For your listening pleasure, here's a Spotify playlist I put together of the artists and groups I've picked to hear at the 2024 Rochester International Jazz Festival, both those I heard and those I also noted in the Pick posts.  I tried to look for cuts from their most recent album to make sure it's more likely that what you hear here will be similar to what you'll hear (or have heard) at the RIJF.  They are basically nearly in date order for their appearances at the RIJF (or when I heard them, or will as the festival is just half over).  Once you get hooked, please give'em some love...

There are now just 4 nights (including tonight) left of the Rochester International Jazz Festival, so it will only be noisy here and on the other JazzRochester channels for a bit longer then we'll return to our regularly scheduled programming. You will only find those gigs I know about outside of the RIJF in this post, which is always a bit light during the festival. 

We aim here to provide you with the most comprehensive listings for live jazz gigs in and around our fair city.  I've gathered them for the next seven days immediately below and also for the last few days June, July and a growing list later than that.  Please continue to let me know when you hear about any gigs that I've may have missed or if I have anything wrong (see the Contact Us link above to send an email if that's how you roll).  

On the last night of the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival, I'll be taking a different path, both music-wise and venue-wise.  While you may want to try something different, here's where I'll be on June 29th, the last night of the RIJF:

• Starting out with some straightahead for my first stop of the night and this is the group for that. Allstar leaders in their own right and young lions when this group formed, this "supergroup" One for All includes Jim Rotondi on trumpet, Eric Alexander on saxophone, David Hazeltine on piano, Steve Davis on trombone, John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums. These guys recall the sounds of the 1960s jazz sextets on Blue Note Records that Art Blakey pioneered. One for All will be playing at the Theater at Innovation Square at 6:30 and 8:30 pm. 
• My next stop will be "and now for something completely different" moment, like many I have at the RIJF, for Swedish trumpeter Oskar Stenmark Sextet-45 Riots.  The collective and record label 45 Riots serves NYC in performing and recording in many genres and has worked with Stenmark in bringing ancient traditional Swedish melodies to the light in new ways in his latest record (there's a track from that album on my playlist linked to below).  Oskar Stenmark Sextet will be playing in the Global Jazz Now series at the Christ Church at 7:30 and 9:30 pm.

This year I'm departing my usual approach of "sticking with the jazz" for a funkier end to the festival  You may believe or not, but I listen to a lot of different kinds of music and am not just a jazzhead. In fact, you might be surprised that my ringtone is The Meters' "Cissy Strut."   Because it is the 50 year anniversary of The Meters and two of the originals will be playing, I plan on joining the festival of funk that will be beginning at Parcel 5 for Rejuvenation 50! Celebrating The Meters With George Porter Jr., Leo Nocentelli, Ivan Neville & Dumpstaphunk, at the Wegmans Stage at Parcel 5 at 9:00 pm.  However, if there's rain or if my mind changes (or I'm not in the mood of hanging out with 1000s of my fellow Rochesterians), my enthusiasm may wane and I may avail myself of one of the alternatives below, which you may also choose to hit:

• If I decide to come back to the jazz fold (or just leave early), I'll likely end un Max's of Eastman Place, as I often do by spending my last show of the last night of RIJF, to hear the Jorge Luis Pacheco Trio. While born in Cuba, his music is a "confluence of Cuban jazz, Cuban and Afro-Cuban music, American jazz, and classical music with a measure of contemporary pop and soul," which sounds like a great way to end the RIJF if this is the place I end up.  Pacheco's trio will be playing at Max's at 6:15 and 10:00 pm.
• Sons of the great Dave Brubeck, the Chris and Dan Brubeck have been making music together since their childhood and have forged careers in jazz. While The Brubeck Brothers  hew to a straightahead approach to the music, like their father they explore different time signatures and integrating the music from their own times. Their reimagine of their father's tune "Take Five" on my playlist is an example of not just playing it "straight."  The Brubeck Brothers will be at Kilbourn Hall at 6:00 and 9:00 pm.
• Others have told me I should check out the Doxas Brothers, but alas it will likely have to wait for the next time (hopefully).  They will be appearing at the Inn on Broadway at 5:30 and 7:30 pm.

I've included links to the RIJF page for each artist where you can check out the links to their websites and to their music on Spotify. I'm currently building an RIJF 2024 Spotify playlist with a track from recent albums that I could find for all of the picks I've made my picks (and others listed). Go give it a listen!

