Jazz@Rochester

Live Shots ... Joe Locke in NYC

Haven't done a "Live Shot" post in awhile. What better way to come back to it than with vibist Joe Locke, playing with Geoffrey Keezer, George Mraz, Clarence Penn and Kenny Washington on vocals here in New York City. This was the group's last night of three at Dizzy's at Jazz at Lincoln Center highlighting their new CD "For the Love of You". Lucky coincidence I'm in town for a conference and can make that Rochester connection.  The photo quality could be better (sorry Mr. Keezer, couldn't get you in the frame).

Jazz Around Town: While I'm away, the music will play...

Leaving this weekend for a few days in the Big Apple for a conference. Planning to grab the end of the Joe Locke Group's stay at Dizzy's in JALC on Sunday and, I hope, will have some energy after hanging out with legal technology types to get out and catch something in the Village. While I'm gone (and a bit before...) there's some jazz around Rochester:

Thursday, January 28, 2010

• Todd East @ Brio Wine Bar & Grill, 6:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 6:30 pm
• Dawn Thomson & Special Guests @ Max at Eastman Place, 7:00 pm
• Deborah Magone @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Giant Gaspar Group @ Baptist Temple, Brighton, 8:00 pm
• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:00 pm

Friday, January 29, 2010

• West Coast Swing @ Tango Cafe, 6:00 pm
• Bobby Dibaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Ryan T Carey & El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• Exodus to Jazz presents Monk—The Play @ Radisson Hotel Riverside, 8:00 pm
• Gap Manione New Blues Band @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 8:00 pm
• Devin Kelly Organ Trio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Don Mancuso & Regi Hendrix @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:30 pm
• Filthy Funk @ Lovin' Cup, 9:00 pm
• Mark Cassara Band @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm

Saturday, January 30, 2010

• Janet Beaman @ Bistro 135, 6:30 pm
• Ted Nicolosi & Shared Genes @ Jasmine's Asian Fusion, 7:30 pm
• Exodus to Jazz presents Monk—The Play @ Radisson Hotel Riverside, 8:00 pm
• Gap Manione New Blues Band @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 8:00 pm
• Mike Melito Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Steve Greene Trio @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:30 pm
• East End Jazz Boys @ Havana Moes, 9:30 pm

Sunday, January 31, 2010

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• The Westview Project Quintet with Nick Brust & Mike Van Bebber @ Lovin' Cup, 5:00 7:00 pm
• Classical Meets Jazz @ Immanuel Baptist Church, 8:00 pm

Monday, February 1, 2010

• Annie Wells @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Quinn Lawrence & Anna Reguero (Swing dance lessons & live jazz) @ Flat Iron Cafe, 9:00 pm

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

• No jazz for you!! Say it ain't so... really tell me if there's something I missed!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

• The Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Todd East @ Pub 511, 8:00 pm
• Paradigm Shift @ Pomodoro's Grill & Wine Bar, 8:00 pm

Heads Up ... Look for these Jazz Gigs in the Future

• Exodus to Jazz presents the Cyrus Chestnut Trio @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, February 5, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents the Michael Musillami Trio @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, February 19, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Exodus to Jazz presents the Jeremy Pelt Quintet @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010, 4:00 pm matinee
• Exodus to Jazz presents the Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, March 12, 2010, 8:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents The Mike Baggetta Group (featuring George Schuller, Eivind Opsvik and Jason Rigby) @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, March 17, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra @ Sixth Annual Jazz for the Park benefit, Auditorium Theatre, March 22, 2010
• Exodus to Jazz presents Annie Sellick and Trio @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, Friday, April 2, 2010, 8:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents Gebhard Ullman's Clarinet Trio @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, April 5, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents Konk Pack (featuring Tim Hodgkinson, Thomas Lehn, & Roger Turner) @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, April 12, 2010 at 8:00 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!

Don't cloister yourself ... get out to see Monk the Play at Exodus to Jazz

Just a quick reminder to check out the play about Thelonius Monk, which will be at Exodus To Jazz on Friday and Saturday, January 29-30, at 8:00 pm in the Riverview Ballroom at the Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, 120 Main Street East, Rochester, New York. There's more details on my earlier post about Monk the Play and in Jeff Spevak's article 'Monk' brings jazz legend to life in Rochester in the D&C.

