As we enter the dog days of summer the opportunities are dwindling a bit as even jazz musicians take some time off from time-to-time. The economy is getting to the venues around town that serve up jazz. Last week I went to Tasteology and sampled their beer, food and some great trio jazz with Rich Thompson, Fred Stone and Bill Dobbins. There were only a handful of folks in the space (it is such a great space, too), which I'm afraid was a fateful portent as I now hear that they may not be having music on anything like a regular basis.  Let's hope they can bring it back some other time but can't blame them.  It's rough out there.  Well, here's your listings.

Thursday, July 31st

• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 6:30 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Nate Rawls @ Triphammer Grill, 7:00 pm
• Trio East @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• John Viviani & Filthy Funk w/ Audio Influx @ High Fidelity, 10:00 pm

Friday, August 1st

• RPO in the City - Marimba Band @ Corn Hill Landing, Exchange Blvd, 5:30 pm
• Deborah Sorensen Trio @ PaRe Bar and Grill, 6:00 pm
• Janet Beaman @ Port of Pittsford Park, 7:00 pm
• Lyrical Grooves (3d Edition), an eclectic blend of music of Jimmie Highsmith Jr. and friends, slam poetry and art @ Clarissa's, 7:00 pm (doors at 6:30 pm, $10)
• Herb Smith Quartet @ Corn Hill Landing, Exchange Blvd, 7:30 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm

Saturday, August 2nd

• Shared Genes @ Park Avenue Festival, 11:00 am
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 12:00 pm
• Footnote @ Park Avenue Festival, 2:45 pm
• Madeline Forster with Dino Losito and Mike Kaupa @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Shared Genes @ Mona Lisa Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Gene Bertoncini Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes (East Ave.), 9:30 pm

Sunday, August 3rd

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Timepiece with Bill Tiberio @ Perinton Center Stage, 6:00 pm

Monday, August 4th

• No jazz for you!  Someone prove me wrong (I just didn't find any...)

Tuesday, August 5th

• Jack Allen Big Band @ Henrietta Senior Center, 6:30 pm
• Gateswingers Big Band @ Buckland Park Pavilion, 6:30 pm
• Groove Juice Swing presents Intro to Swing Dance Class @ Tango Cafe Dance Studio, 389 Gregory Street, South Wedge, 8:00 pm

Wednesday, August 6th

• Two days without jazz?   Come on folks...we're jonesin here.

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 links 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!

I have two minds about posting about You Are What You Hear, a blog that features bootleg recordings of live jazz from an absolutely stunning number of artists (just look at the categories down the right side), across a wide spectrum of genres and time. While I doubt the "tapers" and others that provide You Are What You Hear with recordings have asked permission in all cases, I think that in many ways sites like these can be instrumental (no pun intended) in turning people on to an artist or group. Hearing some of the greatest jazz artists out there perform live (in venues all over the world), especially with the quality of sound in many of these recordings, can lead to more sales of their CDs in the long run as they turn people on to their music.  The site is set up so you can listen without even downloading them (just hover over the music files and Snap will usually come up and allow you to play the file).

I encourage you to try out some new sounds and then go out and buy that artist's or groups' CDs or hear them live should they drop by Rochester or somewhere else you might be.

This weekend you can head over to our neighbors in Syracuse for the Jazz in the Square festival, an annual event that brings in some great talent and showcases local Syracuse bands and clubs. Still have to get over there and check it out at some point. If you, like me, have too much going on in Rochester to even drive the short distance to Syracuse, then there's plenty around here to check out. To that end, here are the listings for the next seven days.

