CITY Newspaper Jazz Fest 2017 by CITY Magazine

exclusive interviews / artist bios day-by-day schedule + read new blogs everyday at rochestercitynewspaper.com

THE 2017 XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL Friday, June 23 — Saturday, July 1

LISTEN UP! CITY Newspaper has collaborated with the area’s top jazz radiostation, WGMC Jazz 90.1 t o bring you a playlist of our can’t miss acts from the 2017 Xerox Rochester Interational Jazz Festival. Find it online at Rochestercitynewspaper.com

IN THE POCKET FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM @ROCCITYNEWS OR VISIT ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM FOR DAILY PHOTOS, SHOW REVIEWS AND COLOR REPORTING FROM THE FESTIVAL

TICKETS & VENUES

FREE VENUES

Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre Series

Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County

Headliner shows are held in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre (60 Gibbs Street). These are ticketed shows; a Club Pass doesn’t work here. Tickets, which range from $25 to $115 (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 13 smaller clubs and venues (listed below). The Jazz Festival has two Club Pass options: a three-day pass, which allows access to concerts on any three days of your choice during the festival, and the traditional nine-day pass. 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. New this year, the Jazz Festival is offering an option to personalize Club Passes with the holder’s name and photo. This isn’t a requirement. Personalization will allow the holder to get a new Club Pass if theirs is lost or stolen — if the pass isn’t personalized, you’re out of luck if you lose it. The Jazz Festival is again using a wristband 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 their 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 UK Series) Harro East Ballroom 155 North Chestnut Street Hatch Recital Hall at Eastman School of Music

433 East Main Street Kilbourn Hall at Eastman School of Music

(FD) = Frank De Blase, Music Writer This is Frank's 15th year covering the Jazz Festival.

(RN) = Ron Netsky, Music Writer This is Ron's 15th year covering the Jazz Festival.

(JC) = Jake Clapp, A&E Editor This is Jake's 4th year covering the Jazz Festival.

26 Gibbs Street Little Theatre 240 East Avenue Lyric Theatre 440 East Avenue Lutheran Church of the Reformation

111 North Chestnut Street (Nordic Jazz Now Series) Max of Eastman Place 25 Gibbs Street Montage Music Hall 50 Chestnut Plaza Squeezers Stage at Anthology

336 East Avenue, entrance on Lawrence Street Rochester Regional Health Big Tent

Corner of Main and Gibbs streets Wilder Room (formerly The Rochester Club)

120 East Avenue Xerox Auditorium at Xerox Plaza

100 South Clinton Avenue, entrance on Broad Street 2 CITY

JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2017

(115 South Avenue) Free shows June 26-June 30 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 23-24 and June 30-July 1 Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (corner 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 1 Avangrid Foundation / RG&E Fusion Stage (corner of East Ave. & Chestnut St.) Free shows June 25-29 Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside (120 East Main Street) Free jam sessions every night in the Riverside Ballroom with The Bob Sneider Trio. And a second, concurrent session on June 23-24 and June 30-July 1 in Legends Sports Bar and Grille with Karl Stabnau Quartet. All jam sessions start at 10:30 p.m.

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 or spots in surface lots throughout the neighborhood. Parking for jam sessions at the Radisson 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).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival’s official website is rochesterjazz.com. You can also visit the Jazz Ticket Shop and 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 or through the app store. Be on the lookout for other venues in the area hosting their own music during the Jazz Fest. While they are not affiliated in any way with the XRIJF, Abilene Bar and Lounge (153 Liberty Pole Way), Downstairs Cabaret Theatre (20 Windsor Street), and Victoire (120 East Avenue) will have performances during the festival. 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 Instagram & Twitter (@roccitynews).

INSIDE: FRIDAY, JUNE 23 �� 4 FEATURE: TIERNEY SUTTON

SATURDAY, JUNE 24 �� 8 FEATURE: BARBRA LICA

SUNDAY, JUNE 25 �� 12 FEATURE: HOLOPHONOR

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 COVER DESIGN BY JUSTYN IANNUCCI

MONDAY, JUNE 26 �� 14 FEATURE: MIGUEL ZENÓN

TUESDAY, JUNE 27 �� 18 FEATURE: POSTMODERN JUKEBOX

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28 �� 20 FEATURE: MARCIA BALL

THURSDAY, JUNE 29 �� 24 FEATURE: MANUEL VALERA

FRIDAY, JUNE 30 �� 28 FEATURE: BINKER & MOSES

SATURDAY, JULY 1 �� 30 FEATURE: DONNY MCCASLIN

VENUE MAP �� 16 Read this publication online at: ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM or download a PDF of it to your tablet or mobile device at: ISSUU.COM/ROCCITYNEWS

INTERIOR DESIGN BY RYAN WILLIAMSON

Publishers: William and Mary Anna Towler 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: Kevin Fuller, Justyn Iannucci Advertising department ads@rochester-citynews.com New sales development: Betsy Matthews Sales representatives: Christine Kubarycz, Tracey Mykins, David White, William Towler Operations/Circulation kstathis@rochester-citynews.com Business manager: Angela Scardinale Circulation manager: Katherine Stathis Distribution: David Riccioni, Northstar Delivery Jazz Festival Guide 2017 is published by WMT Publications, Inc. Copyright by WMT Publications Inc., 2017 - 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

JAZZ LIVE Don't forget to pick up the June 28 edition of CITY Newspaper for our continuing coverage of the 2017 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival. We'll have our take on the first weekend along with what to keep an eye out for during the second half of the festival. Be sure to check Rochestercitynewspaper.com for our daily blogs.

rochestercitynewspaper.com

CITY 3

FRIDAY, JUNE 23

FEATURED ARTIST

Tierney Sutton

When Tierney Sutton was a junior in high school, she performed a disco song in her school’s talent contest. Her dad was in the audience and, Sutton recalls, he had some advice for her: “You shouldn’t sing that crap,” he said. “You should sing Gershwin.” So, in her senior year, Sutton sang George and Ira Gershwin’s “Love Is Here to Stay.” Her dad was so pleased, Sutton says, he let her know her destiny: she would be a jazz singer. A jazz singer? Growing up in Milwaukee, Sutton had never really been exposed to jazz. She liked the Gershwin song, but had no idea it was part of the larger Great American Songbook. “I listened to whatever dopey girls in Milwaukee listened to in the 1970’s,” Sutton says. “I went through an Olivia Newton-John phase and a Barry Manilow phase. And then, I remember certain things that I really, really liked and I didn’t know why I liked them so much more: Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, and Earth, Wind & Fire. The hits from those people resonated with me. The word integrity comes to mind. There was a high level of integrity that I sensed in their music.” She knew she was a good singer; she had been in musicals and operas, “but I didn’t feel like I could be a professional singer,” Sutton says. “I thought, ‘What’s the point of singing cover songs? I’m not really a writer. People are going to want to hear what they heard on the radio.’” Her father, a civil rights lawyer, became obsessed with a performance by Sutton that he had recorded on a Dictaphone recorder. He encouraged her to try to get jobs singing, and when she graduated from high school, he made a highly unusual offer. “He said, ‘Instead of college, I’ll pay for an apartment in New York so you can be a jazz singer,’” Sutton says. “It was as if he was saying, ‘I’ve looked at the economics of it and I bet you’re going to end up doing this, so why don’t we skip the four years of liberal arts college that’s going to put me in the poor house anyway, and I’ll just pay for you to have an apartment in New York’ — which in 1981, you could do. I said, ‘No dad.’ I didn’t know what he was talking about.” Sutton went to Wesleyan University in Connecticut. “I got a degree in Russian

