Steinman, who describes himself as an "unashamed jazz addict". Steinman writes for Cadence, CODA, Jazz Improv, and All About Jazz. He is the New York correspondent for The Mississippi Rag and writes liner notes for a number of jazz labels, including Arbors, Nagel-Heyer, Stomp Off, NifNuf, Jazzology, Audiophile, LaLa, Azica, Little Simmy, Amber Lake, and GelberMusic.
• Check out Jazz Video Guy a video podcasts by Brett Primack. The most recent offering is the Phil Silvers show from the 50s about a jazzer getting drafted.
• ...And speaking of video, here's one of e.s.t., the Esbjörn Svensson Trio, playing When God Created The Coffeebreak live at Jazz à Juan Les Pins festival in France in July 2003. Svensson died last year in a diving accident.

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

This Rochester jazz listings post is our 500th ... Can you believe it?

This post of listings of live jazz in Rochester is the 500th post since I started this blog (at least on this URL)! Jeez, you'd think I'd know when to stop....!  Don't worry, not anytime soon. Now, get out and enjoy some jazz before I write some more!

Thursday, January 15th

• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 7:00 pm

Friday, January 16th

• Bobby Dibaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Shared Genes @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm
• Mark Hadley @ Bodhi's Café & Lounge, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Bill Dobbins Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Dark Holler Duo @ Little Theatre Café, 8:30 pm
• Mark Cassara Band @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm
• Filthy Funk @ Dub Land Underground, 10:00 pm

Saturday, January 17th

• Tony Giannovola @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm
• Ryan T Carey and the El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• Kinloch Nelson @ Bodhi's Café & Lounge, 7:00 pm
• Rod Blumenau Quintet Swing Dance (Groove Juice Swing) @ Tango Café, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Footnote @ Bistro 135, 8:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Starry Nites Café, 8:00 pm
• Ted Perry Trio @ Little Theatre Café, 8:30 pm
• Bob Sneider Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Pane Vino, 8:00 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes (East Ave.), 9:30 pm

Sunday, January 18th

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Latin & Jazz Clinic with Mambo Kings @ Hochstein School of Music (free for students in grades 6 to 12. Call Erin Cassano, Asst. Dean to sign up to participate at 585-454-4596 ext. 31 or email Erin. All are invited), 2:00 pm
• Mambo Kings (Faculty Concert) @ Hochstein Performance Hall, 4:00 pm
• White Hots Trio @ Lovin' Cup, 7:00 pm

Monday, January 19th

• 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 20th

• Smugtown Stompers w/Carol Mulligan @ Green Lantern Inn, One East Church St, Fairport, NY, 6:30 pm
• Inauguration Party with Jim Nugent Trio @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm
• Inauguration Party with the Eastman 10 @ Abilene Bar & Lounge, 8:00 pm

Wednesday, January 21st

• Brad Batz Group @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm
• Bop Arts presents Han Bennik Solo Concert & Art Exhibit @ Bop Shop Atrium, Village Gate, 8:00 pm
• Eastman Chamber Jazz presents Ellington/Coltrane @ 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!

You can take the Coltrane with the Duke on January 21st at ESM

On September 26, 1962, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane went into Rudy Van Gelder's studio with their rhythm sections and recorded a legendary Impulse LP together. It was the only time these two giants of jazz performed together.

On January 21st, Eastman Chamber Jazz will be performing this album in total at 8:00 pm in Kilbourn Hall. The Eastman Jazz Quartet reprising this great album will include Clay Jenkins on trumpet, Harold Danko on piano, Jeff Campbell on bass, and Rich Thompson on drums.

Jazz links in 5/4 time . . . Take Five

It's Friday and time to Take Five ... links that is:

• If you're heading north across the pond (Lake Ontario that is...) and want to catch some jazz, BlogTO has a post on the best jazz bars in Toronto. Let us know if you've been to any of these or have other suggestions for Toronto jazz clubs in the comments to this post.
• Although the mainstream media is laying off jazz journalists, Jazzhouse.org, the official organ of the Jazz Journalists Association is holding on.
• Marc Myers takes the Kennedy Center to task in JazzWax for ignoring jazz once again in its Honors ... twice.
• More than many of you would want to know about the saxophone on Sax on the Web.
• The blog of PDFJazzMusic.com an online source for big band and other charts.

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

Yes, there's jazz in Rochester after the holidays ....

OK, back to work! It's time to hunker down and try to muddle through the next few months of winter. To help you warm you up, here are the jazz listings for the next seven days.