Thursday, July 24th

• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 6:00 pm
• The Shuffle Demons @ George Eastman House lawn, 6:30 pm
• Gap Mangione Big Band Concert @ Irondequoit Town Hall Gazebo, 6:30 pm
• Brockport HS Jazz Band @ Sagawa park When: Thursday July 24, 2008 @ 6:30 pm
• Ben Britton @ Virtu, 6:30 pm
• Nate Rawls @ Triphammer Grill, 7:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Trio East @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm
• Tom Passamonte @ Remington's, 8:00 pm
• Syracuse Symphony Orchestra with special guests Nancy Kelly and Ronnie Leigh @ Clinton Square Main Stage, Syracuse Jazz in the Square Festival), 8:00 pm
• Syracuse Jazz in the Square Festival

Friday, July 25th

• Bob Sneider / Paul Hofmann Jazz Happy Hour @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• Canal Street Strutters @ The Commons (Canandaigua), 6:00 pm
• Bobby DiBaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Kevin Ceballo & Latin Vibes @ Bands on the Bricks, Public Market, Rochester, 6:00 pm
• Blues Brother "Bones" Malone and His Briefcase Full of Blues @ National Grid Main Stage, Syracuse Jazz in the Square Festival, 6:15 pm
• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 6:30 pm
• RPO on the Barge with the Mambo Kings @ Corn Hill Landing between Exchange Blvd. & the Genesee River at Plymouth Ave., 7:30 pm
• Gene Bertoncini, All Alone @ Kilbourn Hall, ESM, 7:30 pm
• Po' Boys Brass Band @ Abilene, 8:00 pm
• CNY Jazz Orchestra - "Then, Now & Again" @ National Grid Main Stage, Syracuse Jazz in the Square Festival), 8:15 pm
• David Bixler with Bob Sneider Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Latin Jazz All Stars featuring Arturo O'Farrill and Claudio Roditi - "Tribute to Hilton Ruiz and Mario Rivera" @ National Grid Main Stage, Syracuse Jazz in the Square Festival), 10:00 pm
• Mark Cassara @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm
• Syracuse Jazz in the Square Festival (check out the late night jazz at various venues around Syracuse)

Saturday, July 26th

• The Westview Project @ Bohdi's Café, 6:30 pm
• Noah Kellman's National Youth Jazz Sextet @ National Grid Main Stage, Syracuse Jazz in the Square Festival), 6:30 pm
• Squeaky Chair @ Bistro 135, 7:30 pm
• Bob Dibaudo Quartet @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Pamela Williams, the "Saxtress" @ National Grid Main Stage, Syracuse Jazz in the Square Festival), 8:15 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Little Theatre Café, 8:30 pm
• David Bixler with Bob Sneider Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• The White Hots @ Abilene, 9:00 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes (East Ave.), 9:30 pm
• Curtis Fuller Super Band featuring Randy Brecker and Jason Marsalis @ National Grid Main Stage, Syracuse Jazz in the Square Festival), 10:00 pm
• Grupo Calle Uno @ Tapas 177 Lounge, 11:00 pm
• Syracuse Jazz in the Square Festival (check out the late night jazz at various venues around Syracuse)

Sunday, July 27th

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Spyro Gyra @ 5435 Route 14 Dundee, NY, 2:00 pm

Monday, July 28th

• White Hots @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm
• Big Apple Mondays Swing Dance Class and Live Jazz with Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Café, 8:30 pm

Tuesday, July 29th

• Nostalgic Reunion Jazz Ensemble @ Fairport Car Cruz Night, 6:00 pm
• Anne Mitchell: "The Fabulous Females of the 40s & 50s", Buckland Park Pavilion, 6:30 pm
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ Virtu, 6:30 pm
• The White Hots @ Penfield Ampitheater, 7:00 pm
• Dubblestuff @ Boulder Coffee Company, 8:00 pm

Wednesday, July 30th

• Metro Vibe @ Acqueduct Park next to the Main St. bridge on the Genesee River, 12:00 pm (sponsored by my employer, Thomson Reuters)
• Dave Mancini Trio @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• RPO in the City Brass Quintet @ Swillburg Neighborhood, Gazebo at Otto Henderberg Square Park, Avon Place, 7:00 pm
• Greece Choral Society/Greece Jazz Band @ 7:00 pm
• Noa Bursie @ 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!

