Despite the chill in the air that never seems to leave, the jazz over the next seven days will be hot! Yes there are only a couple of weeks until the Rochester International Jazz Festival, but there is jazz about now. 

Watch these pages as I begin my 2008 Jazz Fest coverage. I'm also going to be making a few changes in the look of the site, mostly organization. Please bear with me as I make the changes.

Thursday, May 29th

• New Horizons Ensemble (Eastman Community Orchestra) @ Kilbourn Hall, 2:30 pm
• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 6:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Lumieré @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm

Friday, May 30th

• Jazz Happy Hour with Bob Sneider / Paul Hofmann Duo @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• John Nyerges Quartet (“Summer Jazz Series On The Patio”) @ Wegmans Market Café, 345 Eastern Blvd (Rt 5&20), Canandaigua, NY, 5:00 pm
• Freddy Colon Latin Jazz Quartet @ Pazzo Cucina, 36 W. Main St., Rochester, 6:00 pm
• Po Boys Brass Band @ Bop Shop (Friday Nights at the Village Gate), 6:00 pm
• Bobby DiBaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Pane Vino (175 N. Water Street), 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• 85 Years of Jazz (RPO with Jeff Tyzik (conducting), Byron Stripling (trumpet), Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Peter Appleyard (vibraphone), and Chris Vadala (saxophone) @ Eastman Theatre, 8:00 pm
• Mike Kaupa Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm

Saturday, May 31st

• Steve Greene & Tina Albright @ Bodhi's CafÈ & Lounge, 6:30 pm
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ Michael's Valley Grill, 7:00 pm
• Bobby Dibaudo @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• 85 Years of Jazz (RPO with Jeff Tyzik (conducting), Byron Stripling (trumpet), Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Peter Appleyard (vibraphone), and Chris Vadala (saxophone) @ Eastman Theatre, 8:00 pm
• Po Boys Brass Band @ Boulder Coffee Company, 8:00 pm
•  John Eckert (guest artist from NYC) with the Bob Sneider Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm (Bob will arrive after the RPO gig)
• Jim Nugent Trio @ Little Theatre Café, 8:30 pm
• Jennifer Heieck Trio @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes (East Ave.), 9:30 pm
• After Hours Jam Session with the Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Café, 12:00 am

Sunday, June 1st

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Musicale Sundays @ Artisan Works, 12:00 pm (call or check out their website for artists)
• Concert of Hope @ Willowbrook Christian Church, 619 High St., Victor, NY, 3:00 pm
• Mambo Kings @ New Life Fellowship Church, 330 Wellington Ave., Rochester, no time given

Monday, June 2nd

• New Horizons Ensemble (Eastman Community Orchestra) @ Kilbourn Hall, 7:00 pm
• Rick Holland Quartet @ Tasteology, 7:30 pm
• Rick Holland Evan Dobbins Little Big Band @ Tasteology, 8:30 pm
• Big Apple Mondays Swing Dance Class and Live Jazz with Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Café, 8:30 pm

Tuesday, June 3rd

• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ Virtu, 6:30 pm

Wednesday, June 4th

• Steve Curry Trio w/ Todd East @ Bistro 135, 5:30 pm
• The Westview Project @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm

We've compiled these listings from information obtained from the performing artists themselves and from other sources. Please forgive me for any discrepancies with reality; feel free to let me know what the problem is, and I'll get the corrections up on the site as soon as possible. For additional information regarding a particular performance (where I haven't previewed it in a separate post in advance), you may want to check the artist or venue web sites listed in the right panel of this weblog. 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!

Another voice joins Jazz@Rochester with a review of Friday night's Andy Bey gig for the wonderful Exodus to Jazz series, written by Christopher Teal:

Unsung jazz legend Andy Bey came to Rochester’s Clarion Riverside Hotel on Friday for two sets of fresh interpretations on standards, as well as his own stirring originals. Rounding out a trio with Bey’s piano and vocals were bassist Joe Martin and drummer Vito Lesczak. I have heard Martin on record and live on several occasions with Kurt Rosenwinkel’s bands and he always plays with a focused rhythmic drive—last night being no exception. Lesczak has been playing with Bey for several years in rotation with the legendary Kenny Washington and displayed masterful restraint and in his swinging accompaniment role.

