Jazz@Rochester

Don't worry, time isn't going backwards...

A reader just alerted me that some or all of my subscribers may have received the post from December 1st in their inboxes, allowing you to review Rochester jazz past.  In fact, so did I (I am a subscriber to catch these types of things, but hadn't seen it until this morning after reading the email from a reader).  Sorry about the apparent glitch with Feedburner, which handles the email distibution for those who subscribe to this blog that way. A glitch apparently caused it to resend a post that should have been sent out to all of you December 1st just after 1:00 am.  

I do want to know, however, if part of this glitch resulted in any of my email subscribers not receiving the post at all on December 1st, so either comment to this post or send me an email if that happened to you.  

 

The "flavors" of Jazz@Rochester

I like to try and provide as many different avenues for you to access Jazz@Rochester and what I hope is useful information about live jazz in and around Rochester and jazz.  You can get the content of this blog in a number of ways, including:

• The site itself. You may have reached this blog by searching for "jazz in Rochester" or for a gig you've heard about it, via word of mouth, or merely reached it by accident through your favorite search engine.  You may just check in once in awhile or check on Wednesday or Thursday to see what's coming in the next seven days. 
• About 250 of you get your Jazz@Rochester via email. By doing so, you receive every post that we publish via an email, with links and, usually, the image. Some of you actually think that I send those emails out, but they are syndicated from the feed for the blog via a service called Feedburner. If you'd like to receive the posts via an email, enter the email address you'd like to receive it on in the box to the right under "Connect with Jazz@Rochester" that is labeled "Enter your email address:". I do not sell, spam or otherwise use the email addresses that are entered in there.
• Nearly 200 of you have put the feed for Jazz@Rochester in a feed reader like Google Reader and also receive the feed of posts as they are published. To do that, you can click on the orange RSS feed icon directly under the "Connect with Jazz@Rochester" heading. Choose the reader you use and it will pull the feed as they are published.
• Jazz@Rochester is on Twitter at @jazzrochester (go figure...) and over 2,600 people are following us there. In addition to "tweets" that have a link to the posts published on the blog, I follow the jazz artists locally who are on Twitter (at least those who I know are on Twitter) and others in the jazz community here. They are in the Rochester Jazz Artist Twitter list that I have created. There is also a vibrant jazz community on Twitter with artists, jazz bloggers and jazz organizations from all over the world and I try to bring them to you as well. If you'd like to join the conversation and discuss Rochester jazz. Please let me know if there are other Rochester jazz artists who "tweet" so I can add them to the list and follow them. If you're not on Twitter and want to follow these two streams, you can click on the "Jazz@Rochester on Twitter" button at the top of the page under the banner. You can access it on Twitter by clicking on the Twitter icon in the "Connect with Jazz@Rochester" area in the center column.
• Jazz@Rochester is on Facebook with over 425 people fans who have "liked" us there. I was hoping that this would be a place where those of you who find Facebook your platform of choice would have access to the posts published on the blog as well as jazz links and for the local artists on FB to let you know what's going on with them. Feel free to add your two cents in about the Rochester jazz scene. I'd appreciate it if you'd head over to the page and "like" us there, even if you're getting the content some other way. You can get to the page by clicking on the Facebook icon in the "Connect with Jazz@Rochester" area in the center column.
• There is also a Jazz@Rochester YouTube channel where I'm beginning to collect video of Rochester jazz artists and performances from the Rochester International Jazz Festival. Feel free to let me know about video you've found that can be added there.  Access it by clicking on the YouTube icon in the "Connect with Jazz@Rochester" area in the center column. 
• Feel free to send us a question or information via email by "Contact Us" button at the top of the blog under the banner. 
• You can use the search box just under the "Connect with Jazz@Rochester" to find posts that include a particular artist or click on a category or monthly archive link in the left column to browse through posts.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask... here, via email, on Twitter, on Facebook, by commenting on a post, or even if you see me at a gig. In essence, I've been trying to build a community around live jazz here in Rochester, which has made and is making so many contributions to jazz and will slowly fade away if not supported. I love the music, so I can't sit by and let that happen. I encourage you to join the community.

A new look for Jazz@Rochester....

I think I finally have come to the place that I can "unveil" a new look for Jazz@Rochester. It will be coming along a bit later today, I hope.

Things are in different places (check out the buttons, for example) and I've tried to modernize the look and, hopefully, help the content to load faster. Just wanted to let you know before I "flip the switch" as there may be some issues over the next few days....

Only one month to the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival? The Jazz@Rochester coverage begins ...