Our local PBS station, WXXI will begin broadcasting performances from the 2007 Rochester International Jazz Festival in high definition on Sunday at 7:00 pm on WXXI-HD 1011/DT21.2 and PBS-HD. The show, has played on PBS stations nationwide, but will now be presented in high-definition.  The series is six-hour long episodes shot in the historic Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music, including:

• Bill Frisell Trio: 7 p.m. Sunday, July 20th, 4 a.m. Monday and 11 p.m. July 25th.
• Geri Allen Trio: 7 p.m. on July 27th, July 28th at 4 a.m. and 11 p.m. Aug. 1. We interviewed Geri Allen last year.
• Harry Allen Quartet: 7 p.m. on Aug. 3rd and 11 p.m. Aug. 8th.
• Christian Scott Band: 7 p.m. on Aug. 4th, 4 a.m. on Aug. 11 and 11 p.m. Aug. 15.
• James Moody: 7 p.m. Aug. 17, 4 a.m. Aug. 18 and 11 p.m. Aug. 22.
• Don Byron’s Ivey Divey: 7 p.m. on Aug. 24th, 4 a.m. on Aug. 25th and 11 p.m. on Aug. 29.

Check the schedule.  They did the same for the 2008 RIJF, so we look forward to seeing those films.

Lilac Festival...gone, Corn Hill...gone, The Big Rib...gone, but jazz is still here in Rochester, NY.  Here are the listings for the next seven days, my friends....

Thursday, July 17th

• Matt Valerio@ The Grill at Strathallan, 6:30 pm
• Ernie Capone @ Canal Front Welcome Center, Brockport, 6:30 pm
• The White Hots @ Mead Square Park, Victor, 7:00 pm
• Rochester Philharmonic Jazz Quintet @ First Unitarian Church, 7:00 pm
• Nate Rawls @ Triphammer Grill, 7:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Trio East @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm
• Tom Passamonte @ Remington's, 8:00 pm
• Filthy Funk @ Dub Land Underground, 9:00 pm

Friday, July 18th

• Paul Hofmann Duo-Jazz Happy Hour @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• RPO in the City Jazz Ensemble @ Corn Hill Landing, 5:15 pm
• Tom Passamonte @ Pomodoro Grill & Wine Bar, 7:00 pm
• Bobby DiBaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Jimmie Highsmith & Reflekshunz (Benefit for the Lady Cougars Cheerleading Squad) @ Club Pazzo, 7:00 pm
• Gap Mangione with the New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Pat Labarbera with the Bob Sneider Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Bodhi's Café & Lounge, 8:00 pm
• Filthy Funk @ Dub Land Underground, 9:00 pm

Saturday, July 19th

• Gap Mangione Big Band Concert @ Penfield Ampitheater, 7:00 pm
• Tom Passamonte @ Pomodoro Grill & Wine Bar, 7:00 pm
• RPO with the Mambo Kings, Jeff Tyzik, conductor @ CMAC, 7:30 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Phil Freeman @ Bistro 135, 7:30 pm
• Pat Labarbara with Bob Sneider Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 9:30 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes (East Ave.), 9:30 pm
• Cultura @ Tapas 177 Lounge, 11:00 pm

Sunday, July 20th

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Nostalgic Reunion Jazz Ensemble @ C. Carter Memorial Gazebo Concert, Spencerport, 6:30 pm

Monday, July 21st

• The Rick Holland 4tet with Bill Dobbins, Fred Stone and Rich Thompson, Tasteology, 8:00 pm
• Frankie Phelan Five (from St. Catharines, Ontario) (sponsored by the Flower City Jazz Society) @ Green Lantern Inn, One East Church Street, Fairport, 6:30 pm
• Big Apple Mondays Swing Dance Class and Live Jazz with Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Cafe, 8:30 pm

Tuesday, July 22nd

• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ Virtu, 6:30 pm
• Footnote CD Release Party @ Penfield Amphitheatre (“Cool Jazz Series”), 7:00 pm
• Groove Juice Swing presents Intro to Swing Dance Class @ Tango Cafe Dance Studio, 389 Gregory Street, South Wedge, 8:00 pm
• Dubblestuff @ Java's Café, 9:00 pm

Wednesday, July 23rd

• Mark Hadley Quartet @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Noa Bursie @ 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!

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!

