Day Seven already? Now we're sliding into the home stretch of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, although a marathon analogy may be more appropriate. I'll be dragging by Thursday, so only looking to hit three (OK, depends on how early I get there...). My June 18th is coming together this way:

• Dianna and I missed seeing Grammy-nominated singer Ryan Shaw awhile ago when he came for a show (I think) at Water Street. This young guy is among a number artists who are trying to bring back the R&B and soul of the 60s and early 70s.  He's going to be my first stop on Day 8 at the Montage, 6:00 pm. Check out a few tunes on his MySpace page. Shaw's had some success with the single Do the 45. Here is a video of another single Choosin'.
• Next I'll head over to the Lutheran Church of the Reformation for Nils Petter Molvaer Group at 7:30 pm. I'm intrigued by what I've found about Molvaer, who mashes up jazz with a lot of other electronic and other music. Looking forward to pushing my ears in a new direction. I found a review of a recent concert opening the 3rd International Jazz Festival of Middelburg at Whitsuntide on Keep Swinging (a Dutch/English jazz blog). I also found a video from Jazz Baltica in 2005 (there a series of them from this set). Don't know how much this will be like his appearance here, but it gives you a taste.
• Finishing up Day 8 with Monty Alexander Trio in Kilbourn Hall at 10:00 pm. Alexander will be mixing it up in a different way, using American jazz, popular song, and the music of his native Jamaica like reggae on his palette. Howard Reich reviewed a recent Alexander gig at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago for the Chicago Tribune. Check out the Trio doing Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry last year at the Petit Journal Montparnasse Jazz Club.

The Rochester International Jazz Festival is full of choices. There's a lot more every night than what I'm setting out here in this and the other "pick" posts, so check out the entire artist lineup for each night here. Also note that while I'm selecting a time in coming up with my itinerary, most of the venues will have two sets, many around 6:00 and 10:00 pm.  There will be a mix of times in between those two main set times. Some artists are appearing on more than one day.

Again, Jazz@Rochester is on Twitter and I have created a widget, which has its own page to help you follow the conversation about jazz and the XRIJF on that popular micro-blogging platform. For those who want to begin the conversation now, start using #XRIJF as a hash tag (if you're on Twitter, you'll know what I mean) and help me spread the word to use that tag during the festival. If you'd like to access Jazz@Rochester on your smart phone, please try the new mobile site.

Previous Preview & Pick posts:

• Day One, June 12th Picks
• Day Two, June 13th Picks
• Day Three, June 14th Picks
• Day Four, June 15th Picks
• Day Five, June 16th Picks
• Day Six, June 17th Picks

Other links:

• City Newspaper's XRIJF Guide for June 18th
• Isobel Neuberger, The Nordic connection (Democrat & Chronicle, June 4, 2009)