Jazz Around Town: Rochester's cold nights warmed by some hot jazz

It's Wednesday and time again for listings for live jazz here in and around Rochester, New York. Hope you have a chance to get out and hear some....

Thursday, January 21, 2010

• Todd East @ Brio Wine Bar & Grill, 6:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 6:30 pm
• Dawn Thomson with Bob Sneider @ Max at Eastman Place, 7:00 pm
• Mike Allen & the Avatars @ Beale Street Cafe, 7:00 pm
• Deborah Magone @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:00 pm
• Dave Rivello Ensemble @ Village Rock Cafe, 8:00 pm

Friday, January 22, 2010

• Sofrito @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Ryan T Carey & El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• The Westview Project @ Pane Vino, 7:00 pm
• Spotlight on Jazz Faculty Concert @ Hochstein Performance Hall, 8:00 7:30 pm
• Tom Passamonte @ Pomodoro Grill & Wine Bar, 8:00 pm
• Hard Logic @ Zaz's, 8:30 pm
• Gap Mangione & the New Blues Band @ Woodcliff, 8:30 pm
• Bill Dobbins Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Don Mancuso & Regi Hendrix @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:30 pm

Saturday, January 23, 2010

• Co-Existence @ House of Guitars, 6:00 pm
• Michael Sinicropi Trio @ Bistro 135, 7:00
• Tom Passamonte @ Pomodoro Grill & Wine Bar, 8:00 pm
• Gap Mangione & the New Blues Band @ Woodcliff, 8:30 pm
• Mike Kaupa Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Steve Greene Trio @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:30 pm
• East End Jazz Boys @ Havana Moes, 9:30 pm

Sunday, January 24, 2010

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Jazz Night @ Lovin' Cup, 7:00 pm

Monday, January 25, 2010

• Annie Wells @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Eastman Chamber Jazz with Michael Weiss @ Kilbourn Hall, 8:00 pm

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

• Brad Batz Group @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

• Ted Nicolosi & Shared Genes @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• The Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Todd East @ Pub 511, 8:00 pm
• Paradigm Shift @ Pomodoro's Grill & Wine Bar, 8:00 pm

Heads Up ... Look for these Jazz Gigs in the Future

• Exodus to Jazz presents Monk—The Play by Laurence Holder, featuring Rome Neal, Artistic Director of the Nuyorican Poets' Theatre Cafe as Monk, January 29-30, 2010 at 8:00 pm (rescheduled)
• Exodus to Jazz presents the Cyrus Chestnut Trio @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, February 5, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Cyrus Chestnut, and Herb Smith Quintet "A Time for Praise" Gospel Jazz Concert @ Mount Olivet Baptist Church, February 6, 2010 at 6:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents the Michael Musillami Trio @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, February 19, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Exodus to Jazz presents the Jeremy Pelt Quintet @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010, 4:00 pm matinee
• Exodus to Jazz presents the Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, March 12, 2010, 8:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents The Mike Baggetta Group (featuring George Schuller, Eivind Opsvik and Jason Rigby) @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, March 17, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra @ Sixth Annual Jazz for the Park benefit, Auditorium Theatre, March 22, 2010
• Exodus to Jazz presents Annie Sellick and Trio @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, Friday, April 2, 2010, 8:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents Gebhard Ullman's Clarinet Trio @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, April 5, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents Konk Pack (featuring Tim Hodgkinson, Thomas Lehn, & Roger Turner) @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, April 12, 2010 at 8:00 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!

Riffing the Jazz Links: The "Best of 2009" Edition

This can't start to be a series of posts until I do more than Number 1, and what better way to continue this series than with a number of "best of" lists that various jazz writers, bloggers and sites have published in the past couple of months. I'm woefully late to the party, but I'm trying to share with you some "best of 2009" lists from ears with a widely divergent range, of course, that may reflect but don't necessarily parallel mine (maybe next year I'll join them).