Marc Myers, a New York journalist and historian and the writer of the great jazz blog JazzWax, in a fit of nostalgia for earlier days, started thinking about Top 40 hits that could also be classified as jazz. He went through the Billboard charts and over two posts has pulled together a list of jazz artists who had Top 40 hits from 1955 on, according to the following criteria: they had to be jazz-flavored singles by well-known jazz musicians that had a big influence on jazz and pop music. He features the top ten in the first post and another set of 10 in a second post. I have some favorites on there, including Getz/Gilberto's The Girl from Ipanema and Mongo Santamaria's Watermelon Man (although my recording of it is by Herbie Hancock).  You'll notice that there are not many on there from the last 20 years (actually none at all...). 

We're hitting that part of the summer, as short as it is, that there are just too many choices for what to do. I don't know if you all have noticed, but there is a sh*tload of music around town this weekend, so if you have a hankering for jazz amidst all this blues, BBQ, Corn Hill Arts Festival, Party in the Park, Big City Music Festival, etc., then you've come to the right place.  Here are the listings for jazz over the next seven days...catch some if you can!

Thursday, July 10th

• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 6:00 pm
• Tcheka @ George Eastman House lawn, 6:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Trio East @ Lttle Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• Harold Danko & Friends @ Kilbourn Hall, ESM, 7:30pm
• Standard Jazz Quartet @ Starry Nites Cafe, 8:00 pm
• Russell Fielder Quintet @ Merchants Grill, 8:00 pm

Friday, July 11th

• Bob Sneider/Paul Hofmann Duo Jazz Happy Hour @ The Grill at Strathallan, 5:00 pm
• The White Hots @ Corn Hill Landing between Exchange Blvd. & the Genesee River at Plymouth Ave., 5:30 pm
• The Varnish Cooks @ Bop Shop 14 Fridays, 6:00 pm
• Bobby DiBaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:00 pm
• Footnote @ The Commons (Canandaigua), 6:30 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Bodhi's Cafe & Lounge, 7:00 pm
• Blue Sky @ Port of Pittsford Park, 7:00 pm
• Paulsen, Baker and Garvey @ Honeyoye Gazebo, Honeyoye Falls, 7:00 pm
• Steve Greene Quartet with Tina Albright @ Corn Hill Landing, 7:30 pm
• Tom Passamonte Special Blend @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Harlow & Dream Engine @ The Mez, 8:00 pm
• Kinetik~flo @ Club Pazzo, 8:00 & 10:00 pm
• Ronnie Leigh with the Bob Sneider Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Lauren Faggiano/Jimmie Highsmith Project @ Clarissa's, 9:00 pm
• Mark Cassaro 4-Piece @ Bistro 135, 9:00 pm

Saturday, July 12th

• Po' Boys Brass Band @ Big Rib BBQ and Blues Festival, Highland Park, 2:30 pm
• Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra @ Penfield Ampitheater, 7:00 pm
• Latin Jazz Quartet @ Bistro 135, 7:30 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Little Theatre Cafe, 8:30 pm
• Paul Hofmann Quartet @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes (East Ave.), 9:30 pm
• The After Hours Jam Session with the Quinn Lawrence Trio @ Flat Iron Cafe is on vacation

Sunday, July 13th

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Finger Lakes Jazz @ Irondequoit Gazebo, 2:30 pm
• Roger Eckers with Kim Westcott @ Perinton Center Stage, 6:00 pm

Monday, July 14th

• Nostalgic Reunion Jazz Ensemble @  Post-Movie Concert, Terrace Gardens, George Eastman House, 3:00 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, July 15th

• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ Virtu, 6:30 pm
• The Rod Blumenau Sextet @ Penfield Ampitheater, 7:00 pm
• Groove Juice Swing presents Intro to Swing Dance Class @ Tango Cafe Dance Studio, 389 Gregory Street, South Wedge, 8:00 pm

Wednesday, July 16th

• Jim Nugent Trio @ Bistro 135, 6:30 pm
• Nostalgic Reunion Jazz Ensemble @ Lakefront Gazebo Concert, Geneva, NY, 7:00 pm
• Noa Bursie @ Little Theatre Cafe, 7:30 pm
• The Deep Blue Dream @ Mickey Finn's, 8:00 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!

