Jazz Preview 2016

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2016

FESTIVAL PREVIEW

2016 XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL

FESTIVAL FRIDAY, JUNE 24 – SATURDAY, JULY 2

TICKETS & VENUES

KODAK HALL AT EASTMAN THEATRE SERIES Headliner shows are held in the Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre (60 Gibbs Street). These are ticketed shows; a Club Pass doesn’t work here.

Tickets, which range from $40 to $105 (plus service charges), are available through the Jazz Festival website (rochesterjazz.com) or by calling 585-454-2060.

CLUB PASS SERIES A Club Pass is your ticket to the Club Series: you can go to as many concerts as you’d like at 12 smaller clubs and venues (listed below).

This year, the Jazz Festival has introduced a new three-day Club Pass, which allows access to concerts on any three days of your choice during the festival. Three-day passes are $154, plus service charges. The full nine-day Club Pass costs $204, plus service charges, and almost always sell out in advance of the festival.

If you don’t have one, you can still buy tickets ($30-$35) to the individual Club Pass concerts at the door, if space is available. Be advised that Club Pass shows tend to sell out on a first-come, first-served basis; even if you have a Pass, you should get there early.

2 CITY

JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2016

The Jazz Festival this year is also testing a

new line system at Kilbourn Hall and Max

of Eastman Place. Starting two hours before Kilbourn Hall’s 6 p.m. show and Max of Eastman Place’s 6:15 p.m. performance, Club Pass holders and those paying in cash at the door can line up for color-coded wristbands that will specify return times for the show. Patrons can then leave, wander the festival, and come back at their designated time to enter the venue. You must be present in line to receive a wristband.

And seating is still first-come, first-served.

CLUB PASS VENUES: Christ Church 141 East Avenue (Made in the

Avenue, entrance on Lawrence Street

Rochester Regional Health Big Tent Corner

of Main and Gibbs streets

Xerox Auditorium at Xerox Plaza 100 South

Clinton Avenue, entrance on Broad Street

FREE VENUES Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (115 South Avenue) Free shows June

27-July 1

City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage (Gibbs

Street at East Avenue) Free music daily

City of Rochester East Avenue & Chestnut Street Stage Free shows June 24-25, July 1-2 Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (corner

UK Series)

Harro East Ballroom 155 North Chestnut St. Hatch Recital Hall at Eastman School of Music 433 East Main St. Kilbourn Hall at Eastman School of Music

of Main Street and Gibbs) Free shows daily at 6 p.m.

City of Rochester Midtown Stage (corner of East Main Street and Andrew Langston Way) Free shows July 2

26 Gibbs St.

Avangrid Foundation / RG&E Fusion Stage

Little Theatre 240 East Avenue Lutheran Church of the Reformation

111 North Chestnut Street (Nordic Jazz Now Series) Max of Eastman Place 25 Gibbs St. Montage Music Hall 50 Chestnut St. The Rochester Club Ballroom

120 East Avenue (Oh Canada! Series) Squeezers Stage at Anthology 336 East

(corner of East Ave. & Chestnut St.) Free shows June 26-30 Holiday Inn Rochester Downtown (70 State Street) Free jam sessions nightly at 10:30 p.m.

ADDITIONAL INFO

The Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival’s official website is rochesterjazz.com. You can also visit the Jazz Ticket Shop & Info Center

on the corner of East Avenue and Gibbs Street, open daily during the festival, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The XRIJF also has a mobile app for both Apple and Android phones. It includes a full schedule, venue and artist lists, maps, and an option to buy tickets online. Find the download button on the Jazz Fest website’s homepage.

Be on the lookout for other venues in the area hosting their own mini-festivals during the Jazz Fest. While they are not affiliated in any way with the XRIJF, Abilene Bar and Lounge (153 Liberty Pole Way), Bernunzio Uptown Music (122 East Avenue), Downstairs Cabaret Theatre (20 Windsor Street), and Victoire (120 East Avenue) will have performances June 24 through July 2. City will post more information online to our Jazz Blog about those series as it becomes available.

For additional Jazz Fest info, check out rochestercitynewspaper.com to get the online version of this guide, plus our daily Jazz Blog.

City’s critics will offer up their reviews of the previous night’s concerts, and you can post your own thoughts in the comments section. We’ll also be posting photos, videos, and more. New blogs will be up by 7 a.m. each morning of the festival. We’ll also post updates on our Facebook page (facebook.com/ CityNewspaper) and on twitter (@roccitynews).

INSIDE: FRIDAY, JUNE 24 ������������������������4

FEATURE: DAVINA AND THE VAGABONDS

SATURDAY, JUNE 25 �����������������8

FEATURE: JUNIOR BROWN

SUNDAY, JUNE 26 ��������������������12

FEATURE: JOHN ABERCROMBIE

MONDAY, JUNE 27 ������������������14

rochestercitynewspaper.com facebook.com/citynewspaper twitter.com/roccitynews instagram.com/roccitynews youtube.com/roccitynews CITY NEWSPAPER 250 N. Goodman Street Rochester, NY 14607 585-244-3329 On the cover: Tia Brazda Design by Ryan Williamson

FEATURE: LIZZ WRIGHT

Publishers: William and Mary Anna Towler

TUESDAY, JUNE 28 ������������������20

FEATURE: BRIA SKONBERG

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29 �����������23

FEATURE: AVISHAI COHEN

THURSDAY, JUNE 30 ��������������26

FEATURE: EMEFE

FRIDAY, JULY 1 �������������������������28

FEATURE: RED BARAAT

SATURDAY, JULY 2 ������������������30

FEATURE: LAURA DUBIN

VENUE MAP ���������������������������������� 18 Read this publication online at: ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM or download a PDF of it to your tablet or mobile device at: ISSUU.COM/ROCCITYNEWS

Opposite: Mats Eilertsen Trio PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

PARKING

Parking for all East End venues can be found in the East End parking garage at the corner of Scio Street and East Avenue. Additional parking can be found in the Washington Square Garage (111 Woodbury Boulevard) and the NYSUT & Isaac Heating lots (30 North Union Street). Daily parking at each of these locations costs $7 per car. Also be on the lookout for street parking

Editorial department themail@rochester-citynews.com Arts & Entertainment editor: Jake Clapp Contributing writers: Frank De Blase, Ron Netsky, Art department artdept@rochester-citynews.com Art director/production manager: Ryan Williamson Designers: Aubrey Berardini, Mark Chamberlin Advertising department ads@rochester-citynews.com New sales development: Betsy Matthews Sales representatives: Christine Kubarycz, Sarah McHugh, Tracey Mykins, David White, William Towler Operations/Circulation kstathis@rochester-citynews.com Circulation manager: Katherine Stathis Distribution: Andy DiCiaccio, David Riccioni, Northstar Delivery, Wolfe News Jazz Festival Guide 2016 is published by WMT Publications, Inc. Copyright by WMT Publications Inc., 2016 - all rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording or by any information storage retrieval system without permission of the copyright owner.

PRODUCED BY CITY NEWSPAPER

or spots in surface lots throughout the neighborhood. Parking for jam sessions at the Holiday Inn can be found at the Sister Cities Garage (28 North Fitzhugh Street, $2 per hour up to $10 max, weekends free). For further details and specific street closings, visit XRIJF’s website (rochesterjazz.com).

rochestercitynewspaper.com

CITY 3

DAVINA

AND THE

VAGABONDS [ INTERVIEW ] BY FRANK DE BLASE

Proving that rock ‘n’ roll can still thoroughly thrive without the guitar, Davina and The Vagabonds lay it down with a vintage instrumentation — piano, horns, bass, and drums —and hitone retro ambition. It boogies and woogies as if spilling out of Preservation Hall, or more like the parlor music heard in New Orleans brothels of yore.

At the front of the band, parked behind the piano, is Davina Sowers, a songstress that comes across like a mix of Rosie the Riveter and a pin-up queen painted on a B-29. But Sowers’ likeness doesn’t adorn nose cones, nor is she building them for the war effort; she’s knocking ’em dead night after night, town after town with her band’s jazzy jump and swing.

What really knocks folks out, however, is the vocal voodoo in Sowers’ powerful and animated singing, specifically her phrasing. She plays around with a syncopated delay as if the words were batter on a spoon. And you can taste the songs over the band’s bop. Bring a date, and don’t forget the napkins.

City woke Sowers up — it had been a late night grinding it out at the piano — to shoot a few silly questions her way. An edited transcript of that conversation follows.

City: When did it all start?

Davina Sowers: My goodness, how do I condense 12 years? I

moved to Minneapolis 12 years ago. We started playing once a week at this hole in the wall, and now, I don’t know how, but we’re working 250 days out of the year.

So you’re on the road a lot.

It never stops.

How do you keep it fresh?

I think the people do, I really do. Traveling and meeting new people makes it a new experience wherever we go. Keeping a new repertoire of new songs helps, too.

How did you get hooked on vintage music?

I grew up listening to older music. My mother was a folk singer. I was raised on early 20th century, pre-war jazz, blues … traditional music. I don’t know; it just comes out of me. It’s a love of mine, but we have some pop songs — not pop necessarily, but more mainstream. Still there’s a retro edge to them.

That’s probably due in part to the instrumentation.

Yeah, the piano. And there is no guitar.

What’s a typical show for you?

I don’t know if there’s anything typical about this crazy lady you’re talking to.

Have you ever considered coming out from behind the piano and just singing?

I have. But I don’t know what to do with my hands.

What’s something you’ll never do?

Music-wise, I don’t think I could be a heavy metal rap star. But seriously, I’ll never phone it in.

Davina Sowers of Davina and The Vagabonds.

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

4 CITY

JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2016

Davina and The Vagabonds will perform on Friday, June 24, at Anthology, 336 East Avenue. 7:45 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Tickets are $30, or you can use your Club Pass. Davinaandthevagabonds.com.

JUNE 24

FRIDAY

MUSICIAN BIOS

Brecker Brothers Band Reunion (Jazz fusion) Randy Brecker rose to fame in the 1970’s as the trumpet-playing sibling in the funk-jazz group, the Brecker Brothers. His saxophonist brother, Michael, a beloved figure in both jazz and pop, died in 2007, but the legacy continues in a reunion band that includes many of the jazz stars who emerged from the group. (RN)

randybrecker.com Catherine Russell (Vocal jazz) Through facial expressions, body language, and vocal inflections, Catherine Russell lives her songs.

As a background singer, she earned her stripes with David Bowie, Paul Simon, Steely Dan, Jackson Browne, and others. A voice that rich could not stay in the background for long; Russell is now firmly in the spotlight. (RN)

catherinerussell.net Davina and The Vagabonds (Swing ballad noir)

See page 4 for a feature on Davina and The Vagabonds.

Driftwood (Roots, acoustic, Americana) Don’t let things like the fiddle scare you; Binghamton, New York’s Driftwood has a rock ‘n’ roll heart; that isn’t to say the musicians don’t flash the fleet-fingered flurry and prestidigitation associated with grassroots styles. It is the sound of boundless joy. (FD)

driftwoodtheband.com Fitz & The Tantrums (Pop) If we could only

implore one artist to save pop music from itself, the clear choice of savior would be Los Angeles popster phenomenon Fitz & The Tantrums. New wave in appearance, soulful in tone, catchy in tune, this band is a party gone out of bounds. Whew, looks like pop’s gonna be OK. (FD) fitzandthetantrums.com

HEADLINER | Grace Potter (Rock) Grace Potter can wrap an audience around her finger so tightly that by the end of the show, it looks like room of sprung springs. With a lean toward an arena sound yet focused in an intimate club setting kinda way, Potter is the grande dame of the next big movement in rock music. Not blues, not country, not jazz or jam, but rock.

You’ve been warned. You’ll be sprung. (FD)

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Every night, XRIJF musicians come off the stage fired up. They let off steam when they get back to the Holiday Inn, where the Bob Sneider Trio is deep into the nightly

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jam session. Sneider is a world-class jazz guitarist with top-notch support from Mike Melito on drums and Phil Flanigan on bass.

Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, Chris Potter, and Eric Alexander are a tiny fraction of the stars who have sat in with the band.

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Polyrhythmics (Funk) Funk ain’t broken, and

John Mooney and Bluesiana (Delta blues)

Quinn Bachand’s Brishen (Gypsy jazz)

When Rochester ex-pat John Mooney, now of New Orleans, last played the jazz fest, there were no walls, there were no doors, there was no lid left on the joint. Having studied at the feet of the master, Son House, Mooney plays traditional National slide with the added kick of Satan with his boot up your butt. Don’t miss this one (FD) facebook.

Seattle powerhouse Polyrhythmics isn’t trying to fix it. The band has however re-tooled it and given it a sense of reserve and patience.

The horns don’t just fire off their salute but rather slither to counter the rhythm section.

Holy crap! (FD) polyrhythmics.com

Almost every year a star is born at the XRIJF. This year’s model may be Quinn Bachand, a 20-year-old from Victoria, Canada, who plays guitar, fiddle, bouzouki, B3 organ, banjo, and percussion. Apparently he can also sing. With a breezy style rivaling that of Django Reinhardt, Bachand swings like crazy. (RN) brishenmusic.com

com/JohnMooneyLive Lorna Reid (Vocal jazz) Unlike many of her

contemporaries, Scottish songstress Lorna Reid’s new album contains nothing but her own elegant compositions. She colors outside the lines plenty, but when she sinks her teeth into classic cocktail jazz, the temperature in the room begins to rise. (FD) lornareid.com

Mikkel Ploug’s Equilibrium (World music)

The term world music doesn’t quite do justice to the other-worldly sound of Mikkel Ploug’s Equilibrium. The combination of Ploug’s guitars, the saxophones and clarinets of Joachim Badenhorst, and the voice, electronics, and occasional saxophone of Sissel Vera Pettersen is indescribably beautiful. (RN) mikkelploug.com

Paul Hofmann (Hard bop jazz) A leading

educator at the Eastman Community Music School, Paul Hofmann is also a superb pianist who has recorded and shared the stage with artists like Ron Carter, Steve Gadd, Karrin Allyson, Dianne Reeves, and many more. (RN) mhrrecords.com

Rhythm Future Quartet (Gypsy jazz) Named

for a Django Reinhardt tune (“Rythme Futur”), the Rhythm Future Quartet has a mission: keep the spirit of the Hot Club of France alive. Violinist Jason Anick and guitarist Olli Soikkeli, who expertly fill the Stephane Grappelli and Reinhardt roles, are aided by second guitarist Max O’Rourke and bassist Greg Loughman. (RN)

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rhythmfuturequartet.com Sarah McKenzie (Jazz) Australian-born,

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I try to articulate more about her and my tang gets tongueled. (FD) sarahmckenzie.info

Scofield-Lovano Quartet (Hard bop jazz) Since starting at the top with Miles Davis in the 1980’s, John Scofield has made a name for himself with the raunchiest guitar style in jazz, like Jim Hall meets Jimi Hendrix. For the last four decades, Joe Lovano has been widely viewed as an heir to John Coltrane and one of the greatest saxophonists in jazz history. (RN) johnscofield.com; joelovano.com continues on page 6

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CITY 5

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Tune in to 90.1 FM: - On Thursday, June 16, 5 p.m. for a 2016 Jazz Festival preview show with CITY Newspaper jazz bloggers Ron Netsky and Frank De Blase - At 5 p.m. every day during the festival for our take on the day's shows 6 CITY

JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2016

Polyrhythmics.

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

3:45 p.m. Harley School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 4:30 p.m. Pittsford Mendon HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. Hilton HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Brecker Brothers Band Reunion Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Paul Hofmann Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Rhythm Future Quartet Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Catherine Russell Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Quinn Bachand’s Brishen The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Prime Time Brass Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. ECMS Latin Jazz & Junior Jazz Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:15 p.m. Sarah McKenzie Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Scofield–Lovano Quartet Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Lorna Reid Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Driftwood Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Toronto Community Soul Project East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 7:15 p.m. Brecker Brothers Band Reunion Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Mikkel Ploug Equilibrium Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. John Mooney & Bluesiana Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:45 p.m. Davina and The Vagabonds Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Paul Hofmann Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 8:00 p.m. HEADLINER | Grace Potter Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre ($55-$85) 8:30 p.m. Polyrhythmics Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Lorna Reid Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Catherine Russell Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Fitz & The Tantrums East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. Scofield–Lovano Quartet Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:15 p.m. Driftwood Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Mikkel Ploug Equilibrium Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. John Mooney & Bluesiana Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:45 p.m. Davina and The Vagabonds Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Polyrhythmics Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Quinn Bachand’s Brishen The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Rhythm Future Quartet Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Sarah McKenzie Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Holiday Inn Rochester Downtown (FREE)

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CITY 7

JUNIOR BROWN [ PROFILE ] BY FRANK DE BLASE

Junior Brown’s playing is a hybrid blur of chicken pickin’ prestidigitation and salaciously slick slide. It’s as if he was channeling Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West simultaneously and couldn’t decide which one to pick.

Flummoxed by the dilemma, Brown came up with an instrument that can do both — an instrument that can be played like a guitar and a lap steel. Enter the guit-steel.

The guit-steel looks like something out of “The Jetsons.” It’s a full lap steel body with a Fender-esque neck up top. Mounted on a music stand, Brown stands behind it and goes to town. Because of his flash and speed as a player as well as the double-takes the guitsteel gets, Brown is a lot of guitar fans’ favorite player … including Junior Brown.

Who’s his favorite guitar player, Junior Brown? “Me,” he says matter-of-factly. “I don’t listen to any guitar players anymore. I’m too old; I just listen to myself. I don’t even listen to music anymore. I stopped listening to music about five years ago. I don’t listen to anything.”

Anything the 64-year-old Brown wants to hear has already been done. He’s already heard it.

8 CITY

JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2016

“It helps me write songs, so I can keep my mind really open,” Brown says. “I get all these musical ideas that don’t really come from anywhere. So it’s not cluttered, you know?

When I listen to music, I’m cluttering it; I’m putting information into the computer that is already there, basically.

“I’ve already heard all the records — most of the country records — that have been released. And I love Hawaiian music. I love all different kinds of things. But everything I care about is already up in the memory banks. I can play them back in my head.” Plus it’s hard to transfer influence from a player strapped to a standard instrument to someone holding a guit-steel.

Luthier Michael Stevens will build you a custom guitsteel. Yes sir, you can be the proud owner of your very own guit-steel. Brown figures there have been seven or eight made. And though he is proud, he’s a little unnerved.

“I don’t know anyone that has one,” he says. “But when I see a picture, it’s sorta like a fella dancing with your wife. It’s kind of hard to get used to.”

For $14,500, Stevens can give you the twang, but he can’t help you sing like Brown whose creamy down-deep baritone drawl calls to mind Ernest Tubb.

In his dark suit and big hat, with his wife, Tanya,

chopping away at her acoustic guitar, and a bassist, and one drummer beating on one drum, Brown is pure country from the Grand Ole Opry’s glory days. But his pyrotechnic playing threatens that purity to some degree.

Junior Brown plays Junior Brown. He’s an American original who is forever honing it down to a keen veneer.

“I refine, take out things that don’t work; shave it down where it expresses my feelings the way music should,” he says. “As I said, I don’t listen to any other people anymore. So I make up things on the guitar, and songs in my head as far as lyrics go, and somehow they come together. That’s what I’m really into right now. I’ve been doing a lot of songwriting. My guitar playing has gotten better just out of sheer experience. I’m 64 now, and just playing year after year has gotten me better. I’m not gonna get any worse for a while.”

And he’s got another invention soon to surface.

“It’s a pedal guit-steel,” he says. “The neck comes up right out of the body on hinges.”

Junior Brown performs Saturday, June 25, at Anthology, 336 East Avenue. 7:45 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Tickets are $30, or you can use your Club Pass. juniorbrown.com.

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Erykah Badu.

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

JUNE 25

SATURDAY

MUSICIAN BIOS

Alicia Olatuja (African vocal jazz) Possessing what has been called by some a “strong, lustrous tone,” New York City-based singer Alicia Olatuja still intones in a whispered gentleness and sensuous charm. She sings in assorted African dialects which render her lovely voice an instrument to listen to in awe (FD) aliciaolatuja.com The Congress (Rock) Sounding at times like a rock ‘n’ roll music box, The Congress jams — but doesn’t jam it down the listener’s throat. The quartet expertly maneuvers its sound of gentle wonder between the more exuberant portions and crescendos of the music. (FD) thecongressmusic.org HEADLINER | Erykah Badu (R&B, hip-hop, neo-soul) Erykah Badu is a regal talent of militant beauty with a subtle sense of humor

and not-so-subtle viewpoint. Her voice is a study in jazzy reserve reminiscent of Lady Day. She represents hip hop that delivers a powerful, compelling Message. She is a riveting performer in every style of music she calls upon and ultimately makes her own.

(FD) erykah-badu.com Jam sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz)

Turn to page 4 for more information.

John Mooney and Bluesiana (Delta blues) Check out the bio on page 5.

Jon Ballantyne (Jazz) Jon Ballantyne won

the grand prize of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal in 1986. Since then, he has played with Dave Holland, Cecil Taylor, Joe Henderson, Paul Bley, and many others.

Over the last three decades, Ballantyne has released 10 albums and played extensively in Europe and Asia. He’ll also perform with his trio. (RN) artistecard.com/jonballantyne

Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen (New Orleans jazz) Though born

in England, keyboard king Jon Cleary has been in New Orleans the majority of his adult life. It’s in his blood. He has worked with everyone who is anyone in the Crescent City scene from Snooks Eaglin, Johnny Adams, Jessie Hill, and Allen Toussaint, who continues on page 10

rochestercitynewspaper.com

CITY 9

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SATURDAY

JUNE 25 | MUSICIAN BIOS continued from page 9

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Roses & Revolutions.

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

arranged the horns for Cleary on his album “Occapella.” He spent 10 years in Bonnie Raitt’s band, leading her to call him “The 9th wonder of the world.” (FD) joncleary.com Junior Brown (Country) See page 8 for a

feature on Junior Brown.

YOU’RE A REAL EYE OPENER!

Kandace Springs (Soul, pop) NYC singing sensation Kandace Springs jumps out with a voice that’s big and beautiful. With praise from cats like Don Was and Prince, Springs sings effortlessly with an easygoing phrasing that lets the soul shine through. Her new Blue Note CD, “Soul Eyes,” just landed in June. (FD) kandacesprings.com Kent Sangster’s Obsessions Octet (World music) It won’t take you too long to realize that the Obsessions Octet is not your usual jazz ensemble. True, it is led by the superb saxophonist Kent Sangster, and it’s got a formidable rhythm section, but this group also includes a full string quartet, making for a decidedly different form of fusion.

(RN) obsessionsoctet.com Makoto Ozone & Tommy Smith (Jazz)

2929 MONROE AVE • 442-0123 • Appointments Suggested 10 CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2016

Growing up in Japan, Makoto Ozone attended an Oscar Peterson concert at the age of 12. He’d been improvising on the organ, but immediately took up jazz piano.

Since moving to the US, he’s recorded with Paquito D’Rivera, Gary Burton, and others.

At the age of 16, saxophonist Tommy Smith had recorded his first album, and by 18 he was touring with Gary Burton. Since then he’s worked with John Scofield, Joe Lovano,

and others. (RN) makotoozone.com/eng; tommy-smith.co.uk Mats Eilertsen Trio (Progressive jazz)

Mats Eilertsen has earned a reputation as one of the top jazz bassists in Norway.

In a trio capable of creating dream-like, wondrous music, Eilertsen is joined by the lyrical pianist Harmen Fraanje and the versatile drummer Thomas Stronen. (RN)

matseilertsen.com Phil Robson Trio (Hard bop jazz) Last

time he visited the XRIJF, Phil Robson made quite an impression with his band Partisans. The brilliantly fluid guitarist and imaginative composer will be joined by Joseph Lepore on bass and drummer Tom Rainey. (RN) philrobson.net

Quinn Bachand’s Brishen (Gypsy jazz)

Check out the bio on page 5.