language and literature like all jazz singers should do,” says Sutton. But Wesleyan ended up playing a significant role in Sutton’s emerging interest in jazz. The head of the music department was Bill Barron, a reed player who had Tierney Sutton will perform on Friday, June 23, worked with Cecil Taylor, John at Kilbourn Hall at Eastman School of Music, Coltrane, Benny Golson, and 26 Gibbs Street. 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets are $35, others. He brought top jazz players or you can use your Club Pass. tierneysutton.com. to the campus. CITY JAZZ JAZZFESTIVAL FESTIVALPREVIEW PREVIEW2017 2017 44 CITY

[ PROFILE ] BY RON NETSKY

In the summers during those college years, she got a job singing at the Heidel House Resort in Green Lake, Wisconsin. “We did tacky shows every night, but the shows had a few Great American Songbook songs in them, and every time I heard them I liked them,” Sutton says. “Across the street there was a jazz trio playing, so on my nights off I’d go listen to the jazz trio. Everything they played had integrity. “After that I felt like I had been introduced to what jazz was, and finally I had something that I thought, ‘Oh, this is jazz, and I like this. This feels really solid.’” One day at Wesleyan she saw a posting on a bulletin board advertising for a jazz singer to play gigs at a restaurant. She got the job, and would spend four or five hours on Friday afternoons going through songs in the Real Book, the wellknown jazz compilation. PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL Even though she was learning many of these standards for the first time, “Joni was the first because her they were familiar to her. melodies, her harmonies, and her lyrics “They were in my lizard brain just from are of the highest integrity and the living on Earth, just from being in elevators,” highest quality of anybody, and she has a Sutton says. “The Great American Songbook big jazz pedigree.” is kind of the mortar between the bricks of all On her most recent album, “The Sting of the music that exists in the United States. Variations,” Sutton explores the music of There’s this DNA that’s in there. I learned a Sting, who emerged from the British new ton of songs.” wave band The Police. Sutton points out So, despite the expertise in Russian she had that Sting began his career as a jazz bassist attained at Wesleyan, “by the time I graduated, in big bands. When he left The Police and I realized that the CIA was not my destiny.” began his solo career, he hired jazz musicians like Branford Marsalis and Kenny Kirkland For most of her career Sutton relied on classic for his band. tunes for her repertoire. She found some of his songs, like “My first 10 albums were basically “Consider Me Gone,” to be “almost blues standards because it was very hard for me at its core.” Her treatment of “Every Little to find pop music that I could address that Thing He Does Is Magic” and “Message in a way,” Sutton says. “There were not that many Bottle” make them sound like they were born contemporary composers I felt comfortable as jazz tunes. about going for.” “He has that crooner thing in him as a But in recent years she has ventured into singer, and he’s got the information in his a new territory, re-imagining the music musical DNA because of how he started out,” of her own time. In 2013, she released says Sutton, who will concentrate on Sting “After Blue,” an album dominated by Joni tunes during her performances at the Xerox Mitchell songs. Rochester International Jazz Festival.

WHO’S WHO... Allan Harris (Vocal jazz) It’s easy to understand

why Allan Harris won the DownBeat Critics Poll Award for Rising Star Vocalist. Following in the footsteps of George Benson, Harris is an excellent, soulful singer who is also a formidable guitar player. And when he solos on guitar, there’s an unmistakable touch of Wes Montgomery. (RN) allanharris.com Barbra Lica (Vocal jazz) Turn to page 8 for an

interview with Barbra Lica.

Gwilym Simcock (Piano jazz) This British

pianist is like a timepiece turned inside out. He builds the intricate structure of his tunes with pieces you wouldn’t think would fit together as nicely as they do. He’s a percussive player with an ear for melody, and has the help of our old friends: syncopation, dissonance, and curiosity. (FD) gwilymsimcock.com Huntertones (Jam, funk) New York by way of

Ohio’s Huntertones take scoops from a bunch of different genres that wouldn’t necessarily go together in less talented hands. I mean, they mix tuba with beatbox. (FD) www.huntertones.com

— featuring drummer Antonio H. Guerrero and bassist Kieran Hanlon — from wowing the crowd with her own evocative tunes, like “Barcelona,” and gorgeous covers, like her fiery rendition of Michel Camilo’s “On Fire.” (RN) lauradubin.com Moscow Jazz Orchestra (Big band jazz) Russian

saxophonist Igor Butman is at the helm of this 17-piece big band that will knock your socks off. While Russia was busy interfering with our election over the last couple of years, we have successfully infiltrated the minds of Russia’s musicians over the last half century. The Moscow Jazz orchestra plays American classics with air-tight arrangements, dynamic range, and imaginative voicings. (RN) igorbutman.com/en The Nth Power (Soul jam) Although they come

from all over the East Coast, the members of The Nth Power claim New Orleans as their spiritual home. Taking the structure and feel of soul music, the band finds a groove and marries it to that deep dish framework. Where it goes after that is up to the music. (FD)

FEATURING LOCAL ARTISTS

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thenthpowermusic.com Jacob Collier (Jazz, funk, soul) Jacob Collier

is a fine singer-songwriter, but there’s nothing like winning two Grammy Awards (for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella, and for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals) at this year’s ceremony to make you an instant sensation. Collier’s arrangements can transform tunes as serious as Stevie Wonder’s “You and I” or as silly as the theme from “The Flintstones.” (RN) jacobcollier.co.uk Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz jam)

Every night, after all of the concerts are over, dozens of top musicians will head back to the Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside but they won’t go to sleep. They’re drawn to the sounds coming from the Late Night Jam Session where the Bob Sneider Trio is waiting for them to take out their axes for one last tune. A worldclass guitarist, Sneider has toured with Chuck Mangione. Over the years at the late-night jam session, he’s been joined by Wynton Marsalis, Eric Alexander, George Benson, and many more. (RN) bobsneider.net

HEADLINER | JOSS STONE (Pop) British pop sensation Joss Stone has a keen soul tone to her voice that’s ensconced in her lighthearted music. At 30, she has already won a Brit Award and a Grammy — with five nominations. She is also the youngest female musician to top the UK album chart. (FD) jossstone.com Laura Dubin (Straight-ahead jazz) When

Laura Dubin took the stage at the XRIJF last year, few in the audience knew the Rochester pianist. That didn’t stop Dubin and her trio

