While doing these lists at the end of the year isn't my cup of tea, that doesn't mean that I can't link to the "best of" posts by friends of Jazz@Rochester and others I've run into in my meanderings on the net over the past few days. I like these lists if only that it sets me to listening to some sounds I may never have been exposed to. Perhaps you'll find something you like here? And away we go . . . .

• I like what my new friend at JazzWax did. His list was Top 10 JazzWax "Replays" of 2007 in which he listed albums that he heard for the first time in 2007 and continues to play on a regular basis.
• Senior Editor John Kelman has several "best of" lists over at AllAboutJazz.com. There are also lists by editors Troy Collins, Bud Kopman, Mark Turner, Samuel Chell, and C. Michael Bailey.
• For those of you who like your jazz less constrained, a new blog (apparently Dutch) I ran across called "Free Jazz: An overview of new free jazz. A place to share ideas on freejazz, free music, modern jazz, folk jazz and avant-garde jazz", there is a top 10 list of 2007 free jazz albums.
• About.com has a Jazz page, which has a page of top 10 contemporary jazz albums. There are quite a few from the Grammy nominees here.

In my CD buying and listening this year I've been focused on the "backlist" and not so much new releases, so I don't have much to contribute. I sure did like the set of CDs released by Concord Jazz Group in conjunction with the Monterey Jazz Festival, the first set of releases mining tapes of legendary sets from that venerable festival, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. One of the marketers for the series sent me the set to listen to (THANKS!). Included in this first release by were performances at Monterey by Louis Armstrong (1958), Miles Davis (1963), Dizzy Gillespie (1965), Thelonious Monk (1964) and Sarah Vaughan (1971). While also documents of an era (and sometimes suffering from the fact that they were recorded more than 40 years ago, these recordings really capture the essence of live sets. Dizzy Gillespie's set is extra fun as he and his band mates banter between songs.

If I find more in the next week or so, I'll share them as well. Hope you had a great time hearing jazz in 2007—I know I did.

I was flying back from Kansas Wednesday and was just too bleary to blog last night, so the listings post is a bit late this week. Here they are . . . .

Thursday, December 27th

• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 6:00 pm
• Dave Spinner @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Lumiere @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm

Friday, December 28th

• Bob Sneider / Paul Hofmann @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• Bill Tiberio Group w/ John Viavattine, Jr. On bass and Scott Bradley on keyboard @ High Fidelity, 5:00 pm [added]
• Bobby DiBaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Horizons at the Lodge at Woodcliff, 7:30 pm
• Mark Casey w/Jones & Kemp @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Kerry Hoffman Jazz Duo @ New York Wine and Culinary Center (Canandaigua, NY), 8:00 pm
• Bill Dobbins/Mike Kaupa Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Jimmie Highsmith, Jr and friends @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm
• Chet Catallo and the Cats @ Water Street Music Hall, 9:30 pm
• Dubblestuff @ The Black Pearl (791 Meigs Street), 10:00 pm

Saturday, December 29th

• Chris Ziemba @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Horizons at the Lodge at Woodcliff, 7:30 pm
• Jim Nugent Trio @ Little Theatre, 8:00 pm
• Bob Sneider Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Herb Smith Quartet @ Flat Iron Cafe, 9:00 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm [added]
• Noel Leon & Orchestra @ Tapas 177 Lounge, 11:00 pm

Sunday, December 30th

• Quinn Lawrence After Hours Jam @ Flat Iron Cafe, 12:00 am
• Bill Slater @ Horizons at the Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ Bistro 135. 5:00 pm

Monday, December 31st (New Years Eve)

• Gap Mangione Sextet w/The Millionaires @ Horizons at the Lodge at Woodcliff, 7:30 pm

Tuesday, January 1st, 2008

• Nothing listed in my sources as of posting time, check back later...

Wednesday, January 2d

• Nothing listed in my sources as of posting time, check back later...hope this isn't a trend for 2008!

Those with "[added]" or that are stricken were changes found after initial publication of the post. Check the venue sites or call for more information. I've compiled these from other sources, so please forgive me if there are any discrepancies with reality. Artists please feel free to let me know via email (link on left panel) if one of your gigs isn’t on here and I’ll try to add it to the post before the gig happens. Email subscribers should check back here to see if there has been an update or revision before you make decisions on jazz to see (subscribers won't get an update email or posting).