Roses & Revolutions (Pop) At the heart

of Roses & Revolutions is a mere duo — guitarist Matt Merritt and vocalist Alyssa Coco — bristling in the atmosphere and orchestration. The band flows full of sunrise and promise, and a smoothness that never gets too sugary or dramatic. It’s sort of a young adult contemporary sound: smart with some sass and brass. (FD)

rosesandrevolutions.com Sarah McKenzie (Jazz) Check out the bio

on page 5.

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Phil Robson.

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SATURDAY

JUNE 25 | SCHEDULE

3:45 p.m. Gates-Chili HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 4:30 p.m. Webster Schroeder HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. Honeoye Falls Lima HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Kandace Springs Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Jon Ballantyne Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Makoto Ozone & Tommy Smith Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Kent Sangster’s Obsessions Octet The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. 78RPM Big Band Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Alicia Olatuja Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. ECMS Jazz Combo W/Bob Sneider & Mike Kaupa Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:15 p.m. Quinn Bachand’s Brishen Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Sarah McKenzie Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Phil Robson Trio Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Roses & Revolutions Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. John Mooney & Bluesiana East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 7:15 p.m. Kandace Springs Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Mats Eilertsen Trio Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Toronto Community Soul Project Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:45 p.m. Junior Brown Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Jon Ballantyne Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 8:00 p.m. HEADLINER | Erykah Badu Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre ($70-$105) 8:30 p.m. The Congress Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Phil Robson Trio Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Sarah McKenzie Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Makoto Ozone & Tommy Smith Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 9:15 p.m. Roses & Revolutions Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Mats Eilertsen Trio Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Toronto Community Soul Project Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:45 p.m. Junior Brown Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Alicia Olatuja Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Quinn Bachand’s Brishen Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. The Congress Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Kent Sangster’s Obsessions Octet The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Holiday Inn Rochester Downtown (FREE) rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 11

JOHN

ABERCROMBIE [ PROFILE ] BY RON NETSKY

Guitarist John Abercrombie.

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

SUNDAY

JUNE 26 | MUSICIAN BIOS

Alexander Hawkins Group (Progressive jazz) Alexander Hawkins is a British pianist and composer whose adventurous compositions and brilliant technique are attracting attention. His reputation for innovative works has also taken him well beyond jazz to commissions from the London Symphony Orchestra. (RN)

alexanderhawkinsmusic.com Arild Andersen Trio (Progressive jazz) Norwegian born

Arild Anderson has been one of the top bassists on the European scene for six decades. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, he worked with Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, and many more. In recent years, he’s played with John Scofield, Pat Metheny, and his own group which combines Norwegian folk music with progressive jazz.

(RN) arildandersen.com Charles Ruggiero’s “As Heard on TV” (TV theme jazz)

Charles Ruggiero is a superb drummer in any situation, and this time out he’s chosen an especially fun setting.

Ruggiero and his group specialize in transforming TV themes — “Bewitched,” “Good Times,” “Law & Order,” “Bugs Bunny’s theme,” even “Game Of Thrones” — into jazz classics. And it works beautifully. (RN)

At 29, he is still a keyboard phenomenon of the first order. (RN) eldarmusic.com Elio Villafranca (Hard bop jazz) Cuba has a tradition

of producing some of the greatest pianists in jazz, and Elio Villafranca is no exception. As imaginative as he is dexterous, Villafranca plays with a brilliantly controlled abandon. In addition to his trio concert at Xerox Auditorium on Sunday, he’ll perform solo at Hatch Hall on Monday. (RN) eliovillafranca.net

Eric Lindell (Americana rock) New Orleans’s Eric Lindell has perfected the blend of multiple blends. Being based in the Big Easy certainly don’t hurt. You can hear where he’s coming from and going to, though it’s clearly an original path. Goes good with honky tonks and dive bars. (FD) ericlindell.com Jam sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz) Turn to page 4

for more information.

John Abercrombie Organ Trio with Gary Versace & Adam Nussbaum (Progressive jazz) See page 13 for a feature on

where did this chick come from? Where did that voice come from?” Madeleine McQueen projects spiritually and soulfully with a beguiling innocence and resolve. But it’s far from fluffy; the songs are beautifully crafted and delivered. (FD) madeleinemcqueen.com The Majestics (Reggae) Rising from the ashes of local

tropical sensation Bahama Mama, The Majestics have recently come out of dormancy. Its talent and buzz caught the ear of the legendary Lee “Scratch” Perry who invited the band to back him up on dates opening for The Clash and later brought the band to Jamaica to record. The band is back, I’m here to say. (FD) facebook.

com/majesticsreggae Pedrito Martinez (Afro-Cuban jazz) With roots in the

Afro-Cuban rumba tradition and the vocal chants of Yoruba and Santeria music, Pedrito Martinez plays some of the most infectious tunes you’re likely to hear.

In 2000, he took first place in the Thelonious Monk Competition in Afro-Latin Hand Drumming. Since moving to New York, he’s worked with Paquito D’Rivera, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Bebo Valdés, and others. (RN)

John Abercrombie.

pedritomartinezmusic.com

Jon Ballantyne Trio (Jazz) More information on page 9.

Velvet Caravan (Gypsy jazz) This band is from all over

ruggierodrums.com Eldar (Jazz) On his last visit to the XRIJF, Eldar dazzled

the audience with standards, originals, and some Prokofiev. Then he took it up a notch with a brilliant rendition of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody In Blue.”

Arriving in the United States as a 9-year-old prodigy from Kyrgyzstan, Eldar released his first album at 14.

12 CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2016

Kandace Springs (Soul, pop) Turn to page 10 for more

information.

Madeleine McQueen and the Breeze (Singer-songwriter)

To quote myself after hearing this young lady: “Okay ...

and plays from all around the genre wheel. Spin it and you’ll hear Gypsy jazz, honky-tonk, Latin, and swing in a sophisticated hybrid I like to call swingin’ Gyps-honky Latino-tonk. That’s right. (FD) velvetcaravan.com

Fusion music didn’t exist when guitarist John Abercrombie plied his craft at a Boston supper club in the late 1960’s.

Abercrombie was playing straight-ahead jazz when two brothers, working at the bigger club next door, stopped in on a break.

Trumpeter Randy Brecker and his sax-playing brother, Michael, were passing through Boston, and they liked what they heard.

“When they got back to New York they called me up and asked me to join a group they were starting called Dreams, a Blood, Sweat & Tears type of band,” Abercrombie says. “My favorite players were Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, and Jim Hall, and all of a sudden here I was operating wahwah pedals at 10,000 decibels,” he says.

Growing up in Greenwich, Abercrombie listened to the rock ‘n’ roll and pop music of the time: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, and Elvis.

“Then a friend played me some Barney Kessel,” he says. “From that moment I knew I wanted to find out more about it.”

He asked his guitar teacher about jazz and the teacher showed him some fancy chords. He decided to attend Berklee School of Music (not yet a college), which was just

SUNDAY

about the only place to study jazz guitar.

Steeped in jazz, Abercrombie toured and recorded with Johnny “Hammond” Smith in a straight-ahead organ trio. But his plans were upended by changes in the culture and the music.

“Everything broke loose,” Abercrombie says. “Everybody was trying to play all kinds of music. When I moved to New York there was the jazz-rock scene, there were guys playing free jazz, there were a lot of jam sessions, and people were listening to ethnic music.”

Jazz icon Miles Davis led the way with his late 1960’s albums such as “In a Silent Way.” “We used to call it jazz-rock. Fusion was a term that came in later,” Abercrombie says. “Part of it was just wanting to be more popular, reach more people, and make more money. And of course whatever Miles did, people followed. A lot of people were playing ‘Bitches Brew’ type stuff at jam sessions.”

Dreams was one of the first jazz-rock groups, but when the members were not on stage, they were not wedded to fusion.

“When Michael and Randy and Billy [Cobham] and I hung out after rehearsals, we played jazz and we talked about jazz,”

Abercrombie says. “We all related to Miles, Coltrane, Bill Evans. I always thought of jazzrock as a fun music to play, but it didn’t go very deep. At one point I realized I wanted to go back and play the music that I started out to play. So I made that move.

“I left Cobham’s band and I was lucky to meet Manfred Eicher from ECM who had heard me play and he offered me a record date,” Abercrombie says. Eicher is a legendary German record producer. “I wrote a few songs and I put something together with Jan Hammer and Jack DeJohnette. Shortly after that I formed a quartet.”

Over the next four-and-a-half decades, Abercrombie has moved through several styles of music including free jazz. The one common denominator is his record label. Forty-three years after his first ECM recording, Abercrombie just finished his latest CD for the same label.

“I always felt that I could go where I wanted to go because of ECM,” he says.

“I left the fusion world behind, but I kept elements from that music: distortion and some effects on the guitar.”

Now in his fifth decade in jazz, Abercrombie is very much aware of his place

in jazz guitar history and has kept up with new developments.

“I’m right after that generation of Montgomery, Hall, and Grant Green,” he says. “John McLaughlin, Larry Coryell, and I changed the direction. Then Pat Metheny came along. When I first heard Pat play, I was blown away. He pointed to a more melodic way of playing.”

“John Scofield brought this whole bluesy angular element,” Abercrombie says. “Then Bill Frisell seemed to come out of nowhere with his own way of playing. Currently there are so many: Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ben Monder, Peter Bernstein…”

For the XRIJF, Abercrombie will go back to his roots in a way with an organ trio, featuring Gary Versace on B-3 and Adam Nussbaum on drums.

The John Abercrombie Organ Trio with Gary Versace and Adam Nussbaum will perform Sunday, June 26, at Montage Music Hall, 50 Chestnut Street. 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tickets are $30, or you can use your Club Pass. johnabercrombie.com.

JUNE 26 | SCHEDULE

3:45 p.m. Penfield HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 4:30 p.m. Pittsford Sutherland HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. West Irondequoit HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Eric Lindell Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Eldar Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. ESM Honors Performance Unit 1 Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Penfield Rotary Big Band Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. John Abercrombie Organ Trio with Gary Versace & Adam Nussbaum Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Pedrito Martinez Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Jon Ballantyne Trio The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 6:15 p.m. Charles Ruggiero’s “As Heard on TV” Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Elio Villafranca Trio Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Alexander Hawkins Group Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Madeleine McQueen and the Breeze RG&E Fusion Stage (FREE) 7:00 p.m. The Majestics Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:15 p.m. Eric Lindell Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Arild Andersen Trio Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. CNY Jazz Orchestra Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:45 p.m. Eldar Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Kandace Springs Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 8:30 p.m. Velvet Caravan Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Alexander Hawkins Group Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Pedrito Martinez Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Elio Villafranca Trio Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Madeleine McQueen RG&E Fusion Stage (FREE) 9:15 p.m. The Majestics Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. CNY Jazz Orchestra Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:30 p.m. Arild Andersen Trio Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:45 p.m. Kandace Springs Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. John Abercrombie Organ Trio with Gary Versace & Adam Nussbaum Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Charles Ruggiero’s “As Heard on TV” Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Velvet Caravan Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Jon Ballantyne Trio The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Holiday Inn Rochester Downtown (FREE)

Soul singer Kandace Springs.

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 13

LIZZ [ PROFILE ] BY RON NETSKY

Lizz Wright PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

14 CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2016

When I caught up with vocalist and composer Lizz Wright by phone, she was in New York City getting ready to sing at a benefit for The Innocence Project.

Wright, who synthesizes R&B, jazz, folk, blues, and gospel music, is still basking in the glow of her excellent new album, “Freedom & Surrender.”

Produced by Larry Klein, who has worked with Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, Madeleine Peyroux, and many others, the album represents Wright at this stage in her career and her life.

Wright co-wrote many of the songs, collaborating with veteran songwriters like Klein, Jesse Harris, JD Souther, and David Batteau.

“It was wonderful,” Wright says. “I set out to write with a lot of people because I wanted to be quickened in my own craft, and I knew that everybody had a different approach. I really wanted to feel their pace and how they worked.”