The late set started out with an instrumental version of the standard There is No Greater Love, with Bey’s distinctive piano playing in full effect. Bey displays great patience at the piano, unfolding his ideas with deliberate care. By eschewing traditional left hand accompaniment, he leaves ample space for group interplay. This medium tempo swinger featured plenty of smart rhythmic interaction between the whole trio and an especially spirited solo from Joe Martin.  In the next two selections, a style-shifting workout of All the Things You Are and a pensive rendition of On Second Thought (both featured on his latest album It Ain't Necessarily So, Bey displayed the full capacity of his immense vocal instrument. Able to create a huge array of colors and tones with his four-octave range, Bey belted new life into the warhorse All the Things (a tune that Bey described as being "older than salt") and created an intimately dark tone on On Second Thought. Approaching seventy years of age, Andy Bey’s lyrical interpretations percolate a mix of experience and vitality that bring to mind Jimmy Scott and Bill Withers, but without losing his own unique character.

After two originals, Pretentious, and There Are So Many Ways to Approach the Blues, Bey stepped from behind the piano to perform a vocalese rendition of A Night In Tunisia that included a stellar scat solo riddled with quotes from other bebop classics. Following this closer, Bey was summoned by applause to perform a solo encore of Little Girl Blue that provided a tender close to the set.

This final set for Bey’s trio was also the last of the season for the Exodus to Jazz series. Promoter Jose DaCosta surprised the crowd by unveiling the lineup for the Fall-Winter season of ETJ, which brings back familiar acts as well as some compelling new artists, leaving the crowd with even more to buzz about over the summer.

Christopher Teal is a second-year Masters student at Eastman School of Music in jazz drum and plays with the local band Po' Boys Brass Band, Localized Tenderness out of Spokane, WA, and the Chris Teal Trio. You can find out more about Chris at his website and the MySpace page for Localized Tenderness. We hope to have Chris write more for us while he's here in Rochester. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Looking for something to do after the Memorial Day picnic?  Like poetry slams with some jazz thrown in?  Lucreations and the Downstairs Cabaret Theater are presenting "Lyrical Grooves" tomorrow, May 26th at 8pm.  Come on out and hear the spoken thoughts and the stimulating poetic melodies of some of Upstate NY's best poets, accompanied by saxophonist Jimmie Highsmith, Jr., drummer Tony Hiler and members of the band Black August. Featured poets include from CSWA (Culture Starts with Art!) Diane Conway and Lu Highsmith, BASICS from Lucreations, and special guest poet from NYC Renair Amin. Artist Shawn Dunwoody work will be on display as well.

Doors open at 7pm.  Tickets are $20.00 in advance by calling (585) 325-4370 with a credit card now, or $25.00 at the door at Downstairs Cabaret, 20 Windsor St in downtown Rochester, NY.

The Official Ticket Shop of the 2008 Rochester International Jazz Festival opened on Wednesday May at the corner of East Ave. and Gibbs St. (also known as "Jazz Street") downtown.  Before the RIJF starts, the hours will be Monday through Friday, 10 am to 6 pm and Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm. They'll be closed on Sundays and holidays including this Memorial Day holiday (and the weekend).  During the festival, the store will be open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. nightly.

The Store is the place to get a Festival brochure and schedule, purchase Club Passes and tickets for the RIJF’s Eastman Theatre concerts (check out the RIJF website for discounts for newsletter subscribers on 3 of these concerts). The service charge for Eastman Theatre tickets purchased at the shop is only $1 per ticket (as opposed to much more on Ticketmaster).

While we don't have a lot of jazz clubs in Rochester, we have some clubs where jazz is played. Check some of them out!

Thursday, May 22nd

• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 6:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ Michael's Valley Grill, 7:00 pm
• Lumiere @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm
• Jay Spinner @ The Rabbit Room (Honeoye Falls), no time given

Friday, May 23rd

• Bob Sneider/Paul Hofmann Duo @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• John Nyerges Quartet (“Summer Jazz Series On The Patio”) @ Wegmans Market Café, 345 Eastern Blvd (Rt 5&20), Canandaigua, NY, 5:00 pm
• Devon Tramell & Nick Murray @ Bodhi's Café & Lounge, 6:30 pm
• Bobby DiBaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ Michael's Valley Grill, 7:00 pm
• The Andy Bey Quartet (Exodus to Jazz) @ Clarion Hotel Riverside, 7:00 & 9:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Mike Hashim with Bill Dobbins, Bob Sneider, Jeff Campbell and Mike Melito @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Mark Cassara Quartet @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm

Saturday, May 24th

• Chris Ziemba @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• Ralph Scicchitano @ Flat Iron Café, 6:00 pm
• Shared Genes @ Triphammer Grill, 7:00 pm
• Madeline Forster Quartet @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ Michael's Valley Grill, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Paul Hoffmann Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Jim Nugent Trio @ Little Theatre Café, 8:30 pm
• The Ben Britton Band @ The Flat Iron Café, 9:00 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes (East Ave.), 9:30 pm
• After Hours Jam Session with the Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Café, 12:00 am