It's getting warm outside (finally!) and the mind of Jazz@Rochester turns to thoughts of nine days of live jazz and other music in downtown Rochester—the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, which in about one month will begin its June 10-18 run.

It's high time we start our coverage here...This post previews what's coming here over the next weeks until June 10th when the XRIJF begins. As I can't possibly cover it all (and there are others who cover it), my usual course each year prior to the festival is to lay out my own itinerary for each of the days. I will write a series of posts with my picks for each of the nights, the ones I wish I could work into the schedule, etc., and expanding on the material regarding these artists found at the Festival's own site. In addition to setting up a handy guide for myself during the festival, I hope to provide you with some opportunities to hear and find out more about the artists to guide your own choices during the festival. I will gather these posts into a set of links that will be displayed under the XRIJF logo in the panel to the right to make them easy to find.  I should get going on these shortly after Wednesday's live jazz listings post. 

Let's get to talking about the 2011 Jazz Fest! I encourage you to be vocal in the comments to this and the following XRIJF posts (although please be nice...). What do you think about my choices and what are you going to try to see?  I hope also to start conversations about this year's lineup and artists on the Jazz@Rochester page on Facebook and on the Jazz@Rochester Twitter account (use the hashtag #xrijf to help us all to follow the conversation on the latter). I will be gathering as many of the artists coming to the festival who have Twitter accounts onto a XRIJF 2011 Twitter list (follow the list between now and the festival and please let me know if you know of any I have missed, although I'm just getting started with that). If you're going to be writing about the festival on your own blog, let me know so I can give you some link love and further expand the conversation.

So, go ahead... talk amongst yourselves... We'll see you later on these pages and on Jazz Street!

There are so many ways to get Jazz@Rochester ....

I know that the folks who like to see what's up on Jazz@Rochester have their own ways of accessing the blog and I try to provide many different avenues for you to access what I hope is useful information about live jazz in and around Rochester and jazz in general.  In case you're not familiar with all the ways, let me count the ways...

• The site itself. You may have reached this blog by searching for "jazz in Rochester" or for a gig you've heard about it, via word of mouth, or merely reached it by accident through your favorite search engine.  You may just check in once in awhile or check on Wednesday or Thursday to see what's coming in the next seven days. 
• Over 200 of you get your Jazz@Rochester via email. By doing so, you receive every post that we publish via an email, with links and, usually, the image. Some of you actually think that I send those out, but actually they are syndicated from the feed for the blog via Feedburner. If you'd like to receive the posts via an email, enter the email address you'd like to receive it on in the box to the right under "Get Posts by Feed, Email, or Mobile" that is labeled "Enter your email address:". I do not sell, spam or otherwise use the email addresses that are entered in there.
• Others (over 100) have put the feed for Jazz@Rochester in a feed reader like Google Reader and receive the feed of posts as they are published. To do that, you can click on the orange RSS feed icon directly under the "Get Posts by Feed, Email, or Mobile" heading. Choose the reader you use and it will pull the feed as they are published.
• Jazz@Rochester is on Twitter at @jazzrochester (go figure...) and over 1,300 people are following us there. In addition to "tweets" that have a link to the posts published on the blog, I follow the jazz artists locally who are on Twitter (at least those who I know are on Twitter) and others in the jazz community here. There is a pretty vibrant jazz community on Twitter with artists, jazz bloggers and jazz organizations from all over the world and I try to bring them to you as well. If you'd like to join the conversation and discuss Rochester jazz, or if you'd like to become part of a list I'm creating of people in Rochester who love jazz, send us a message.
• Jazz@Rochester is on Facebook with over 235 people who have "liked" us on that platform (it was fans before...). I was hoping that this would be a place where those of you who find Facebook your platform of choice would have access to the posts published on the blog as well as jazz links and for the local artists on FB to let you know what's going on with them. If you're on Facebook, I'd appreciate it if you'd head over to the page and "like" us there, even if you're getting the content some other way. You can click on the badge in the left panel to get there. If you "liked" us before using the button and ended up on a different "Jazz@Rochester" page, that one isn't the official page and you should move over to the one at the link above.
• You can send us a question or information via email by clicking on the link in the left column. 
• You can use the search box in the right column to find posts that include a particular artist or click on a category or monthly archive link in the left column to browse through posts.

I encourage you to explore the site and let me know what you'd like to see more of, less of (yes, I know there are some of those...). If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask... here, via email, on Twitter, on Facebook, by commenting on a post, or even if you see me at a gig. In essence, I've been trying to build a community around live jazz here in Rochester, which has made and is making so many contributions to jazz and will slowly fade away if not supported. I love the music, so I can't sit by and let that happen. I encourage you to join the community.

 

A quick note from Kansas...