Here's a bit of the tree (O Tannenbaum, that is...) from the Vince Guaraldi Trio, with a video someone  made from images culled from "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Due to my age and seeing this program say 15 times in the past 40+ years, this music has taken a prominent place in my holiday pantheon of song.

We at Jazz@Rochester hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Dorothy, we're not in Kansas anymore . . . oh wait, yes we are.  You'll have to catch some of the jazz in Rochester over the next seven days as I'm out listening to the wind on the prairie here with my family in Fredonia, Kansas for the holidays.

Thursday, December 20th

• Shared Genes @ Triphammer Grill, 60 Browns Race at High Falls, Rochester NY, 12:00 pm
• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 6:00 pm
• Dave Spinner @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Lumiere @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Mark Filsinger Trio @ Virtu, 7:00 pm
• Dave Rivello Ensemble @ Village Rock Cafe, 9:00 pm [canceled]
• Rich Delconte @ Rabbit Room (Honeoye Falls), no time given

Friday, December 21st

• Bob Sneider-Paul Hofmann Duo @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• Bobby DiBaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Shared Genes @ Triphammer Grill, 60 Browns Race at High Falls, Rochester NY, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Horizons at the Lodge at Woodcliff, 7:30 pm
• Project 2 Trio @ Boulder Coffee Co., 8:00 pm
• Mark Casey w/Jones & Kemp @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Kerry Hoffman Jazz Duo @ New York Wine and Culinary Center (Canandaigua, NY), 8:00 pm
• Squeaky Chair Jazz Trio @ Starry Nites Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Mark Cassara @ Bistro 135, 8:30 pm

Saturday, December 22nd

• Chris Ziemba @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• Steve Curry Trio @ Bistro 135, 5:30 pm
• Fred Costello @ Red Fedele's Brook House, 6:00 pm
• Mark Filsinger Trio @ Virtu, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Horizons at the Lodge at Woodcliff, 7:30 pm
• Tina Albright & Steve Greene @ Equal=Grounds Coffee, 8:00 pm
• JIm Nugent Trio @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Mike Kaupa Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• The Latin Jazz Quartet @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm
• Mike Cottone @ Flat Iron Cafe, 9:00 pm
• Filthy Funk @ Dub Land Undergroud, no time given

Sunday,  December 23rd

• Quinn Lawrence After Hours Jam @ Flat Iron Cafe, 12:00 am
• Bill Slater @ Horizons at the Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ Bistro 135 (East Rochester), 5:00 pm

Monday, December 24th

• Bill Slater @ Horizons at the Lodge at Woodcliff, 5:00 pm
• Henry Kearse @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm

Tuesday, December 25th

• Bill Slater @ Horizons at the Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Deborah Branch @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm

Wednesday, December 26th

• Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm

Those with "[added]" or that are stricken were changes found after initial publication of the post. Check the venue sites or call for more information. I've compiled these from other sources, so please forgive me if there are any discrepancies with reality. Artists please feel free to let me know via email (link on left panel) if one of your gigs isn’t on here and I’ll try to add it to the post before the gig happens. Email subscribers should check back here to see if there has been an update or revision before you make decisions on jazz to see (subscribers won't get an update email or posting).

From time to time, I try to share jazz sites with you that I've come across in my meanderings across the World Wide Web, including blogs about jazz. Once such site is the blog JazzWax.

JazzWax's Marc Myers writes almost daily about jazz and jazz recordings. He is a NYC journalist, historian and corporate media consultant—and a jazzhead of major proportions. Typical JazzWax posts (for example Teddy Wilson in Denmark on December 16th or Boy With Lots of Brass about Maynard Ferguson on October 24th) will explore their topics in depth and include links on where to find available tracks and video. The JazzWax blog also includes interviews of jazz artists and people in jazz. Myers also collects jazz video. Check it out!

Here's the jazz you'll find in Rochester, NY, clubs, bars and restaurants over the next seven days. Get out and hear some!