Prime Time Brass (Big brass band) A wall of

sound that includes New Orleans-style, big band, and pop tunes put through the brass grinder. If you can sit still though this one, then Jack, you’re dead. (FD) primetimebrass.com Roberta Piket (Straight-ahead jazz) Fresh out

of college, Roberta Piket landed a gig subbing in Lionel Hampton’s band. The vibraphonist was so impressed, he asked Piket to record with him. When she became a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Composers Competition, she caught the ear of Marian McPartland, who asked her to guest on “Piano Jazz.” Since then she’s played with Dave Liebman, Rufus Reid, and Benny Golson, and has become a top interpreter of the Great American Songbook. (RN) robertajazz.com Soul’d Out Jam Sessions with Karl Stabnau Quartet (Jazz jam) Anything goes at these

XRIJF jam sessions where jazzers and insomniacs chase the vaguely defined muse and jam. This year’s addition of the new Soul’d Out Jam Session — separate from the long-running jam session with Bob Sneider — should prove equally enticing as it permeates the wee hours of the morning with soul, blues, funk, and R&B jams. (FD) karlstabnau.com The Steppin’ Stones (Rock) When it comes

to rock music, you really can’t beat the power trio. With impassioned vocals and a mid-tempo groove, this young band may remind you of Big Head Todd and the Monsters. (FD) thesteppinstones.com continues on page 6 rochestercitynewspaper.com

CITY 5

WHO’S WHO... St. Paul and the Broken Bones (Soul, R&B)

Veronica Swift and Trio (Vocal jazz) A rapidly

Tierney Sutton (Vocal jazz) Check out page 4

veronicaswift.com

Soul shouter Paul Janeway’s unassuming mug belies the soul monster behind it. He sings like he’s having a borderline fit; a Pentecostal tantrum. He moves about the bandstand like he’s got ants in his pants — fire ants. The band hails from Birmingham, Alabama, and rocks classic world-wide. They’re broken bones for your busted soul. (FD) stpaulandthebrokenbones.com

for a feature on Tierney Sutton.

Tim Woodson and The Heirs of Harmony

(Gospel) This is pure take me to the river, leave it all in Jesus’s hands gospel. Though The Heirs sing their harmonious testimony smooth with a hint of R&B, this is the sound of redemption. Unless you’re looking for forgiveness, you’d better steer clear of the stage lest your head catch on fire. (FD)

rising star on the jazz vocal scene at 23, Veronica Swift took second place at the 2015 Thelonious Monk Jazz Vocals Competition; has led a show at The Tribeca Performing Arts Center; has played with Esperanza Spalding, Joe Lovano, Jon Hendricks, and more; and headlined the Telluride Jazz Festival last summer. The daughter of pianist Hod O’Brien and vocalist Stephanie Nakasian, Swift is on a sky-rocketing path right now. (JC)

Yggdrasil (World music) Yggdrasil may not

be a household word, but it’s the perfect name for a group that captures the mystique of Scandinavian folk strains. The band’s name originates from Norse mythology, and it’s based on the idea of a “world tree.” When Yggdrasil has appeared at previous editions of the XRIJF, audiences have fallen in love with its gorgeous ethereal soundscapes. (RN) kristianblak.com

facebook.com/timandtheheirs

FRIDAY SCHEDULE 4:30 p.m. Harley School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. Hilton HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Allan Harris Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Roberta Piket Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. ECMS Latin Jazz & Junior Jazz Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Prime Time Brass Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Huntertones Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Laura Dubin Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Tierney Sutton Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:15 p.m. Barbra Lica 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. Gwilym Simcock Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. The Steppin’ Stones East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 7:00 p.m. Veronica Swift and Trio Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:15 p.m. Allan Harris Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Tim Woodson and The Heirs of Harmony Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:30 p.m. Yggdrasil Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Jacob Collier Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 6 CITY

JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2017

7:45 p.m. Roberta Piket Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass)

HEADLINER 8:00 p.m. Joss Stone

Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre ($55-$95) 8:30 p.m. The Nth Power Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Gwilym Simcock Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. St. Paul and The Broken Bones East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. Moscow Jazz Orchestra Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Tierney Sutton Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:15 p.m. Veronica Swift and Trio Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Tim Woodson and The Heirs of Harmony Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:30 p.m. Yggdrasil Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Jacob Collier Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Barbra Lica Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Huntertones Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. The Nth Power Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Laura Dubin Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Ballroom at Radisson Rochester Riverside (FREE) 10:30 p.m. Soul’d Out with Karl Stabnau Quartet Legends Sports Bar at Radisson Rochester Riverside (FREE)

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PSST. Out of tune?

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CITY / MUSIC

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PSST. Out of touch? Out of tune? See our music reviews from Frank De Blase.

/ MUSIC

rochestercitynewspaper.com

CITY 7

SATURDAY, JUNE 24

FEATURED ARTIST

Barbra Lica [ INTERVIEW ] BY FRANK DE BLASE

Not really. I’m always trying to play somewhere in the cracks between genres. I feel like the one good thing about there being no more record stores (and I do truly miss them) is that there are no more bins. Now you look up an artist online by name and you don’t necessarily know if it’s pop or jazz or country — you just like it or you don’t. Sometimes I veer more one way, sometimes the other, but I’m always trying to combine more than separate. Which do you prefer: a large concert hall or intimate nightclub?

It’s hard to say. It’s never about the venue for me — it’s about the people who show up. I love smaller towns where there are often less shows throughout the year and people really come together as a community for the event. There’ll be a tangible positive feeling in the air from the getgo. Other times you’ll go someplace where people seem stern and hard to read and it’ll still be fine, but maybe you have to work a little harder to earn their respect. I call those “third tune” shows, cause you seem to get them somewhere in the middle of the third tune. What can other musicians learn from you?

How to wear high heels. I’m a serious pro at it. Sometimes I think I should teach walking in heels as a side career. How do you write?

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

Toronto chanteuse Barbra Lica serves up vocal jazz that effortlessly shifts from seriously sensuous to quirky and Lauper-esque charming. Lica’s delicate phrasing offers a promise as if she’s unwrapping a sweet gift, slowly revealing the song to the audience. Her voice, the way she works in and out of a song, and her sense of mood ties it all together. Lica sings from her own original, clever catalog as well as select re-tooled send-ups, like the Jenkins and Mercer’s 1934 beauty, “P.S. I Love You,” which she delivers with a sultry coo. There’s wisdom and history lurking in her voice, and it’s enchanting. Her third and latest album, “I’m Still Barbra Lica plays Friday, June 23, at Max of Learning,” won a Juno Award this year for Best Vocal Jazz Album. Eastman Place, 25 Gibbs Street. 6:15 p.m. and 10 You’ll see why. p.m. And again on Saturday, June 24, at Montage CITY shot Lica some Music Hall, 50 Chestnut Street. 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. questions, and she gave us a Each show is $30, or you can use your Club Pass. crash course in vocal jazz and barbralicamusic.com. walking in high heels. An edited transcript follows. CITY: Give me a little background. What lit your fuse? Barbra Lica: My parents were both

88 CITY CITY JAZZ JAZZFESTIVAL FESTIVALPREVIEW PREVIEW2017 2017

Do you consciously keep the pop aspect of your music separate from the jazz?

professional musicians, so growing up, there was music and singing around the house 24-7. My parents were so terribly insistent on extracurricular music education that it sometimes felt like musical boot camp, and I remember singing in secret in my room. Anyway, it was a losing battle the moment I popped in a recording of Ella and Louis singing “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” Here I am years later, a professional musician … and magically not a rebel. I love your voice. How did you develop your style?