It is a rare occurrence, but I'm going to be a bit late with the listings (sorry to those who have Thursday gigs). I will get them out tomorrow as early as I can, but I'm just too focused on the tasks at hand here in Wichita, where I'm helping my parents get settled in their new digs, and on the day job (which I'm unfortunately still doing while on "vacation"). Back next week....

Jazz@Rochester on your phone... just add "M" for mobile

We're all accessing the web in different ways. We've had Jazz@Rochester mobile for awhile, using the fine service of the folks at Mofuse (and it's free for blogs... free is good). I wanted to let you know that I made the address for accessing the mobile site with your iPhone or other mobile phone browser much easier to remember... Just add "m"!  

m.jazzrochester.com

If you're accessing the site and want to switch to the mobile interface (which also provides links to Jazz@Rochester on Facebook and Twitter), just click on the link that looks like an iPhone in the right panel (or the same image in this post). 

Join the conversation on Jazz@Rochester's Facebook page

While I've been on Facebook for awhile, I focus my activities there on friends and family.  Recently, I've seen a lot of local jazz artists (and other jazz artists) moving over to Facebook from the former "musician" hangout du jour of MySpace.  I had a Jazz@Rochester page on MySpace, but never could get that interface and it was just too much work to maintain. So, I've now created a page on Facebook for Jazz@Rochester. More of you are finding it and signing on, so I thought I'd let you know here.

This page is intended to be free-form improvisation so we'll see how it develops. Share links, start discussions, brainstorm ideas for promoting jazz here in Rochester, tell us stories about gigs you have played or heard, share your photos or video of live jazz in and around Rochester, etc. We're just getting started, but you all are welcome. Just keep it civil and focused on the music and we'll be straight. I'll contribute where I can, but it is mostly for readers of Jazz@Rochester to have their own conversations about jazz in and around Rochester, NY.

Jazz@Rochester on Facebook

Jazz@Rochester is "going mobile" ... We have a site for your smart phone or iPhone

My iPhone is becoming an increasingly important tool in my work and play and as technology marches on and an increasing number of you may want to access Jazz@Rochester on your smart phone, iPhone or cell.  Working with the site Mofuse, I've created a mobile version of the blog (both for regular smart phones and iPhones) to make it easier to get to the content.  You'll still have to go to the regular address to get to the links.

So get on your cell and go to http://jazzrochester.mofuse.mobi to check it out.  You can also navigate your smartphone to the site at its regular address and then click on the link in the right panel to be taken to the mobile version of Jazz@Rochester (there is a separate, optimized iPhone version as well which will automatically be served). Can't set it up right now to automatically detect and serve up the mobile site if you are accessing it from a phone.

As if I didn't have enough ways to annoy you, Jazz@Rochester is on Twitter too ....

You may have noticed I've installed a funky little widget in the left panel, which will be calling attention (like this post) to the fact that Jazz@Rochester is on Twitter (and we have been for quite awhile). Although some of the "tweets" will be familiar sounding (they are links to my posts from this blog), I have found a growing jazz community on Twitter—artists, listeners, and people in the music industry—and hope to tap into it as a way to share some of the great conversations about jazz music and musicians going on out there.

You may see me change widgets occasionally as I try them on for size. Watch soon for some other uses for Twitter I'm cooking ....

Get an automatic shot of Jazz@Rochester ...

Either by email or through a RSS feed reader like Google Reader or Bloglines (or many others), you can keep up-to-date with new posts from Jazz@Rochester. I just found out that for a little while my email box in the right panel has not been functioning. It's all fixed up and spiffy now, so if you'd like to get the new posts to Jazz@Rochester via email then put your email address in the box and follow the directions (including verifying it through the email you'll be sent). Although in the future I may from time to time send an extra email to my email subscribers, I will not sell, share or spam your email without your prior consent.

Survey says . . . a few of my readers' thoughts on the 2008 Rochester International Jazz Festival (Part Two)

This second post on the RIJF survey is a bit more difficult as the responses were so diverse that I think it's best to paint it with a broader brush, highlighting some of the areas where several people had something to say, but not providing a verbatim account (I will use quotes where I am, however). As far as the question about suggestions for the RIJF to see, I will be sending the full responses on to the RIJF staff, both positive and negative (so as not to lose any of their, shall we say, direct and sometimes earthy expression).  I appreciate the kind words many of you had about Jazz@Rochester and will take to heart some of your suggestions regarding our RIJF coverage.

If you would change one thing about the RIJF, what would it be?