• Starting out with a local spin, here's Jack Garner's list of Top CDs from the Democrat & Chronicle and a PDF with Jazz 90.1 Radio's 100 top jazz CDs of 2009 (they couldn't limit it to 10...). As if 100 weren't enough (although there is overlap), WGMC music director Derrick Lucas has his top 2009 CDs on his previously unknown to me blog, The Spectrum Jazz.
• Former Rochesterian Jason Crane has a Top 10 Jazz CDs of 2009, which he compiled for the 2009 Village Voice Jazz Critics Poll. I agree that putting together lists like these can be a ridiculous exercise, but their value is in the beholder. If you find one or two CDs, or a new artist, that ends up in your CD player or iPod due to checking out these lists, then it's worth it. Stepping into the ears of others can help you discover great music.
• National Public Radio's A Blog Supreme has been a great source over the past year or so since it came into existence. The young jazz hound behind it, Patrick Jarenwattananon, put together a great list of lists, capturing the year in jazz ephemera from NPR Music's vantage point. NPR Music also lets you in on Take Five's Top 10 Jazz Records of 2009, based on their listener's suggestions. NPR Station WGBO's jazz man Josh Jackson (who hosts their great new jazz show The Checkout) has his list 2009: The Year of Living Improvisationally up on NPR's site as well. One of the great things about some of these lists is that you can listen to cuts selected from the listed CDs right on the site.
• As jazz writer Howard Mandel writes in his blog Jazz Beyond Jazz, his Best beyond "jazz" CDs of 2009 "blow past conventions to enrich jazz, blues, new and unusual music."
• The Internet jazz radio Accujazz.com created a Best of 2009 channel, made up of cuts from various lists. It's a great way to get a taste of the exciting music released in 2009.
• There are a number of lists on the Jazz Journalist Association's site, including (in alpha order): David R. Adler, Christan Broecking, Stuart Broomer, Steve Feeney, Fred Kaplan, Bill Milkowski, Dan Ouellette, Hank Shteamer, Michael J. West, and probably many more (I know that Jason Crane and Howard Mandel contributed there as well).
• Ted Gioia listed his best of 2009 on Jazz.com.
• You can find JazzTimes Critics Picks: Top 50 New Albums and Top 10 Historical Releases on JazzTimes.com
• Ran across Dan McClenaghan's list and Ken Franckling's 2009: A Year in Jazz article on AllAboutJazz.com.
• Destination: Out blog has put out its Fave Jazz Jamz of 2009
• Williard Jenkins' Independent Ear blog has a Ancient Future Top 20+ of 2009 playlist up.
• One of my fellow travelers in small (although much larger than ours) city jazz blogging, Dean Minderman, has pointed in the comments to his extensive and growing "list of lists" on the best 2009 jazz over on St. Louis Jazz Notes.

There's so much more that' I've probably missed, but had to stop this post somewhere. I've found some great sounds on these lists and hope to continue to (haven't even come close to listening to it all). I'll let you decide... If you have a favorite jazz CD of 2009, let us know in the comments. Looking forward to hearing what you listen to!

By the way, if you have a jazz link you've run across to share with the Rochester jazz community and beyond, send me an email by clicking on the Send an "Send an email to Jazz@Rochester" link in the left panel or join Jazz@Rochester's Facebook page and add it there.

Jazz Around Town: Wednesdays ... be there for jazz listings in Rochester

Sliding on into 2010 there are some different faces and new sounds out there to check out. Check out the CDs by local jazz artists on the Rochester Sounds page (see the image in the right panel). I'm trying to change them as I hear about new CDs by local artists and groups (by the way, artists and groups, let me know if you have some new sounds out for the page).

Thursday, January 14, 2010

• Todd East @ Brio Wine Bar & Grill, 6:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Mike Allen & the Avatars @ Beale Street Cafe, 7:00 pm
• Dawn Thomson & Special Guests @ Max at Eastman Place, 7:00 pm
• Deborah Magone @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:00 pm
• Bernfield/Nichols One & One Duo @ Boulder Coffee Co., 8:00 pm
• Meta Accord @ Dub Land Underground, 9:00 pm

Friday, January 15, 2010

• Bobby DiBaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Ryan T Carey & El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• Bill Dobbins Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Don Mancuso & Regi Hendrix @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:30 pm
• Todd East Trio @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm

Saturday, January 16, 2010

• The Westview Project with Nick Brust @ Pomodoro Grill & Wine Bar, 7:00 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• The Law Firm @ Sevens, 8:00 pm
• Bob Sneider Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Steve Greene Trio @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:30 pm
• East End Jazz Boys @ Havana Moes, 9:30 pm

