Jazz@Rochester

July 30, 2005

Summer nights . . . .

Filed under: Shows@Rochester - jazzrochester @ 5:47 pm

If you’re looking for something relaxing to do on one of these wonderful evenings we seem to have been having recently, then go over to Starry Nites Cafe and catch the music there, which is often jazz (and even if it isn’t?). Sitting outside by the Flatiron building on University Avenue in the ArtWalk district with some friends, a few drinks, etc., has been a quite relaxing end to a couple of Thursday evenings of music at High Falls or Eastman House for me, which for the last two was seeing my friend Gene Ragowski and the Standard Jazz Quartet play there. Alas, their running Thursday gig is over for awhile.

Just noticed in City that a new Thursday evening location for some sounds will be at the Gazebo in Lunsford Circle at Corn Hill, which will feature jazz in August from 6-9 pm, including:

  • August 4: The Nostalgic Reunion (big band swing)
  • August 11: The Bill Tiberio Group (contemporary jazz by a group of great local musicians, members of Paradigm Shift). See my posting about one of the group’s gigs at Clarissa Room here.
  • August 18: Phill Freeman & Combo (”sensational jazz vocals” in the City ad)
  • August 25: Smugtown Stompers (traditional Dixieland)

    • WGMC Jazz 90.1 Open House

    Filed under: General - jazzrochester @ 4:59 pm

    The local jazz station, WGMC, Jazz90.1 is having an open house to show off its state-of-the-art facilities at Greece Olympia High School. The studios were provided as part of the school district’s recent capital improvements. The district does not fund WGMC, but donates the studio space. The station will hold two open houses:

  • Members Only: Monday August 1st 4-7pm (must have your
    current Jazz90.1 Member Card)
  • General Public Open House: Tuesday August 2nd 4-7pm.

    • WGMC Jazz Radio 90.1 is located at Greece Olympia High School, 1139 Maiden Lane in
    Greece.

    On Your October Calendar

    Filed under: Shows@Rochester - jazzrochester @ 4:51 pm

    I’ll write about it more in the future, but I thought I’d get an early plug in for going to the Jazz for the Park at Eastman Theater on Saturday, October 15th. Featuring Kevin Mahogany and Cyrus Chestnut, with Kendrick Oliver and the New Life Jazz Orchestra, it is a benefit for Wilson Commencement Park, a community designed to help break the cycle of poverty and help families develop assets that help them to build stability in their lives and develop economic independence. What better way to help the Rochester community than by listening to some great big band music with world-class musicians such as Mahogany and Chestnut. I hope to be there and hope you can find time to do so as well. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster, with Regular tickets at $25, Preferred at $35, and Patron at $100 (which includes a post-concern reception).

    July 18, 2005

    Some looks ahead and out of town . . .

    Filed under: General - jazzrochester @ 6:48 pm

    While Syracuse’s Jazz in the Square is quickly being eclipsed by the RIJF, there will be a lot of sounds that you may want to take the Thruway over to our neighbor on Thursday, July 28 through Saturday, July 30th. According to a recent press release, Syracuse is trying to make some changes and has “added many new dimensions widening its appeal to anyone seeking a great weekend of music, food and fun,” which are set out on their site here. There will be a main stage act each night after 6pm at the Clinton Square stage with headliners at 10pm, including local group Grupo Pagan on Thursday, Bobby Watson/Victor Lewis Quartet on Friday, and Joshua Redman and his Elastic Band featuring Sam Yahel, Jeff Ballard & Jeff Parker on Saturday. There will be a lot of other jazz starting at noon on Friday and Saturday in and around Syracuse, both outdoors and in clubs. The listings are here.

    And here in Rochester . . .

  • If you’re pining for the sounds of the New Orleans second line, check out the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at Eastman House’s Townson Terrace Garden on July 28th, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dance lessons are available at 6 p.m. BYOBC (bring your own blankets and chairs). Call (585)271-1361, ext. 218 for details or watch your local listings.
  • For those of you who missed him at the Rochester International Jazz Festival, like yours truly, check out Lew Tabackin, who will be appearing at Woodcliffe on August 24-25. You can read my take of the Woodcliffe Lodge as a venue at a show in April here. There’s no indication whether Lew’s playing with his quartet or in another configuration, but knowing the size of the stage, we won’t be expecting to see his wife Toshiko Akiyoshi’s big band.
  • The Montage Grille continues to bring in some interesting music with Alex Skolnick appearing with his Trio on August 30th. Previously in the the Transiberian Orchestra and Testment, Jazziz described Skolnick is “a former metalhead [] reborn as a heady jazz guitarist in the Metheny-Scofield mold.”

    • There’s much, much more out there, so take a look at your listings and join me out there. I’ll try to highlight some more soon. I understand how hard it is to get out there when it so goddamn hot and muggy, but most of the venues I’ve been to in Rochester have done alright with the AC. Check out the Finding Local Gigs links on the blog’s left panel for more offerings.

    July 10, 2005

    RIJF . . . looking toward the future.

    Filed under: Rochester International Jazz Festival - jazzrochester @ 5:20 pm

    There have been a number of post-mortems of the Rochester International Jazz Festival No. 4, but I’m just getting around to mine. I counted them up and I saw a total of 19 different acts (I’m not really counting those for which I didn’t see a whole or substantial part of a set) during this year’s RIJF. Although I clearly enjoyed some artists more than others, I think my posts during the Fest include most of I would highlight.

    In addition to John Nugent’s continued focus on bringing in an eclectic mix of music, I would like to see the RIJF try to integrate into the jazz scene here in Rochester, such as it is. In that vein, I’d like to suggest the following:

  • Include a new free stage/tent/venue in the festival area that is devoted to showcasing local jazz artists and bands.
  • Do a “pub crawl” during or after the festival (in my former stomping grounds in Chicago, the Jazz Institute of Chicago sponsored a crawl before each year’s Chicago Jazz Festival, taking jazz lovers, via school bus, from one downtown jazz venue to another (from Joe Segal’s Jazz Showcase on the Northside to the Velvet Lounge on the South Side to hear local jazz acts where they play. I went a few times and always had a great time and it exposed a lot of people to the rich source of jazz sounds in the city. I think that there are enough rooms within a short ride (isn’t everything in Rochester only 10 minutes from anyplace else, anyway?).
  • Have after-hours shows during the fest at nearby (or even farther) venues in addition to the State Street Bar & Grill, such as The Clarissa Room, Starry Nites, and other local bars and restaurants that feature live jazz during the year. It could be a marketing tie in, but might also include a bus route that went from spot to spot until closing time, so that patrons could leave their cars parked where they did when they arrived for the festival.
  • Although clearly providing support in the form of services, the City of Rochester and Monroe County need to recognize the truly amazing thing that is happening. The RIJF is drawing more and more people into downtown Rochester at precisely the same time that the city is trying to overcome the image problems of the past few decades and move into a future where downtown is vibrant and filled with people. I heard a number of people as I walked through the festival and in the venues talking about how much downtown seemed to have changed already. The city needs to think about its relationship with the festival and look how that could fit into its own plans as the festival grows (er . . . can you say Rennaissance Square?)

    • Submitted for your approval . . . and comment. In another post I’ll list some of my favorite artists who haven’t yet been here, but I think would find a good audience here.

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