As we head into the month of June, and on the other end find the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival, a familiar decline in the amount of jazz out there is showing up, but there is jazz out there.  Just have to look harder.  However, if you count the jazz at Fairport Canal Days, perhaps there is more? I will start my coverage of the RIJF soon (I hope... I always say that but life often intervenes).  

Every Wednesday, every week, you'll find the next seven days of jazz in and around Rochester right here on JazzRochester. Sign up for our email list to get your local jazz goodness every week (plus, whatever else I publish from time to time).  Check us out on social media (links at the top of the column to the right). Whatever floats your boat....

If you hear about something that I haven't added below, please drop me a line (use the Contact Us link above),  give me the deets and I'll add it. As always, let me know if any gigs below are not happening or if I got something wrong. 

One of the first local town summer festivals (after the Lilac Festival, of course), Fairport Canal Days, is again going to feature jazz during its 2 days and 2 nights, May 31st through June 2nd. They have assembled a large and expanded jazz lineup (of course, like RIJF, some aren't, but there are over 30 bands that play jazz. Tim Forster, who is heading up the music at the festival likes to think of it as “the jazz festival before the Jazz Festival,” dedicated to some of the Rochester area’s best talent and emerging artists.

Here's the jazz lineup (let me know if I missed anyone or if there are any changes):

Friday, May 31st:

Fairport Junction Stage

• Eastman Youth Jazz Orchestra (ECMS), 5:30 pm
• Allegro, 7:00 pm

Saturday, June 1st

Kennelley Gazebo

• Mike Melito Quartet, 11:00 am
• Madeline Forster, 12:30 pm
• Danny Ziemann Trio, 1:30 pm
• Sofrito Latin Jazz Quartet, 3:30 pm
• Judah Sealey, 5:00 pm

Fairport Junction

• SOTA Jazz Combo, Jazz Ensemble and Senior High Jazz Ensemble Bands, 10:00 am
• ERHS Stage and Jazz Bands, 3:00 pm

Village Hall Stage

• White Hot Brass Band, 12:15 pm
• MCC Jazz Combo, 3:30 pm

Fairport Brewing Company Stage

• Blake Pattengale Band, 5:00 pm

Eastman Community Music School Stage (New!)

• Jazz Peformance Workshop with the students of Bob Sneider, 1:00 pm
• RCSD Jazz Performance Workshop, 4:00 pm

Sunday, June 2nd

Kennelley Gazebo

• Todd Bradley Bossa Nova, 10:00 am
• Daniel King Quintet, 11:30 am
• Calabrese Chwazik and Curry, 1:00 pm
• Mike Kaupa Quartet, 2:30 pm
• Bill Tiberio Band, 4:00 pm

Fairport Junction

• FHS Afternoon and Day Jazz Bands, 10:00 am
• New Horizons Jazz Band, 1:00 pm
• Spencerport HS Jazz, 2:30 pm
• Paradigm Shift, 4:00 pm

Village Hall Stage

• Skylark, 11:30 am
• FHS Alumni Band, 1:00 pm
• FHS Jazz Combo, 2:00 pm

Fairport Brewing Company Stage

• Spencerport Jazz Combo, 11:30 am

Eastman Community Music School Stage (New!)

• New Horizons Sax Ensemble, 10:00 am
• Brazilian Percussion, 12:00 pm (in hopes of samba?)
• Jazz Performance Workshop, 4:00 pm

There's a lot more than jazz at FCD, so if you want to see who else is playing, head over to their website listings. So come down and check it out.  I hope to....

Named after a street that has seen a lot of the great jazz history of Rochester and was a center of Rochester's African-American community, the Clarissa Street Reunion festival will be held this year on August 17th to again celebrate that community. In addition to gospel and R&B stages, the main stage will be the Matt McDowell Jazz stage. The 24th Annual Reunion returns to Clarissa Street after being located at the Adam Street Recreation Center field the past two years.

This coming Thursday, May 30th, there will be a fundraiser for the Reunion from 5:00 to 9:00 pm at Skyway, located at 90 South Clinton Avenue (yes, part of THAT Skyway has been made into a hip new spot). Paradigm Shift will be playing (Guitarist Mel Henderson is a co-chair of the Clarissa Street Committee along with Jose DaCosta). There will be a $20 donation at the door and all donations go to the Reunion.  All I can say is the better the funds, the better the jazz... 

Every Wednesday, every week, you'll find the next seven days of jazz in and around Rochester right here on JazzRochester. Sign up for our email list to get your local jazz goodness every week (plus, whatever else I publish from time to time).  Check us out on social media (links at the top of the column to the right). Whatever floats your boat....

If you hear about something that I haven't added below, please drop me a line (use the Contact Us link above),  give me the deets and I'll add it. As always, let me know if any gigs below are not happening or if I got something wrong. 

Hey, if you Like us on Facebook, head on over there and vote on my recent post asking whether you'd like for me to set up a Facebook Group for JazzRochester so you can "talk amongst yourselves" and with me about live jazz in and around Rochester.  I hear it's all the rage (seriously, it is part of FB's attempts to up its privacy game and I probably should get on that boat as you may never see the content on the page once it goes into effect).  

Every Wednesday, every week, you'll find the next seven days of jazz in and around Rochester right here on JazzRochester. Sign up for our email list to get your local jazz goodness every week (plus, whatever else I publish from time to time).  Check us out on social media (links at the top of the column to the right). Whatever floats your boat....

If you hear about something that I haven't added below, please drop me a line (use the Contact Us link above),  give me the deets and I'll add it. As always, let me know if any gigs below are not happening or if I got something wrong. 

Will it EVER get warm here? 

Every Wednesday, every week, you'll find the next seven days of jazz in and around Rochester right here on JazzRochester. Sign up for our email list to get your local jazz goodness every week (plus, whatever else I publish from time to time).  Check us out on social media (links at the top of the column to the right). Whatever floats your boat....

If you hear about something that I haven't added below, please drop me a line (use the Contact Us link above),  give me the deets and I'll add it. As always, let me know if any gigs below are not happening or if I got something wrong. 

Live jazz in and around Rochester appears to be following a familiar theme with fewer live gigs around Rochester as "Jazz in June" (the jazz fest) begins to come into view.  I did not include anything at Woodcliff in this post as their calendar shows nothing in May and I haven't heard, but I expect that there may be the usual suspects there... just call first to find out. 

Every Wednesday, every week, you'll find the next seven days of jazz in and around Rochester right here on JazzRochester. Sign up for our email list to get your local jazz goodness every week (plus, whatever else I publish from time to time).  Check us out on social media (links at the top of the column to the right). Whatever floats your boat....

If you hear about something that I haven't added below, please drop me a line (use the Contact Us link above),  give me the deets and I'll add it. As always, let me know if any gigs below are not happening or if I got something wrong.