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!