While some couldn't limit themselves to just one suggestion, there were some themes in the responses to this questions, including:

Comments on the strategy of selecting artists:

• I liked the response from one reader who wrote that the RIJF should "...keep balancing the old and the new...need big names for the draw, and build a reputation as the "Cannes" of new discoveries who are just turning the corner into notoriety."
• Several people thought there should be more local talent included in the festival. More than one suggested a secondary series of shows, like the Nordic Jazz Now series, dedicated exclusively to Rochester area musicians. As one wrote, "[i]f this were the Chicago Int'l Festival, say, then most likely there would be many Chicago-based musicians on the bill.The RIJF is a fantastic opportunity to put some of our best local musicians in the spotlight."
• Several spoke to specific artists or genres of artists they'd like to hear at future RIJFs. One was looking for more "elite" headliners, naming Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Joni Mitchell, Chick Corea, Asleep at the Wheel, or Taj Mahal and adding "hang the expense." Another spoke to the lack of emphasis on "contemporary jazz & R&B artists such as Lee Ritenour, Fourplay, Bobby Caldwell, Ivan Lins, Patti Austin, Dave Grusin ,Brian Auger, Tower of Power. Another, a fan of artists like John Hollenbeck and John Zorn and the more abstract scene felt there was virtually nothing from that area to check out this year and would like to see more.
• One reader thought there should be bands roving the streets a la New Orleans. 
• Another reader wrote of wanting to know the artist roster much more earlier than just one month before the festival begins. The reader wrote that "once the artists have been secured then the blog and various media could start the buzz around Rochester and choices could be made well in advance as to what shows are the most interesting to prospective patrons" (this comment was really on the Jazz@Rochester question, but I thought it fit here).

Comments on the sound:

• "Fix the sound at Christ Church--it was a nearly unlistenable venue this year"  (I have to agree with this assessment).
• One reader questioned whether all venues or artists need amplification, including Kilbourn Hall (recalling hearing an acoustic set of the Phil Woods Quartet at Red Creek without mikes years back finding the sound great). Also had words about the tent. Another found that Harro East's sound so bad that "the music suffers greatly."

Comments on the Club Passes, food & other logistical issues:

• There were some who thought that RIJF should try different types of Club Passes, including passes good for the weekends to make it easier for someone visiting from out of town to get all there was to get out of the fest for a particular day and day passes.
• Several had suggestions regarding the food and other offerings of vendors at the RIJF, including: providing more vegetarian options ("vendors were too meat centric and we ended up eating dinner before we left for the festival.  If there was a good veggie alternative we would have spent more money at the festival and just ate there"); serving beer brewed by Rochester's High Falls Brewery (OK, the reader said Genny...); and a wider wine selection at Max's.
• Of course, there were issues with the lines and scheduling conflicts (although on the latter, the reader noted that this is a good problem to have).  One reader suggested that the times for performances be alternated so that there is no dead/down time; for example 6:00, 7:30; 9, 10 or 10:30.  Another suggested having more artists appear on more than one day.
• There was a suggestion for more afternoon concerts.
• One reader says that RIJF needs to "[g]et a different artist to do the poster. What was originally artistic has become a series of cliches."

Comments on the jazz vs. non-jazz:

• On reader wrote that "[m]y worst memories of this year's festival are leaving a wonderful jazz concert and stepping into the street to hear blasting, pounding non-jazz. From the sublime to the ridiculous, literally. It's the RIJF, for crying out loud, not some drunken East End Fest." He also had a problem with the "slobs putting their feet up in Kilbourn Hall."
• Another reader wrote "[p]lease leave the Jerry Lee Lewis shit at home. There's no justification for that as he and others (FS jr. for ex.) are not showing up at the hipper more revered jazz fests across the land and certainly not in Europe."
• However, another wrote "I would like RIJF attendees to stop whining when there are 'other than mainstream jazz' acts at the fest. The RIJF allows us the opportunity to come together as a community and experience musical art that we may not otherwise be exposed to during the course of the year. Just like TV there are some 800 channels to choose from—if you don't like one channel then change it."

What kind of coverage would you like to see more of in Jazz@Rochester during the festival?