I really enjoy listening to classic jazz vocalists like Nat King Cole, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee. I’ve always felt that listening and internalizing music that speaks to you is the best way to develop a sense of musicality, or if you’re singing jazz specifically, a sense of swing. I’m also big on lyrics. I always try to understand the story behind a song so that I can swoop and sink at the right moments. As much as I adore Nat King Cole, he’s just way too happy on “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.”

I usually hum some words up while I’m running or eating cake, and then I hurry to a piano to develop the idea further. I’ll write the first set of chords, words, melody simultaneously and then retire to bed with a notebook for more lyrics. More recently I’ve done a few co-writes with instrumentalists. I’ll sing words over whatever they’re doodling on their guitar and we’ll write a song that way. What is it about somebody else’s tune that makes you want to interpret it?

As I said before, I like to understand the story behind a song before I sing it. I find this process very visual. I’ll see myself as the star of a classic black and white film, or the song will hit so close to home that I’ll have a powerful memory overcome me. “How Insensitive,” for example, sounds like a slow motion recollection of a break-up I had several years back. When I sing that song, I can still see his confused face like he’s standing in front of me. What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you on stage?

I was playing at a theatre in Truro, Nova Scotia, and a few songs in, I asked the audience, “How is everybody doing tonight?” They started talking back at me like we were all at a dinner party: “How are you doing, dearie?” “We love your dress.” “The boys treating you well, then?” I swear they didn’t care that they’d paid for tickets to see a show. They just wanted to hang out and talk … and it was tempting.

WHO’S WHO...

THE MUSIC OF GRILLING... THE SIZZLE OF THE STEAK Big Green Egg

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Adam Wakefield. PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

Adam Wakefield (Country rock) Adam

Wakefield may be classified in the country music category, but there’s a lot more in the mix. His voice and piano style owe a large amount to soulful singers like Ray Charles and rock greats like Leon Russell. And when he picks up a guitar, he’s just as likely to go in a folk direction as he is to rock out. (RN) adamwakefieldmusic.com

pianist who has played with greats like Clark Terry and Phil Woods. (RN) esm.rochester. edu/faculty/dobbins_bill Durham County Poets (Folk blues) This

Quebec quintet plays quiet and casual with some smoky soul smoldering just beneath the surface. Good for sippin’ and swingin’. You’ll wanna sing along. You’ll wanna listen. (FD)

Classic Tracks Current Grooves Future Legends

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 RIJF, where we will be broadcasting live each day on Gibbs Street.

durhamcountypoets.com Al Chez and The Brothers of Funk (Brassy

funk rock) Second only to Doc Severinsen for most appearances of a horn player on TV (with more than 2,800) Al Chez has made time to play with everyone. Formed in 2008 by Chez himself, The Brothers of Funk are what you would hear if a rock band picked up some brass and formed a band. Brutal and beautiful. (FD) alchez.com Barbra Lica (Vocal jazz) Check out our

interview with Barbra Lica on page 8.

Billy Childs Quartet (Straight-ahead jazz)

Over five decades, Billy Childs has made a name for himself as a pianist and composer who moves comfortably between the jazz and contemporary classical worlds. He has collaborated with musicians in all realms, including Wynton Marsalis, Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Corea, Sting, and Renée Fleming. He has written jazz tunes and orchestral compositions, and most recently has reimagined the music of Laura Nyro. (RN) billychilds.com Bill Dobbins (Straight-ahead jazz) Eastman

School of Music faculty member Bill Dobbins may be best known for conducting the Eastman Jazz Ensemble and Studio Orchestra, not to mention the WDR Big Band and the Metropole Orchestra in Europe. But Dobbins is also a formidable

Early James (Blues, jazz) With his band,

The Latest, Birmingham’s Early James plays jazz and blues in such a frenetic way that he promises to knock your socks off — then knock them back on when he’s done. (FD) facebook.com/earlyjamesandthelatest Eivør (World music) “Folktronica” is the

term Eivør uses to describe her indescribable music. Born in the Faroe Islands, she developed an otherworldly voice and recorded her first album at the age of 16. Over her career, Eivør has expanded her repertoire beyond Faroese music, but she still retains a haunting vocal style that falls somewhere between that of Melanie and Kate Bush. (RN) eivor.com Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet (AfroPeruvian jazz) The Afro-Cuban tradition popularized by Chano Pozo and Dizzy Gillespie is familiar to most jazz fans. But have you heard any Afro-Peruvian music lately? This sextet is led by Alegria, a vibrant trumpet player whose skills are matched by every member of his group. With a synthesis of folk styles and jazz rhythms, this band is the definition of perpetual motion. (RN)

afroperuviansextet.com

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Maceo Parker. PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

Huntertones (Jam, funk) Turn to page 5

for a bio.

Igor Butman Quartet (Progressive jazz)

Growing up in St. Petersburg, Russia, during the Cold War didn’t keep Igor Butman from falling in love with American jazz. Butman is an excellent saxophone player with a sensuous sound reminiscent of Stan Getz. And when amateur saxophone player and former US President Bill Clinton was asked to name his favorite living saxophonist, his answer was Igor Butman. (RN) igorbutman.com

Neil Cowley Trio (Fresh piano jazz) Ex-Brand

New Heavies pianist Neil Cowley creates a tangible, picturesque vista with his trio as it augments little affectations of fun and curiosity. Regardless of his mission, the sound is lovely. More accessible than you think. (FD) neilcowleytrio.com

Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz

jam) Turn to page 5 for more information. Jerry Douglas Band (Country folk) If you

love the Dobro solos on albums by Alison Krauss and Union Station, you know the brilliance of Jerry Douglas. He’s the Paganini of the instrument, able to make it sing eloquently. Widely known as the best Dobro artist playing today, Douglas has lent his talents to Paul Simon, James Taylor, Earl Scruggs, Ray Charles, Garth Brooks, and many more. (RN) jerrydouglas.com

HEADLINER | MACEO PARKER FEATURING THE RAY CHARLES ORCHESTRA AND THE RAELETTES (R&B) Maceo Parker may be best known for bringing his soulful saxophone style to the music of James Brown and George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic, but throughout his entire career, he loved the music of Ray Charles. Parker will sing and play the great music of one of his heroes. (RN) maceoparker.com 10 CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2017

The Quebe Sisters (Contemporary country)

It would be more than enough if the three Quebe Sisters could harmonize like the Andrews Sisters, but no, they’re also great fiddle players. There’s something about the blend of the voices of sisters, and the same goes for the sound — and sight — of three synchronized violins. (RN) quebesisters.com

Soul’d Out Jam Sessions with Karl Stabnau Quartet (Jazz jam) Check out page 5 for

more information.

Veronica Swift and Trio (Vocal jazz) For more

on Veronica Swift, turn to page 6.