Among the album’s covers, Wright sings a haunting rendition of Nick Drake’s “River Man.” “This record was one of love songs, and I wanted to give voice to different types of archetypes we slip into and the roles we play, but I didn’t have a kind of beautiful narrative in the mix,” Wright says. “‘River Man’ is just kind of a beautiful sketch of a life that could really hold many stories.”

She also included the Bee Gees’ 1967 hit, “To Love Somebody.”

“That was Larry’s suggestion,” Wright says. “I wasn’t sure I could do it because I’m so in love with Nina Simone and Roberta Flack’s versions of it. Larry suggested that I do it with a gospel take.

He said maybe I could bring it home.

I said, ‘What do you mean?’ And he showed me. I said, ‘Man, I’m supposed to come up with that.’”

Wright laughs at the irony because, growing up in Hahira, Georgia, she was steeped in gospel music.

Her father works on the Moody Air Force base, “but he was also a minister and was very strict about our intake of modern media,” she says. “When I was in middle school and high school, he’d read to us and we’d act out plays from the Bible. He was a huge fan of Shakespeare and read it to us all the time.”

She also listened to classical music and jazz played on National Public Radio, “and Aretha Franklin — her gospel record was a staple around the house.”

WRIGHT

When she’s not traveling around the world, Wright lives in the mountains of western North Carolina.

“It’s a beautiful change of pace,” she says. “I’m a writer and a thinker and I have to make space for it. It’s a balance for me to go someplace where I have the freedom and safety to really slow down, and to be very still. And to practice and study, and to sit on the porch with my neighbor who is 92 and tells me about something that happened in ’34.

“I like having conversations with people who come from another time, someone who’s seen so much life. A lot of material comes from there, too. I just can’t always be in the middle of the current. I like to slow down so I can take it in deeper.”

For one thing, it’s impossible to sing with the range and beauty of Wright without being in top shape.

“Singing is very physical. It has a lot to do with health. I love being on tour because I run a lot. My ideal experience is to run a couple of miles in the morning or afternoon and have a concert in the evening.”

She also cites the importance of her classical training at Georgia State University in Atlanta and the New School in New York.

And one more thing: “It’s also about being emotionally stable but emotionally available to use the colors of my own feelings and ideas to emote in songs,” Wright says. “I have to emote enough to be real, but I can’t get lost in the water.

Not feeling it is something you can’t get away with.”

Wright is not immune to letting the spirit carry her away, as she found out at the New Orleans Jazz Festival.

“I played there a couple of times, and I developed this habit where I’d go to a little boardwalk area and look at the Mississippi for a while; just watch it churn. We played a set and I remember feeling such elation and joy, which is really not what I’m known for so much.

“It just bubbled up so strong and I felt so close to the people. I found myself on stage, with my shoes off, jumping. I was like, ‘I don’t jump!’ It was just a different kind of joy, such a surge of energy. Every audience draws something different out of me and I have incredible moments like that.”

Lizz Wright will perform Monday, June 27, at Harro East Ballroom, 155 North Chestnut Street. 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $30, or you can use your Club Pass. lizzwright.net.

rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 15

MONDAY

For Modern Day Living & Giving

JUNE 27 | MUSICIAN BIOS

Bill Tiberio Band (Jazz funk) Bill Tiberio leads

the jazz band at Fairport High School, but he’s also carved out a reputation as a soulful saxophone player with a style recalling the funky sound of Maceo Parker. Over the years, he’s shared the stage with Fred Wesley, Lou Gramm, The Four Tops, The Temptations, and many more. (RN) billtiberioband.com

Elio Villafranca (Hard bop jazz) More

information on page 12.

Elizabeth Shephard (Piano, voice) Though

she admittedly has a penchant for odd meters, this Montreal pianist-vocalist takes standard jazz and gives it a feathery tweak. What comes out the other end is gentle, but not without a kick. She is the gateway sound to heavier jazz without bombast. Subtlety is the name of Elizabeth Shepherd’s game. (FD) facebook.com/

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elizabethshepherdmusic Gwyneth Herbert (Jazz vocalist) With a

voice that runs from a sweet and plaintive contralto to stratospheric upper-register notes only a puppy can hear, British jazz vocalist Gwyneth Herbert finds musical interludes in everyday life. And once they’re harnessed and deciphered, she presents it in a laid back fascination and awe that is both classic and immediate. (FD) gwynethherbert.com

Jam sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz) Turn

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Judith Hill (Funk) Nestled down in her

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16 CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2016

band’s postmodern filthy funk is Judith Hill’s classically soulful display. Within her songs (she’s been writing since she was 4), Hill hammers-out myriad vocal styles, forging them into a brutally charming, unique, and deadly groove. She’s sung backup for Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, but now it’s her time.

(FD) judithhill.com

Lafayette Suite (Progressive jazz) If there

can be a hip-hop Broadway musical about Alexander Hamilton, why not a jazz suite about the Marquis de Lafayette, who brought French troops to fight alongside Americans for independence. Pianist Laurent Coq leads an excellent quartet in this evocative music. (RN)

laurentcoq.com Lizz Wright (Vocal jazz) Check out page 14 for

a feature on Lizz Wright.

Mel Henderson Trio (Jazz) Guitarist Mel

Henderson has a breezy, octave-oriented style when he solos that may remind listeners of the great Wes Montgomery. Over the years, he’s enlivened the bands of Dr. Lonnie Smith, David “Fathead” Newman, Jeremy Pelt, and Randy Brecker. In Rochester his group, Paradigm Shift, has been a favorite in clubs for two decades. (RN) melhendersonjazz.com

Mika Pohjola (Hard bop jazz) Finnish-born

pianist and composer Mika Pohjola moved to New York City in 1995 and quickly established himself as a first-call keyboardist, enhancing the bands of Miguel Zenón, Mark Turner, Matt Wilson, and many more. He is also known for his ability to play music ranging from traditional Swedish songs to Argentine tangos.

(RN) mikapohjola.bluemusicgroup.com

Moscow Jazz Orchestra (Big band jazz) Igor

Butman leads a 17-piece big band that will knock your socks off. While political tensions are once again flaring between Russia and the US, this band will assure you we’ve got something in common: the love of air-tight arrangements, dynamic range, and imaginative voicings that make a jazz band cook. (RN)

igorbutman.com/en Nicholas Payton (Jazz) They called N’awlins jazz trumpeter Nicholas Payton a virtuoso before he had even graduated high school.

And he cut his first major label album when he was 20. Suffice it to say, he’s had a head start. I mean, he picked up the trumpet when he was 4, and by 9, he was running with the big kids in The All-Star Brass Band. (FD)

nicholaspayton.com The Revelers (Zydeco) It’s a veritable stew

served hot and cool. Louisiana’s The Revelers mix Cajun and zydeco strains with a little kick in the butt from some rootsy swamp-rock and a fantastic squeeze box squeezing over a frenetic beat. (FD) revelersband.com

XRIJF-ESM Jazz Scholarships Performance Directed by Jeff Campbell (Jazz) Bassist Jeff

Campbell has been a ubiquitous presence on the Rochester jazz scene for two decades. The Eastman School of Music professor has shared the stage with Marian McPartland, Gene Bertoncini, and many others. (RN) Rodriguez Brothers (Hard bop jazz) Trumpeter Michael Rodriguez and his brother, pianist Robert, are first-call musicians on the New York scene, playing with Charlie Haden, Eddie Palmieri, Wynton Marsalis, and Quincy Jones.

In 2002, they decided to put their original compositions to the test in their own band, the Rodriguez Brothers. The sibling simpatico comes through loud and clear in this tight ensemble. (RN) rodbrosmusic.com Scott Neumann’s Spin Cycle (Hard bop

jazz) When four of New York City’s top jazz players bring all of their collective musical experiences together, the result is more than the sum of its parts. Spin Cycle consists of top-flight drummer Scott Neumann, the adventurous improviser, saxophonist Tom Christensen, superb bassist Phil Palombi, and excellent guitarist Pete McCann. (RN)

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MONDAY

JUNE 27 | SCHEDULE

12:00 p.m. Mel Henderson Trio Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE) 1:00 p.m. J azz Workshop for Young Music Students with Gwyneth Herbert Eastman School of Music (Room 120) (FREE) 3:45 p.m. Greece Olympia HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 4:30 p.m. Newark HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. Canandaigua HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Lizz Wright Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Elio Villafranca Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. ESM Honors Performance Unit 2 Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Rodriguez Brothers Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Brockport Big Band Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Nicholas Payton Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Elizabeth Shepherd The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 6:15 p.m. Lafayette Suite Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Moscow Jazz Orchestra Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Gwyneth Herbert Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Scott Neumann Spin Cycle Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Bill Tiberio Band RG&E Fusion Stage (FREE) 7:15 p.m. Lizz Wright Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Mika Pohjola Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. X RIJF-ESM Jazz Scholarships Performance Directed by Jeff Campbell Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:45 p.m. Judith Hill Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Elio Villafranca Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 8:30 p.m. The Revelers Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Gwyneth Herbert Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Nicholas Payton Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Moscow Jazz Orchestra Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Bill Tiberio Band RG&E Fusion Stage (FREE) 9:15 p.m. Scott Neumann Spin Cycle Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Mika Pohjola Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. XRIJF-ESM Jazz Scholarships Performance Directed by Jeff Campbell Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:45 p.m. Judith Hill Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Lafayette Suite Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. The Revelers Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Elizabeth Shepherd The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Rodriguez Brothers Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Holiday Inn Rochester Downtown (FREE)

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(Not affiliated with Jazz Fest) rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 19

BRIA

SKONBERG

[ INTERVIEW ] BY FRANK DE BLASE

It’s hard to pin down what it is about Bria Skonberg. She’s a double threat as a trumpet player and vocalist — good luck trying to pick which one you like more. And I would be remiss if I failed to mention her towheaded pulchritude.

This New York City-based composer, educator, and self-proclaimed instigator has been showered in awards. Crowding her mantle is The Jazz At Lincoln Center Swing!

Award (2015), DownBeat Magazine Rising Star (2013-15), and Hot House Magazine Best Vocalist and Best Trumpet (2014-15), to list a few.

Skonberg’s focus is hot jazz, that explosive period in music that has its roots in New Orleans and Dixieland, and which ultimately led to the birth of the blues and the swing era.

And if you acknowledge Louis Armstrong as its king, then Bria Skonberg is its reigning queen.

Skonberg paused from her busy schedule to answer a few questions on her approach, why she’s an instigator, and what she does for fun.

An edited transcript of that interview follows.

City: Discuss your approach to the trumpet and your approach to singing. How are they the same? How are they different?

Bria Skonberg: Both trumpet playing and

singing are first and foremost based on air support, so I keep my lungs healthy. My trumpet playing is on the fiery side and my

20 CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2016

voice sits best at a smoky smolder. The biggest — and yet fun — challenge has been figuring out where the two distinctly different voices meet, and finding or writing a repertoire that serves as vehicles for them.

Are you a trumpet player who sings or a singer who plays trumpet?

When I start to think about this question I get confused. Others may have opinions, but for me, they’re equal voices — friends even at this point.

What exactly is hot jazz?

Hot jazz to me is more of a mind state while approaching jazz, an excitement for the explosive side of classic jazz and the time when it was being created. Historically, when Louis Armstrong left New Orleans in the 1920’s — first for Chicago to play with King Oliver, and then moved to New York for the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra — is when his sense of rhythm infiltrated the music. There is a sense of urgency, bubbling over excitement he adds with technical brilliance at this time that the rest emulated, and it was solidified with his Hot Fives and Sevens recordings starting in 1925. The general meaning nowadays is the beginnings in New Orleans and blues up until the swing and big band era of the 1930’s.

Without losing too much of the timelessness in your sound, how do you keep it fresh and unique?

My classic jazz sensibilities and “accent” were instilled early on, and I feel that strong foundation allows me to explore in many ways without losing it. I believe the most unique thing we can offer music these days is ourselves, and I’m enjoying sharing my experiences through songwriting and writing arrangements.

I try to incorporate the different sounds and stories I collect along the way.

What are some influences found in your music that aren’t readily apparent?