Sunday, May 25th

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Musicale Sundays @ Artisan Works, 12:00 pm (call or check out their website for artists)
• Gap Mangione Big Band @ Irondequoit Town Hall, 1280 Titus Ave, 7:00 pm

Monday, May 26th

• The White Hots @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm
• The Rick Holland Evan Dobbins Little Big Band, Tasteology, 8:00 pm
• Big Apple Mondays Swing Dance Class and Live Jazz with Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Café, 8:30 pm

Tuesday, May 27th

• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ Virtu, 6:30 pm
• New Horizons Band Tribute to former leader Ed Mizma @ Eastman Theater, 7:00 pm
• Dubblestuff @ Java's Café, 7:00 pm

Wednesday, May 28th

• Steve Curry Trio w/ Todd East @ Bistro 135, 5:30 pm
• Golden Sounds @ Roger Robach Community Center, 7:15 pm
• Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm

We've compiled these listings from information obtained from the performing artists themselves and from other sources. Please forgive me for any discrepancies with reality; feel free to let me know what the problem is, and I'll get the corrections up on the site as soon as possible. Any list items that contain an Added image or struck-through text reflect corrections implemented after initial publication of this post. Email subscribers should check the listings post online for updates or revisions before making decisions based on the information in this post. For additional information regarding a particular performance (where I haven't previewed it in a separate post in advance), you may want to check the artist or venue web sites listed in the right panel of this weblog. 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!

The Spring Season of Exodus To Jazz comes to a close with the Andy Bey Trio coming to Rochester on Friday, May 23, 2008, at the Riverside Ballroom at the Clarion Riverside Hotel in downtown Rochester. Bey will be accompanied by his regular trio members, bassist Joe Martin and drummer Vito Lesczak and perform selections from the CD “Ain't Necessarily So.”

Andy Bey was a fixture as a vocalist in the jazz scene of the 50s and 60s, recognized as a favorite by Coltrane sharing the spotlight with Nina Simone, Carmen McRae, Lena Horne and Horace Silver. However, Bey dropped out of the scene until his career was revived with a 1990s albums including “Ballads, Blues and Bey” and “Shades of Bey," and he received a Grammy nomination with 2004's “American Song.” Check out Bey singing "Stella By Starlight" at a benefit for pianist George Cables at Sweet Rhythm in NYC in January, backed by Gary Bartz, Robert Glasper, Cecil McBee, and Winard Harper.

Exodus to Jazz shows are at 7:00 and 9:00 pm in the Riverview Ballroom at the Clarion Riverside Hotel, 120 E. Main St., Rochester, NY. Tickets are $ 20.00 (student tickets are $ 10.00 with a current ID) and can be reserved and/or paid for at TicketWeb.com (search “Andy Bey” or “Exodus To Jazz”), or through an email reservation request (email confirmations will be returned). Tickets can also be purchased at the door on the night of the show and will be available for pick-up at the Will Call desk beginning at 6:00 PM on the night of the show. For more information visit the website or call (585) 733-7685.

Just a quick note to point you over to my friend Tracy's writeup on her blog Rochester Music Scene (and Heard) after hearing the Steve Greene Trio with Tina Albright over at the Jazz at Immanuel Series at the Immanuel Baptist Church on Park Avenue. 

At least one of us got out to hear some jazz on Friday.  I'm recovering from a way too hectic week (although I did go to the WGMC benefit Art Loves Jazz at Artworks on Thursday).

I've been so busy this week, I've lost track of the jazz around Rochester, but managed to find some in and around town. Hope to see you at some of these gigs!

Thursday, May 15th

• Just Jazz @ Lilac Festival (Main Stage), 2:30 pm
• John Viviani and Filthy Funk @ Lilac Festival (Main Stage), 4:00 pm
• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 6:00 pm
• Shared Genes @ Tastings (Pittsford), 6:30 pm
• Art Loves Jazz (Benefit for Jazz 90.1) @ Artisan Works, 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm
• Lumiere @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Funk Nut @ Spot Coffee, 8:00 pm
• Dave Rivello Ensemble @ Village Rock Cafe, 9:00 pm