Thursday, December 13th

• Jazz at Noon @ First Universalist Church, 150 S. Clinton Ave. (corner of Court St.), Rochester, 12:15 pm
• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 6:00 pm
• Dave Spinner @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Mark Filsinger Trio @ Virtu, 7:00 pm
• Lumiere @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Dave Rivello Ensemble @ Village Rock Cafe, 9:00 pm

Friday, December 14th

• Mike Kaupa-Paul Hofmann Duo @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• Bobby DiBaudo @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Greg Wachala & Dave Arenius @ Stucko's Bar & Grill, 6:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Horizons at the Lodge at Woodcliff, 7:30 pm
• Mark Casey w/Jones & Kemp @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Kerry Hoffman Jazz Duo @ New York Wine and Culinary Center (Canandaigua, NY), 8:00 pm
• Jeanie Bryson and Coleman Mellet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Datt Group @ Bistro 135, 8:30 pm

Saturday, December 15th

• Chris Ziemba @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• Ralph Scicchitano @ Flat Iron Cafe, 6:00 pm
• Denise Thimes Quartet @ VENU Resto-Lounge & Niteclub, 7:00 pm
• Mark Filsinger Trio @ Virtu, 7:00 pm
• Fred Costello with Kimberly Westcott & Bobby Blandino @ Red Fedele's Brook House, 7:30 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Horizons at the Lodge at Woodcliff, 7:30 pm
• JIm Nugent Trio @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Starry Nites Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Jeanie Bryson and Coleman Mellet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Ben Britton Electric Trio @ Flat Iron Cafe, 9:00 pm
• Bobby DiBaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm

Sunday, December 16th

• Quinn Lawrence After Hours Jam @ Flat Iron Cafe, 12:00 am
• Bill Slater @ Horizons at the Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ Bistro 135 (East Rochester), 5:00 pm

Monday, December 17th

• Eastman New Jazz Ensemble with Trombonist Ed Neumeister @ Kilbourn Hall, 8:00 pm
• Big Apple Mondays (with Solomon Douglas on piano) @ Flat Iron Cafe, 8:30 pm

Tuesday, December 18th

• Tony Giannavola @ Beale Street II, 6:00 pm
• Joe Santoro & Emily Kirchoff @ Virtu, 7:00 pm

Wednesday, December 19th

• Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm

Those with "[added]" or that are stricken were changes found after initial publication of the post. Check the venue sites or call for more information. I've compiled these from other sources, so please forgive me if there are any discrepancies with reality. Artists please feel free to let me know via email (link on left panel) if one of your gigs isn’t on here and I’ll try to add it to the post before the gig happens. Email subscribers should check back here to see if there has been an update or revision before you make decisions on jazz to see (subscribers won't get an update email or posting).

The Mulgrew Miller and Johnny O'Neal smackdown was off-the-hook last Saturday, but there's one more to come for 2007. Singer Denise Thimes will be closing out Rochester's Exodus to Jazz Series this year, returning to Rochester on Saturday, December 15, 2007, for two shows (7:00 pm and 9:00 pm) at VENU Resto-Lounge & Niteclub. She will be accompanied by pianist Helen Sung, bassist Ben Williams and drummer Quincy Davis. Thimes has a brilliant voice that mentor Clark Terry described as a perfect mix of “Ella, Sassy, Lady Day, Nancy, Dianne and Carmen.” Since she debuted in Rochester earlier this year in March, Denise’s busy year was highlighted by a request from Queen Elizabeth to perform during a private British Embassy gala on May 8, 2007, where she received a standing O from the Queen, Prince Phillip and our own Pres & Lady Bush. Denise hails from St. Louis, where one of my fellow metro jazz bloggers writes St. Louis Jazz Notes also wrote about the appearance (as a home town girl, he's written about her from time to time).

Tickets for Exodus to Jazz are $17.00 through TicketWeb (search “Denise Thimes” or “Exodus To Jazz”). Tickets that are purchased at the door or by calling 585-325-9162 are $ 20.00; student tickets are $10.00 with a current Student ID.