At the same time I was learning about jazz, I played in a ska band, worshipped pop stars, listened to classic rock, and internalized Bee Gees hits on my record player. All of these things and more work their way into the music.

What got you started down this musician’s path?

It’s been a gradual commitment. A counselor in my high school suggested I audition for college in music, so I went for it. I genuinely enjoyed team and band management and had a wonderful group of friends and players that stuck together after high school, so I got a real-time education in the music business.

The blend of people and opportunities captured my interest and continues to interest and surprise me.

What is your earliest musical memory?

My grandma Connie played piano solely by ear and would accompany my brother Eric on the

fiddle. She had long nails that she would paint red and they would clack away on the keys.

How old were you?

Around 4 years old.

You’ve received a number of awards. Is there any one in particular that you’re especially proud of?

Last year I was given the Jazz at Lincoln Center Swing! Award which I am really honored by. I believe it’s given to individuals who are displaying not just musical talent but are contributing to the overall scene and paving a unique path. When I moved to New York, I didn’t attend a prestigious post-secondary and have generally worked my way in from the front door, bottom up. To be recognized by a leading institution is really encouraging.

What makes you an instigator?

I don’t wait for good things to happen; I make them happen.

Bria Skonberg will perform Tuesday, June 28, at Harro East Ballroom, 155 North Chestnut Street.

5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $30, or you can use your Club Pass. briaskonberg.com.

TUESDAY

JUNE 28 | MUSICIAN BIOS

Bria Skonberg (Swing) For a feature on Bria

Skonberg, check out page 20.

HEADLINER Chick Corea "Trilogy Trio" (Hard bop jazz) Over the last five decades, few musicians have had the continuous impact of Chick Corea. While in Miles Davis’s late 1960’s band, Corea was among the trailblazers to take on the electric keyboard. Later, he helped define the fusion movement, leading groups such as Return to Forever and writing compositions, including “Spain,” that crossed over far beyond the jazz world. Corea’s Trilogy Trio is an all-star band featuring bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade.

(RN) chickcorea.com Christine Tobin (Vocal, standards) Irish-born copper top Christine Tobin has some dusky pipes on her, boy. With influences running from Leonard Cohen to Bessie Smith, Tobin sings with a dark beauty and tone that truly haunts and taunts. It was band member and professor Simon Purcell who encouraged Tobin to write her own material. Tobin’s effortless display is both earthy and honest.

(FD) christine-tobin.com Dan Brubeck Quartet (Jazz) It becomes crystal clear that Dan Brubeck is not getting by on his dad’s name a few seconds after he starts drumming. Yes, he’s Dave’s son, but he’s got great chops and a superb band of his own, with saxophonist Steve Kaldestad, pianist Tony Foster, and bassist-singer Adam Thomas.

(RN) danbrubeck.com Djabe (World music) The word djabe means

freedom in the African Ashanti language and the group, Djabe, fits that definition. Filled with lush textures and appealing melodies and combining elements of world music, jazz and Hungarian folk tunes, it’s not hard to understand why Djabe is the leading jazz-fusion band of Hungary. (RN) djabe.hu/index_eng.html Gwyneth Herbert (Jazz vocalist) More information is on page 16.

Igor Butman Quartet (Progressive jazz) He may have been raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, during the Cold War, but American jazz definitely won over Igor Butman. Butman is a superb saxophone player with a sensuous sound to rival Stan Getz. In fact, fellow saxman and former president Bill Clinton named Butman as his favorite living saxophonist.

(RN) igorbutman.com Ikiz Cabin Crew (Jazz) Turkish-born

percussionist Ikiz moved from Istanbul to Stockholm, Sweden, at the age of 4, but his early musical influence was Jimi Hendrix.

After studying at the Stockholm Conservatory in the late 1990’s, he won a scholarship to

Nacka Forum. PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

the Los Angeles Music Academy. His current band, Ikiz Cabin Crew, seamlessly merges electronics with jazz. (RN) ikizmusic.com Jam sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz)

butter” moment in music. Major and The Monbacks are Norfolk, Virginia’s answer to Elvis Costello-like smart pop mixed with neosoul. It’s brash as hell and downright spiritual.

You can’t avoid it, so don’t, sluggo. (FD)

Turn to page 4 for more information.

majorandthemonbacks.com

Joey Alexander (Hard bop jazz) While other kids are proud to be playing “Chopsticks” on the piano, Joey Alexander was getting into Monk at the age of 6. Last year, at the age of 11, he left audiences stunned at the XRIJF. He’s capable of gorgeous sensitivity on songs like “Over the Rainbow” and furious intricacy on no less a tune than “Giant Steps.”

Originally from Jakarta, Indonesia, Alexander has been called a genius by Wynton Marsalis.

(RN) joeyalexandermusic.com

Marc Silver (Folk, country) Not unlike John

Karl Stabnau (Jazz) When he’s not honing his

improvisational chops on the baritone, alto, and tenor sax, or flute, or clarinet,e or bass clarinet, Karl Stabnau imparts wisdom on the next generation as a director of jazz ensembles and music business at SUNY Brockport. (FD)

karlstabnau.com Major and The Monbacks (Rock) This is

another “chocolate colliding with the peanut

Prine, there’s a weary edginess to Silver’s voice as he intones insight and plaintive emotion by way of both folk and country idioms.

Growing up playing just the black keys on the piano, he has since graduated to guitar strings to pull on your heartstrings. (FD)

marcsilvermusic.com Mike Murley (Jazz) Since 1990, three albums

by Canadian saxophonist Mike Murley have won Juno Awards. That’s not surprising considering Murley’s bold tenor sound. At the XRIJF Murley will be joined by two of Toronto’s finest musicians: Reg Schwager on guitar and bassist Steve Wallace. (RN)

mikemurley.com Nacka Forum (Avant-garde jazz) Saxophonist

Jonas Kullhammar, trumpeter Goran Kajfes, bassist Johan Berthling, and drummer Kjell Nordeson are all well-known musician

on the cutting edge of Scandinavian jazz.

Their group, Nacka Forum, was founded in Sweden but you might hear strains of the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Ornette Coleman.

After playing Kilbourn Hall Tuesday, the group will hit the Lutheran Church on Wednesday. (RN) kullhammar.com Pete McCann Quartet (Hard bop jazz) Over the last 25 years, Pete McCann has established himself as one of the most versatile guitarists on the New York scene. He’s recorded more than 80 albums, enhancing the bands of Dave Liebman, Lee Konitz, and Kenny Wheeler, and lending his rock-fusion guitar style to the Mahavishnu Project. (RN) petemccann.com Robert Rodriguez (Hard bop jazz) The last

time Robert Rodriguez visited the XRIJF he dazzled the audience with his solos as a member of Joe Locke’s band. The New Yorkborn pianist spent his formative musical years in Florida. When he returned to New York he was quickly employed by David Sanchez, Richard Bona, Roy Haynes, Ray Barretto, and others. (RN) rodbrosmusic.com

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22 CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2016

or real jazz in Rochester, tune to 90.1 FM or jazz901.org. We’re Rochester’s jazz station (and one of just a few full-time jazz stations in the U.S.), taking jazz further by playing everything from bop to big bands, swing to soul jazz, Latin to fusion and beyond.

Visit our Website at

www.jazz901.org to learn more, listen online, and help the jazz cause. Thanks for your support and visit us at the XRIJF, where we will be broadcasting live each day on Gibbs Street.

Igor Butman.

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

TUESDAY

JUNE 28 | SCHEDULE

12:00 p.m. Karl Stabnau Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE) 1:00 p.m. J azz Workshops for Young Music Students with Christine Tobin Eastman School of Music (Room 120) (FREE) 4:30 p.m. Greece Athena HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. Bloomfield HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Bria Skonberg Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Robert Rodriguez Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. New Energy Jazz Orchestra Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Nacka Forum Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Mike Murley Trio The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. New Horizons Big Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Igor Butman Quartet Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:15 p.m. Gwyneth Herbert Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Dan Brubeck Quartet Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Christine Tobin Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Pete McCann Quartet Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Marc Silver RG&E Fusion Stage (FREE) 7:15 p.m. Bria Skonberg Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. E SM Youth Jazz Orchestra + Music Educators Big Band + New Horizons Big Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:30 p.m. Ikiz Cabin Crew Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Djabe Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Robert Rodriguez Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 8:00 p.m. HEADLINER Chick Corea “Trilogy” Trio and Joey Alexander Trio Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre ($40-$75) 8:30 p.m. Major & the Monbacks Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Christine Tobin Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Dan Brubeck Quartet Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Marc Silver RG&E Fusion Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. Nacka Forum Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:15 p.m. Pete McCann Quartet Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Ikiz Cabin Crew Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. E SM Youth Jazz Orchestra + Music Educators Big Band + New Horizons Big Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:45 p.m. Djabe Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Mike Murley Trio The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Igor Butman Quartet Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Gwyneth Herbert Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Major & the Monbacks Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Holiday Inn Rochester Downtown (FREE)

AVISHAI COHEN Avishai Cohen.

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

[ INTERVIEW ] BY RON NETSKY

Soon after moving from Israel to New York in the 1990’s, bassist Avishai Cohen began playing with top artists, including Danilo Pérez, Wynton Marsalis, and Joshua Redman.

In 1997, Chick Corea signed him to his Stretch record label and asked Cohen to join his band. Over the last two decades, Cohen has recorded 15 albums, carving out a unique musical identity in the process and becoming one of the world’s top jazz bassists.

In recent years, Cohen has transformed the bass into a lead instrument, playing at festivals all over the world and adding singing to his repertoire.

The following is an edited version of City’s conversation with Cohen.

City: How did the music you heard in your formative years influence the musician you have become?

Avishai Cohen: My mother is a Sephardic

descendent and speaks Ladino, and so I was influenced by the culture’s music. I remember her always singing at home.

Her voice and the way she sings is exactly like me.

Growing up, why did you switch from piano to electric bass and, later, to acoustic bass?

At the age of 9, I started messing around on the piano. I was inspired by Jaco Pastorius when I first heard his music, and I picked up the electric bass at 14.

I was always going to move to the acoustic upright bass, but I came to it late, at around the age of 20. I guess then I found the confidence to take on the challenge and embrace this unique instrument with a great teacher in Israel.

The bass has been my closest musical partner ever since.

I explored and developed my own way of playing and performing with it over the years.

How did you get started in New York?

In the beginning, it was tough, playing music in the streets and working in construction to get by, but these times only added to the experiences and growth of being a musician. I had made a big decision to travel to New York, and I wasn’t going to give up so easily.

What did you take away from playing with people like Danilo Pérez and Chick Corea?

I played first with Danilo Pérez; that was the first big step, which enabled me to build

an international career. I’ve learnt from a lot of people over the years, but Chick Corea was a big teacher for me. He was a master at being generous with the music and musicians on stage.

During my six years with Chick, he taught me how to be a band leader and also how to communicate in an effective way with the audience.

Many people think of bass as the “functional” instrument in a jazz group.

What made you join the small group of bassists who are virtuoso, lead players?

I think the bass is the heart and the center of the trio. I love my instrument and to play it; it knows when I have left it for one day without touching it or practicing on it. It’s a relationship; we are a partnership on stage and off stage.

When I’ve watched you play, it’s almost as if the bass is an extension of your body.

My 105-year-old bass is my friend and partner on stage, and I have always performed with it out front from day one.

My bass travels with me everywhere. I am in the center and I like to groove and dance with it at every show; it’s like a beautiful woman with a big heartbeat.

When you sing a song like “Morenica” or other Ladino songs, what does it mean to you?

I have always felt a sense of classical music and jazz when I write and arrange. My mother and father listened to many old Israeli folk songs and Ladino songs, but also classical pieces, so these sounds have always been around me.

When you write music, do you find yourself crossing cultural and genre boundaries?

My music comes from all territories and people: Afro-Caribbean, Western, Middle Eastern. But most recently I have also been attracted by several Israeli folk songs. There is also a personal thing in music for me that I can’t explain. I feel so uplifted, it makes me feel better, and this is what I also would like to bring over to my audience.