Friday, May 16th

• Brockport Jazz Ensemble @ Lilac Festival (Main Stage), 1:00 pm
• Po Boys Brass Band @ Lilac Festival (Main Stage), 4:00 pm
• Bob Sneider/Paul Hofmann @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Bodhi's Cafe, 6:30 pm
• Steve Greene Trio @ Immanuel Baptist Church, 7:00 pm
• Bobby Watson & The Live and Learn Sextet (Exodus to Jazz) @ Clarion Hotel Riverside, 7:00 pm  & 9:00 pm
• Tom Pasamonte and Special Blend @ Lodge at Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Mike Kaupa Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Filthy Funk @ Dub Land Underground, 10:00 pm
• Brad Batz @ Pomodoro's, no time given

Saturday, May 17th

• Chris Ziemba @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• Ralph Scicchitano @ Flat Iron Cafe, 6:00 pm
• Shared Genes @ Triphammer Grill, 7:00 pm
• Tom Pasamonte and Special Blend @ Lodge at Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• John Nugent w/Bob Sneider Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Jim Nugent Trio @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:30 pm
• Dan Drohan Quartet @ Flat Iron Cafe, 9:00 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes (East Ave.), 9:30 pm
• After Hours Jam Session with the Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Cafe, 12:00 am

Sunday, May 18th

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Musicale Sundays @ Artisan Works, 12:00 pm (call or check out their website for artists)
• Erik Nielsen/Lisa Winter CD release concert @ Charles Finney School Auditorium (2070 Five Mile Line Road, Penfield, NY), 3:00 pm
• Tinted Image @ Lilac Festival (Main Stage), 5:30 pm
• White Hots @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Allan Holdsworth @ German House Theatre, 8:00 pm

Monday, May 19th

• George Pierce's Bourbon Street Jazz @ Green Lantern Inn (One East Church St., Fairport, NY), 6:30 pm
• The Rick Holland Evan Dobbins Little Big Band @ Tasteology, 8:00 pm
• Big Apple Mondays Swing Dance Class and Live Jazz with Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Cafe, 8:30 pm

Tuesday, May 20th

• No jazz for you!
• Rachelle Fleming (vocals) with Quinn Lawrence @ Bistro 135, 5:30 pm

Wednesday, May 21st

• Johnny Matt @ Roger Robach Community Center, 7:15 pm
• Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm

We've compiled these listings from information obtained from the performing artists themselves and from other sources. Please forgive me for any discrepancies with reality; feel free to let me know what the problem is, and I'll get the corrections up on the site as soon as possible. Any list items that contain an Added image or struck-through text reflect corrections implemented after initial publication of this post. Email subscribers should check the listings post online for updates or revisions before making decisions based on the information in this post. For additional information regarding a particular performance (where I haven't previewed it in a separate post in advance), you may want to check the artist or venue web sites listed in the right panel of this weblog. If you go out to hear a performance listed here, feel free to drop a comment to this post about how it went. I want to hear from you!

Exodus To Jazz is bringing former Jazz Messenger alto saxophonist Bobby Watson with the Live & Learn Sextet to the Clarion Riverside Ballroom on Friday, May 16, 2008, at the Clarion Riverside Hotel. Watson was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messenger from 1977 to 1981. He has been a leader on at least 26 albums and appeared on more than 100. Watson will be accompanied by Harold O’Neal (piano), Warren Wolf (vibes), Philip Dizack (trumpet), Curtis Lundy (bass), and Quincy Davis (drums). For a taste of Bobby Watson, check out this video clip from a gig Watson played at Dizzy's in NYC (sound's not great, but it gives a good feel for him live).

Exodus to Jazz shows are at 7:00 & 9:00 pm in the Riverview Ballroom, The Clarion Hotel Riverside, 120 E. Main St., Roch., NY. Tickets are $ 20.00 (student tickets are $ 10.00 with a current ID) and can be reserved and/or paid for at TicketWeb.com, (search “Bobby Watson” or “Exodus To Jazz”), through an email request (which will be confirmed), or at the door on the night of the show. All tickets are available for pick-up at the Will Call desk beginning at 6:00 pm on the night of the show. For more information visit: ExodusToJazz.com or call (585) 733-7685

Our local 24-hour jazz station, Jazz90.1 (WGMC) and the nonprofit Artisan Works will be presenting the 3d annual Art Loves Jazz gala fundraising event to benefit Jazz90.1 on Thursday, May 15th 2008,  from 7:00 to 10:00 pm at Artisan Works, located at 565 Blossom Road in Rochester.

The event features a live art auction, silent auctions, live jazz in several locations, great food, and access to Artisan Works' 40,000-square-foot gallery space with art from around the world. Jazz90.1 must raise its annual operating budget through a series of membership campaigns and fundraising events.