While a lot of responses to this question were complimentary, there were several observations and suggestions for coverage of future RIJFs that I'd like to share and solicit your further comment:

• Several spoke to wanting to see more daily coverage and to hear more voices. One reader wrote "[m]ore contributors so broader and timely daily coverage is achieved." Another wrote "[i]t would be neat if you had multiple reporters feeding live updates of various performances so, for instance, someone could've written a rave at the first set of Timo Lassy  and folks could rearrange their plans to catch the second set." Another suggesetd that "[I] could rely on more local musicians, especially younger people, for guest reports and things of that nature. I noticed that happened a bit before the festival on your site, but during, you seemed to be flying solo... [] more opinions=better coverage to me." The more voices I was working on, but just didn't get it in place beforehand. I recognize the need for more help and will be recruiting some more during the year so we're prepared next RIJF. Let me know if you'd like to contribute.
• One reader remembered an earlier interview of pianist Geri Allen from last year and suggested doing more of that. Interviews are hard work and I just couldn't swing a credible shot at them this year, but perhaps more next year?
• Someone suggested more "DaJazz" podcasts (our inaugural issue from last year is here). Seth, Ken and I just didn't get to it this year. We tried to record one, but it sounded pretty lame, so we didn't inflict it on you.
• Someone suggested more video. I don't have a camera, but I'm happy to post more of it if someone else takes some quality footage and wants to send it my way (or send me a link on YouTube or other video aggregator).  There is quite a lot of video of the RIJF available out there and I have been thinking of doing a series of posts highlighting them.
• One person suggested there be less promotion of alcohol. This was one of the surprise comment, but in looking back over my posts, I can see the reader's point. Jazz is often found in close proximity to the stuff, and I do like my beer and other spirits. While I don't like the idea of censoring myself, there is no need to waive the stein in people's faces quite so much.

So there it is.  I really got a lot out of this exercise and intend to do this every year.  As I noted in the companion to this post yesterday, if you missed adding your voice to the poll itself, feel free to add your two cents in the comments below on this post (I'd ask that you add it to the one that includes the questions you want to comment on). 

Tell us about your RIJF...One week left

A few weeks ago, I let you know about a survey I'd created to give us your thoughts on the 2008 Rochester International Jazz Festival to find out what you liked about the RIJF and where there was room for improvement in both the festival and in this blog's coverage.  The answers of a growing number of my readers have been recorded over the past few weeks and and I'll compile them and share them with you (and with the producers of the RIJF where appropriate) soon. You can fill the online questionnaire is here. Do so soon as I will only be keeping the link open until Sunday, July 27th. Please take a few minutes to fill it out!

What you say? My comment policy needs restating....

My comment policy on this blog is pretty simple and has been stated in a previous post.  It's simply:

No spamming, stay on topic, play nice, and only put in links to guide my readers to relevant resources or information.

In the past, I have let my comments publish automatically because most of them have fallen well within this simple policy, but for the time being I'll be moderating them. If you're going to post a comment, please try to place your comment on a post that is relevant to that topic. I realize that in some cases there won't be a post relevant to what or who you want to comment about. I take that into account when moderating. I'm glad that people are using the comments, but their purpose is to start conversations, not to engage in promotion.

I wish I'd thought of that earlier....

You may notice in the right column that there is a new space with the heading RIJF Preview Posts with links to the posts that I created last week highlighting my "picks" (i.e., what I'm intending to see) during the 2008 Rochester International Jazz Festival.  Not that you care what I think .... but at least now they'll be easier to find.  Just wish I'd thought of it before the RIJF began.... 

The comment box . . .

One of the goals of Jazz@Rochester is to get you all talking to each other about live jazz in Rochester. As you may have noticed, I have been bringing other voices to write guest posts on the blog for awhile. What you may not have noticed is that some of you are also talking . . . in the comments to posts. Recently, we've had some great comments and I wanted to point them out to you, in case you missed them:

• After I published "Another voice from Rochester jazz . . . Drummer Mike Melito" on April 10th, a conversation developed in the comments.  Following Mike, bassist Fred Stone wrote about the jazz scene in Rochester in the 60s and leaving the city at 20 to find new ideas and ways to express himself on the bass and finding it in Boston at the Berklee School of Music.  He returned to Rochester and continues to explore those new ideas, although finding the city a pretty lonely place for his brand of progressive jazz. Fred's comment drew a replies from Mike and from Bob Sneider (perhaps it was the "Blue Note buddies at the Strathallan" aside"?) and even Tracy at Rochester Scene (and Heard) chimed in at the end.
• Some time after I posted Ian Kloss's review of Henderson-Owens Trio featuring Dr. Lonnie Smith,  Sean Jefferson, drummer for Paradigm Shift and The Jazz Mad Lab wrote a second review of the show in a comment (we may hear more from Sean in the future).

A blog (at least this blog) is intended to be a social media, to create, feed and join in on conversations that are going on out there. They serve this purpose mostly through comments and through linking to other bloggers; in short, interacting with the conversation. I think they add to the knowledge and the community of jazz here.  For me, these comments are an example of this blog serving that purpose.  I've had over 100 comments in the past 2 years, but there are few instances where they start resembling that conversation. I want to encourage that.