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Billy Childs. PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

3:45 p.m. Webster Thomas HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 4:30 p.m. Pittsford Sutherland 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. The Quebe Sisters Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Bill Dobbins Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. ECMS Jazz Combo with Bob Sneider & Mike Kaupa Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. 78RPM Big Band Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Barbra Lica Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Veronica Swift and Trio Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Billy Childs Quartet Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:15 p.m. Igor Butman Quartet Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Neil Cowley Trio Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Early James East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 7:00 p.m. Durham County Poets Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:15 p.m. The Quebe Sisters Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Al Chez and The Brothers of Funk Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:30 p.m. Eivør Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Adam Wakefield Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Bill Dobbins Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass)

8:00 p.m. HEADLINER | Maceo Parker Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre ($55-$95) 8:30 p.m. Huntertones Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Neil Cowley Trio Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Jerry Douglas Band East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Billy Childs Quartet Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:15 p.m. Durham County Poets Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Al Chez and The Brothers of Funk Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:30 p.m. Eivør Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Adam Wakefield Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Igor Butman Quartet Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Barbra Lica Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Huntertones Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Veronica Swift and Trio Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Ballroom at Radisson Rochester Riverside (FREE) 10:30 p.m. Soul’d Out with Karl Stabnau Quartet Legends Sports Bar at Radisson Rochester Riverside (FREE) rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 11

SUNDAY, JUNE 25

FEATURED ARTIST

Holophonor [ FEATURE ] BY RON NETSKY

Spoiler alert: there will be no holophonor on stage when the group of the same name performs at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival. Viewers of the television show “Futurama” may be disappointed, but lovers of progressive jazz will be just fine. In “Futurama,” a holophonor is a 31st century musical instrument akin to an oboe that projects a hologram. Here, it’s the name of a somewhat futuristic band. “Our vibraphonist Diego Urbano, is one of the most creative people I’ve ever met,” says Mike Cottone, the group’s trumpeter. “We could never come up with a band name. Diego wrote a song Holophonor will perform on Sunday, June 25, at the titled ‘My First Holophonor.’ After trying all these crazy Wilder Room, 120 East Avenue. 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. names, the visual element of Tickets are $30, or you can use your Club Pass. playing a holophonor fit. It’s holophonormusic.com. pretty creative music.” Cottone, a founding member of the band, was born and raised in Rochester. Encouraged by Rush Henrietta High School Band Director Dan McMurray, he went on to study with Clay Jenkins and Doug Prosser at the Eastman School of Music before heading to The Julliard School in New York City for a master’s degree. It was at Cottone’s next educational step, the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he met the group of musicians who would bond and become Holophonor. “The Monk Institute was life changing,” Cottone says. “I played with these guys two to five hours a day. We all lived in the same

12 12CITY CITYJAZZ JAZZFESTIVAL FESTIVALPREVIEW PREVIEW2017 2017

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

building in two rooms. We slept, ate, breathed together for two years. We had different artists to work with: Jerry Bergonzi, Jim Snidero, Terrance Stafford, and Nicholas Payton.” At least once a month, true jazz giants Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock would visit the institute for a few days each. “We would spend quite a bit of time with these guys,” Cottone says. “It was an incredibly rare opportunity to hear all of their stories, find out why they made this decision with Miles Davis or why they wrote a particular tune this way.” It wasn’t always about music, though.

Sometimes, Cottone learned from watching scifi movies or a classic like “Lawrence of Arabia” with Shorter. “It was a wild experience to have him comment on the movie while you’re watching it. He’s a completely unique guy.” But nothing compared to the critiques Shorter could offer about Cottone’s playing. “I remember one day being really sick,” says Cottone. “I had a fever and debated whether I should even come to class. But I showed up because I wanted to have class with Wayne Shorter. I took a solo on a tune I had written, and he stopped me, and said, ‘Hey, you’re on to something.’ “I was playing a different way because I was physically sick, but he was telling me, ‘You’re relaxed right now, and you’re not over thinking it, and you’re not trying to force a solo.’” Best of all, Shorter produced Holophonor’s upcoming second album. Cottone hopes to have copies of the album in time for the festival.

“We went to Henson Studios in L.A. and laid down a bunch of songs, and we had Wayne Shorter in the booth the entire time,” Cottone says. “He would say one or two things into the microphone and completely transform a take. He was mainly there to make us all calm and not overthink the music.” Now living in Los Angeles, Cottone does a

little bit of everything musically. In addition to Holophonor, he tours with Postmodern Jukebox (who will also be at the XRIJF) and has also worked with Al Jarreau, Neil Diamond, Rubén Blades, Paul Anka, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and Blood, Sweat & Tears. He recently completed the Bette Midler Divine Intervention Tour. Of all the tours and studio gigs, none of them are as satisfying as his work with Holophonor. “It’s definitely my most creative outlet,” Cottone says. “There’s a trust, a certain respect we have for each other. We play tunes that will never sound the same two times in a row because there is so much creativity, so much raw energy coming from that band.” He also enjoys writing for the band. “When you’re writing, you really see yourself in a bare state — you’re exposed. Part of you is going to come out in that composition. Holophonor has given me a place where I have a group of guys that I trust to bring things to, and they will help me make it a better piece.”

WHO’S WHO... Adam Kolker Trio (Straight-ahead jazz) Over

the last three decades, saxophonist Adam Kolker has brought his muscular tenor sound to the bands of Ray Barretto and Fred Hersch and the Maria Schneider Orchestra. A mainstay in the kinetic Brooklyn Jazz Underground, Kolker has released a string of adventurous CDs, and has led groups with greats like John Abercrombie, Paul Motian, Tim Hagans, and Billy Hart. (RN) adamkolker.com

SUNDAY SCHEDULE

Jimmie Highsmith Jr. (Smooth jazz) If

you like your jazz smooth, with a side order of funk, Jimmie Highsmith Jr. is the saxophone man for you. A product of Rochester’s Hochstein School of Music and School of the Arts, Highsmith joined the US Air Force and promptly formed a jazz band to play USO events. Since the early 1990’s, he’s shared the stage with Wynton Marsalis and Wycliffe Gordon, and has recorded four albums as a leader. (RN) jimmiehighsmithjr.com

Bill Frisell and Thomas Morgan (Guitar

innovation) Bill Frisell is a minimalist interpreter of guitar jazz with maximalist results. He wields his guitar like a six-string crayon as he free-hands unadulterated or fettered by convention. You never know what you’re going to get with Frisell, even with long-time collaborator bassist Thomas Morgan joining in. (FD) billfrisell.com

Jochen Rueckert Quartet (Straight-ahead

Derek Gripper (World music) The kora is a

jochenrueckert.net

21-string lute-bridge-harp from West Africa. The guitar is a six-string, Western instrument we all know. South African guitarist Derek Gripper takes music written for the kora and, through the use of classical techniques, brilliantly brings it to full, rich life: simultaneously finger-picking bass, rhythm, and melody on an acoustic guitar. The result is nothing short of astounding. (RN) derekgripper.com Elliot Galvin Trio (Progressive jazz) Watching

