Yes, it is the end of the 20th Anniversary Edition of the Rochester International Jazz Festival. This night offered me a choice to make. Either get out and hear something new from artists whom I've never heard before, or kick jazz to the curb and go hang out with 1000s (perhaps 10s of 1000s?) of my fellow Rochesterians to hear Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue (with opener Pedrito Martinez), and probably get a contact high while I'm grooving to both of these consummate showmen (and great musicians).  Given my aforementioned "issue" I'm inclined to do the former.... You do you, but here are who I'm getting out to hear on the last day of the festival, plus some other options for those who want less surprise for their ears:

• Richie Goods & Chien Chien Connected is a contemporary jazz project by Taiwan-born classically-trained vibraphonist, percussionist and composer Chien Chien Lu and jazz-funk bassist Richie Goods, which was born out of time they spent together making music during the pandemic and their frequent conversations about the Black Lives Matter movement and hate crimes against Asians, which led them to try recording a project with an aim to unify people. Chien Chien's debut solo project The Path led to numerous awards and to her being named the “vibraphone rising star” in Downbeat Magazine’s 69th Annual Critics Poll in 2021.  A native of Pittsburg, after school Richie Goods studied with legendary jazz bassists Ron Carter and Ray Brown and toured with Mulgrew Miller and recorded and has toured with a variety of jazz and pop artists ranging from the Headhunters, Lenny White, Louis Hayes and the Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band, Milt Jackson, Russell Malone, Vincent Herring, to DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera.  Richie Goods & Chien Chien Lu Connected will be appearing at the Theater at Innovation Square at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm.
• Finland-born pianist Alexi Tuomarila and his trio including bassist Mats Eilertsen and drummer Olavi Louhivuori is likely take us in another direction, with its strong melodies, driving improvisations, and the introspection and complexity common to jazz from the Nordic countries. Tuomarila is a rising star in Europe as both a pianist and composer. The Alexi Tuomarila Trio is appearing at Christ Church at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm.
• Vincent Peirani is a virtuoso accordionist who fluidly moves between all sorts of genres and styles of playing.  Could be the sounds of a Paris cafe, make you want to tango, or bop around with more of a rock underpinning given his newest project Jokers, such as the single, which covers Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun and integrating a more rock sound.  But no polkas . . . I think. Vincent Pieirani is going to be hitting the stage at the Temple Theater at 7:00 pm and 9:15 pm.

The penultimate night of the 2023 Rochester International Jazz Festival is going to be artists who are all new to me, although there are some alternatives who are well-known to RIJF listeners. I write this after the first night, where I started this year's RIJF by hearing Okan, a group from Canada that plays a high-energy mix of traditional Cuban and Afro-Cuban jazz, and is led by two women who just owned the stage at Montage. That experience cemented that this year I'm going to opt for the "... it's who you don't know" side of RIJF Producer John Nugent's now famous aphorism.  You do you, but here's what I suggest for June 30th:

• "Manouche" or "hot club" jazz" is a kind of small-group jazz music that sprung out of Romani guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt and his collaboration with French swing violinist Stéphane Grappelli in their group the Quintette du Hot Club de France. Tatiana Eva-Marie is a young singer (from Brooklyn), nicknamed the "Gypsy-jazz Warbler" by the New York Times, is mixing that manouche tradition, incorporating Balkan Gypsy and folk influences, in a ragoût of her French and Balkan heritage. She is currently working on a project, Djangology, reimagining Django's compositions with lyrics and new arrangements. While Kilbourn Hall is not a small, smoky club in Paris, it'll have to do. Tatiana Eva-Marie and her band will grace that stage at 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm.
• As you know, I like to challenge my ears and the music of vibist/marimba artist Diana Herold and her group Helium that I've heard, although accessible, promises to pulls our ears in different directions from straight up swing to more angular, out sounds. Helium is a larger ensemble (nonet?), the sound of which will fill up the space at Christ Church at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm (that is, if you didn't see them at the Rochester Regional Health Big Tent the night before).
• Big bands have grown on me over the years. When you hear a really good big band playing music that was built for such large ensembles, and really listen, there is so much going on. Although new to me and rather new to the world as it was founded in 2022, the Los Angeles Jazz Orchestra is one of those big bands. According to their website, the LAJO's members are top-shelf musicians from the diverse LA jazz community, some of whom have played with the Count Basie, Tony Bennett, Woody Herman, and Clark Terry big bands, as well on high profile recordings, film scores, and commercials. I will be hitting the later set, in which the LAJO will be joined by special guest trombonist and band leader Conrad Herwig (of whom I've heard of...). The Los Angeles Jazz Orchestra will be appearing in the Theater at Innovation Square at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm. They will also appear the next day at 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm at the Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, the second set with special guest Russell Thompkins, Jr. 
• If you're in for more straightahead jazz trio action, you can't go wrong with the Joey Alexander Trio or the Harry Allen Trio. Joey Alexander Trio will be in the Temple Theater at 7:00 pm and 9:15 pm. The Harry Allen trio will be in the Wilder Room at 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm.