How do you do it yourself?  To read or leave a comment, just click on the Comments link at the bottom of each post. If you're leaving a comment, it is simply a matter of filling in the "boxes" and hitting the button (you'll have to fill in a captcha after that). If you're reading, I hope you feel compelled to join the conversation. My comment policy is pretty simple (for a recovering lawyer, that's saying a lot...):

No spam, stay on topic, play nice, and only put in links where you're guiding my readers to relevant resources or information.

I may expand on this in the "I Told You So..." page, but there it is.  Let's get on with the conversation!

Jazz@Rochester gets Blogged (Blogged.com that is)

Since I don't play any horns, I thought I'd toot mine a bit. I recently received an email from an editor at the new blog directory and social networking site Blogged.com, letting me know that Jazz@Rochester had been selected and reviewed by the site's editors, who gave it an 8.2 score out of 10 in the Entertainment/Music category.  Checking out my companions in the jazz sub-category, I'm in good company, many of whom are represented in the links in my panels (and some who will be in the future).

Right now we're No. 16 out of 33 jazz blogs and No. 200 out of 2,366 blogs in the Music category.  Feel free to go out and add your own 2 cents....

So it's not Amazon, but every little bit counts right? . . . The Jazz@Rochester store

So, you may have noticed a new badge I created in the left column. Click on it and you'll be magically transported to the Jazz@Rochester online store. The store has been there for awhile and a few of you have found it through the text link I used to have there. This post is really a shout out to the local artists out there to send me some links and album art for your new releases so I can add them to the store.   

I tried the Amazon A-Store thing for awhile, but it really wasn't doing it for me, and I'd rather give local artists the chance to link to the online source that provides them the biggest payback (I know that Amazon doesn't).  I may add an Amazon link (if one exists) to give people who prefer to buy from them the opportunity to do that. 

Artists and groups . . . SEND ME YOUR STUFF!  I need something to replace some of the current occupants, which are now not really "new releases".

I reserve the right to take my own damn time in getting a particular CD up on the Store and in deciding whether or not to put one up there.

Testing out a new Jazz@Rochester calendar . . . tell me what you think

Before I install it permanently, I'm posting a link here to a Jazz@Rochester Calendar widget that I created using this great little widget building site, Sprout. It's a work in progress and I don't have a lot of content in it yet, but it is a lot more customizable than earlier things I was able to create to interface with the Google Calendar I was previously using on this site.  At least for now this calendar will not be replacing my listings post, but we'll see how it works.  I'll be putting listings for upcoming gigs in and around Rochester by out-of-town artists and groups, some choice gigs elsewhere in some other Western, N.Y. , and jazz events that may warrant more advance notice than you might get in my weekly listings post.

Check it out and let me know what you think by leaving a comment. If there isn't much in there now, wait a few days and check it out again.

Oh no, you didn't . . . Why you're seeing ads

As you may have noticed, I recently placed a small Google AdSense ad block and created an "aStore" on Amazon.com.  I'll keep this to a minimum, but wanted to explain my reasons:

• The obvious one is that I need some scratch to pay my bar tab at the various jazz clubs I try to frequent (although I don't get out as much as I want, I do so much for frequently than the average Joe).  I will NOT be making much scratch from the level of advertising and "monetization", probably enough for a few beers here and there.  Everyone needs some filthy lucre now and then.
• One part of the business my wife and I are building involves building blogs for businesses and other organizations. This blog itself was started to help me learn about blogging; I turned one of my passions into a fairly strong local blog.  Adding Google Adsense ads and building an Amazon aStore is now teaching me some lessons on how these aspects of blogging can be implemented, how the tools to build them work, etc.

Hey . . . where did it go?

A few (very few) of you may have noticed that the link to a Google Calendar where I was keeping track of upcoming out-of-town artists and events has disappeared from the blog.  Due to the lack of traffic going to that page, I decided that it just wasn't doing it for my readers.  I'm looking into a similar thing using the Eventful calendaring site, but will have to decide whether what I can do with it is worth the effort.  Let me know what you think in the comments. 

What Just Happened Here? Some Thoughts On RIJF 2007

As I said in an earlier post, I have quite a lot to say following this year's Rochester International Jazz Festival, which was a watershed for me and for this blog. This will be one of several posts exploring my thoughts and feelings.

This year's RIJF was my introduction into being part of "media" and this blog's introduction to so many new readers (over 1200 unique visitor dropped in during the nine days of the festival). It was about hanging out with my friends and fellow new media folks Ken, Seth, Jane, and Jason.  It was about seeing my friends on Jazz Street and in the clubs, including those who I only really meet during the RIJF. It was about meeting new friends. It was about finding new sounds, dancing and clapping, and hearing world class musicians play compelling, innovative music. Mostly, this year's RIJF was a blast!