Recently ran across the article resulting from a July 2nd interview that Frank DeBlase over at City Newspaper did with Rochester International Jazz Festival honcho John Nugent.  There's some interesting stuff in there on how they set the number of Club Passes each year (this year it was 3,200, which sold out early) and why the non-jazz acts are necessary (which I've explained elsewhere and don't add up to that many anyway). Frank even gives us his own tally of jazz vs. non-jazz at the end. 

Bop Shop owner Tom Kohn is a friend of jazz in Rochester—from having the best collection of jazz music for sale (on CD AND vinyl) in town) to forming Bop Arts, Inc. to showcase some incredible jazz and other musicians from around the world—so when he has an event I'm going to let you know, even if there's no jazz involved (then again it is all roots music, isn't it). On July 19-20, Tom and the Bop Shop will host it’s second summer music festival Bop Fest 2, which is in the courtyard of The Village Gate at 274 N. Goodman St., located in the heart of the Neighborhood of the Arts. The event is being presented by the fine restaurants and retailers of the Village Gate and is free.

Tom is hoping that this annual event is soon to become one of the northeast’s major destinations for American roots music. The talent performing this year is without question some of the best there is, including:

• Headlining Saturday’s festivities will be the Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods Bill Kirchen at 6:00pm,  preceded by Nashville legend David Olney at 4:30pm. Starting off the first day’s festivities will be two of our finer local bands, Krypton 88,  who will kick off the show at 2:00pm, followed by The Alpine Black at 3:15pm.
• Sunday will find The Asylum Street Spankers in the house at 4:00pm and warming up for the Spankers at 2:00pm will be Todd Kraz and The Varnish Cooks at 3:00pm.

Check out these great bands online and come on out July 19-20 to join in on the festivities! Come out and support Bop Shop and support what Tom does for jazz year round.

While walking around the Rochester jazz festival, you may have seen José DaCosta, the man behind the excellent Exodus to Jazz series of jazz concerts in Rochester over the past few years, as he handed out postcards with the third season's artists. José is bringing in some amazing artists for the third season.

In case you didn't get a postcard during the RIJF, here is lineup, based on the press release José sent out [This post has been amended and republished due to later changes to lineups and dates. To avoid confusion I'm changing the post itself and republishing rather than publishing a new post]:

Exodus To Jazz’ third season will fuel the fire of live jazz in downtown Rochester throughout the year!

• September 5, 2008—Mel Henderson & Paradigm Shift @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel. Rochester’s acclaimed native son, Mel Henderson, leads a stellar group that reunites trombonist Wycliffe Gordon and trumpeter Marcus Printup. Their recent CD release -“Street Expressionism” will be featured. The house will be jumping!
• September 12, 2008—Heavyweight Rematch: Mulgrew Miller vs. Johnny O’Neal @ The Hyatt Regency Hotel With their first piano face-off judged a draw, Mulgrew Miller and Johnny O’Neal are certain to elevate their virtuosic playing to levels where only the legends of jazz perform. The sure bet: “You don’t want to miss this piano face-off!” (originally scheduled for September 19th).
  
• September 26, 2008—The Henderson/Owens Trio featuring a “Celebrity Vocalist” @ The Hyatt Regency Hotel. Mel Henderson and drummer Ulysses Owens are the core of a trio accompanying an internationally renowned singer-actress whose recent CDs suggest the title “Queen of Jazz” is within her grasp (contractual agreements delay the official announcement of this vocalist until August 26, 2008). Be a member of this royal court!
• October 3, 2008 —The USO Project @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel. Underlining his emergence into the top tier of jazz drummers, Ulysses Owens Jr. leads a star-studded group of internationally renowned artists.
• October 17, 2008—Seamus Blake Group @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel Seamus Blake returns as group leader after two previous sideman appearances (with Sylvia Cuenca and Helen Sung) during which he affirmed his recognition as one of the finest and most creative young saxophonists emerging in jazz.
• October 31, 2008—Sylvia Cuenca Group @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel Prepare for a swinging session when hard driving drummer Sylvia Cuenca returns for her third consecutive October engagement; she leads a group that includes another acclaimed native son, vibraphonist Joe Locke. Be ready to swing!
• November 8, 2008—Jeff “Tain” Watts & Ebonix @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel Critically acclaimed as the foremost percussionist carrying forward the mantle of jazz drumming, “Tain” exhibits explosive power, blinding speed and mastery of complex rhythms and time signatures.
• November 28, 2008—Artist To Be Announced (change from Dee Dee Bridgewater & Raul Midon) @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel

Mini-Series: “Latin Heat”:

• December 5, 2008—Susan Pereira & Sabor Brasil @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel Led by Susan Pereira’s silky rich vocals and percussive piano playing, Sabor Brasil’s dynamic performances are rooted in hot samba, cool bossa nova, the rhythms of Bahia and modern Brazilian jazz.
• December 12, 2008—Freddy Colon’s Jazz Quartet featuring the legendary Candido Camero @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel. Recently named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, legendary Cuban-American percussionist Candido Camero joins Rochester’s popular Freddy Colon Jazz Quartet to generate serious Latin-jazz heat.
• January 30, 2009—The Gabriel Alegria Sextet @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel With a fascinating polyrhythmic formula, Gabriel Alegria’s Afro-Peruvian Sextet continues to generate popular responses much like that achieved by Brazilian and Afro-Cuban musicians. This return engagement will keep you warm in January!

Mark you calendars! Visit ExodusToJazz.com after July 15, 2008 for complete information on show times, ticket information (reservations and prices), hotel packages, parking and food availability; a schedule of jam sessions will also be included.

Rhythmly Yours (Rhythmically, if you insist)

José

I'm sure you'll agree it is a killer lineup of artists. More information will appear at the ETJ website as well as in these pages as the dates get closer.

Due to being out of town at a funeral (and now on a short vacation with my wife's family, I'm afraid I'm a little late with the listings and apologize to those of you with gigs on Thursday. In addition to fireworks and BBQ, why don't you take your out-of-town guests out to see some of the fine jazz around town during the next seven (holi)days.  Here are the listings:

Thursday, July 3rd

• Matt Valerio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 6:00 pm
• Jazz Dawgs @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Trio East @ Little Theatre Café, 7:30 pm
• John Nyerges Quintet @ Kilbourn Hall, ESM, 7:30 pm

Friday, July 4th

• Gap Mangione Big Band Concert @ Sodus Point Lighthouse, Sodus, 2:00 pm
• Jimmy Highsmith Jr. & Friends @ Bodhi's Café & Lounge, 6:00 pm
• Gap Mangione Big Band @ Honeoye Public Library Gazebo, 8708 Main St, Honeoye Falls, 7:00 pm
• Bobby DiBaudo Trio @ Bistro 135, 7:00 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Bill Dobbins Trio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• Po Boys Brass Band @ High Fidelity, 9:00 pm

Saturday, July 5th

• Gap Mangione New Blues Band @ Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 7:30 pm
• Eddie Israel’s Thatt Groupp @ Bistro 135, 7:30 pm
• Madeline Forster @ Little Theatre Café, 8:30 pm
• Paul Hofmann Trio @ The Grill at Strathallan, 8:30 pm
• East End Boys @ Havana Moes, 9:30 pm

Sunday, July 6th

• Bill Slater @ The Lodge at Woodcliff, 11:30 am
• Musicale Sundays @ Artisan Works, 12:00 pm (call or check out their website for artists)

Monday, July 7th

• The Rick Holland Evan Dobbins Little Big Band, Tasteology, 8:00 pm
• Bob Sneider @ Kilbourn Hall, ESM, 7:30 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 Café, 8:30 pm

Tuesday, July 8th

• Rochester Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra @ Buckland Park Pavilion, Brighton, 6:30 pm
• Joe Santora & Emily Kirchoff @ Virtu, 6:30 pm
• Groove Juice Swing presents Intro to Swing Dance Class @ Tango Café Dance Studio, 389 Gregory Street, South Wedge, 8:00 pm
• Dubblestuff @ Boulder Coffee Company, 8:00 pm

Wednesday, July 9th

• Madeline Forster @ Bistro 135, 6:30 pm
• Paradigm Shift Trio @ Churchville Village Gazebo, 28 E. Main St, Churchville, NY, 7:00 pm
• Noa Bursie @ 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!