The Rochester International Jazz Festival begins this afternoon!  Nine days of music, seeing old friends and meeting new ones, and listening to an unparalleled smorgasbord of music.  During the festival, while I don't completely stop posting to this site, it slows down. I'm at the RIJF to hear music, not write about it.  I'll share information and updates about festival and festival artists on JazzRochester's social channels, so follow me on Twitter or Facebook, plus Instagram for images from the festival. You can get links join us on the social channels at the top of the panel to the right of this post. I'm attending all nine days, baby, but will be taking it easier (and may have to cut out earlier) than in the past due to a health issue I'm addressing.  A few other things to point out:

• Make sure you check out my recent post highlighting the Rochester area musicians who are appearing at the RIJF and get out there to support them if you can. 
• I know I still have a couple days to go in sharing my picks. They should be published over the weekend. 
• My regular weekly listings post, which appears at the top of the site, has live jazz around Rochester, but outside of the RIJF, through July.  I'll publish another on Wednesday next week, updating those listings. 
• Check out my other coverage and picks during the fest by visiting the RIJF 2023 Category link toward the bottom of the panel to the right.
• The folks at the RIJF provide me with media/photo credentials, but if you're sitting behind/near me at Club Pass venue and you see me taking out my phone to take a picture after the music starts, I want you to know that my practice is to get the shot as quickly as possible during the first number in the set and then put it away. Although I want to preserve the images for later, I'm there to hear the music, not "report" or to get in the way of your experience of it. 
• If you're interested in getting a JazzRochester t-shirt to sport during RIJF, you can order it here (or the link at the top of the site) or hit me up if you see me at the festival and I'll connect you to the order page (they are $15).  Become a part of the "street team" and tell others where you find out about live jazz in Rochester the other 356 days of the year.

Have fun, stay dry and hydrated, and I hope to see you on Jazz Street!

As the Rochester International Jazz Festival nears its frenetic last couple of days, with the accompanying crowds for the free shows on Parcel 5 and elsewhere, in the Club Pass venues there will be some great choices to wrap your ears around on Thursday. Again, you do you, but here are a few options for you to check out:

• In 2023, twice Grammy-nominated vocalist and arranger Gretchen Parlato and Lionel Loueke collaborated to bring to our ears Lean In, an album that documents their twenty years of connection and partnership as musicians and friends (Loueke calls them "musical soulmates"). Parlato's voice is beautiful, both precise but fluid. Her arrangements are inventive. Born in the West African nation of Benin but long time denizen of NYC, guitarist-vocalist Lionel Loueke uses his mouth to add a layer of percussion to his beautiful guitar work through clicks inspired by the South African Xhosa and other "click" languages and scat-singing. Lean In draws its songs from a wide range, including bossa nova/samba, songs from Loueke's native Benin, an 80s power ballad by Klymaxx, and a cover the rock band Foo Fighters. Parlato and Loueke are appearing at Kilbourn Hall at 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm.
• Nick Finzer was one of those students attending Eastman School of Music years back who I knew was going to "make it" when I saw him play, heard his compositions, and saw the drive he had. And succeed he has.... After getting an advanced degree from Juilliard, he has really made a mark on the jazz scene. Finzer has been nominated for a Grammy nomination as part of Anat Cohen's Tentet, named a "Rising Star Trombonist '' in the Downbeat Magazine 2020 Critics Poll, and received an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award. Finzer has released seven critically-acclaimed albums as a leader, the most recent being Dreams Visions Illusions, which recently hit the top 10 in the JazzWeek radio charts (not his first to reach that high in the charts). Oh, and he founded a successful artist-focused record label and media company Outside In, which focuses on rising young stars in jazz. The Nick Finzer Sextet will be appearing at Max at Eastman Place at 6:15 pm and 10:00 pm.
• The music on the most recent album of drummer Mark Guiliana, the sound of listening is built around an eclectic mix of jazz tradition and innovation. Mixed here and there are elements of electronic music rooted in jazz improvisation that characterizes his project BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC! BEAT MUSIC! Mark Guiliana's collaborators are from a spectrum across jazz and other genres, including Brad Mehldau, Avishai Cohen, Meshell Ndegeocello, Donny McCaslin, Matisyahu, and on David Bowie's final album. Guiliana will be a busy man if he's also doing percussion with his wife Gretchen Parlato and Lionel Loueke when they play at Kilbourn (see above). [nope!] The Mark Guiliana Quartet appears at the Christ Church at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm.
• If your preference is aimed more straight ahead, then David Hazeltine Quartet might be a better fit. Pianist, composer, accompanist and educator David Hazeltine has over 35 albums as leader and has collaborated on piano with James Moody, Eddie Harris, Jon Faddis, Joe Henderson, Pepper Adams, Jon Hendricks and many more on hundreds of other discs. David Hazeltine Quartet will be appearing at the Montage Music Hall at 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm. Another option is Ms. Lisa Fischer, who was a sleeper hit with the RIJF crowd last year, or at least that's what I heard on Jazz Street in 2022, so if the above aren't your cup of tea, go see her. Ms. Lisa Fischer is appearing with the great pianist Taylor Eigsti at the Temple Theater at 7:00 pm and 9:15 pm.