I haven't disclosed it before in the blog, but this year the publicity staff at RIJF (thanks, Jean!) gave Jazz@Rochester and I a media pass and contact information for a list of artists whom I hoped to interview. This access provided me the cred, I guess, to set up an interview with Geri Allen and get pretty far in sitting down with Fred Hersch, Trio Beyond, and others (by the way, the I hope to have the results of the interview with Ms. Allen up here soon as a podcast). It was a wonderful opportunity, but ultimately it was one that I used somewhat sparingly for a number of reasons. After I sat down with Ms. Allen (with my wife Dianna), I realized how much work it is to do interviews (and gained some respect for those who do it in a more professional capacity).  I didn't want to ask the usual questions, I wanted to get the artist to talk about their music in a new way (at least from what I was hearing) and found out in that first interview how much work it was to be prepared enough to find the way to that result.  In addition, there was a lot of legwork involved just in setting up the interviews.  I plan on doing more of it in the future, but decided this time not to waste the artists' time and keep others from getting the limited time with them. Before this year I had been only an observer, a fan. Now I was a participant. I wasn't entirely ready for that, especially given the need to continue to try to keep to my 9-to-5 job (OK, I was on Jazz Street at 4:30 most days).

That said, the media pass represented something else that I had felt was already happening before this year's RIJF--the arrival of Jazz@Rochester as something more than a hobby.  Although last year had seen some toes dipped in the water, this was also the year that a community of those who are using new media like blogs, moblogging and podcasts came together and formed a community focused on bringing the Rochester International Jazz Festival to Rochester and the world in new ways. I plan on exploring this some more later.

Nearly 1,200 people came to my site during the nine days of the festival and many of them found the RIJF site through Jazz@Rochester, which is a lot for a site like that focused on one narrow subject in a limited market. I'm sure Ken, Seth and Jason experienced a major uptick in their traffic as well. I received a number of emails and comments from people who had never been on the site before. In line at Kilbourn or elsewhere, when I told my line-mates about Jazz@Rochester I often heard "Oh . . . I've been on that site!" or "You're the one who does that...?" or "Oh . . . you're a blogger...." While I felt that I wasn't able to fully realize some of the promise these new technologies have to offer, my missteps and the things I was able to accomplish provided guidance for what worked and what didn't that I'll be using in next year.

Blogging really is about conversation.  Really.  In addition to a conversation between bloggers, this thing works best when there is a conversation between the person publishing a blog and those who read it. So, tell me what you think of what went on in these pages during for the 9 days of the RIJF. What worked for you?  What didn't?  What was helpful?  What was just plain old lame?  What would you like to see more of in the future?  Leave a comment by clicking on the comment link below and tell me what you think.

Tomorrow I'll Be Rested and Ready to Blog, But Today . . . .?

OK, fatigue and trying to maintain the rest of my life in some semblance of normality (OK, that's a load of crap . . . there's no normality, but it's so much fun!) finally had the better of me (and apparently Ken and Seth). Hence no podcast for June 12th's meanderings at the RIJF (my own recorded notes from last night ended up on the cutting room floor). While I've managed to keep up with seeing more than one act each night, my ability to keep up with posting on them has waned. Since there are so many others are writing about the performances, I will wait to do my post(s) on last night's and tonight's explorations of the Rochester International Jazz Festival sometime tomorrow (I will be taking a day off from the day job). Only the one other post out today, but that one was necessary to keep ahead of the schedule for performances.  I may moblog some though, and don't know whether Ken, Seth and I will be getting together for another installment of "Da Jazz" podcast later tonight or not. 

What Happened to the Banner...?

I finally have given in to my conscience and removed the banner based on the wonderful image taken by jazz photographer Bob Parent of Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk performing at the Open Door Cafe, in NYC on September 14, 1953. You can find more about Bob Parent and his photography at this page on Allaboutjazz.com.  Now that Jazz@Rochester is moving into a new era, I thought we could go with a bit of a new look, without all those issues with copyright (...did I tell you I was a recovering lawyer?).  I've done a bit of other re-arranging as well.  Let me know what you think...leave a comment.

'Scuse me while I do some Spring Cleaning . . .

Doing a bit of housekeeping and sprucing up the ol'blog . . . please bear with me. 

So much to do . . . so little time....

All things Jazz@Rochester

If you're looking for something specific here on the site, check out the search box toward the bottom of the right panel in the blog.  It's been there for awhile, but I thought I'd point it out again.  It is a Google Custom Search Engine that searches only this and the earlier incarnation of Jazz@Rochester.