Sunday, January 17, 2010

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Jazz Night with the Jim Nugent Trio @ Lovin' Cup, 7:00 pm

Monday, January 18, 2010

• Annie Wells @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

• Russell Fielder @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

• Dave Mancini @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• The Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Todd East @ Pub 511, 8:00 pm
• Paradigm Shift @ Pomodoro's Grill & Wine Bar, 8:00 pm

Heads Up ... Look for these Jazz Gigs in the Future

• Exodus to Jazz presents Monk—The Play by Laurence Holder, featuring Rome Neal, Artistic Director of the Nuyorican Poets' Theatre Cafe as Monk, January 29-30, 2010 at 8:00 pm (rescheduled)
• Exodus to Jazz presents the Cyrus Chestnut Trio @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, February 5, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents the Michael Musillami Trio @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, February 19, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Exodus to Jazz presents the Jeremy Pelt Quintet @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010, 4:00 pm matinee
• Exodus to Jazz presents the Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, March 12, 2010, 8:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents The Mike Baggetta Group (featuring George Schuller, Eivind Opsvik and Jason Rigby) @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, March 17, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra @ Sixth Annual Jazz for the Park benefit, Auditorium Theatre, March 22, 2010
• Exodus to Jazz presents Annie Sellick and Trio @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, Friday, April 2, 2010, 8:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents Gebhard Ullman's Clarinet Trio @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, April 5, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents Konk Pack (featuring Tim Hodgkinson, Thomas Lehn, & Roger Turner) @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, April 12, 2010 at 8:00 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!

Riffing the Jazz Links: Numero Uno

Some of you may remember that awhile back I had a Take Five Friday posts (like this one), where I'd share some random jazz links that I'd found in my meanderings on the Interwebs. After doing those for some time, I realized that I didn't want to nail myself down every Friday (while there are lots of links to share, I just don't always have Fridays to share and I'd cornered myself into it by using Friday in the graphic). OK, this one is on Friday, but they don't have to be now. So, here we are with a different, less constricting graphic (that Wordle is so useful) and a new set of links:

• Jazz Is Dead. Long Live Jazz. An article from mid-December in Newsweek, trying to separate out the question of "is jazz popular" from "is jazz good" and surveying the landscape of jazz. What do you think?
• Notes on Jazz is a blog by jazz journalist Ralph A. Miriello, that he is using as a forum for discussion of jazz music, musicians, reviews of recent and historical releases, reviews of live performances, interviews and almost anything else he finds of interest.
• Wolfgang's Vault has some great historical live recordings of a number of music events, including  1959 recording of the Horace Silver Quintet Newport Jazz Festival. You can stream them for free or, for a price, download high quality MP3 or FLAC files.
• Some of my good friends are working musicians and there is a great website out there MusiciansWages.com that has a lot of resources for you guys and gals who are trying to make a living out there, including forums and several blogs.
• And one more for the jazz musicians out there, Wikifonia.org bills itself as the place for musicians to publish and collaborate on lead sheets.
• Jazz pianist, Vijay Iyer, who is on just about everyone's Best of 2009 list with his great album Historicity, has written a a thoughtful piece for JazzTimes, Thelonious Monk: Ode To A Sphere. Bone up a bit before heading out to see Monk, the Play at Exodus to Jazz later this month.

Jazz Around Town: Some jazz to fill your post-holidays slump...

We start a new decade with some more jazz in and around our fine city. Hey, if you're on Facebook, check out the Jazz@Rochester Facebook page and sign up. We add a few things over there (and hope that some of our friends will too).

Thursday, January 7, 2010

• Todd East @ Brio Wine Bar & Grill, 6:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Dawn Thomson & Special Guests @ Max at Eastman Place, 7:00 pm
• Deborah Magone @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:00 pm
• Hard Logic @ Pane Vino, 8:00 pm
• Dave Rivello Ensemble @ Village Rock Cafe, 8:00 pm

Friday, January 8, 2010

• Bobby Dibaudo @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Bill Tiberio Band @ Fairport High School, 6:00 pm
• Tinted Image (opening at Richie Hayward Benefit) @ Water Street Music Hall, 7:00 pm (profile in City)
• Ryan T Carey & El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 8:30 pm
• Bill Dobbins Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Don Mancuso & Regi Hendrix @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:30 pm
• First Lindy Jam of 2010 (Groove Juice Swing) @ Tango Cafe, 9:00 pm