Jazz, and music generally, is also an art form that brings people together who may not be normally linked to each other. It has that great power.

Avishai Cohen will perform Wednesday, June 29, at Harro East Ballroom, 155 North Chestnut Street. 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $30, or you can use your Club Pass. avishaicohen.com.

rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 23

DO YOU HEAR WHAT WE HEAR?

WEDNESDAY

JUNE 29 | MUSICIAN BIOS

Avishai Cohen (Jazz, world music) For a feature on Avishai Cohen, turn to page 23.

Bruce Barth (Jazz) Bruce Barth is a pianist

equipped with equal shares of brilliant technique and aesthetic sensibility. Since arriving in New York in 1988, Barth has been in demand to play with artists such as Tony Bennett, Karrin Allyson, David Sánchez, Wynton Marsalis, and many others. (RN) brucebarth.com

HEADLINER | Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers (Piano rock) Known in part for

his work in the early 1990’s as an adopted member of the Grateful Dead and later with Phil Lesh, pianist Bruce Hornsby now makes noise on his own with his touring band, the Noisemakers. Hornsby’s piano-driven pop is beautifully understated and beautiful. The Grammy Award-winning Hornsby went off the rails experimentally with albums such as the electronic-heavy “Big Swing Face,” but has since reeled it back in to the comfort of the pianocentric grooves he’s known for. That’s just the way it is. (FD) brucehornsby.com

Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People

CITY Newspaper has collaborated with the area’s top jazz radio station, WGMC Jazz 90.1 to bring you a 15-track playlist of our can’t miss acts from the 2016 Xerox Rochester Interational Jazz Festival. Find it on:

RochesterCityNewspaper.com

(Soul, R&B) Vocal powerhouse Danielle Ponder will blow your head off and paint the walls with your brains. Not only can the woman belt like a blast furnace, but her songs are funky neoclassic gems of social conscience and change.

The choruses are immediately recognizable, the hooks, unavoidable, and that voice… that voice, unbelievable. Get down. (FD) daniellepondermusic.com Djabe (World music) More information on page 21.

Jam sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz) Turn

to page 4 for more information.

Johannes Linstead – Guitar of Fire! (Acoustic

world guitar) Besides being a yoga instructor and humanitarian, Canada’s “Guitarist of the Year” Johannes Linstead wields his guitar as if it were, well, on fire. You’ve heard his music on TV shows such as “Californication” and “Burn Notice.” The music is driven by Linstead’s Spanish guitar as he navigates the sensuality and beat of everywhere. (FD) johanneslinstead.com

Jumaane Smith (Trumpet, vocals) I’m telling

Created with

24 CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2016

you, you want this young man’s frequent flyer miles from playing Montreux at age 16, to playing for heads of state and world dignitaries, to touring with Michael Bublé since 2005.

Smith was also a member of the inaugural class of jazz studies at Juilliard, a program developed

by Wynton Marsalis. He’s collaborated with everyone: Natalie Cole, Ravi Coltrane, Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, and Wyclef Jean, to name just a few. (FD) jumaanesmith.com

Trumpeter Jumaane Smith.

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

Mammal Hands (Contemporary jazz) Legend has it that pianist Nick Smart, his brother, saxophonist Jordan Smart, and percussionist Jesse Barrett met while busking in Norwich, England. As Mammal Hands, they play a wonderful combination of contemporary classical music and jazz, drawing as much from the minimal music of Steve Reich as the free jazz of Pharoah Sanders. (RN) mammalhands.com Marianne Trudel Trio with Ingrid Jensen

(Jazz) In 2007, pianist Marianne Trudel won the Prix Étoiles Galaxie de Radio-Canada for the best composition played at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Among the most versatile pianists of her generation, Trudel is equally adept in a Chopin-like romantic style or with Cecil Taylor-flavored dissonance. Ingrid Jensen is a superb trumpeter who has played in Maria Schneider’s Orchestra and toured with Lionel Hampton. (RN) mariannetrudel.com; ingridjensen.com Nacka Forum (Avant-garde jazz) More information on page 21.

Nikki Hill (R&B, rock ‘n’ roll) You can thank

Etta James, Ruth Brown, and Irma Thomas for this young lady right here. Singer Nikki Hill attacks early rock ‘n’ roll like Little Richard on a cheesecake bender; she’s ruthless and alright. Man, this lady can belt.

But before you fall completely in love this songstress, save some affection for her old man, Matt Hill, on the guitar. He’s a thrillerdiller. (FD) nikkihillmusic.com

Russell Malone (Hard bop jazz) With a blur

of fingers flying over the fret board, with equal shares of precision and abandon, Russell Malone is one of the most colorful guitar players on the scene today. Right out of the gate, he was hired

by organist Jimmy Smith. He then paid his dues with Harry Connick Jr. and Diana Krall before going solo. (RN) vervemusicgroup.com/ russellmalone Rod Blumenau (Jazz) Pianist extraordinaire Rod

Blumenau knows the history of his instrument, and he can adaptably play it. Blumenau can slip easily into the stride-piano style of Fats Waller, play some ragtime, or pull off arpeggios with the skill of Art Tatum. Ultimately, he’s his own man, whether he’s improvising on a Latin tune, playing bebop, or swinging. (RN) rodbjazz.com

Soil & “Pimp” Sessions (Modern swing) They

call it death jazz, and you know what? It makes sense because these Japanese cats slay me. This is one of the coolest bands in the world. Soil & “Pimp” Sessions play aggressive jazz with an antagonistic hip swagger. It’s Louis Jordan with new coat of paint. Unbelievably cool. (FD) jvcmusic.co.jp/soilpimp Tia Brazda (Jazz) This is a perfect blend of retro

sophistication, classic charm, and contemporary accessibility. Tia Brazda is all kinds of fun. This coppertop dame is red hot and blue with a dash of noir. Dig her jive; it positively swings. (FD)

tiabrazda.com Trio East (Hard bop jazz) Trumpeter Clay Jenkins, bassist Jeff Campbell, and drummer Rich Thompson, three Eastman School of Music veteran professors, nicely tackle one of the most difficult combinations in jazz: the piano-less trio. Jenkins has played in the bands of Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich, and Count Basie.

Thompson has shared the stage with Tito Puente and Joe Pass. And Campbell has worked with Marian McPartland and Gene Bertoncini.

(RN) trioeast.bandcamp.com

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PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

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JUNE 29 | SCHEDULE

12:00 p.m. Rod Blumenau Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE) 1:00 p.m. Jazz Workshops for Young Music Students with Mammal Hands Eastman School of Music (Room 120) (FREE) 3:45 p.m. 12 Corners Middle School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 4:30 p.m. Eastridge HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. Webster Thomas HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Avishai Cohen Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Bruce Barth Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. ESM-XRIJF Scholarships Alumni Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Tia Brazda Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Russell Malone Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Marianne Trudel Trio with Ingrid Jensen The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. EYOJ Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:15 p.m. Jumaane Smith Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Djabe Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Mammal Hands Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Danielle Ponder RG&E Fusion Stage (FREE) 7:00 p.m. Trio East Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:15 p.m. Avishai Cohen Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Nacka Forum Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Nikki Hill Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:45 p.m. Bruce Barth Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Soil & “Pimp” Sessions Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 8:00 p.m. HEADLINER | Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre ($55-$95) 8:30 p.m. Johannes Linstead – Guitar of Fire!

Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Mammal Hands Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Russell Malone Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Djabe Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Danielle Ponder RG&E Fusion Stage (FREE) 9:15 p.m. Trio East Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Nikki Hill Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:30 p.m. Nacka Forum Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:45 p.m. Soil & “Pimp” Sessions Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Tia Brazda Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Jumaane Smith Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Johannes Linstead – Guitar of Fire!

Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Marianne Trudel Trio with Ingrid Jensen The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Holiday Inn Rochester Downtown (FREE)

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EMEFE Emefe.

Though usually pegged as entertainers, musicians don’t necessarily owe their audience a damn thing. This is particularly the case when said band is focused on exorcising its own demons, and is pursuing its muse.

Take for instance New York City’s Emefe: The band dresses up its funk grooves with new wave-type electronica. And this isn’t the band’s exclusive slant, there are plenty of sub genres hiding in the wings, waiting for their cue. Strains like epic cinematic pop and afro beat are just a couple that come to mind. But not everyone is a fan of everything, so how does a band build loyalty with an ever-shifting sound and emphasis? Emefe drummer Miles Arntzen knows it ain’t easy.

“It’s not always well received,” Arntzen says, “when a band explores its sound from album to album and doesn’t stick with the same thing for every album. I understand that, but all my favorite artist were always evolving. So as our sound has evolved and changed … to us, the DNA is still there. It’s still us, and it’ll always be that way. It’s just the texture and the sound around the body of it changes.”

26 CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2016

Emefe came together in 2009 at New York University. Arntzen, a founding member, put it together to pursue a new love. “I put together the band because I had discovered afrobeat and wanted to play it,” he says.

At the same time, he joined the New York based afrobeat orchestra, Antibalas.

“So I was simultaneously learning how to play the music and write the music,” Arntzen says. “As Emefe grew, we developed a reputation for our live show and that’s what’s been at the center of our career as a band: our lively, no holds barred live show.”

The band is fearless, following the music wherever it goes.

“Our sound has evolved a lot over the years. We’ve always encouraged ourselves to follow what our inspiration is. We just put out an EP called “Time,” and the music is kind of a snapshot of where we were right when we were putting out our last record.”

“Time” is electronic and poppy, but not the least bit ironic. This isn’t a neon lampoon.

“There’s more utilizing of drum machines,” Arntzen says. “But not where we’re just pressing play and putting everything on a loop; I’m actually performing with the drum machines live throughout the song and

JUNE 3

Calle Uno (Afro-Cuban jazz) If you

like your Salsa hot and your Merengue sizzling, or you simply love to dance to an Afro-Cuban beat, Calle Uno is the band for you. With pungent horns riffs, polyrhythmic percussion, and dynamic singer Robert Navarro, Calle Uno is irresistible. (RN) grupocalleuno.com/home

HEADLINER | Chris Botti (Pop jazz)

No matter who stands on stage with him, Chris Botti stands out and stands alone. The man has plugged a lot of talent on his Grammy Award-winning “Impressions,” including Herbie Hancock, Andrea Bocelli, and Mark Knopfler in a celebration of classic balladry. Born in Portland, the young Botti was hooked on the horn after hearing Miles Davis play “My Funny Valentine.” And he has received multiple Grammy nominations and awards including making “People” magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” list in 2004. (FD) chrisbotti.com

The Claudia Quintet (Progressive jazz) Since moving to New York in the early 1990’s, drummer John Hollenbeck has gained a reputation for his composing and arranging. His group, The Claudia Quintet, plays Hollenbeck’s avant-gardeleaning tunes and features top players such as Drew Gress on bass; Matt Moran on vibraphone; (Rochesterian) Red Wierenga, accordion; and Chris Speed, clarinet and saxophone. (RN) claudiaquintet.com

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

[ FEATURE ] BY FRANK DE BLASE

THURSDAY

keeping the human element going. It’s just a different texture and a different atmosphere.”

Arntzen calls it funk-pop. “Our music is always revolving around the groove and around the interlocking rhythms of funk music and afrobeat music. At the same time, our music takes from pop arranging and new wave-style vocals on top of everything.”

And Arntzen says Emefe relies heavily on genre-defining, genre-defying cats like Brian Wilson and David Bowie. Still, plugging in all these technical and musical components doesn’t leave a lot of room to improvise.

Emefe makes room.

“We create templates in our songs,” Arntzen says. “And with those templates we sort of jump out live and create new versions from night to night. We’ll always play music this way; just try to stay present and go where the music takes us.”

Emefe will perform Thursday, June 30, 8:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., at the Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, corner of Main Street and Gibbs. The band will perform again on Friday, July 1, 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., at Montage Music Hall, 50 Chestnut Street. All shows are $30, or you can use your Club Pass. emefemusic.com.