Wednesday at the Rochester International Jazz Festival will, like most nights be an eclectic mix for me. Just the way I like it.  It was hard to pick the three I can possibly make, but they will be among the following five artists/groups. You do you, but you may want to take your ears to wrap them around one or more of these:

• At the RIJF over the years, I've watched Christian Sands rise from a young sideman to the likes of Christian McBride and others, to a (still young) leader and composer. One of the songs on Sands' recent CD Be Water, an introspective piece that included strings, was nominated for Best Instrumental Composition at the 2021 Grammy Awards. The title actually refers to (and the CD includes) a quote from Bruce Lee: "Empty your mind. Be formless. Shapeless. Like water. You put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” Sands is a brilliant pianist and his compositions range from the quiet stillness implied by the title of his album to more driving tempos so, like water, Sands' music can flow or crash. He is likely to bring some killer players to accompany him to the Kilbourn stage, where the Christian Sands Trio will be appearing at 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm.
• Trumpeter Ralph Alessi's This Against That is being brought to this year's RIJF, which features some of NYC's most exploratory musicians including veteran bassist Drew Gress, pianist and M-BASE member Andy Milne, and drummer Mark Ferber. The music of This Against That is full of influences from jazz to contemporary classical, and highlights the interplay between the instruments. Alessi's trumpet will resonate around the sanctuary, as brass instruments tend to, adding dimensions to the interplay of instruments that should beautifully fill that space. Ralph Alesia’s This Against That will be filling the sanctuary at Christ Church at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm. 
• The Bossa Nova Wave with Diego Figueiredo & Ken Peplowski will explore the famous album Jazz Samba, the album by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd released by Verve Records in 1962 that launched the Bossa Nova craze in North America including crossover hits like One Note Samba and Desafinado. Both of these musicians are at the top of their game and It will be a treat in the intimate space of the Montage Music Hall, where guitarist FIguieiredo and reedman Peplowski are playing at 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm. They will also be playing the next evening in the even more intimate Hatch Recital Hall at 5:45 pm and 7:45 pm.
• If you're jonesin for a bit of the Hammond B3, you can't go wrong with the Akiko Tsuruga Organ Group, who will be appearing at the Hyatt Regency Rochester Grand Ballroom at 7:45 pm and 9:45 pm, or Catherine Russell, a vocalist who mines the history of jazz and blues to explore anew and has appeared before adoring RIJF audiences 7 times in the past and will be playing at the Theater at Innovation Square at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm.