During night 8 of the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival I'll be taking a bit of an unusual path of venues and music. While you may want to try something different, here's the path I'll be traveling on June 28th of the RIJF:

• I'm going to start the night out with Cuban-born pianist and composer Harold López-Nussa: Timba a la Americana. I have always loved this music but am intrigued on how López-Nussa is deconstructing and reformulating how Cuban and Latin music has been played, on what and by whom. It should be a high-energy show to start out the evening and I love this music. Harold López-Nussa: Timba a la Americana will be playing at the Montage Music Hall at 6:00 and 10:00 pm.
• Finally making it over to the new venue at the Inn on Broadway for the Gary Smulyan/Dick Oatts Quartet as two saxophones are always better than one, especially when one is a baritone.  Unless they were playing with someone else that I didn't catch (or just flat wrong...), I don't think either of these two masters of the sax have been to RIJF in the past. This will also be a great way to  check out the new venue.  The Gary Smulyan/Dick Oatts Quartet will be hitting the floor (I heard there is not a riser, so I can't say "stage") at the Inn on Broadway at 5:30 and 7:15 pm. 
• I want to check out violinist Luca Ciarla's solOrkestra for the boundary pushing that I'm expecting based on reading and listening to his music. The "sol" in solOrkestra means Ciarla does all of this alone on stage using his instrument and an array of electronic looping and other effects to put together the "ensemble." This year I've been digging the way the sound works in the soaring sanctuary of the Christ Church, and in my opinion, the bands I've heard this year have really worked there (at least in comparison to some from other years but, of course, the musicians and others may disagree...). I believe that Ciarla's solOrkestra could be another good fit. Luca Ciarla's solOrkestra will, of course, be at the Global Jazz Now series at Christ Church at 7:30 and 9:30 pm.  He also appears in Hatch Recital Hall the next night at 5:45 and 7:45 pm.

There are some artists on this night who I wish I could hear (really, I'd like to hear so much more every night, but scheduling, my arthritic knees, and sheer exhaustion argue otherwise...) plus, given my choices above, you might want some alternatives. Here's some other choices:

• One thing that makes my venue path different was that I didn't start out with the Jim Rotondi Quintet. As trumpeter Rotondi (and probably several of his quintet members) will likely be staying overnight and playing with One For All (Rotondi is a founding member), I opted to hear them and decided to forego Rotondi on the 28th (and now have given you a glimpse of the next pick post). The Jim Rotondi Quintet will be in Kilbourn Hall at 6:00 and 9:00 pm.
• I just love gypsy jazz, but despite two opportunities couldn't make it out to hear the Django Festival All Stars.  They will be playing at the Rochester Regional Big Tent on the 28th at 8:30 and 10:00 pm. They also will be appearing in Kilbourn Hall at 6:00 and 9:00 pm on the 27th.  
• The line in the description of Hazmat Modine draws me: "a uniquely intercontinental sonic collage encompassing a tremendous range of instrumental, vocal, and conceptual originality–all with a lot of soul and groove".  That is true.  However, it's just not to be and I caught a bit of their music the last time they were at the RIJF in 2010. Hazmat Modine will be playing at The Duke at 7:45 and 9:45 pm. They are also playing the Big Tent on the 27th at 8:30 and 10:00 pm.

I've included links to the RIJF page for each artist where you can check out the links to their websites and to their music on Spotify. I'm currently building an RIJF 2024 Spotify playlist with a track from recent albums that I could find for all of the picks I've made my picks (and others listed). Go give it a listen!

Night 7 of the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival is a voyage of discovery for me. While there has always been some portion of past jazz fests where artists are exploring a bit more than your average trad jazz fan is looking for, this year's lineup includes quite a lot more of that and appeals to the more adventurous among us (although there is still quite enough to slake the thirst of the more traditional minded). As you might expect from my earlier choices and the ones below, I kind of hop back and forth across that line. It's like with food. My wife eats the same, very healthy and nutritious meal every morning. I try to mix it up.  It's just who I am.  So, with that introduction, while you may want to try something different, here's where I'll be traveling on June 27th of the RIJF:

• The description of Music For Roads was what hooked me.  This group of top European (and mostly Nordic ...)  musicians are attempting with this project to present the melting pot of landscape, culture, history and current political turmoil that is the U.S. through their "3D instrumental project" of  "immersive jazz," after touring over the years across the country (by car, I'd expect from the title of the project ... although it is also a nod to Brian Eno).  The music of Finnish musicians Tuomo Prättälä  and Markus Nordenstreng (known as Tuomo & Markus) is described as "Nordic American folk with jazz, soul and psychedelic influences." As here, they often work with virtuoso jazz trumpeter Verneri Pojhola on projects.  Listening to their music (the RIJF website links just to earlier work by Pojhola, but I've found and added a 2024 cut on the playlist linked from off an album that I think (hope)  sounds more like what we'll be hearing....). I look forward to what could be a strange, but beautiful trip, with some twang and psychedelia thrown in, although who knows... it could be something completely different. Music For Roads will be appearing at the Theater at Innovation Square at 6:30 and 8:30 pm.
• Pianist/keyboardist Andy Milne came out of the M-Base Collective (an acronym for Macro–Basic Array of Structured Extemporizations), a musical "movement" organized in NYC by saxophonist Steve Coleman in which many artists have been involved. Milne was at the center of M-Base as a member of Coleman's group Five Elements for a while in the late 1990s and on over 10 projects after that. He appeared here with his band Dapp Theory at the 2007 RIJF.  Andy Milne & Unison is a newer project that returns to Milne's first love, the piano trio, with the bassist John Hébert and drummer Clarence Penn, in which they explore the "intersection of texture and groove." Their 2020 debut album "The ReMission" won a Juno (Canadian Grammy) for Best Album of the Year: Group. The RIJF site links to other music by Milne, but I've added a cut from his 2024 release of Andy Milne & Unison on the playlist I link to below. Andy Milne & Unison will be appearing at the Global Jazz Now series at Christ Church at 7:30 and 9:30 pm.
• If you like your jazz big, irreverent, playful, created by a nonet of excellent musicians, and with jazz takes on songs you may know from the 20s and 30s through Motown, Prince and Sly and the Family Stone, then Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra should fit the bill.  As the quote from the Something Else! site exclaims, the MTO has "... the euphoric energy of the pre-Big Band-era territory jazz ensembles with the audacity of Downtown music and the memorable melodies of pop.” You may have heard Bernstein's group Sex Mob at RIJF way back in 2005; I've heard him play in town more recently with trombonist Joe Fiedler's group Open Sesame, which similarly mines the tunes of Sesame Street. The Millennial Territory Orchestra will be hitting the stage at the Temple Theater at 7:00 and 9:15 pm.  They'll also be playing the Theater at Innovation Square the next night, June 28th, at 6:30 and 8:30 pm.

There are some artists on this night who I wish I could hear (really, I'd like to hear so much more every night, but scheduling, my arthritic knees, and sheer exhaustion argue otherwise...) plus, given my choices above, you might want some alternatives. Here's some other choices:

• As I noted for the night of the 26th, you can't go wrong with the Manuel Valera Trio, who will be appearing on the 27th at the Inn On Broadway at 5:30 and 7:15 pm, and The Levin Brothers, who on the 27th will be playing at The Wilder Room at 6:00 and 10:00 pm. 
• Canadian pianist and singer/songwriter Laila Biali has been a Juno (Canada's Grammys) winner and nominee. Her band will include Eastman profs Christine Jensen (saxophone) and Jeff Campbell (bass). Her latest release is Your Requests, an album of standards based on the requests of her social media community. I've included a cut on the playlist from her prior album of her music, Juno nominated album "Out of Dust."  Laila Biali will be at Montage Music Hall at 6:00 and 10:00 pm. On the 28th, she'll also be appearing at Max at Eastman Place at 6:15 and 10:00 pm.

I've included links to the RIJF page for each artist where you can check out the links to their websites and to their music on Spotify. I'm currently building an RIJF 2024 Spotify playlist with a track from recent albums that I could find for all of the picks I've made my picks (and others listed). Go give it a listen!

Night 6 of the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival .... Wednesday is over the "hump" for me at the RIJF. Looking forward from Wednesday, you realize there are only 3 more nights of the festival left and you feel most the exhaustion brought about by the preceding five nights. My Wednesday will follow a familiar path, venue-wise.  While you should do you, here's the acts I'll be hearing on Wednesday, June 26th of the RIJF:

• Starting out with the Bill Charlap Trio in Kilbourn Hall, which is one of the best spaces to hear an excellent piano trio like this. Grammy-winner Charlap and his mates bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington were a standout for me when they played in 2011. These three have been playing trio together for so long that they anticipate and  move as one through the music, whether it is a swinging standard or a quiet ballad. The Bill Charlap Trio will be playing Kilbourn Hall at 6:00 and 9:00 pm.
• The next stop is in the UK at the Global Jazz Now series where the Alex Hitchcock Quartet is on offer. I'm pretty sure that saxophonist Hitchcock is not bringing the whole Dream Band (way more than a quartet), the music I heard from a very recent live album would be beautiful in the soaring spaces of Christ Church, but it he may show up with some members or some of the first call jazz players he works with here on this side of the pond.  Either way, I'm looking forward to hearing something and someone new (although there may be some familiar Brits in his band who have been at RIJF before.  Alex Hitchcock Quartet can be found at the Christ Church at 7:30 and 9:30 pm.
• I'm going to finish up the night with vocalist (and Producer Pick) Ekep Nkwelle. She's a new voice on the scene.  Check out her singing and beautiful arrangement of Geri Allen's "Timeless Portraits and Dreams"with the Julliard Jazz Ensemble in 2022, included on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts. Just the type of music to end a night in the Atrium at Max of Eastman Place, where she and her band will be presented at 6:15 and 10:00 pm.

There are some artists on this night who I wish I could hear but can't. Given my choices above, you might also want some alternatives. Here's some other choices:

• If solo piano is more your style on this night, then you can't go wrong with Manuel Valera. While a purveyor of the infectious music and rhythms of Cuba with his working band New Cuban Express, he is just as comfortable with Monk. Valera will be appearing solo at ESM's Hatch Recital Hall at 5:45 and 7:45 pm. The Manuel Valera Trio will be playing sets the next night on June 27th at the Inn On Broadway at 5:30 and 7:15 pm. 
• I have seen the Producer Pick the Levin Brothers several times as they appear around Rochester once in awhile due to connections in this part of the world (they were last year in December 2023, presented by the Bop Shop at the Lovin Cup). Bassist Tony Levin is a graduate of Eastman and is more known for his work with Peter Gabriel and the later version of King Crimson than for jazz, but he has major jazz chops. His brother Peter has played piano and keyboards on a host of jazz and pop albums. They both have played with a who's who of jazz luminaries.  Plus, from what other band else are you going to hear a jazz arrangement of King Crimson's "Matte Kudasi" (I saw King Crimson with Tony in college, and had that album ... yes, I wasn't always a jazzhead)? While I won't be hearing them this time around, the Levin Brothers be playing at Montage Music Hall at 6:00 and 10:00 pm. The next night, June 27th, they'll be at the Wilder Room at 6:00 and 10:00 pm. 
• Cuban-born pianist Hilario Duran and his Trio is another option for those who want more mambo and other Cuban rhythms. I've heard Duran play a number of times at the festival (he has hailed from Toronto for a couple of decades so gets here relatively often), but he's an amazing pianist and his trio is outstanding.  The Hilario Duran Trio will be playing the Wilder Room at 6:00 and 10:00 pm.
• Added June 25th: As I forgot to add his second date to the post for yesterday, you may have heard about the infectious and joyous performances by the Paa Kow Afro-Fusion Orchestra at the Montage on the 25th. I heard a number of people saying they were there for the early show.  They will also be playing at the Duke on the 26th at 7:45 and 9:45 pm.

I've included links to the RIJF page for each artist where you can check out the links to their websites and to their music on Spotify. I'm currently building an RIJF 2024 Spotify playlist with a track from recent albums that I could find for all of the picks I've made my picks (and others listed). Please go give it a listen.

Yes, it's going to be a little noisy around downtown Rochester starting Friday (a good kind of noise, though...).  For those of you who get our posts via email and otherwise, it may be a bit more "noisy" here as well (haven't decided how much I'll write during the festival as I try to focus on listening ....). We'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming after the 29th and I will be publishing the posts (tonight and next Wednesday) with the live jazz by local folks outside of the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival footprint. I have a few more nights of RIJF picks to post. Then I'll see whether I write much during the festival. Check out the things I'm sharing on Facebook, X (or Twitter, if you will...) and Instagram, though. 

We aim here to provide you with the most comprehensive listings for live jazz gigs in and around our fair city.  I've gathered them for the next seven days immediately below and also for the last few days June, July and a growing list later than that.  Please continue to let me know when you hear about any gigs that I've may have missed or if I have anything wrong (see the Contact Us link above to send an email if that's how you roll).  