A few days ago, the announcements were made for the 2007 Grammy Awards. Here are the jazz categories with the artists, nominated albums and tracks, and labels (Field 10, Categories 45 through 50 if you're keeping score). I've provided you with links so you can follow your muse to find out more or buy some of the music if you like.

Best Contemporary Jazz Album

• Party Hats Will Bernard [Palmetto Records]
• Downright Upright Brian Bromberg [Artistry Music]
• Re-Imagination Eldar [Masterworks Jazz]
• River: The Joni Letters Herbie Hancock [Verve]
• He Had A Hat Jeff Lorber [Blue Note]

Best Jazz Vocal Album

• Avant Gershwin Patti Austin [Rendezvous Entertainment]
• Red Earth Dee Dee Bridgewater [DDB/Emarcy]
• Music Maestro Please Freddy Cole [HighNote Records]
• Nightmoves Kurt Elling [Concord Jazz]
• On the Other Side Tierney Sutton (Band) [Telarc Jazz]

Best Jazz Instrumental Solo

• Levees Terence Blanchard, Track from: A Tale Of God's Will (A Requiem For Katrina) [Blue Note]
• Anagram Michael Brecker, Track from: Pilgrimage [Heads Up International]
• Both Sides Now Herbie Hancock, Track from: River: The Joni Letters [Verve]
• Lullaby Kids: Live At Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola (Joe Lovano and Hank Jones) [Blue Note]
• 1000 Kilometers 1000 Kilometers (Oregon) [CamJazz]

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group

• Pilgrimage Michael Brecker [Heads Up International]
• Live at the Village Vanguard The Bill Charlap Trio [Blue Note]
• Kids: Live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola Joe Lovano And Hank Jones [Blue Note]
• Line by Line John Patitucci [Concord Jazz]
• Back East Joshua Redman [Nonesuch Records]

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

• A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina) Terence Blanchard [Blue Note]
• Eternal Licks and Grooves The Bob Florence Limited Edition [MAMA Records]
• Hommage The Bill Holman Band [Jazzed Media]
• Sky Blue Maria Schneider Orchestra [ArtistShare] (also nominated under "Best Instrumental Composition")
• With Love Charles Tolliver Big Band [Blue Note]

Best Latin Jazz Album

• Funk Tango Paquito D'Rivera Quintet [Paquito Records]
• The Magician Sammy Figueroa And His Latin Jazz Explosion [Savant Records]
• Borrowed Time Steve Khan [Tone Center Records]
• Refugee Hector Martignon [Zoho]
• Big Band Urban Folktales Bobby Sanabria Big Band [Jazzheads]

Let us know what you think about the nominees and/or their albums in the comments to this post. Start a conversation with the others who comment. Maria Schneider (up for 2) is an Eastman grad. Who else?

We don't have much in the way of jazz bars and venues here in Rochester. How can we blame the venues? Even the new Bistro 135 in East Rochester, which started out with dreams of jazz every night, apparently has already decided to scale back it's plans to Fridays and Saturdays. Nonetheless, we still have a lot of jazz to hear around town most days of the week. Check out these over the next seven days.

Thursday, December 6th

• Peter Kodzas (guitar) plays Gypsy Dances @ First Universalist Church, 150 S. Clinton Ave. (corner of Court St.), Rochester, 12:15 pm
• Matt Valerio (Jazz piano) @ Strathallan Hotel, 6:00 pm
• The Westview Project @ Pomodoro Grill & Wine Bar, 7:00 pm
• Mark Filsinger Trio @ Virtu, 7:00 pm
• Lumiere @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Bonerama to benefit the Arabi Wrecking Krewe of New Orleans @ Pittsford-Sutherland High School, 7:30 pm [added] (oops...previous post here).
• Preservation Hall Jazz Band: A Creole Christmas @ Mainstage Theatre, UB Center for the Arts in Buffalo, 7:30 pm
• Nazareth College Jazz Ensemble (Paul Smoker, director) @ Nazareth College Wilmot Recital Hall, 8:00 pm
• Kerry Hoffman Jazz Duo @ New York Wine and Culinary Center (Canandaigua, NY), 8:00 pm [changed]
• Standard Jazz Quartet @ Starry Nites Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Dave Rivello Ensemble, Village Rock Cafe, 9:00 pm