There are a lot of good choices on Tuesday of the Rochester International Jazz Festival. From one of the elders of jazz to some Finns obsessed with fly fishing, the picks for the 5th night are an eclectic bunch (although admittedly lousy with saxophonists...).  You do you, but here is what I think will your ears should check out:

• Houston Person & Eric Person "Person2Person" first came together in 2009 right here in Rochester at the Exodus to Jazz series that you might remember. I saw that concert and it was a burner. Houston and Eric Person are not related, they came together by happenstance and have collaborated occasionally in this "Person to Person" way ever since. Tenor saxophonist Houston ‍is best known for his collaboration with Etta Jones on a series of albums for Prestige in the 1960s. He has recorded more than 75 albums as a leader, on the Prestige, Westbound, Mercury, Savoy, and Muse, and HighNote labels. He has worked with Charles Brown, Ron Carter, Bill Charlap, Charles Earland, Lena Horne, Lou Rawls, Horace Silver, Cedar Walton, Grant Green, Johnny "Hammond" Smith, and others. At 88, Houston is the only one of the "old guard" of jazz appearing at this year's jazz fest. Several decades younger, alto and soprano saxophonist Eric Persons has been on the scene since the early 80s, performing with McCoy Tyner, Dave Holland, Chico Hamilton, John Hicks, Wallace Roney, Vernon Reid, and many others. Eric has 11 releases as leader. Houston Person & Eric Person are appearing in Kilbourn Hall at 6:00 and 9:00 pm.
• I may find time to hear the Tia Fuller Quintet (although if not, I can catch her on the 28th). Saxophonist Tia Fuller has played with a host of people from Beyonce to Rufus Reid Quintet, Wycliff Gordan Septet, T.S. Monk Sextet, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Nancy Wilson Jazz Orchestra, the Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra, Chaka Khan, Ledisi, Kelly Rowland, Jay-Z, Jill Scott, Patti LaBelle, Sheila E, Valerie Simpson, Dionne Warwick, Janelle Monáe, Patrice Rushen, Erykah Badu, Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson, and Geri Allen. Her most recent album, Diamond Cut, received a Grammy nomination in the Best Instrumental Jazz category and was produced by three-time Grammy Award winner drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. Tia Fuller Quintet plays at the Hyatt Regency Rochester Grand Ball Room at 7:45 pm and 9:45 pm, and on June 28th at Max at Eastman Place at 6:15 pm and 10:00 pm.
• Firmly rooted in the tradition, the Cory Weeds Quartet is fronted by saxophonist Weeds, a Canadian who in addition to being a top shelf jazz player he owned one of the best jazz clubs in the Americas, Cory Weeds’ Cellar Jazz Club in Vancouver, and currently runs the Cellar Jazz Group music label. Weeds has recorded over 19 albums as a leader and collaborated with a number of jazz icons like Joey DeFrancesco and Christian McBride. The Cory Weeds Quartet will be appearing in Max at Eastman Place at 6:15 pm and 10:00 pm.
• It's all in the name of the project for Finn Joona Toivanen's Jazz & Fly Fishing. Who woulda thunk it to put together a jazz group for which one criteria is that you love fly fishing? It's a quirky post-bop jazz quartet, a film project, and four guys who like to stand in rivers whipping a pole around. Starting early June, the group will tour the Eastern/Northeastern U.S. for a week, and then travel west to Colorado/Wyoming/Idaho/ Montana, staying there for ten days and I expect doing some spectacular fly fishing. They are stopping by RIJF on their way back to Scandinavia. Perhaps they will serve fish with their jazz (if they have time to smoke it)? Jazz & Fly Fishing will appear at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm at Christ Church.

The fourth night of the Rochester International Jazz Festival seems to have become the "night of the guitar" as my picks are predominantly lead by pickers (or guitar is featured) . . . oh, and vocalists. However, despite the uniformity of instrumentation, there is a lot of variation in these choices. You do you, but if you're interested, here is what I think will be a good bet to wrap your ears around:

• First stop, as often is the case, will be Kilbourn for the Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet. Rosenwinkel is a genre-bending player and composer who has jazz chops formed early in his career by being Joe Henderson's guitarist, through working with Gary Burton, Paul Motian, Brian Blade, Mark Turner, Joshua Redman, Seamus Blake, and even Steely Dan's Donald Fagen. After a number of years with Verve, in 2016 Rosenwinkel has set up his own label, Heartcore, that focuses on developing young musicians and also allows him a lot of room to explore his own music. Recent projects include a Undercover, recorded live at the Village Vanguard and a reimagining of Chopin's piano music, The Chopin Project. Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet will be playing Kilbourn Hall at 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm.
• The Olli Hirvonen Group will be a stop as well. This Finnish guitarist has been plying his trade in NYC since 2011. Listening to recent recordings, Hirvonen can move from achingly beautiful and sparse compositions to shredding those strings. The sounds of his guitar should resonate in the soaring sanctuary of Christ Church, where the Olli Hirvonen Group will be playing at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm.
• Victoria Victoria is the alter ego of North Carolina-based singer/songwriter Tori Elliot, with whom guitarist Charlie Hunter collaborated to produce the album To the Wayside.... Jazz? Not really... but the vocals and harmonies, Hunter's reserved playing, and the songwriting are often beautiful. Victoria Victoria with Charlie Hunter will be playing at Montage Music Hall at 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm.
• While Dawn Thomson & Gary Versace are local to Rochester, they are known world-wide. Pianist, organist, and accordionist Gary Versace has worked with John Scofield, Maria Schneider, John Abercrombie, Anat Cohen, Al Foster, Regina Carter, Rich Perry, John Hollenbeck, Ralph Alessi, Kurt Elling, Madeleine Peyroux, Matt Wilson, Ingrid Jensen, among others. He also has been a prof in Eastman School of Music's Jazz Studies program since 2017. Guitarist and vocalist Dawn Thomson has worked with Gary, as well as Matt Wilson, Renee Rosnes, Ron Miles and many others and has released 6 CDs as a leader. She recorded and toured with Matt Wilson’s Honey and Salt project, contributing vocals and guitar on its music inspired by the American poet Carl Sandburg. Their 2017 release won album of the year by the Jazz Journalists Association. Oh, and festival producer John Nugent is her spouse.... Dawn Thomson and Gary Versace will be playing the Eastman School of Music's Hatch Recital Hall at 5:45 pm and 7:45 pm.
• A Rochester native, singer Nancy Kelly is well-known here, but she is also known throughout the U.S. and world-wide. She sings with the authority of someone who has been at it for many decades, swinging hard and cool, and as her bio notes with a "take no prisoners" attitude. Her phrasing and nuance stand out. Known as a "singer's singer," Nancy Kelly has twice been named “Best Female Jazz Vocalist” in the Down Beat Readers’ Poll, and has recorded six critically-acclaimed CDs, including B That Way, which enjoyed 8 solid weeks in the top 50 on the JazzWeek jazz radio charts, and Remembering Mark Murphy, named one of the top 20 Jazz recordings of 2019. Her most recent recording is Jazz Woman: The Reel to Real Sessions, which is a collection of songs she wrote early in her career when she was singing in a number of genres as she found her way to jazz. Nancy Kelly is playing the Wilder Room at 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm

I'll looks like I may have some time on the third night of the Rochester International Jazz Festival to wander around, but have two Club Pass shows I definitely want to hit. You do you, but if you're interested, here are those two and a few others that I probably won't be able to get to, but are also a good bet:

• I'll start out with Blue Note recording artist Nduduzo Makhathini. I've listened to a couple of this pianist's albums (his debut on Blue Note Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworlds was named one of the “Best Jazz Albums of 2020” by The New York Times), along with his second Blue Note album In the Spirit of Ntu, provide a complex palette fusing the church music of his early years, the music of South Africa (Makhathini is from Kwazulu Province) with influences of Coltrane, McCoy Tyner and other jazz pianists like Abdullah Ibrahim, Andrew Hill, Randy Weston, and Don Pullen. Nduduzo Makhathini is appearing in Kilbourn Hall at 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm.
• I will also try to be "Celebrating Toots Thielemans" with Kenny Werner & Gregoire Maret on the third night. Pianist Kenny Werner accompanied Toots as a sideman and Gregoire Maret, his heir apparent on the harmonica. Having seen both of these killer musicians separately, their combination should be a treat. Toots will be celebrated at the Temple Theater at 7:00 pm and 9:15 pm
• Coinciding with the release of their new CD featuring the music of Marian McPartland, local pianist Laura Dubin and her trio will be playing a Club Pass venue this year. You may have heard her and her husband (and musical partner) Antonio Guererro during the pandemic on their nightly concerts from their Virtual Jazz Club in their house. The Laura Dubin Trio is playing at the Theater at Innovation Square at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm
• I might try to catch some of Mozambican guitarist Albino Mbie, who also appears on the Montage Music Hall stage on June 24th (but couldn't fit that one in). Albino Mbie will be at the Rochester Regional Health Big Tent at 8:30 pm. Another option is another chance to catch Camille Thurman with Darrell Green Quartet (if I miss on the 24th, who will be at the Hyatt Regency Rochester Grand Ballroom at 7:45 and 9:45, especially if I decide to hit the Squeezers jam session that night in the Hyatt.