Night 5 of the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival is shaping up to be one of those nights where I will be hearing a rich stew of music, each coming from a unique place on this globe. It's one of the things I love about this festival. Each will be a unique experience and from artists who I've (mostly) not heard before.  While you may want to try something different, here's where I'll be traveling on June 25th of the RIJF: 

• After taking a night off from starting RIJF at Kilbourn, I'm heading back for drummer Joe Dyson's Look Within. Although I'm sure I've seen him working with others before (and probably caught him on HBO's series Treme), but not as a leader and his debut CD as a leader under the same title Look Within was a great listen. As Rob Shepard notes in a PostGenre interview with Dyson after release of the CD, the New Orleans-native's music "emphasizes not just the Crescent City in a broad sense but also his family, mentors, and the subcultures there which make it such a special place." His music include influences from his upbringing in the church (there are excerpts from his father's sermons on cuts of the CD) and things he experienced traveling the world with others as a sideman. Joe Dyson's Look Within will be at Kilbourn Hall at 6:00 and 9:00 pm.
• After hearing them perform here in 2023, I'd like to get some more of the Oddgeir Berg Trio from Oslo, Norway (and it also gives me an opportunity to spell his name correctly). This year pianist Berg and his new trio are touring a new album, A Place Called Home, which is based on the sparsely-populated island of Rolla, where Berg's father was born and his family spent a lot of time exploring, exploring the "magic of nature, the spaces hidden in memory, and the bonds that family provides."  As their website's about page notes, and I confirm, the music of Oddgeir Berg Trio is "electroacoustic jazz with one leg in melancholy and the other in ecstasy." Oddgeir Berg Trio will be at the Global Jazz Now Series at Christ Church at 7:30 and 9:30 pm. 
• From a Norwegian island, I'll then travel (sonically, at least... I'll only be walking to the nearby Montage) to Africa to hear Ghana-born drummer and composer, Paa Kow, who like many great African musicians before blends jazz and African music to create his own "Afro-Fusion" sound.  While I think the music will make me want to move, that's not possible at the Montage Music Hall where Paa Kow will be heard at 6:00 and 10:00 pm (which is probably good... you don't want to see me dance). And as a drummer many, many years back, there is that "custom, hand-carved, traditionally inspired Ghanaian drum set that is the only one of its kind in the world" his website describes, which I hope he's bringing along to the gig. 

There are some artists on this night who I wish I could hear (really, I'd like to hear so much more every night, but scheduling, my arthritic knees, and sheer exhaustion argue otherwise...) plus, given my choices above, you might want some alternatives:

• I'll be seeing him later with his trio, but you might want to catch the amazing Bill Charlap, who will be playing solo in ESM's acoustically near perfect Hatch Recital Hall at 5:45 and 7:45 pm.
• Vocalist and composer Michael Mayo, a Producer Pick, Mayo's CD Bones, his background and lineage (his parents are first-call musicians) promise an eclectic blend of jazz, ne0-soul, R&B, the Beach Boy's Pet Sounds, hip hop, drum & bass, and other influences. Mayo will be at the new The Duke venue at 7:45 and 9:45 pm. 
• I love samba and the other music of Brazil. The great Verve album Getz/Gilberto is a favorite, so I regret not being able to fit in the Brazilian Jazz Quartet featuring Diego Figueiredo & Ken Peplowski. The two of them were at RIJF last year as well.  They will be playing in the Theater at Innovation Square at 6:30 and 8:30 pm. They also will be playing the night before in the Rochester Regional Health Big Tent at 8:30  and 10:00 pm, but Innovation Square may be better acoustically, which is why I have it here.

I've included links to the RIJF page for each artist where you can check out the links to their websites and to their music on Spotify. I'm currently building an RIJF 2024 Spotify playlist with a track from recent albums that I could find all my picks (and others listed). Go give it a listen. 

Night 4 of the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival will be pretty eclectic as well. Although you should do you in choosing your listening preferences for the evening, if you're interested, here are the artists on my itinerary for the fourth night of the 2024 RIJF:

• Starting out with the Giveton Gelin Quartet.  I ended my 2023 Festival with Giveton Gelin and really enjoyed the set played by this young trumpeter, who hails from the Bahamas.  Might be nice to hear him earlier in the mix, so to speak. Giveton Gelin Quartet will be playing at the Montage Music Hall at 6:00 and 10:00 pm. They will also be at Max at Eastman Place on June 25th at 6:15 and 10:00 pm.
• In my 2022 wrap-up post A tonic for my soul, if not my body ... JazzRochester's 2022 Rochester International Jazz Festival, I noted that Finnish bassist Kaisa Mäensivu's Kaisa's Machine was one of the standouts that year.  The music of Kaisa's Machine is described in the NYC Jazz Record as an "Energetic bebop that could have just easily wafted out of a hole-in-the-wall NYC bar." It's more than that and should be a treat in the sonic space of Christ Church.  Kaisa's Machine will be playing the Global Jazz Now series at Christ Church at 7:3o and 9:30 pm.
• Ending the third night with Joe Lovano's Trio Tapestry, with pianist Marilyn Crispell and drummer Carmen Castaldi, is just one of many groups master saxophonist Lovano has played with, but these three musicians really sing.  Their most recent ECM record Our Daily Bread is introspective, lyrical and full of quiet power.  Trio Tapestry plays the Temple Theater at 7:00 and 9:15 pm. 