Cortex (Norwegian jazz) From the sour to the sublime, Cortex serves up dissonance and harmony with the same fork. The music seduces you into a sense of comfort before driving the whole affair over the cliff. It’s not free jazz per se, but the quartet flutters and swings with enough convention that the crazy parts are more palatable when they come around. Hold tight. (FD) cortexmusic.no Dave Rivello Ensemble (Big Band jazz)

Arranger-composer-director Dave Rivello brings the big band into the 21st century with unceasingly innovative, original music. Grammy-winning jazz orchestra director Maria Schneider has declared his writing “compelling and beautiful.” Rivello’s musical palette overflows with adventurous harmonies, recalling composers from Charles Mingus to Igor Stravinsky. And the group boasts some of Rochester’s finest players. (RN) daverivello.com

Emefe (Avant cool) For a feature on Emefe, check out the page on the left.

Hannah Walpole (Jazz vocalist) They all

list influences, but Miami-by-way-of-

UNE 30 | MUSICIAN BIOS Rochester jazz singer Hannah Walpole mentioned one of my all-time faves, Julie London. I was hooked. And that would have sufficed, but then I heard her sing… Wow. (FD) hannahwalpole.com Harold Danko (Jazz) He’s now professor of jazz studies & contemporary media at the Eastman School of Music, but Harold Danko spent years on the road with Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, and Lee Konitz, and was a featured player in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. “Tidal Breeze,” a Danko original, has been recorded by both Baker and Konitz. (RN) esm.rochester.edu/faculty/

danko_harold Jacky Terrasson (Jazz) Jacky Terrasson’s compositional style may remind you more of Debussy than Monk. Terrasson grew up in Paris and came to the US to study at the Berklee College of Music. He won the Thelonious Monk piano competition in 1993. Betty Carter was so impressed, she asked him to join her road band immediately. (RN) jackyterrasson.com Jam sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz)

Turn to page 4 for more information.

Jamison Ross (Vocal jazz) Jamison Ross has a big voice that may remind you of Stevie Wonder. Making matters more interesting, Ross sings his songs of aspiration from behind the drum kit. In 2012, he won the Thelonious Monk Drum Competition and has gone on to play with Wynton Marsalis, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Snarky Puppy, and others. (RN) jamisonrossmusic.com Jeff Johnston and Friends (Cinematic

composition) Juno Award nominee and composer Jeff Johnston is known in Canada for his documentary scores, including the cinematically dark work he scored on “When Women Kill.” His innovative approach to texture and melody can be attributed to his beginnings as a jazz pianist. His work is moving and evocative and beautifully cinematic. (FD) jeffjohnstonmusic.com

Lauren Sevian Quartet (Hard bop jazz) At the age of 16, baritone saxophonist Lauren Sevian won the Count Basie Invitational soloing competition and began playing with the Count Basie Band. Since then she’s taken her muscular sound to the stage with Christian McBride, Greg Osby, the Mingus Big Band, and many others. (RN)

laurensevian.com Lenny White’s Present Tense (Jazz fusion)

Lenny White played on “Bitches Brew.”

Lenny White played on “Red Clay.” You want more? As a member of Return to

Headliner Chris Botti.

Cortex.

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

Forever, White is one of the architects of fusion. And he’s won a Grammy … twice.

There. (FD) lennywhite.com Lleuwen Steffan (Singer-songwriter) This

young lady hails from Wales with an angelic yet earthy voice over a bed of beautiful simplicity. And at times, a Gaelic complexity washes over when Steffan intones in the language Breton. Her songs sound like prayers. (FD) lleuwen.com

Rai Thistlethwayte (Pop) Known in his adopted home, Los Angeles, as Sun Rai and in Australia as a key member of Thirsty Merc, Rai Thistlethwayte puts the stomp and boogie in contemporary pop. Smart, stylish sugary pop not unlike Prince or that Timberlake kid who brought sexy back.

(FD) raithis.com Soul Stew (You name it) Though this Toronto powerhouse masterfully lays claim to virtually every genre there is, funky seems to rise to the top. A staple at the XRIJF, Soul Stew is the band to see if you wanna really get down. (FD) robertoocchipinti.com/soulstew/about

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

THURSDAY

JUNE 30 | SCHEDULE

12:00 p.m. Hannah Walpole Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE) 1:00 p.m. J azz Workshops for Young Music Students with Leuwen Steffan Eastman School of Music (Room 120) (FREE) 3:45 p.m. Buckman Heights Elementary Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 4:30 p.m. Brockport HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Lenny White’s Present Tense Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:30 p.m. Spencerport HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:45 p.m. Harold Danko Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Jacky Terrasson Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. ECMS Saxology 1 & 2 Jazz Bones Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Jamison Ross Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Greater Rochester Jazz Orchestra Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Jeff Johnston & Friends The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 6:15 p.m. Lauren Sevian Quartet Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Claudia Quintet Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Lleuwen Steffan Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Dave Rivello Ensemble Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Calle Uno RG&E Fusion Stage (FREE) 7:15 p.m. Lenny White’s Present Tense Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Soul Stew Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:30 p.m. Cortex Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Rai Thistlethwayte Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Harold Danko Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 8:00 p.m. HEADLINER | Chris Botti Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre ($55-$105) 8:30 p.m. Emefe Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Lleuwen Steffan Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Jamison Ross Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m.Claudia Quintet Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Calle Uno RG&E Fusion Stage (FREE) 9:15 p.m. Dave Rivello Ensemble Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Soul Stew Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:30 p.m. Cortex Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:45 p.m. Rai Thistlethwayte Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Jacky Terrasson Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Lauren Sevian Quartet Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Emefe Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Jeff Johnston & Friends The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Holiday Inn Rochester Downtown (FREE) rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 27

FRIDAY

Red Baraat.

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

[ FEATURE ] BY JAKE CLAPP

Red Baraat’s joyous energy is instantly infectious. Eight musicians piled onto a stage, devotedly kicking out Brooklyn bhangra — a mix of North Indian bhangra, D.C go-go, jazz, hip-hop, and New York City edge — will put a smile on your face, and then make you move.

And that’s really the point. The seeds for Red Baraat were planted at a wedding, after all. (A baraat is a groom’s procession during North Indian and Pakistani weddings.)

Sunny Jain, the band’s front man and dhol player, transcribed a few traditional songs for his wedding, and had a large group of his musician friends play him into the ceremony on a festive baraat.

“This quickly kind of spread to doing other weddings around” New York State, Jain says. “I found out that there was no baraat brass band, which is super popular in India; they didn’t have any in the states in 2005.”

His group started to play all over the place and Jain, seeing the potential, formed Red Baraat in 2008.

“It started out with that exuberance and that joy,” he says. “And that’s still there because I think the underlying idea that we have is community and unity. And diversity, which is represented out in the audience, and certainly represented on the bandstand.”

Jain was born in Rochester and grew up with the North Indian traditions and classical music of his heritage.

“Growing up to Indian classical music, I was just drawn to rhythm,” he says. Jain was a student in the Rush-Henrietta Central School District, and when he was 9 years old and able 28 CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2016

RED

BARAAT

to take music lessons, he went for the drums.

But “the only thing they offered at that point were strings,” he says. “So I took violin because my brother and sister played violin. I was horrendous at it — I remember getting a ‘D for disgrace.’”

The following year, drums were offered and Jain hopped to it immediately. On his first lesson, he walked in and the drum teacher was doing an impressive buzz roll, he says.

“My jaw dropped,” he says. “I was like, ‘Holy shit, this sounds amazing. Who is this guy, and how is he playing this perfect roll?’

And it was Rich Thompson.’”

Jain studied with Thompson, who is now an associate professor at Eastman, and was introduced to jazz, samba, and swing, and icons such as Art Blakey, Max Roach, and Elvin Jones.

“Jazz hit me because it was rhythmically fascinating to me,” Jain says. “I grew up to Indian music and that rhythm is fascinating, and then jazz was another bend to that; it was something I could understand. My main motivation at that point was to understand.”

Jain was heavily integrated into Indian culture and the local community, but he says he kept that separate from his drum playing while he was in school. It wasn’t until he was in college, studying drums at Rutgers University, that the music that he grew up listening to started to come through in his own compositions.

“It really started happening when I started composing,” he says. “It wasn’t something that was coming through drumming; it was coming through melody, and the rhythms started coming later. I think it was a couple of

my teachers who really pushed me and said, ‘Write what you hear.’”

After finishing at Rutgers, Jain found his way to Brooklyn and started playing around the city while pursuing a master’s degree in music business. But by the time that Red Baraat started to come together, Jain felt disgruntled and discouraged by the scene, he says, and “wanted to play with musicians who just feel more joy. I wasn’t getting that for whatever reason, with the exception of a few.”

When he put together Red Baraat, he “was specifically trying to look outside the jazz community that I knew, and tried to find musicians who played other kinds of music. I didn’t want this to be another jazz project; I didn’t want it to go into that community only. I wanted it to be more open, flexible, and malleable.”

The diversity of Red Baraat’s members and their tastes come through in the band’s music. While Jain’s bhangra influence drives the boat, the whole thing is really glued together by funky horns and rockin’ guitar and shaped by an adventurous jazz spirit and charismatic attitude.

“Any music that is written, it really comes to life with the performers,” Jain says. “Before that, it’s something that lays on a sheet of paper. When a musician plays it, it has personality, and it takes on a whole different animal. And that’s a huge thing for Red Baraat.”

JULY 1 | MUS

Ben Monder (Jazz) Ben Monder’s bold sound is perfectly complemented by his wonderfully impressionistic guitar style.

Monder, who has lent his talents to the bands of Paul Motian, Maria Schneider, and others, most recently earned praise for enhancing David Bowie’s haunting final album, “Blackstar.” (RN) benmonder.com Curtis Stigers (Vocal jazz) Curtis Stigers’ vocal style may be reminiscent of Chet Baker’s, but there’s another similarity. Like Baker, Stivers is also a fine instrumentalist, picking up his saxophone to solo once in a while. Along with jazz, Stigers will occasionally slip in a pop classic by Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, or The Beatles. (RN)

curtisstigers.com Cyrille Aimée (Vocal jazz) With a voice

as sexy as it is sultry, Cyrille Aimée can deliver a classic tune with a healthy dose of scat-singing on the side. Growing up in France, she sometimes snuck off to Gypsy encampments to absorb the rich music of the culture. It paid off in a first-prize win in the vocal competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival. (RN) cyrillemusic.com

Denis Parker and the Modern Saints

(Blues) You can hear the Delta coming out of Newfoundland when slide guitarist Denis Parker picks up his guitar to play.

He’s been singing the blues for nigh on 50 years. He even recorded at Abbey Road.

(FD) slideguy.net Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers

(Zydeco) There’s plenty of that New Orleans juju pumpin’ in Dwayne Dopsie’s plumbing and pumping out of his accordion. Dopsie shifted from the washboard to the accordion when he was 7 years old to learn at the feet of the master, his dad Rockin’ Dopsie Sr. (FD) dwaynedopsie.com Emefe (Avant-cool) For more information, check page 26.

Flat Earth Society (Progressive jazz

orchestra) Flat Earth Society is one of the most deliriously deranged big bands you will ever hear. Part Frank Zappa, part Sun Ra, and part Duke Ellington, this band packs a powerful progressive punch.

After performing Friday (July 1) at Xerox Auditorium, Flat Earth Society will appear at the Lutheran Church on Saturday. (RN) fes.be/indexEN.html

Red Baraat will perform Friday, July 1, at Harro East Ballroom, 155 North Chestnut Street. 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $30, or you can use your Club Pass. redbaraat.com

HEADLINER | Gregg Allman (Classic rock) once called The Allman Joys, The Allman Brothers epitomized — still do — the Southern rock sound, with its slippery slide

MUSICIAN BIOS

Flat Earth Society.

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

guitar fire from the late “back to Macon, Ga.” and the soulful voice of his brother, Gregg. The band initially broke up in 1975, but Allman kept plugging away as a solo artist and peaked with the hit “I’m No Angel” in 1987. A few albums followed, including 2015’s “Back to Macon, GA.” (FD) greggallman.com Helen Sung (Jazz) She’s performed with

Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Clark Terry, won the Kennedy Center’s 2007 Mary Lou Williams Piano Competition, and appeared on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz radio show. Listen to any of Helen Sung’s six wonderful albums and you will understand why she has emerged from a crowded field of pianists. She’ll also perform with her quartet.