If I can make it all the way through, the second night of the Rochester International Jazz Festival will follow a familiar pattern for me--start at Kilbourn Hall, head over to the Global Jazz Now, and then to Max of Eastman Place to close out the night.  Here's who I'm planning on listening to on the second night of the festival:

• I missed both shows when Samara Joy was at the RIJF last year. Joy was just breaking out and has since won a Grammy this year for Best New Artist and also Best Jazz Vocal Album for her disc Linger Awhile, which is wildly successful (for a jazz album). Her voice is deep and rich, evoking the great jazz vocalists of yesteryear like Sarah Vaughn, but she is no imitator, going beyond standards to dig into the old disks and unearth new standards for her. Don't usually love vocal jazz, but there are some artists who break through my initial reticence and, listening to Linger Awhile  proves that Samara Joy is one of those artists. Samara Joy has moved to Kilbourn Hall this year, with concerts at 6:00 and 9:00 pm.
• What is the RIJF without hearing some jazz by Norwegians?  The Oddbeir Berg Trio will be my next stop. The trio's recently released While We Wait for the Brand New Day is a departure from the more ECM, dark Scandinavian sounds of previous recordings.  They should sound great in the space of Christ Church, where they will be playing at 7:30 and 9:30 pm.
• Hopefully, I'll close down the night with saxophonist and vocalist Camille Thurman with the Darrell Green Quartet. I might as well go for broke with the vocalist, but that likely will be leavened with her definite sax chops. Camille and the band will be hitting the stage at Max at Eastman Place at 6:15 and 10:00 pm
• You never know what you're going to get with guitarist Bill Frisell, who has graced RIJF stages 9 separate times. It's always different and that is a good thing.   You'll always come away amazed at the sounds he weaves out of his guitar. The Bill Frisell Trio is over at the Theater at Innovation Square at 6:30 and 8:30 pm. 

As I only have a couple of weeks to bang these posts about what I want to hear during the Rochester International Jazz Festival, I should get started....  My RIJF is going to be different as I am wrestling with a health issue that will likely undermine my usual approach to the RIJF (hard charging all 9 days ... little sleep, too much drink and street food). I'll have to take it easy. That will also affect how I do these posts—instead of trying to come up with picks that one could actually hear in the evening, I'm going to just pick those I would choose if I could be at all of them, as it is likely I will not be. That's a good thing for you as my choices won't be constrained by timing. Additionally, there are fewer "bucket list" artists in this year's RIJF, which gives me the freedom to be more adventurous in my choices as well. You do you, but if you're interested, here are some of the artists/groups that I would like to hear on the first night of the 2023 RIJF:

• Pat Metheny Side-Eye is on my list, but we'll see if we hear him. Metheny was one of the first jazz I heard live when he and Lyle Mays came to play at The University of Chicago while I was in college. Having missed Metheny's Side-Eye project in 2021 at the Kodak Center on Ridge and 2019 in the Smith Opera House in GenevaI've asked to cover the concert in the Big House (a/k/a Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre). Metheny always delivers something different and sometimes the music is sublime (one of my favorite concerts was here in Rochester years ago when he was doing his Orchestrion project. There are still tickets, but they are mostly in the nosebleeds.  Pat Metheny and Side-Eye are appearing in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre at 8:00 pm.
• I would like to get a listen Chris Minh Doky's All Stars with Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers, George Whitty and Dean Brown (assuming he's playing with these players, who he'll be with in NYC shortly after RIJF). I'm intrigued with the many possible influences on this Danish bassist, who has found success in the jazz, rock, Nordic and classical worlds. There's not much current sounds of the Allstars out in the interwebs to sample, so I'm flying somewhat blind, but that's how I like it. The Chris Minh Doky All Stars are playing in the Theater at Innovation Square at 6:30 and 9:30 pm
• Okan is a woman-led group from Canada and takes its name from the word for heart in Santeria, the Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions combined with some Catholic elements. Their music is a fusion of Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, Cuban folk music, and global rhythms. The leaders are Elizabeth Rodriguez, a classically trained violinist from Havana, Cuba, and Magdelys Savigne, who is from Santiago de Cuba, both of whom are Grammy-nominees for their contributions to Jane Bunnett and Maqueque.
• If you're looking for something in a somewhat more straight-ahead vein, you can't go wrong with either Deanna Witkowski, who will be playing the music of Mary Lou Williams (after recently writing a well-received book about this amazing woman in jazz whose career spanned the 20s to the 70s), the Helen Sung Quartet+, or the Tom Guarna Trio. I've never heard Deanna Witkowski play live and I love the music of Mary Lou Williams. I've heard Helen play several times in Rochester (she appeared at the Exodus to Jazz series several times and has appeared at the RIJF before as well. She always brings a killer band with her when she comes to town. I'm not familiar with Tom Guarna, but he has worked with a wide range from Blood, Sweat and Tears to Wallace Roney, Les McCann, and Manuel Valera’s New Cuban Express. He's bringing a trio with Dezron Douglas on bass and Jason Tiemann on drums. Deanna Witkowski is playing solo at ESM's Hatch Recital Hall at 5:45 and 7:45 pm. Helen Sung Quartet+ is playing at the Wilder Room at 6:00 and 10:00 pm. Tom Guarna Trio is playing the Global Jazz Now series in the Christ Church at 7:30 and 9:30 pm.