Thursday, January 8th

• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Marc Cassera @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm
• Standard Jazz Quartet @ Starry Nites Café, 8:00 pm
• Ken Peplowski w/Bob Sneider Duo @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:00 pm

Friday, January 9th

• Bobby Dibaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Ryan T Carey and the El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• The Westview Project @ Bodhi's Café & Lounge, 7:00 pm
• Rochester Rat Pack @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm
• Dinner & Jazz with Jimmie Highsmith Jr. and Friends @ Charlie Browns on the Green at Jacks Place, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Music Recycling 101 (RIT's Performing Artists Concert Series) @ RIT Ingle Auditorium, 8:00 pm
• Ted Nicolosi and Shared Genes @ Pane Vino Restaurant, 8:00 pm
• Artisan Jazz @ Starry Nites Café, 8:00 pm
• Ken Peplowski w/Bob Sneider Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Dark Holler Duo @ Little Theatre Caf, 8:30 pm
• Mark Cassara Four-Piece @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm

Saturday, January 10th

• Ryan T Carey and the El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Greg Clark @ Bodhi's Café & Lounge, 7:00 pm
• Mike Allen @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• The Westview Project @ Pane Vino, 7:30 pm
• Jerry Falzone @ The Mez, 8:00 pm
• Ted Perry Trio @ Little Theatre Café, 8:30 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes (East Ave.), 9:30 pm

Sunday, January 11th

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Joe Romano Memorial Party @ Midvale Country Club (2387 Baird Rd, Penfield, NY 14526; 585-586-7100), 1:00 pm
• Jazz Night & Open Jam Session w/ Mike Allen @ Lovin Cup, 7:00 pm

Monday, January 12th

• 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 13th

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

Wednesday, January 14th

• Jazz Forum: Welcome Back and Info Session, Eastman School of Music, Room 120, 11:30 a.m.
• Dave Mancini Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 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)

I have links to the sites of many of these jazz artists and groups on a separate page (you can also click on the button in the right panel). 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!

Friends of Joe Romano gather for a memorial party this Sunday

Friends and musicians who wish to get together and share memories of Rochester jazz saxophonist Joe Romano, who died of cancer in late November, are invited to a memorial party taking place this Sunday, January 11th, at the Midvale Country Club (2387 Baird Rd, Penfield, NY 14526; 585-586-7100). The party will start 2:00 pm. There will be music from around 2:00 to 4:00 pm, as well as pictures, videos, recordings, food, a cash bar, and lots of musicians, family and friends. For additional details call the Midvale CC or Diane Armesto  (716-913-1463). Proper dress is required--no jeans & sneakers please.

Since it was posted the day after Joe Romano passed away, a number of jazz artists have added wonderful reminiscences about Joe in the comments to my post, Joe Romano is sitting in with the angels now... Rest in peace, Joe. I encourage you to click on this link and read them.

It's Friday, so let's Take Five and look back before looking forward... Best of 2008

Didn't get the usual "Best of 2008" post that music blogs are prone to put out, so I'm going to use this Take Five Friday post as an opportunity to make up for that. "Best of" lists are not really my bag, so I'll let you know about a few that I've run across elsewhere. So...Take Five:

• All About Jazz NY, a newsletter about NYC jazz distributed by AllAboutJazz.com has a Best of 2008 special feature, including best of categories of: Musicians, Labels, Club, Performances, Albums, Unearthed Gems, Tributes, Reissues, Latin Jazz, Debuts, Large Ensembles, Vocals, Boxed Sets, Books and Original Album Artwork. Get it here (a 4mb PDF).
• National Public Radio's Take Five series (seriously, I didn't know when I put this together and spent all that time on the fancy graphic) asked contributing jazz partners WBGO, WDUQ and Jazz24 radio to recommend Take Five's top jazz albums of the year and compiled what they thought were the very best of the best with their own picks. If you want to see the full lists, NPR had them too, including WGBO's The Year In Jazz: Best CDs Of 2008 and Seattle's KPLU Living Your Life With 2008's Best In Jazz.
• Fred Kaplan's Top 10 Jazz Albums of 2008: Crowned by one immortal recording, in Slate.
• AllAboutJazz.com's Managing Editor John Kelman's Best of 2008 with his selected picks representing the top recorded events in jazz and beyond for 2008.
• OpenSkyJazz's personal take on the Independent Ear blog of recommended 2008 recordings compiled during a year of hosting a new releases program on WWOZ in New Orleans.

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

Is the music always greener on the other side? Rod Blumenau and RIT's Performing Artists Concert Series shows us how to recycle music on January 9th

On Friday January 9th at 8:00 pm, RIT's Performing Arts Concert Series will be presenting Music Recycling 101, which integrates amusing commentary with talented performance by the Rod Blumenau Quartet. Rod will be showing in an entertaining way how familiar music has been "recycled" to reappear in new forms. Assisted by bassist Jeff Campbell, Gabe Condon on guitar, violin and vocals, and Brad Paxton on percussion, Professor Blumenau will demonstrate how classical themes have been used as the basis of pop and jazz tunes and how the chord structures of pop music have been used to create new jazz compositions, to disprove the common notion that a musician can only play one style of music well. Among the composers whose tunes will be featured are Fred Chopin, Mo Ravel, Al Borodin, Lou Beethoven, Thelonius Monk, George Gershwin, Billy Joel, and many others.

The recycling will be presented at the Rochester Institute of Technology Center for Campus Life, Ingle Auditorium in the Student Alumni Union. Tickets are $6 (students), $15 (faculty/staff/alumni), and $20 for the rest of us, and may be purchased at the RIT Student Alumni Union Candy Counter or at the door on concert night, if available. For VISA or Master Card phone orders, call the RIT Field House Box Office at (585) 475-4121 after September 12th. You can find erformer bios, relevant web links, parking information, and a campus map are posted at the Series web site or by contacting David Perlman at (585)381-3543, or via email.