Elliot Galvin’s hands fly across the keyboard, crossing each other at breakneck speed, you eventually come to the conclusion that calling his technique brilliant would be an understatement. But it’s ultimately his eclectic taste that makes this London pianist one of the most adventurous musicians to emerge from the United Kingdom in recent years. (RN)

jazz) Drummer Jochen Rueckert was born in Germany, but he wasn’t satisfied with the music scene there. After moving to New York, his formidable percussion skills led him to work with some of the top musicians on the scene. Some of them are now in his all-star quartet: saxophonist Mark Turner, guitarist Lage Lund, and bassist Orlando LeFleming. (RN)

John Paul White (Americana) John Paul White,

formerly of The Civil Wars, intones lonely and spellbinding. He can sing about anything, and it takes on the tone and temperament of a lullaby. I’m not sure that he’s trying to break hearts or not, but just be careful with yours when he takes the stage. (FD) johnpaulwhite.com Kristian Blak (World music) Kristian Blak was

born in Denmark, but he has spent most of the last several decades in the Faroe Islands. If his solo act sounds as gorgeously ethereal as Yggdrasil, it’s because he was the group’s founder. With hauntingly magical Faroese folk strains, audience members will find themselves spellbound by Blak’s music. (RN) kristianblak.com The Quebe Sisters (Contemporary country)

elliotgalvin.com

Turn to page 10 for more information.

Fred Costello (Organ combo jazz) For 40

Red Hook Soul (Funky and smooth) Blowin’

years now, organist Fred Costello has been the boss daddy at clubs around the US and at the baseball diamond for the Rochester Red Wings. Costello takes virtually every genre, gives it juice, and makes it swing mightily. Play ball. (FD) fredcostello.com Holophonor (Progressive jazz) See page 12 for a

feature on Holophonor.

Jack Broadbent (Blues) If the blues ever needed

saving, here’s the cat to do it. Raised on a steady diet of masters like John Lee Hooker and Albert Collins, Broadbent and his guitar — and his whisky flask slide — play some of the most hellacious, stripped-down music you’ll ever hear. Wicked and raw. (FD) jackbroadbent.co.uk Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz jam)

Turn to page 5 for more information.

sweet and salty for your pleasure, Michael Blake’s tenor and soprano saxophones toot and pop over a bed that isn’t funk but funky; a bed that isn’t smooth but presents no gravel. Red Hook Soul is lighthearted and coy. (FD) michaelblake.net Shabaka and the Ancestors (World jazz)

London-based band Shabaka and the Ancestors emit a soulful, somewhat dense blend that calls to mind a type of world music without the multilayered hyperbole. The sound of a heavy message … with wings. (FD) shabakahutchings.com Zion Hill Mass Choir (Gospel) Led by the

incomparable Paul Boutte, the mighty Zion Hill Mass Choir shakes it down super sanctified from the vestibule to the tabernacle. It’ll be nice to hear some gospel thrown in the XRIJF mix. (FD) zionhill.org

Red Hook Soul. PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

3:45 p.m. ECMS Vintage Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 4:00 p.m. Zion Hill Mass Choir Lyric Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 4:30 p.m. Glenelg HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. Glenelg HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Shabaka and the Ancestors Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Kristian Blak Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. ESM Jazz Honors Unit 1 Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Penfield Rotary Big Band Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Jack Broadbent Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Holophonor Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Bill Frisell and Thomas Morgan Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:15 p.m. Derek Gripper Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. The Quebe Sisters Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Elliot Galvin Trio Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Jimmie Highsmith Jr. Fusion Stage (FREE) 7:00 p.m. Adam Kolker Trio Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:15 p.m. Shabaka and the Ancestors Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Fred Costello Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:30 p.m. Jochen Rueckert Quartet Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. John Paul White Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Kristian Blak Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 8:30 p.m. Red Hook Soul Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Elliot Galvin Trio Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Jimmie Highsmith Jr. Fusion Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. The Quebe Sisters Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Bill Frisell and Thomas Morgan Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:15 p.m. Adam Kolker Trio Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Fred Costello Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:30 p.m. Jochen Rueckert Quartet Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. John Paul White Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Derek Gripper Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Jack Broadbent Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Red Hook Soul Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Holophonor Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Ballroom at Radisson Rochester Riverside (FREE) rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 13

MONDAY, JUNE 26

FEATURED ARTIST

Miguel Zenón [ PROFILE ] BY RON NETSKY

Growing up in a working class family in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Miguel Zenón was studying classical saxophone at a performing arts high school when his world suddenly opened up. “My friends were passing around tapes of Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane, and I became really interested in improvisation,” Zenón says. “Up to that point I hadn’t been really passionate about music. That was the first point where I really found a part of music I wanted for myself.” But Zenón was also a strong student academically, and when it came time for college he was accepted at a top engineering school. “When I decided that I didn’t want to do that, it was a shock for my family,” he says. “They were worried about my future and how I was going to make a living. There are no musicians in my family. There are no artists. It’s unheard of in the circle of people that are close to me. “It was a hard decision and I did it not really thinking about how it would work out. I was going step by step. Every step I took another door opened, and after a while it just became obvious that music was the road for me.” First he had to learn two languages. “I realized early on that jazz is a language, just like the music I grew up with,” Zenón says. “When I got interested in jazz, I realized that it wasn’t my language. It felt similar to when I was learning to speak English. I had to learn little by little, word by word, and put sentences together. “So, for me, it was about getting immersed in the Miguel Zenón will perform on Monday, June 26, at language enough and being Kilbourn Hall at Eastman School of Music, 26 Gibbs comfortable with the instrument Street. 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets are $35, or you can enough that I could actually portray my personality when I use your Club Pass. miguelzenon.com. play and improvise. I think of it in the same way as having a conversation. You improvise something that DAILY JAM SESSIONS makes sense and react to what’s happening Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio around you.” (Jazz jam) Turn to page 5 for Zenón attended Berklee College of Music more information. in Boston and never looked back. Not only has he become one of the top saxophonists in jazz, but his compositions and performances JAZZ LIVE! have won him the top awards in the arts: a WE'LL BE POSTING DAILY SHOW Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship. REVIEWS AS WELL AS PHOTOS

FROM THE FESTIVAL ONLINE AT ROCHESTERCITYNEWSPAPER.COM @ROCCITYNEWS

14 CITY JAZZ JAZZ FESTIVAL FESTIVAL PREVIEW PREVIEW 2017 2017

The title of Zenón’s latest record, “Típico,”

means “something folkloric or traditional, or representing a specific group from an area of the country.” Zenón believes his band of 15 years — with Venezuelan pianist Luis Perdomo,