I should also remind you that there is the Squeezer's Jam Session every night of the RIJF at the Hyatt Regency Rochester. The music begins at 10:30 each night with guitarist Bob Sneider and trumpeter Mike Cottone trading off running the jam which includes local students and those musicians from the night's fare who sit in.  Mike starts the first night as M.C.  This year the jam will be held in the new Astor on Main space in the Hyatt, which is showing jazz several nights a week during the rest of the year and I think will offer some great options to share in the magic that sometimes happens at these jams. 

While who I choose to get out to hear during the Rochester International Jazz Festival tends to be those coming from outside Rochester, there are so many great local jazz and other musicians who gig around Rochester the other 356 days of the year. From the kids starting out in one of the great high school jazz ensembles who play daily on the Jazz Street Stage, to students in the Jazz Studies program at ESM, to working jazz musicians, to nationally-known jazz artists who happen to be living or teaching here in Rochester, there is a lot of talent in town and many of them will be playing at the 2023 RIJF. I catch some as I pass between Club Pass venues or stand in line. But I do make it easy for you to find them by collecting them in one post (and throughout the other 356 days of at the year on this site).

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).

Friday, June 23rd

• CSE Music School Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation, 4:30 pm
• Honeoye Falls Lima High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 5:15 pm
• All in Brass Band @ Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• Eastman Youth Jazz Orchestra with Herb Smith @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 6:00 pm
• iGNiTE Reggae Band @ Wegmans Pavilion, 7:00 pm & Wegmans Pavilion, 9:00 pm

Saturday, June 24th

• Pal-Mac High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 3:45 pm
• Penfield High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 4:30 pm
• Gates Chili High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 5:15 pm
• 78 RPM Big Band @ Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• ECMS Jazz Combos Directed by Bob Sneider @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 6:00 pm

Sunday, June 25th

• Pittsford Mendon High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 3:45 pm
• Hilton High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 4:30 pm
• Fairport High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 5:15 pm
• New Horizons Jazz Ensemble Directed by Don Sherman @ Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• ESM Jazz Honors Unit 1 with Kevin Murphy @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 6:00 pm
• Dear Marian: Laura Dubin Trio Plays Marian McPartland @ Theater at Innovation Square, 6:30 pm
• USP @ Wegmans Pavilion, 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm

Monday, June 26th

• Paradigm Shift @ Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, 12:00 pm
• Victor High School Jazz Band 
• Hilton High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 4:30 pm
• Joey Stempien College Big Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 5:15 pm
• Dawn Thomson & Gary Versace @ Hatch Recital Hall, Eastman School of Music, 5:45 pm & 7:45 pm
• Brockport Big Band @ Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• ESM Jazz Honors Unit 2 with Rob Varon @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 6:00 pm
• Nancy Kelly @ The Wilder Room, 6:00 pm & 10:00 pm
• Phylicia Rae @ Wegmans Pavilion, 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm
• Fred Costello @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 7:30 pm & 9:30 pm
• ESM-RIJF Jazz Scholarship Concert Celebrating Chick Corea ESM Jazz Ensemble @ Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 8:00 pm (Free)

Tuesday, June 27th

• Amanda Ashley @ Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, 12:00 pm
• Greece Athena High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 4:30 pm
• Gate Swingers Big Band @ Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• New Horizons Big Band Directed by Priscilla Todd Brown @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 6:00 pm
• Rich Thompson Trio "Generations" @ The Wilder Room, 6:00 pm  & 10:00 pm
• Atlas Band @ Wegmans Pavilion, 7:00 pm
• ECMS Music Educators Jazz Ensemble @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 7:30 pm & 9:30 pm