Friday, December 7th

• Bob Sneider & Paul Hofmann @ Strathallan Hotel, 5:00 pm
• Greg Wachala & Dave Arenius @ Stucko's Bar & Grill, 6:00 pm
• Freddy Colon and The Latin Jazz Quartet featuring Roc Music Recording Artist Anthony Dontay @ Pazzo's Cucina (Downtown Rochester, 36 W.Main St. and Fitzhugh St), 6:00pm [Added]
• Shared Genes @ Triphammer Grille (60 Brown's Race, High Falls in Rochester), 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Horizons at the Lodge at Woodcliff, 7:30 pm
• Jane Monheit @ Rockwell Hall at Buffalo State College, 8:00 pm
• Swing Dance w/Teresa Broadwell Quartet @ Rochester Museum and Science Center, 8:00 pm
• Mark Casey w/Jones & Kemp @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Kerry Hoffman Jazz Duo @ New York Wine and Culinary Center (Canandaigua, NY), 8:00 pm [changed]
• Phil Palombi and John Sneider with Bob Sneider and Friends @ Strathallan Hotel, 8:30 pm
• Tony Cruz & Friends @ Salena's Mexican Restaurant, 10:00 pm

Saturday, December 8th

• Ralph Scicchitano @ Flat Iron Cafe, 6:00 pm
• Fred Costello @ Red Fedelle's Brook House, 6:00 pm
• The Westview Project @ Bodhi's Café & Lounge, 6:30 pm
• Johnny O'Neal vs Mulgrew Miller @ VENU Resto-Lounge & Niteclub, 7:00 & 9:15 pm
• Mark Filsinger Trio @ Virtu, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Horizons at the Lodge at Woodcliff, 7:30 pm 
• Jim Nugent Trio @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Phil Palombi and John Sneider with Bob Sneider and Friends @ Strathallan Hotel, 8:30 pm [added...oops]
• Madeline Forster Quartet @ Bistro 135 in East Rochester, 9:00 pm
• Brad Batz Group @ Pomodoro Grill & Wine Bar (no time given)

Sunday, December 9th

• Quinn Lawrence late night jazz jam @ Flat Iron Cafe, 12:00 am
• Bill Slater @ Horizons at the Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Rosyln @ Artisan Works, 12:30 pm
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ Bistro 135 (East Rochester), 5:00 pm

Monday, December 10th

• Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Cafe, 9:00 pm
• The White Hots @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm

Tuesday, December 11th

• Tony Giannavola @ Beale Street II, 6:00 pm
• Joe Santoro and Emily Kirchoff @ Virtu, 7:00 pm
• Johnny Matt Big Band @ Stardust Ballroom @ Edgerton Community Center, 7:30 pm

Wednesday, December 12th

• Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Eastman Jazz Ensemble @ Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music, 8:00 pm

Those with "[added]", "[changed]" or that are stricken were changes found after initial publication of the post. Check the venue sites or call for more information. I've compiled these from other sources, so please forgive me if there are any discrepancies with reality. Artists please feel free to let me know via email (link on left panel) if one of your gigs isn’t on here and I’ll try to add it to the post before the gig happens. Email subscribers should check back here to see if there has been an update or revision before you make decisions on jazz to see (subscribers won't get an update email or posting).

Brian Clark's recent post "Jazz and the Art of Improvisational Blogging" over at Copyblogger asks the question "Can jazz musicians really teach you a thing or two about effective blogging?" I've been reading Brian's blog for its well-articulated thoughts on how to be a more effective blogger and writer. It was no different with this post as his use of jazz and its artists to illustrate something about effective blogging hit a chord (pun intended). In addition to the jazz hook, Brian's post made me realize it had been awhile since I took some time to reflect a bit on what I do here in Jazz@Rochester. Brian's use of quotes by jazz musicians also made me look up a few of my own for illuminating other places where jazz and blogging may intersect.