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

Austrian bassist Hans Glawischnig, and Puerto Rican drummer Henry Cole — has come up with a sound that can only be created by the four of them. “Típico” represents that sound and Zenón’s roots. “I made up my mind a long time ago that I want to be connected to Puerto Rico and Latin America as much as possible,” Zenón says. “I‘ve been able to do that through music. After I moved to the United States, I was able to stay in touch with my roots, my culture, and folkloric elements of my country and Latin America in general, and bring it into a jazz context. “This recording was an example of that. I looked into the music of my parents and grandparents and the music I grew up with. I thought about what the Great American Songbook has represented for jazz. I started thinking about my own Puerto Rican Songbook and the songs I really connected with. When I play them, I actually hear the lyrics and I’m sentimentally very connected to them.” Aside from his own music, Zenón has another passion: to bring jazz and jazz education to Puerto Rico. In 2011, he founded Caravana Cultural. “We organize, free of charge, jazz concerts in rural areas of Puerto Rico that

are less developed and have less exposure to things like jazz,” Zenón says. “Concerts are preceded by a talk about a figure like Miles Davis. Then we play. I bring some of the best musicians in jazz, and at the end of the concerts we play with local students. We’ve started giving a little grant so they can take lessons.” Caravana Cultural is self-funded, one of the many benefits of Zenón’s $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship. “The whole idea is they give you this money with no strings attached,” says Zenón. “The life of an artist can be unstable; you don’t really know what’s coming around the corner. It’s nice to have something you can rely on when things are not going as good as they were. This can be life-changing because it can give you time to focus on things that matter in terms of creativity.” But Zenón was not just thinking of himself. “Caravana Cultural was a dream of mine for years,” he says. “If I ever had the money, I would do this kind of thing. It’s definitely been the most rewarding thing music has ever given me, so I will try to do it as long as possible.”

WHO’S WHO... Conrad Herwig Latin Side (Latin jazz) He’s a

first-call trombonist who has played with Miles Davis, Tito Puente, Frank Sinatra, and others, but Conrad Herwig has found another niche that has greatly enhanced his career. Over the last two decades, he has released a series of critically acclaimed albums exploring the Latin sides of Davis, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, and Herbie Hancock. (RN) conradherwig.com ESM-XRIJF Scholarships Concert with Jeff Campbell (Straight-ahead jazz) Bassist Jeff

Campbell has been a ubiquitous presence on the Rochester jazz and classical scene for over two decades. The Eastman School of Music professor and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra member will be hosting some of the top young jazz players of the future in this annual scholarships concert. (RN) esm.rochester.edu/faculty/campbell_jeffrey Gene Bertoncini (Straight-ahead jazz) Over the

last half-century, guitarist extraordinaire Gene Bertoncini has played with jazz greats like Wayne Shorter, Buddy Rich, and Tony Bennett. But his technique is so gorgeous, he’s also been featured with the Metropolitan Opera House Orchestra. Bertoncini excels in any setting, but he is best known for his extraordinary solo work. And no small part of any Bertoncini performance is his sense of humor. (RN) genebertoncini.com Harold Danko (Straight-ahead jazz) He may now

have the august title of Professor of Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media at the Eastman School of Music, but pianist Harold Danko spent many years paying his dues on the road with a “Who’s Who” of jazz greats, including Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. If that’s not enough, his classic tune, “Tidal Breeze,” has been recorded by both Baker and Konitz. (RN) esm.rochester.edu/faculty/ danko_harold

Herb Smith’s Freedom Trio (Straight-ahead jazz)

If you’ve heard Herb Smith playing trumpet with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, you might be surprised to hear him as a blistering jazz player with his Freedom Trio. Smith is nothing if not versatile, having played with jazz, soul, and pop greats, including Wynton Marsalis, Natalie Cole, Yes, Doc Severinsen, and The O’Jays. (RN) herbtrumpet.com Ikonostasis (Not-so-straight-ahead jazz) Led by

Moogist, pianist, and composer Kari Ikonen, Ikonostasis eases the listener into its abstract improvisation by not sinking to its level but rather lifting it up. You’ll discover you’re halfway through an odd passage before it strikes you as odd. (FD) kariikonen.com Jae Sinnett’s Zero to 60 Quartet (Straight-ahead

Jazz) Jae Sinnett has sat in the drummer’s chair with some of the most demanding musicians in jazz, including Branford and Ellis Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, and Joe Henderson. But he’s also capable of writing complex, challenging compositions. His 14th album as a leader showcases his commitment to classic, swinging, compelling jazz. (RN) jaesinnett.com

MONDAY SCHEDULE

Katy Wright (Singer-songwriter, rock) Whether

it’s bangin’ on the elephant teeth with Teagan and the Tweeds, or singing bright and insightful with the Skeleton Keys, Katy Wright is a beautiful example of the musical talent found in Rochester. (FD) katywrightmusic.com Laura Jurd’s Dinosaur (Jazz, Electronica) It

may sound like a strange hybrid, but filtering a combination of folk and funk through an array of electronic instruments works beautifully for Dinosaur. The key to this futuristic band is the experimental nature of its personnel: Laura Jurd on trumpet; Elliot Galvin, keyboards; Conor Chaplin, bass; and Corrie Dick, drums. (RN) laurajurd.com

Lera Lynn (Country rock) While mainstream

country music may be getting increasingly poporiented, an alternative brand of more subtle, challenging country is also gaining strength. Lera Lynn is a wonderful example of what happens when contemporary singer-songwriter sensibility meets Americana with healthy measures of folk and rock in the mix. (RN) leralynn.com Marquis Hill Blacktet (Post-bop, swing)

Chicago’s Marquis Hill leads his ensemble, Blacktet, with a no-frills beauty blown through his cream-toned trumpet and flugelhorn. The band is powerful but handles the demure passages with thoughtfulness and ingenuity. Hill is rooted classically, but he leaves room for modern sojourns. Feel free to snap your fingers. (FD) marquishill.com Miguel Zenon (Straight-ahead jazz) Turn to

page 14 for a feature on Miguel Zenón.

New Breed Brass Band (New Orleans jazz) you

can talk all you want about New Breed Brass Band’s deep dish, funky groove. But let me elucidate you to the wall that is the brass section. It’s an inescapable force of nature; it’s the reason you’ll be sore the next morning, whether you wake up in a parking lot or your own bed. (FD) facebook.com/newbreedbrassband

Red Hook Soul (Funky and smooth) Check

out the bio on page 13.

The Red Hot and Blue Band (Blues rock)

Featuring Bernie Heveron (ex-Personal Effects) on slide guitar and bass, The Red Hot and Blue Band proves that Rochester is a blues kind of town. The band plays plugged-in and electrified and will put the boogie in your socks. (FD) facebook.com/Redhotnblueband

Vince Ercolamento Quintet (Straight-ahead

jazz) Saxophonist extraordinaire Vince Ercolamento may be best known for his work with Prime Time Funk, but he has recently released a wonderful new album, “Inner Soul,” showcasing not only his skills as a great soloist, but also as a composer and arranger. His original music covers a lot of territory, from straight-forward jazz to the funkiest fusion. (RN) vinceercolamento.com