Saturday, January 9, 2010

• The Westview Project with Nick Brust @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Ryan T Carey & El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• Ted Nicolosi & Shared Genes (Acoustic Alchemy / Tommy Emmanuel Review) @ Jasmine's Asian Fusion, 7:30 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 8:30 pm
• Bob Sneider Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Steve Greene Trio @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:30 pm
• East End Jazz Boys @ Havana Moes, 9:30 pm

Sunday, January 10, 2010

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Rick Holland Little Big Band @ Lovin' Cup, 7:00 pm

Monday, January 11, 2010

• Annie Wells @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

• Jim Nugent Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 7:00 pm
• Ryan T Carey & El Rojo Jazz Band @ Thali of India, 7:00 pm
• Quintopus @ Boulder Coffee Co @ Brooks Landing, 8:00 pm

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

• Meta Accord @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Ann Mitchell Trio in a tribute to Judy Garland and "A Song IS BORN" (Music of MGM musicals and the silver screen) @ Strong National Museum of Play, 7:30 pm
• The Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Paradigm Shift @ Pomodoro's Grill & Wine Bar, 8:00 pm

Heads Up ... Look for these Jazz Gigs in the Future

• Exodus to Jazz presents Monk—The Play by Laurence Holder, featuring Rome Neal, Artistic Director of the Nuyorican Poets' Theatre Cafe as Monk, January 29-30, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Exodus to Jazz presents the Cyrus Chestnut Trio @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, February 5, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents the Michael Musillami Trio @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, February 19, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Exodus to Jazz presents the Jeremy Pelt Quintet @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010, 4:00 pm matinee
• Exodus to Jazz presents the Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, March 12, 2010, 8:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents The Mike Baggetta Group (featuring George Schuller, Eivind Opsvik and Jason Rigby) @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, March 17, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra @ Sixth Annual Jazz for the Park benefit, Auditorium Theatre, March 22, 2010
• Exodus to Jazz presents Annie Sellick and Trio @ Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, Friday, April 2, 2010, 8:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents Gebhard Ullman's Clarinet Trio @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, April 5, 2010 at 8:00 pm
• Bop Arts presents Konk Pack (featuring Tim Hodgkinson, Thomas Lehn, & Roger Turner) @ Bop Shop Atrium, 274 N Goodman St. in the Village Gate, April 12, 2010 at 8:00 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!

Monk the Play comes WAY off Broadway to Exodus to Jazz

Exodus To Jazz is doing something different this month. The great jazz series is bringing two performances of the Off-Broadway play Monk-The Play, by acclaimed playwright Laurence Holder and starring Rome Neal, both winners of the Audelco Award for excellence in African-American Theatre, up from NYC to Rochester for performances on January 29th and 30th. Monk is a is one character play exploring the genius and mystery of jazz icon Thelonious Monk. The award-winning production of the play by Neal, Artistic Director of the Nuyorican Poets Café Theatre, has received many great notices in New York, including:

• "Brilliantly written ... Extraordinary ... Phenomenal" (Amsterdam News)
• "Intense sense of drama ... Hypnotic mood ...." (The Village Voice)
• "Brilliant... Exquisite..." (The New York Times)
• "Witty, soulful and terse ... A tender tribute to a legend." (Newsday )
• "...with its strong, accomplished writing ... captures the rhythm and feel of the 1940s and '50s jazz scene ... it ranks up there with the best, because it is passionate, powerful and real." (Shout)
• Here are some more testimonials from YouTube, including from jazz men who knew Monk, after seeing it at the Nuyorican Poets' Cafe Theatre.

There will be a performances, on Friday, Jan. 29th and Saturday, Jan. 30th, 2010. Both shows start at 8:00 pm. The play will be presented in the Riverview Ballroom, Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, 120 Main Street East, Rochester, New York. Reserved Seats are $25; General Admission seats are $20. Students get in for $10. You should be able to purchase tickets at all Wegmans “That’s T.H.E. Ticket” locations soon (start date TBA). Tickets may also be purchased at TicketWeb.com (search for “MONK – The Play”) or by email order to (for reserved Seats only) to Exodustojazz@aol.com. For more information: Call (585) 733-7685 or visit the Exodus to Jazz website.