Perhaps it is a peculiarity of mine that despite the fact that I am a professional performer, it is true that I have always preferred playing without an audience. Bill Evans
Improvisation is the ability to talk to oneself. Cecil Taylor

Brian Clark was looking at the places where that thing that jazz musicians and bloggers do may intersect—he found it in the art of improvisation, which he defines as the "practice of acting and creating in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one’s immediate environment." Brian writes:

Jazz musicians riff off the rest of the band, and the vibe of the audience, in real time. Good bloggers riff off of relevant parts of the blogosphere, and the vibe of the audience, also in real time.
Things only break down when someone forgets who the real audience is.

However, as Taylor and Evans illuminate above, improvisation is also a solo gig. As Brian drew the issue in his post, while the creativity and collaboration between jazz musicians, the importance of the performance, can result in jazz musicians playing for themselves or for the other musicians up on the bandstand with them, leaving the audience to fade into the darkness of the club. Bloggers can do the same thing as they riff on stuff that they find interesting out there on the Internet and begin talking mostly to other bloggers (or to Google or their affiliate programs) rather than to their audience. I know that I have done it. In blogging, the trick is to do both—create content that is useful and interesting to the audience that you know is reading (through the comments left and by looking at your traffic), but also to bring your own voice and interests into the mix and show that audience something new. As Brian writes toward the end of his post:

...even an innovative artist who is ahead of his time needs to get some people into the club first. Play them a song they want to hear, get them on your side, and then take them happily to a place they had no idea they wanted to go.

I think that keeping this in mind is particularly important for a blogger who, as here, focuses and promotes a local music scene. I try to keep a focus on the fact that what I am really trying to do here is promoting the live jazz music scene here in Rochester, NY. I need to provide people who are interested in the jazz scene here, or who just drop in because they're looking for something to do on a Saturday night, what they want and need—a mostly comprehensive and accurate source for information on the live jazz scene here. I also want to take the blog and my readers beyond that local focus and those trips will be guided by my own interests and instincts. Of course, I also want this blog to be successful and to grow the audience.

I have a couple of additional "riffs" off other jazz quotes I found out there.

Imitate, assimilate, and innovate. Clark Terry.

Clark Terry's observation says a lot about what bloggers try to do. While you're blogging you sometimes find yourself imitating other bloggers or blogs in your approach or writing. You often assimilate the content of posts that have struck you or information aggregated from numerous sources and then mold your own post and, hopefully, innovate something else out of all that content. That's what I'm trying to do here.

You may have holes in your shoes, but don't let the people out front know it. Shine the tops. Earl Hines

The blogging software and ease in publishing to the web make it possible to take Hines' advice and "shine the tops" when I make a mistake on Jazz@Rochester or just engage in some sloppy writing (which happens more than this editor would like to admit). I could simply make it go away or clean it up, repost, and only those who have already seen the post will even know. However, remembering the audience, it is important with some posts that I lift up my feet and show those holes as it is the only way that my readers will know there was a mistake they may want to pay attention to. That's why you'll see me using strikeouts when a gig is canceled or calling attention to new gigs on the listings post with an "[added]." Sure from time to time I'm just embarrassed at a result and I'll do a bit of a rewrite "on the sly."  However, even if I do that, I know. The fact is even if I tape up the holes, the water (or in our case today, snow) will get my socks wet.

This post has ended up on much longer than is advisable, but there it is. I just let it take me where it wanted to go.  If you got to here before going elsewhere, I commend you. Seriously, I don't hear enough from the people reading Jazz@Rochester. I'd like to hear more about what you'd like to see in these pages so I can try to keep it focused on what matters to you. Leave a comment (all you have to do is click on the link at the bottom of the post to get started).

Exodus to Jazz is presenting a “Heavyweight Match: Mulgrew Miller vs. Johnny O’Neal” on Saturday, December 8, 2007, at the VENU Resto-Lounge & Niteclub on St. Paul in downtown Rochester, New York. Miller vs. O'Neal will be supported in the ring by some smokin hot musicians—Ivan Taylor on bass and Pete Siers on drums.

Rounds begin at 7:00 & 9:00 PM. Tickets may be purchased in advance for $ 24.00 through TicketWeb.com (search for “Heavyweight Match” or “Exodus To Jazz”). Tickets purchased at the door or reserved by calling (585) 325-9162 are $ 28.00; $ 14.00 for students with a current ID.

Bring your smelling salts....