There are a couple I wish I had time to hear (or could be in more than one place at a time) and, given my choices above, you may want to choose:

• Coming out of Eastman School of Music many years ago, drummer Jared Schonig is bringing some or all of his "Two Takes" recordings back "home" this year.  These were a quintet and big band recordings that received a lot of praise.   One of the big band numbers is titled "Gibbs St.," which is affectionately known as Jazz Street during RIJF.  This is one I'm going to really miss missing (or maybe I'll get there ... who knows?).  A Producer Pick, Jared Schonig "Two Takes" is at the Theater at Innovation Square at 6:30 and 8:30 pm.
• If you're looking for some of that piano trio straight ahead groove with some funk thrown in the mix, you can't go wrong with the Jae Sinnett Trio.  If Randy Brecker is still around, perhaps there will be some Quartet action as he is part of Sinnett's Zero to 60 Quartet?  The Jae Sinnett Trio plays the Wilder Room at 6:00 and 10:00 pm and on June 25th at the Inn on Broadway at 5:30 and 7:15 pm . 

I've included links to the RIJF page for each artist where you can check out the links to their websites and to their music on Spotify. I'm currently building an RIJF 2024 Spotify playlist with a track from recent albums that I could find all my picks (and others listed). Go give it a listen. 

Later edit: Now I know to be careful when I use a previous day's post as a template for the next day. I've adjusted the intro paragraph accordingly. Plus, a couple of artists are playing in two venues over two days, so added those. 

Traveling yesterday, so a bit late in publishing the post ... again. Please check out the current posts in our coverage of the 2024 Rochester International Jazz Festival, including my picks (i.e., who I'll be listening to) for each night (3 down, 6 more nights to go...!).  Jazz 90.1 will be live at the Inn on Broadway on Friday starting at 3:00-5:00 pm. Join them for a happy hour with Laura Dubin and Antonio Guerrero from 5:00-7:00 pm. Yes, it's right around the corner....

We aim here to provide you with the most comprehensive listings for live jazz gigs in and around our fair city.  I've gathered them for the next seven days immediately below and  for the rest June and July (and a few in August).  Please continue to let me know when you hear about any gigs that I've may have missed or if I have anything wrong (see the Contact Us link above to send an email if that's how you roll).  

Apparently, my blogging software likes to push code the same night I'm trying to publish my listings posts... go figure. So it's a bit delayed again, but at least it's still Wednesday ... I'm getting it in just under the wire

Now that the Fairport Canal Days jazz is over, the inevitable slowdown before RIJF appears to be taking hold, but there's still a lot to go out to hear.. Check out the posts in our coverage of the 2024 Rochester International Jazz Festival, including my picks (i.e., who I'll be listening to) for each night (2 down, 7 more nights to go...!). One more thing ... WGMC Jazz 90.1 ran a bit short on their last fund drive and could use your help. Click here to dig into the wallet.

We aim here to provide you with the most comprehensive listings for live jazz gigs in and around our fair city.  I've gathered them for the next seven days immediately below and  for the rest June and July (and a few in August).  Please remember I will not be listing jazz festival gigs for local artists here ... they will have their own special post, which I published yesterday. Please continue to let me know when you hear about any gigs that I've may have missed or if I have anything wrong (see the Contact Us link above to send an email if that's how you roll).  

The Rochester International Jazz Festival explodes onto the scene every June, bringing a global spotlight to our city's vibrant music scene. While it's tempting to get swept up in the whirlwind of national and international musicians, let's not forget the incredible talent we have right here in our own backyard!

Rochester boasts a thriving jazz community, from budding high school ensembles to seasoned professionals and nationally-recognized artists who call this city home. Many of these local musicians grace the RIJF stages, offering a chance to experience their music firsthand. Sure, I focus my "picks" on those who you don't get to hear in Rochester often (or at all), but sometimes catch some in between Club Pass hopping. Fact is, this site is dedicated to championing Rochester's live jazz scene the other 356 days of the year. So every year, I compile a list of these local jazz and other musicians performing during RIJF. This way, you can discover the next big name before they hit the national stage or revisit a local favorite you know and love. Plus, on Wednesdays during the festival, I'll highlight some of these musicians playing gigs outside the official RIJF footprint, giving you even more opportunities to experience Rochester homegrown jazz.