Yes, I still have a turntable (and a CD player), but what's playing on it?

So, recently I quietly added a new "feature" in the left column, "On the Jazz@Rochester turntable..." that will contain a few of the jazz albums I'm currently listening to on the turntable (yes, I still have one and several hundred jazz, classical and rock albums).  These will include those that are in my collection (or ones I wish were in my collection)—new and old.  I'll change them periodically (a little less often than I change the CDs in my car or albums on my turntable). 

Click through and buy one and I'll make a few pennies.  Now this is my first foray into the commercial side of the blogging.  I'm not quitting my day job anytime soon, though, that's a fact....

One hundred and counting . . .

Since I recently wrote about why I blog, I thought I'd write one about a milestone in that blogging.  This is the 100th post on this incarnation of Jazz@Rochester!  I'm starting to see some real traffic on this blog and that is gratifying.  Back when I started the blog, I counted my readers in the 10s a week.  Some days I didn't have any at all.  We're now close to 1,500 page views a month and it is growing exponentially.  Through February I have already counted almost half of the total page views I had for the whole of 2006.  Now I realize that page views often are merely "hit and run" people who stumble upon Jazz@Rochester by accident and move on, but the number of folks who visit and return has risen from nine in the first month of April 2005 to 374 last month.  Additionally, I've added almost 20 subscribers to the feed. 

On the occasion of this 100th post, I'd like to solicit your thoughts on what you'd like to see in these pages in the future or what you're missing that I used to do (yeah, I know I didn't get any listings up there for last weekend).  Just use the comments to this post to let me know.  Can't make any promises, but I want to know.

Speaking of comments, I also want to encourage you to use the comment tool that is included in almost all of my posts.  Part of why I enjoy blogging is its ability to create a conversation or community around an idea or commonly shared passion.  Use comments to let me know what you think of something I post.

Readers . . . I need some guidance!

For those of you who come back to this blog for information on what's going on around town, you've found less of that here due to the City Newspaper's changes discussed here.  In addition to keeping you apprised of gigs by out-of-town artists and highlighting others in the Google Calendar, which by the way has been updated to include a number of gigs at the Strathallan and Bop Shop, I want to know how I can help you. Due to the amount of other things on my plate, I really cannot compile all of the possible live jazz out there on a weekly basis, but I want to replace the former Wednesday listings with something. 

My traffic showed me that people used the listings, but I can't be sure if they're missed THAT much.  I do this blog out of my love for live music and jazz, but cannot devote much more time to it than I have in the past.  So how can I help you get out there and hear some good jazz here in Rochester.  Please use the comment link below and let me know what YOU want and I'll see if I can accommodate or find a way to do it. 

Listings? . . . We don't need no stinkin' listings....

I knew this day was coming.  I saw the signs...announcements of great things to come on the City Newspaper website.  I wondered whether the music listings (I hesitate to call them mine because, face it, they were City Newspaper's) would change.  Well, that day is here; that time is now.  I went in to pull the listings for tonight post and got a Page 404 error as their site address had changed.  That's not the only thing that changed.  The change is major and, as a result, I cannot continue to bring you the Wednesday jazz listings that have drawn many of you to this site. 

Since the beginning of last year, I have been posting the jazz listings, culled from Rochester's City Newspaper with the permission of its music editor Frank De Blase.  The slick, new City Online Edition has completely redone how it presents its music and music listings. I'll leave it to you to decide whether they have improved them, but it has made it very difficult to draw out the jazz listings and present them to you.  The new event calendar focuses on venues and artists. You cannot filter by genre. If you know who you want to hear or where you are going, I think you'll like them.  Those of us that wake up and say "I want to go hear some [jazz/blues/Tibetan throat singers] tonight....who's playing?" are SOL (that's shit-outta-luck for the uninitiated and, yes, I can say that...it's my blog). 

Really, I'm not bitter. The truth is that I was freeloading and they have probably done some research to figure out what the majority of their readers want in music and event listings.  More power to 'em.  However, being able to pull a fairly complete listing of jazz gigs around town, organized by day and present them in these pages with minimal recoding made it possible for me to do those posts.  As I have stated before, this blog is mostly a hobby (although I also doing blog consulting as part of the business I am building with my wife, Dianna). 

You can check out my Google calendar of Advance Looks and Out of Town Guests to see who's coming to town and find other highlighted jazz events. I will continue to highlight venues and artists as I have before, and post about events when I can, but there's a lot of jazz out there every week and I simply cannot aggregate it all here without spending time I just do not have. I commend you to their listings and hope you find what you need.