(RN) helensung.com

trumpeter is considered one of England’s rising stars. The Gondwanda Orchestra adds an Eastern spice to the dish. (FD) matthewhalsall.com Mingo Fishtrap (Funky Texas soul) As this

band of tenacious Texans matures, it has dialed back some of the funky bombast but not the soul and the groove. It’s a brassy party monster for sure with 16 arms. Bring the kids. (FD) mingofishtrap.com Orgone (Funk) Not to be confused with the hypothetical universal life force conceived in the 1930’s by Wilhelm Reich, Orgone is an infectious soul force conceived in California.

This eight-piece funk machine, with the fantastic singer Adryon de León will simply not allow you to sit down for too long. (RN)

orgonespace.com Herb Smith (Jazz) You might not expect

the third trumpet with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra to be a blistering jazz player, but Herb Smith’s range extends well beyond classical music. The Eastman School of Music professor has played with jazz, soul, and pop greats, including Wynton Marsalis, Natalie Cole, Yes, Doc Severinsen, The O’Jays, and more. (RN) herbtrumpet.com

Pugs and Crows (Avant-garde) Set in a quasichamber setting, Canadian Juno Awardwinner Pugs and Crows creates organic, lush, and downright weird sounds that converge on one another for this band’s curious dirge.

Its identifiable components don’t clash for dominance but rather celebrate their uniqueness. Odd never felt so good. (FD)

pugsandcrows.com Jam sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz)

Turn to page 4 for more information.

Los Lonely Boys (Blues) Carrying the torch that Stevie Ray Vaughan lit, this Texas trio of Latino brothers plays the blues and what they call brown-eyed soul extra fierce.

Texican rockin’ blues done loud, proud, and right. (FD) loslonelyboys.com Matthew Halsall and The Gondwanda Orchestra (Jazz) The color and rain-soaked

patina found in Manchester skies is prevalent in it native son, Matthew Halsall’s playing.

With six albums to his credit, the young

Red Baraat (Brooklyn bhangra) For a feature on Red Baraat, check out page 28.

Tord Gustavsen with Simin Tander and Jarle Vespestad (World music) Drawing from

Scandinavian folk music, traditional gospel music, and the sounds of the Caribbean, Tord Gustavsen is among the most poetic pianists to emerge from the Norwegian jazz scene. At the XRIJF, Gustavsen will add the beautiful voice of Simin Tander and the adept percussion of Jarle Vespestad. (RN)

tordg.no/trio

Mingo Fishtrap. PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

FRIDAY

JULY 1 | SCHEDULE

12:00 p.m. Herb Smith Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE) 1:00 p.m. J azz Workshops for Young Music Students with Matthew Halsall Eastman School of Music (Room 120) (FREE) 4:30 p.m. Fairport HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. Monroe Community College Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Red Baraat Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Helen Sung Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Curtis Stigers Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Pugs and Crows The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Greece Jazz Band Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. ECMS Jazz Combo with Mike Kaupa & Paul Hofmann Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Emefe Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:15 p.m. Cyrille Aimee Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Flat Earth Society Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Matthew Halsall & the Gondwana Orchestra Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Mingo Fishtrap East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 7:00 p.m. Ben Monder Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:15 p.m. Red Baraat Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Tord Gustavsen Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Denis Parker & the Modern Saints Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:45 p.m. Orgone Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Helen Sung Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 8:00 p.m. HEADLINER | Gregg Allman Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre ($65-$105) 8:30 p.m. D wayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Matthew Halsall & the Gondwana Orchestra Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Flat Earth Society Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Los Lonely Boys East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. Curtis Stigers Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:15 p.m. Ben Monder Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Tord Gustavsen Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Denis Parker & the Modern Saints Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:45 p.m. Orgone Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Pugs and Crows The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Emefe Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Cyrille Aimee Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. D wayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Holiday Inn Rochester Downtown (FREE) rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 29

LAURA

SATURDAY

JULY 2 |

Brian Dickinson (Hard bop jazz) Brian Dickinson has been one of Canada’s top straight-ahead jazz pianists for four decades. As a sideman, he’s brought his sparkling keyboard style to the bands of Dave Liebman, Randy Brecker, John Abercrombie, and many others. (RN)

DUBIN

briandickinson.ca Denis Parker and the Modern Saints

(Blues) Find more information on page 28.

Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience

(Afro-Cuban jazz) No one did more to bring Afro-Cuban music to the United States than the great trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. The Dizzy Gillespie AfroCuban Experience pays tribute to that legacy with vintage arrangements of tunes such as “Manteca.” Trumpeter Freddie Hendrix even uses a Gillespie-style bentbell trumpet, aimed at the sky. (RN) inadittke.com/dg-ace Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers

(Zydeco) For more information, check page 28.

Flat Earth Society (Progressive jazz

orchestra) Turn to page 28 for more information.

Laura Dubin. PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL [ PROFILE ] BY RON NETSKY

Laura Dubin began taking piano lessons from her mom, a classical pianist, while she was growing up in Brighton. But there was another pianist in the family, her uncle, David, who visited from California.

“He played a little jazz and showed me how to improvise,” says Dubin, who was 7 at the time. “He played patterns on the black keys. Using those keys, I could just make something up.”

She found a Charlie Parker album in her parents’ collection and played it over and over.

Her uncle taught her John Coltrane’s take on “My Favorite Things,” Miles Davis’s “So What,” and Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five.”

Her mother found a jazz piano teacher, Richard Delaney, at the Hochstein School of Music and at the first lesson, he told Dubin to check out Oscar Peterson’s “West Side Story.”

She already knew the tunes; now she heard them swing.

“That album lit a fire,” Dubin says. “Oscar’s playing, the swaying of the trio...”

When Dubin was 16, a family friend arranged a lesson with a major jazz pianist, Fred Hersch. But she got more than a lesson; Hersch urged her to come to Western Michigan University, where he was artist in residence.

“It turned out to be the perfect fit,” Dubin says. “I had a phenomenal piano teacher, Stephen Zegree, and occasionally, 30 CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2016

Fred Hersch.” She played duets with Hersch at a concert.

Dubin also had opportunities to collaborate with vocalists Janis Siegel, Mark Murphy, and Kurt Elling. And she played at the Detroit International Jazz Festival as a member of the WMU Jazz Orchestra with saxophonist Bobby Watson.

Dubin was one of eight pianists chosen to participate in the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival’s Emerging Artist Workshop at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Her first major gig after graduating was a15-month job in a jazz trio on Holland America Line cruise ships, where she met and performed with her future husband, drummer Antonio H. Guerrero.

When the cruises were over, Dubin and Guerrero moved to Mexico and gigged in and around Mexico City for the next 18 months before settling in Rochester.

Dubin has written over 40 pieces since 2008. Some of her compositions honor great pianists like Brubeck, Horace Silver, Bill Evans, and Wynton Kelly. Other tunes try to capture places she loves, such as “Barcelona,” or comment on aspects of life, like “Something’s Cooking,” “Thunder,” and “Anxiety.”

She sites Hersch, Silver, Brubeck, and Claude Debussy as her major compositional influences. Debussy?

“He’s always been my favorite classical composer,” Dubin says. “My

mom played Debussy and I played a lot of it growing up. He had a lot of jazzinfluenced chords and elements in his music. Some of my compositions have been inspired by some of the harmonies that show up in his compositions.”

She’ll play a Debussy piece at the XRIJF, combined with a jazz standard in the same style.

While her first album consisted of original tunes, Dubin’s latest explores the Great American Songbook.

“My goal was to arrange those songbook tunes with the same elements I use when I’m composing,” she says. “I try to keep them fresh. I add my own twists. Some of them have different tempos or time signatures. At the same time, I don’t want them to be so far out that they sound like a completely different song.”

At the Xerox Auditorium, Dubin will play two completely different shows with Guerrero on drums and Kieran Hanlon on bass. Along with originals and standards, she’ll perform some classical-jazz fusion involving Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Ravel and Debussy.

Helen Sung (Jazz) More information on

page 29.

Jacob’s Cattle (Atmospheric guitar) Canadian guitarist Roy Patterson evokes

Laura Dubin will perform Saturday, July 2, at Xerox Auditorium, 100 South Clinton Avenue. 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets are $30, or you can use your Club Pass. lauradubin.com.

Oli Rockberger

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATION

Y 2 | MUSICIAN BIOS big-sky vistas with sturdy riffs that traverse the fretboard with purpose and ease. His roots as a country player, and the steel guitar in his current band, Jacob’s Cattle, add to the rural mystique and beauty. (FD)

output (4 albums and counting) is where he gives it the jazz. (FD) olirockberger.com Orgone (Funk) Find more information on page 29.

jacobscattle.com Jam sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz)

Turn to page 4 for more information.

Laura Dubin (Jazz) For a feature on Laura

Dubin, check out page 30.

Lucky Chops (Big brass) Funky, flashy, and

full of soul, this well-dressed outfit takes standard pop and rock and twists it the way a clown would with a balloon. (FD) luckychops.com

Mike Herriott Quartet (Jazz) Canadian trumpeter Mike Herriott colors out of the lines with jazz while staying within them classically. Listen as the two disciplines collide. Also a bassist, arranger, and composer, Herriott has gotten Juno Award — and Emmy — nods for his work. (FD)

mikeherriott.com Mingo Fishtrap (Funky Texas soul) More

information on page 29.

Oli Rockberger (Pop, jazz) Pianist Oli

Rockberger splits up his time between London and New York. Conversely, his music splits time between jazz and pop. The pop aspect has him on stage with artists like Carly Simon and John Mayer. His solo

NTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

Takuya Kuroda (Bop) Blue Note recording

artist Takuya Kuroda plays a kinda post-bop bop that’s tempered with a nonconventional challenge and twist of soul. It’s jazzy and fresh. (FD) takuyakuroda.com

Tia Fuller Quartet (Hard bop jazz) Berklee College of Music Professor Tia Fuller turned heads with her muscular saxophone style while touring the world with Beyoncé. But she’s also earned equal cred on the jazz scene by collaborating with top players like Don Byron, Jimmy Heath, Don Braden, and many others. (RN) tiafuller.com Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (New Orleans rock) This is the man, the king of heavy, funky trombone who gets the call when rockers like U2 or Green Day need some help. An XRIJF favorite, Shorty and his band consistently stirs up crowds into gumbo — a sweaty, gyrating, jumping gumbo. (FD) tromboneshorty.com The Wood Brothers (Roots-rock) This band’s

latest LP was laid to tape by Dan Auerbach at his Nashville-based Easy Eye Studio. The result is a slightly more electrified Americana with Chris Wood (1/3 of Medeski Martin & Wood) plugging in the bass. Roots with a beautiful mule kick. (FD) thewoodbros.com

Trombone Shorty will be the festival's final headliner. PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

SATURDAY

JULY 2 | SCHEDULE

4:30 p.m. Nazareth College Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. School of the Arts Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Brian Dickinson Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Mike Herriott Quartet The Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. ESM Honors Performance Unit 3 Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Rochester Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Helen Sung Quartet Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:15 p.m. Tia Fuller Quartet Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Laura Dubin Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Oli Rockberger Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Lucky Chops Midtown Stage (FREE) 7:00 p.m. Denis Parker & the Modern Saints East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 7:00 p.m. Jacob’s Cattle Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:15 p.m. Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Flat Earth Society Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Mingo Fishtrap Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:45 p.m. Takuya Kuroda Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Brian Dickinson Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 8:30 p.m. Orgone Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Oli Rockberger Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Laura Dubin Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue Midtown Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. The Wood Brothers East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:15 p.m. Jacob’s Cattle Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Flat Earth Society Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Mingo Fishtrap Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:45 p.m. Takuya Kuroda Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Helen Sung Quartet Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Tia Fuller Quartet Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Orgone Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Mike Herriott Quartet Rochester Club ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Holiday Inn Rochester Downtown (FREE) rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 31

32 CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2016