Below are the local musicians, jazz and otherwise, who will be appearing at the RIJF this year (let me know if I missed any and I'll get them in here). Check out their Artists pages on the RIJF site for more information. 

Friday, June 21st

• Harley School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 3:45 pm
• Penfield High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 4:30 pm
• Pittsford Sutherland High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 4:30 pm
• Bob Sneider and Paul Hofmann Play the Music of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays @ ESM, Hatch Recital Hall (Club Pass), 5:45 & 7:45 pm
• Eastman Youth jazz Orchestra with Herb Smith @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 6:00 pm
• All In Brass Band @ Rochester Regional Health Care Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• Bad Sneakers @ Wilder Room (Club Pass), 6:00 & 10:00 pm
• Cinnamon Jones @ Wegmans Pavilion, 7:00 & 9:00 pm

Saturday, June 22nd

• Webster Thomas High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 3:45 pm
• Glenelg High School Jazz Band (Columbia, MD) @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 4:30 pm
• School of the Arts Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 5:15 pm
• Sofrito Latin Jazz Quartet @ Inn on Broadway (Club Pass), 5:30 & 7:15 pm
• ESM Jazz Honors Unit 1 @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 6:00 pm
• 78 RPM Big Band @ Rochester Regional Health Care Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• Chris Beard Band @ Headliner Series, City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 7:00 pm

Sunday, June 23rd

• Honeoye Falls-Lima High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 3:45 pm
• Webster Schroeder High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 4:30 pm
• Pittsford-Mendon High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 5:15 pm
• Harold Danko @ ESM, Hatch Recital Hall (Club Pass), 5:45 & 7:45 pm
• New Horizons Jazz Ensemble directed by Don Sherman @ Rochester Regional Health Care Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• Ryan Johnson & Escape Terrain @ Wegmans Pavilion, 7:00 & 9:00 pm
• Bill Tiberio Band @ The Duke (Club Pass), 7:45 & 9:45 pm

Monday, June 24th

• Trio 55 @ Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, 115 South Ave., 12:00 pm
• Brighton High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 3:45 pm
• Bloomfield High School Jazz Ensemble @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 4:30 pm
• Spencerport High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 5:15 pm
• ESM Jazz Honors Unit 2 @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 6:00 pm
• Penfield Big Band @ Rochester Regional Health Care Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• The Honey Smugglers @ Wegmans Pavilion, 7:00 & 9:00 pm
• RIJF-ESM Scholarship Concert @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 7:30  & 9:30 pm

Tuesday, June 25th

• Hanna PK @ Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, 115 South Ave., 12:00 pm
• Greece Arcadia High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 4:30 pm
• Fairport High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 5:15 pm
• New Horizons Big Band, directed by Priscilla Todd Brown @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 6:00 pm
• Gate Swingers Big Band @ Rochester Regional Health Care Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• Music Educators Big Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 7:30  & 9:30 pm

Wednesday, June 26th

• Simon Fletcher @ Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, 115 South Ave., 12:00 pm
• Canandaigua High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 4:30 pm
• Greece Athena High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 5:15 pm
• ECMS Faculty with Special Guest Vocalists @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 6:00 pm
• Brockport Big Band @ Rochester Regional Health Care Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• Group Ife @ Headliner Series, Wegmans Stage at Parcel 5, 7:o0 pm
• Black Rabbit @ Wegmans Pavilion, 7:00 & 9:00 pm
• Rochester Metro Jazz Orchestra @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 7:30  & 9:30 pm

Thursday, June 27th

• Jimmie Highsmith, Jr. @ Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, 115 South Ave., 12:00 pm
• Greece Olympia High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 3:45 pm
• Victor High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 4:30 pm
• West Irondequoit High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 5:15 pm
• ECMS Jazz Alumni @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 6:00 pm
• Hilton High School Jazz Band @ Rochester Regional Health Care Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• Miller & the Other Sinners @ Headliner Series, Wegmans Stage at Parcel 5, 7:00 pm
• Sonidos Unidos @ Wegmans Pavilion, 7: 00 & 9:00 pm