Wednesday, June 28th

• Quinn Lawrence @ Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, 12:00 pm
• Greece Arcadia High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 4:30 pm
• Pittsford Sutherland High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 5:15 pm
• Penfield Big Band @ Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• ECMS Faculty With Special Guest Vocalists @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 6:00 pm
• Mambo Kings @ Wegmans Pavilion, 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm
• Rochester Metro Jazz Orchestra City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 7:30 pm & 9:30 pm

Thursday, June 29th

• Herb Smith @ Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, 12:00 pm
• Brockport High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 4:30 pm
• West Irondequoit High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 5:15 pm
• Melody Masters Big Band @ Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• ECMS Jazz Alumni @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 6:00 pm
• Joe Beard Band @ Wegmans Stage at Parcel 5, 7:00 pm
• Violet Mary @ Wegmans Pavilion, 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm

Friday, June 30th

• Zahyia Rolle @ Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, 12:00 pm
• Bloomfield High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 4:30 pm
• Eastridge High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 5:15 pm
• Greece Jazz Band @ Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• Mike Kaupa's ECMS Saturday & Junior Jazz Ensembles @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 6:00 pm
• Latriste and the Frequencies @ Wegmans Pavilion, 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm
• Vince Ercolamento & Friends @ Hyatt Regency Rochester Grand Ballroom, 7:45 pm & 9:45 pm

Saturday, July 1st

• Brighton High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 3:00 pm
• Spencerport High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 3:45 pm
• Webster Schroeder High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 4:30 pm
• Canandaigua High School Jazz Band @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 5:15 pm
• Harold Danko @ Hatch Recital Hall, Eastman School of Music, 5:45 pm & 7:45 pm
• Syndicate Jazz Octet @ Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, 6:00 pm
• ESM Jazz Honors Unit 3 with Dan Mach-Holt @ City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage, 6:00 pm
• The BuddaHood @ Wegmans Pavilion, 7:00 pm & 9:00 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's Main Street Gallery, which often attracts other artists appearing at the RIJF to sit in for a song or two.

Check my Wednesday posts on June 21st & 28th to find where some of them might be playing outside the RIJF. 

I had JazzRochester t-shirts made just a few months before the 2020 Rochester International Jazz Festival ... yeah that one. They've been sitting in my closet since. Please help me to let other jazz listeners and RIJF festival goers where you find out about live jazz in and around Rochester during the 356 days of the year you're not at the RIJF. Show your love for JazzRochester (as much as you can "love" a website/blog, that is...) and wear it proudly at this year's RIJF!

The t-shirts are all black with the JazzRochester logo on front and the URL on the back as shown below. They are high quality, 100% cotton Next Level Apparel t-shirts.  I have limited quantities of the following sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, and 3XL.  Here's how they look....

You can take them off my hands for $15, which includes shipment by U.S. Mail. No international orders. You can pay by Venmo, PayPal, Apple Cash (I'll provide the handles after order), or by personal check sent to JazzRochester c/o Gregory V. Bell, P.O. Box 10165, Rochester, NY 14610-0165. 

To buy, click here or aim your phone's camera at the QR code below for a link to an order form...

The CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival producers Marc Iacona and John Nugent today announced at a press conference the lineup for the RIJF's nine-day 20th Anniversary Edition, coming June 23 to July 1 in 19 venues in downtown Rochester.

• 49 shows on the City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage presented by the Community Foundation
• 16 free shows in the new Wegmans Pavilion on East at Chestnut
• Nightly free 6:00 pm shows in the Rochester Regional Health Tent
• 8 shows on the Wegmans Stage at Parcel 5
• 5 Jazz Workshops for music students sponsored by Wegmans and led by artists performing at the Festival and a scholarship concert at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre celebrating Chick Corea with the Eastman School of Music Jazz Ensemble, which is free and will be held at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. The scholarship program has awarded almost $500,000 since 2002.
• Squeezers Nightly Jam Sessions presented by the DiMarco Group at the Hyatt Regency Rochester
• 2 shows on the City of Rochester Stage at East & Chestnut
• 5 Noon concerts in the Rochester Monroe County Central Library

• The double-decker McCarthy Merchandise Tent moves back to Jazz Street (Gibbs St.) from Parcel 5.
• The free 2023 RIJF Official Festival App powered by Harris Beach PLLC, will be available for download in early May.
• The Save Time in Line numbering system returns to save people time from waiting in lines for early shows at Kilbourn Hall and Max of Eastman Place.
• The RIJF Official Ticket / Information Shop Opens Monday, June 12 at 100 East Avenue at the corner of Gibbs Street in Rochester, New York. See dates and hours at Rochesterjazz.com.