Tickets to Art Loves Jazz 2008 are $30 each and are on sale now. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (585) 966-2660 or purchase tickets online at www.jazz901.org.

While the lilacs are in bloom the evening of the Lilac Festival that is dedicated to jazz is not until next week's post. Nonetheless, there IS a lot of live jazz music. Here is what I've found for the next seven days.

Thursday, May 8th

• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 6:00 pm
• Lumiere @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• The Russell Fielder Quintet @ Merchants Grill, 8:00 pm
• Dave Rivello Ensemble @ Village Rock Café (E. Rochester), 9:00 pm
• Julie Ketchum @ The Rabbit Room (Honeoye Falls), no time given

Friday, May 9th

• Bob Sneider/Paul Hofmann Duo @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• John Nyerges/Vince Ercolamento Duo @ Wegmans Market Café (345 Eastern Blvd (Rt 5&20), Canandaigua, NY), 5:00 pm
• "Night of Hot Jazz and Cool Art" to benefit the Advocacy Center with Wycliffe Gordon, Jimmie Highsmith Jr. and Tyler Owens with Filthy Funk, Kenwood Anderson and Paul Boutté @ Memorial Art Gallery, 7:00 pm
• Fred Vine @ Bohdi's Café, 7:00 pm
• Kinetik-Flo @ Pazzo Cucina, 7:00 pm
• Penfield High School Monday-Wednesday Jazz Ensemble @ the Bop Shop Atriumin the Village Gate, 7:30 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 7:30 pm
• Swing Dance w/Tom Knight & the Blue Moon @ Rochester Museum and Science Center, 8:00 pm
• Mike Kaupa/Bill Dobbins Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm

Saturday, May 10th

• Paul Hofmann Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• Ralph Scicchitano @ Flat Iron Café, 6:00 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 7:30 pm
• Jim Nugent Trio @ Little Theatre Café, 8:30 pm
• Paul Hofmann Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moe's (East Ave.), 9:30 pm
• After Hours Jam Session with the Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Café, 12:00 am

Sunday, May 11th

• Dave Spinner @ The Rabbit Room (Honeoye Falls), 10:30 am
• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Musicale Sundays @ Artisan Works, 12:00 pm (call or check out their website for artists)
• Footnote @ Lilac Festival (Main Stage), 2:30 pm
• Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Café, 3:00 pm (Anniversary Weekend)
• Herb Smith Quartet @ Flat Iron Café, 6:00 pm (Anniversary Weekend)

Monday, May 12th

• The Rick Holland Evan Dobbins Little Big Band, Tasteology, 8:00 pm
• The White Hots @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm
• Big Apple Mondays Swing Dance Class and Live Jazz with Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Cafe, 8:30 pm

Tuesday, May 13th

• Rhythm Six @ Lilac Festival (Main Stage), 2:30 pm
• Mambo Kings @ Lilac Festival (Main Stage), 5:30 pm
• Dubblestuff @ Boulder Coffee Co., 8:00 pm
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ Virtu, no time given

Wednesday, May 14th

• Jimmie Highsmith Jr. & Friends @ Lilac Festival (Main Stage), 2:30 pm
• Nostalgic Reunion Jazz Ensemble @ Ontario Beach Park, 7:00 pm
• The Margaret Explosion @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm

We've compiled these listings from information obtained from the performing artists themselves and from other sources. Please forgive me for any discrepancies with reality; feel free to let me know what the problem is, and I'll get the corrections up on the site as soon as possible. Any list items that contain an Added image or struck-through text reflect corrections implemented after initial publication of this post. Email subscribers should check the listings post online for updates or revisions before making decisions based on the information in this post. For additional information regarding a particular performance (where I haven't previewed it in a separate post in advance), you may want to check the artist or venue web sites listed in the right panel of this weblog. 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!

The Advocacy Center is having its third annual "Night of Hot Jazz and Cool Art" this Friday, May 9th from 7:00 to 10:00 pm at the Memorial Art Gallery, with music by Wycliffe Gordon, Jimmie Highsmith Jr. and Tyler Owens with Filthy Funk, Kenwood Anderson and Paul Boutté. There will also be a silent auction of artwork, pre-bidding will be accepted on works donated by John Lenhard (see the website). The presenting sponsor is Preferred Care.

Tickets to the benefit are $40. All proceeds to benefit The Advocacy Center, which provides services supporting people with disabilities and their families in achieving their goals. The Advocacy Center does this through information-sharing, individual advocacy support, independent service coordination and educational workshops and helps people with disabilities to to build life-long self-advocacy skills.

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!