My sixth evening of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival started out in line for the Dafnis Prieto Sextet in Kilbourn Hall. While I heard that others thought it was too loud (and if you were sitting further back in Kilbourn while he was soloing the echoes would have made it more like a cacophony), there was a lot going on from where I was sitting. His drumming is both agressive and intricate, using multiple surfaces to set up complex rhythms. He showed a lot of versatility, moving from Cuban and other Latin rhythms to standard be-bop drumming with ease. His band was all stellar, with three horns up front of Peter Apfelbaum, Felipe Lamoglia on sax and Mike Rodriguez on trumpet (who blew some wicked solos), backed by Manuel Valera on piano, Charles Flores on bass and, of course, Prieto. I sort of wandered around as I expected a line at Max for guitarist Lionel Loueke and his trio, listening to a bit of Soul Stew and a bit of Sidsel Stromnes' singing over at the Nordic Jazz Now series before sitting down and talking with friends and meeting new ones in Max waiting for Loueke. While I was expecting something else from Lionel Loueke Trio (which Loueke ended up delivering at the end of his set), that doesn't mean I wasn't enjoying it. Loueke at times was processing his nylon-stringed guitar through something that made it sound almost like an organ. When he turned to a songs from his album Karibu, he vocalized through the guitar al a Peter Frampton. I was expecting to hear more of a mashup of the West African and other roots from I had heard on his album—the clicking, the vocalizations. What he played sounded more like standard trio fare. That's what happens sometimes; Loueke wanted to try something different out with his trio of bassist Massimo Biolcati & drummer Ferenc Nemeth. Sometimes magic happens that way...
My body finally said "STOP!!!" and I went home and have taken a day off from work to get a bit of rest. I get back to it tonight with an ambitious schedule (although something may have to fall out...).
To read what others are saying out there, here are some links about the festival from the local media Democrat & Chronicle, City Newspaper, and other bloggers and sources when I find them (keep checking back on their sites as well for continued coverage):
- Democrat & Chronicle, Cole, Made in UK Series draw raves (Jeff Spevak)
- Democrat & Chronicle, Shimabukuro, Wonderland dazzle despite differing styles (Jack Garner)
- Democrat & Chronicle, Today's [i.e., Wednesday] highlights (Jeff Spevak)
- Democrat & Chronicle, Brain condition left jazz guitarist [Monty Alexander] without a sense of himself or his virtuosity (Jeff Spevak)
- D&C writer Anna Reguero was a denizen of the after hours, writing her last post on the HerRochester Arts Blog at nearly 3:00 a.m. If you missed Jake Shimabukuro, she has videos of him playing the after hours, as well as Carolyn Wonderland and Sidsel Stromnes, starting here (remember to move up the blog from there to see the rest).
- Andrei Razin and Second Approach and Lionel Loueke Trio have been added to Will Yurman's excellent Jazz Tales.
- The D&C has a media feature called Panorama, which includes an interactive 360 degree image from the festival with voiceover from festival-goers and artist.
- City Newspaper, ROCHESTER JAZZ FESTIVAL 2009 BLOG: Day 5: Andrey Razin & Second Approach, Lionel Louke Trio (Ron Netsky)
- City Newspaper, ROCHESTER JAZZ FESTIVAL 2009 BLOG: Day 5: Holly Cole, Jake Shimabukuro, Carolyn Wonderland (Frank DeBlase)
- City Newspaper, ROCHESTER JAZZ FESTIVAL 2009 BLOG: Day 5: Sean Jefferson Quintet (Saby Reyes-Kulkarni).
- City Newspaper, ROCHESTER JAZZ FESTIVAL 2009 BLOG: Day 5: Soul Stew (Dale Evans)
- You Can Almost Hear Her, PopWars
- Rochester International Jazz Fest - Night Five, Kitsch Dork
- Producer & Executive Director of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Fest Marc Iacona joined Katrina Irwin on TalkItUp Rochester to talk about XRIJF and its impact.
- If you wanted Bonearama's set lists for last night, you can get them here.
Comments