Friday, June 28th

• Jazz Generation @ Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, 115 South Ave., 12:00 pm
• Mike Kaupa Jazz Workshop (Trumpet) @ ESM, Ray Wright Room, 1:00 pm (bring your instrument)
• Monroe Community College Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 4:30 pm
• Joey Stempien Big Band@ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 5:15 pm
• Mike Kaupa's ECMS Ensembles Saturday Ensemble & Junior Jazz @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 6:00 pm
• Greece Jazz Band @ Rochester Regional Health Care Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• Latriste & Frequency @ Headliner Series, Wegmans Stage at Parcel 5, 7:00 pm
• Judah Sealy @ Wegmans Pavilion, 7: 00 & 9:00 pm
• Al Chez & The Brothers of Funk @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 7:30 & 9:30 pm

Saturday, June 29th

• Eastridge High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 3:45 pm
• Palmyra-Macedon High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 4:30 pm
• Gates-Chili High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 5:15 pm
• ESM Jazz Honors Unit 3 @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 6:00 pm
• New Horizons Jazz Ensemble, directed by Don Sherman @ Rochester Regional Health Care Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• Prime Time Brass Band @ Headliner Series, Wegmans Stage at Parcel 5, 7:00 pm
• The Pickle Mafia @ Wegmans Pavilion, 7:00 & 9:00 pm
• Majestics @ Roots & Americana Series at the Little Theatre, 7:00 & 9:15 pm

Additionally, Bob Sneider or Mike Cottone will be leading the Squeezers Jam Sessions every night starting at 10:30 pm at the Hyatt Regency Rochester, which often attracts other artists appearing at the RIJF to sit in with the house band. I believe that parking in the Hyatt lot is free with validation.

Check my Wednesday posts on June 19th & 26th to find where some of them might be playing outside the RIJF. 

Night 3 of the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival will be pretty eclectic, although ending with something familiar (or should I say someone...). By the third day I hope to be getting acclimated to the rhythm of the festival, so to speak. I'm going all nine days so have to pace myself.  So, although you should do you in choosing your listening preferences for the evening, if you're interested here are the artists on my itinerary for the third night of the 2024 RIJF:

• I remember being floored when I first heard Columbian-born jazz harpist Edmar Castañeda on National Public Radio's Tiny Desk Concert in 2010, listening to the intricate tapestry that he was creating with his hands just flying over the strings.  I've never had an opportunity to hear him play live, until now.... His most recent, and 8th, album as a leader is Viento Sur with his nine-musician World Ensemble. Edmar Castañeda will be in Kilbourn Hall at 6:00 and 9:00 pm.
• East Axis will be challenging for some, but while "out" or avant-garde jazz is not unknown at the RIJF, it is refreshing to have this and other more "out" artists in the lineup. However, as the notes on their RIJF artist page quote, East Axis an “avant-garde band for those who are afraid of the avant-garde,” a quartet of monster musicians that includes multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson, Matthew Shipp on piano, Kevin Ray on bass, and Gerald Cleaver on drums. There is so much going on in this music, which can range from subtle beauty to cacophony (although even with the latter there is a lot of structure in that apparently lack of structure). I encourage you to take a chance and give your ears some exercise.  East Axis will be filling the space in Christ Church at 7:30 and 9:30 pm.
• The last show of the night will for me be like a comfortable shoe ... or not.  Locke/Keezer/Smith is Rochester-raised vibist Joe Locke, pianist Geoffrey Keezer and trumpeter Tommy Smith.  I've seen Joe Locke in many different groups when he has come to town to play the RIJF at least 9 times since his first n the beginning, and also once in NYC at Dizzy's with Kenny Washington.  He's worked with Tommy Smith and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra that Smith leads.  While I sometimes pass on artists who I've heard at the RIJF so I can get out to hear something different,  Joe Locke is always exploring and always brings something new and I believe that will be assured with these great musicians together. Comfortable shoes or not, Locke/Keezer/Smith will be at the Temple Theater at 7:00 and 9:15 pm

There are a couple I wish I had time to hear (or could be in more than one place at a time) and, given my eclectic choices above, you may want to choose:

• I've always loved jazz flute and will miss hearing flutist Andrea Brachfield and Insight, who will grace the new Club Pass venue at The Inn on Broadway at 5:30 and 7:15 pm.
• Closing out an evening at the RIJF with a piano trio at Max is always a nice, but that's not on my dance card on the third night, so I'm going to miss the Franck Amsallem Trio, who will be playing in the Atrium of Max of Eastman Place at 6:15 and 10:00 pm.

I've included links to the RIJF page for each artist where you can check out the links to their websites and to their music on Spotify. I'm currently building an RIJF 2024 Spotify playlist with a track from recent albums that I could find all my picks (and others listed). Go give it a listen.