As usual, I'm getting down to the wire and nowhere near getting these pick posts done.  Wednesday, June 25th will be a great brew of different kinds of music with a starting out with one of my favorite jazz musicians and a finish with a nice drink at Max's while exploring the jibaro music of Puerto Rico. So, like I keep saying, at the RIJF you are confronted with so many options. Some are imposed on you by timing, some by lines, some by sheer accident after hearing raves about an artist you didn't even have on your radar. But, you have to make the choice. So, you do you, but if you're interested, here are the artists/groups I am aiming to hear on the on the sixth night of the 2025 RIJF (I've included links so you can check their page on the RIJF site yourself, where you will find links to music, video, etc.):

• I first heard drummer Matt Wilson play in 2009 with his quartet at the legendary Green Mill club in Chicago and have made it a point to see him play whenever I have had an opportunity. In addition to his inventive rhythms and using ALL of his kit to support his bands, Wilson always seems to be jus having fun playing music and it's infectious. Good Trouble is not all about the fun, though. Both band and the album were named from the words of the late Congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis and its music often has a very serious message about community service, something that we can all support. Matt Wilson's Good Trouble quintet is a killer group, usually including bassist Ben Allison, saxophonist Tia Fuller, multi-reed player Jeff Lederer and vocalist Dawn Clement. Matt Wilson's Good Trouble will be hitting the stage at Kilbourn Hall at 6:00 and 9:00 pm.

• RIJF Producer Pick Jane Bunnett's Red Dragonfly project is an ambitious endeavor that, while rooted in the previous work she has brought to the RIJF, also diverges in interesting ways. The music primarily consists of jazz recreations of folk tunes from around the world that are meaningful to Bunnett. hey are performed by a quintet plus Canada's Penderecki String Quartet. The works come from Brazil, Japan, Cuba, South America, Canada, South Africa, Native America, and American Appalachia. Just this mélange of meaning behind the music was enough to hook me in to give it a listen. Jane Bunnett has been at the RIJF with her Spirits of Havana project in the inaugural 2002 festival and 2006, and was her with her group Maqueque in 2015 and 2018. Jane Bunnett's Red Dragonfly will be flying into the Temple Theater at 7:00 and 9:15 pm.

• I'll finish the evening continuing the international bent of the night with Fabiola Mendez, a master of the Puerto Rican cuatro, the national instrument of Puerto Rico, and the jibaro music of the mountains on that island. Her Tiny Desk concert is a great introduction to her music and NPR sums it up well, writing "In Méndez's hands, the cuatro becomes not just an example of a rich, Afro-Caribbean culture, but also an instrument to spread joy." Fabiola Mendez will be in Max's at Eastman Place at 6:15 and 10:00 pm.

While I've made my choices, there are often artists who I wish I could hear as well but can't due to timing or other reasons, or perhaps others who might be a better fit for you. For one reason or another you may want some alternatives, so here they are:

• On the 25th, there are quite a few local jazz musicians hitting at Club Pass venues, so I'll suggest a couple. Composer, arranger, Eastman educator and bandleader Dave Rivello is someone I first started hearing with his ensemble of the best Eastman graduates, students and notable local musicians at a rock bar in East Rochester years ago. Since that time, you'll see him in at the Fringe Festival and in these pages occasionally playing at ESM. Dave Rivello Ensemble is at the Inn on Broadway at 5:30 and 7:45 pm. The Brecker Brothers (Randy and Michael) recorded a legendary album Heavy Metal Be-Bop live in New York City in 1978. Two local jazz musicians (brothers Bob and John) are recreating the jazz, funk, and rock sounds of that album for RIJF. Celebrating the Brecker Brothers "Heavy Metal Be-Bop" will be at the Theater at Innovation Square at 6:30 and 8:30 pm. After you see these (and others listed on our post about ROC area jazz musicians and groups playing at this year's festival), remember that you may have more opportunities to hear them the other 356 days of the year....

• As you may remember from last year, I finished out the 2024 RIJF with the Meters reunion down at Parcel 5 (The Meters' Cissy Strut is my ring tone ... I never miss a call). But when you're looking at the resplendent beadwork of the Mardi Gras "Indians" marching down the street, what you're hearing is "the Rumble," the backline foundation of New Orleans music. The Rumble Featuring Big Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr.  is NOLA group with Big Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr. of the Young Eagles, trumpeter Aurélien Barnes, trombonist José Maize Jr., bassist TJ Norris, guitarist Ari Teitel, keyboardist Andriu Yanovski, and drummer Trenton O’Neal. They fuse New Orleans funk of The Meters and Neville Brothers, but updated for a new generation. The Rumble Featuring Big Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr. will be strutting the stage at Montage Music Hall at 6:00 and 9:30 pm.

• And for something completely different from the everything above, the neo-soul of Guelph, Canada based group SHEBAD, which brings to life the vision of artist and vocalist Claire Voy and multi-instrumentalist Ciccio Spagnolo that mines the rich influences of Stevie Wonder, Hiatus Kaiyote, Amy Winehouse, Daft Punk, and Erykah Badu. Of this year's lineup, only this group reached out to JazzRochester to give them a listen so I did and, if this is your cup of tea, they will be a fine brew. SHEBAD will be at The Duke at 7:30 and 9:45 pm.