Lera Lynn. PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

12:00 p.m. Katy Wright Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE) 1:00 p.m. Jazz Workshop for Young Music Students with Jae Sinnett Eastman School of Music (Room 120) (FREE) 4:00 p.m. Gene Bertoncini Lyric Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 4:30 p.m. Bloomfield HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. Canandaigua HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Conrad Herwig Latin Side Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Harold Danko Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. ESM Jazz Honors Unit 2 Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Brockport Big Band Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Jae Sinnett’s Zero to 60 Quartet Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Vince Ercolamento Quintet Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Miguel Zenón Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:15 p.m. Marquis Hill Blacktet Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Red Hook Soul Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Laura Jurd’s Dinosaur Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. The Red Hot and Blue Band Fusion Stage (FREE) 7:00 p.m. Herb Smith’s Freedom Trio Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:15 p.m. Conrad Herwig Latin Side Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. ESM-XRIJF Scholarships Concert Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:30 p.m. Ikonostasis Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Lera Lynn Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Harold Danko Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 8:30 p.m. New Breed Brass Band Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Laura Jurd’s Dinosaur Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. The Red Hot and Blue Band Fusion Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. Red Hook Soul Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Miguel Zenón Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:15 p.m. Herb Smith’s Freedom Trio Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. ESM-XRIJF Scholarships Concert Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:30 p.m. Ikonostasis Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Lera Lynn Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Marquis Hill Blacktet Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Jae Sinnett’s Zero to 60 Quartet Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. New Breed Brass Band Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Vince Ercolamento Quintet Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Ballroom at Radisson Rochester Riverside (FREE) rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 15

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Avangrid Foundation/RG&E Fusion Stage Jazz Street Stage Stage at East Ave & Chestnut St. Midtown Stage Rochester Regional Health Big Tent

= PARKING = 90.1 JAZZ TENT rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 17

TUESDAY, JUNE 27

FEATURED ARTIST

Postmodern Jukebox [ INTERVIEW ] BY FRANK DE BLASE

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

Have you ever caught yourself in mid-dance gesticulation thinking something like “If only this music had a little swing to it?” The hoi polloi likes its pop, its accessibility, and its simple fun. But what if there was one band to scratch both itches? Postmodern Jukebox is that band. Postmodern Jukebox is your band. Formed in 2011 by jazz pianist Scott Bradlee, the band has covered material from numerous pop artists like Lady Gaga, Aerosmith, Radiohead, Maroon 5 — you name it — by retooling their songs and giving it a new musical style and flair. The band has Postmodern Jukebox headlines Tuesday, June 27, reimagined The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights” in the at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 60 Gibbs Street. style of the Jackson 5; a New 8 p.m. $45-$85. postmodernjukebox.com. Orleans jazz band sang Oasis’s “Don’t Look Back in Anger”; and Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” recently got a 70’s funk cover. And PMJ posts a new video of each reworked pop song on YouTube. The band is genius. Bradlee gave CITY a jingle and answered a IN THE POCKET few questions. Here’s what was said. An edited STAY IN THE GROOVE OF JAZZ FEST transcript follows.

EVEN WHEN YOU'RE NOT THERE. FOLLOW US @ROCCITYNEWS FOR SHOW AND FESTIVAL PHOTOS ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM

18 18CITY CITYJAZZ JAZZFESTIVAL FESTIVALPREVIEW PREVIEW2017 2017

CITY: How’d you get the idea for this? Scott Bradlee: You know, it’s something I

did as a kid. When I was in high school, I loved jazz and Motown, all these old types of music. And I loved pop, and I would play it in the styles I loved.

What are some of the songs that got the treatment?

I did stuff by The Notorious B.I.G., Sublime, Red Hot Chili Peppers — songs that were popular and that my friends liked. When did you see the opportunity to go pro?

artists like Beyoncé, Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion. Kevin Spacey was at our Paris show and came up on stage. What makes a song worthy of the Postmodern Jukebox treatment?

I moved to New York City and I was working as a jazz pianist. I was finding it hard to get work, so I figured I’d put myself on YouTube playing popular songs and playing them jazz or ragtime. The videos started going viral.

In general, it should be something that’s familiar to a lot of people, because it’s a big contrast when you change it. I look at the lyrics a lot of the time and think, “If this was recorded a long time ago, what kind of song would it be? What genre would it be in?” That usually informs a lot of my choices.

So YouTube helped break the band?

Has it ever not worked?

It’s a big part of it. It’s how we got a global audience in the early days. When we saw we had fans all over the world, we started touring. We started putting together these shows that kind of went back to the variety shows. It gradually grew to include all these talented musicians. We brought out a number of singers to sort of bring that universe to life.

It’s hard to take anything that already sounds classic. A lot of Bruno Mars’ stuff has a retro sound to it already, and it’s hard for me to make it sound any different.

Do you prefer working with a rotating cast as opposed to a solid lineup?

What’s one of you favorite Postmodern Jukebox songs?

It kinda makes it fun. Every show is different. Every show is unique.

I don’t think I could pick one. That’s hard. It’s usually what I’m working on at the moment. I guess some of the more popular ones like “Creep” and “All About That Bass.”

Do you still post a weekly video on YouTube?

Yup, every Thursday.

Have you performed or recorded with any of the original artists?

We haven’t yet. But it’s definitely possible.

Any originals on the horizon? Have you heard from any of the artists you cover? Endorsements? Cease and desist orders?

We’ve gotten some great endorsements from

Right now I’m focusing on these songs. I treat them as originals. I call them “originals I didn’t write.”

WHO’S WHO... Bill Evans Band Featuring Tommy Smith (Straight-ahead

jazz) He’s played with jazz, rock, and country greats, ranging from Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock to Gregg Allman and Willie Nelson, so saxophonist Bill Evans is prepared for any musical challenge. At the XRIJF he’ll be joined by another great saxophonist, Scotland’s Tommy Smith. Smith recorded his first album at 16, and by 18 was touring with Gary Burton. Since then he has worked with Joe Locke, John Scofield, and Joe Lovano. (RN) billevanssax.com;

with Earth, Wind & Fire. Sevian, a veteran of the Mingus Big Band, is a natural force on the baritone sax. (RN) laurensevian.com; alexatarantino.com Mario Rom's Interzone (Freeform jazz) Featuring Austrian

trumpeter Mario Rom, this thrilling threesome goes from sublime and swingin’ to rather angular in the blink of an eye. It’s “Blue Velvet” one minute, and obtuse meanderings the next. Fun and fascinating. (FD) marioromsinterzone.

tommy-smith.co.uk

bandcamp.com

Charlie Hunter Trio (Exploratory guitar) First of all, the cat

Monty Alexander (Straight-ahead jazz) As a teenager, pianist

has the advantage of playing seven- and eight-string guitars, but you’ll swear there are more as Charlie Hunter plays with harmonies and the low notes. You’ll swear it’s two guitars … or more. (FD) charliehunter.com Christian Crawford (Straight-ahead jazz) Christian Crawford

is an up-and-coming trumpet player who recently graduated from the Eastman School of Music. Originally from Long Island, Crawford has been known to play in the bands for musicals and in church groups. At the XRIJF, he’ll be showcasing his love of jazz standards. (RN) facebook.com/ christiancrawfordmusic Dave O’Higgins Atlantic Bridge Quartet (Hard bop jazz)

British saxophonist Dave O’Higgins has a melodic sound reminiscent of Stan Getz. His quartet — featuring Jeb Patton on piano; Clovis Nicolas, bass; and drummer Luca Santaniello — brings together top musicians from around the world, all of whom now reside in New York. Suffice it to say, they all speak the common musical language of hard bop jazz. (RN) daveohiggins.com Eri Yamamoto (Straight-ahead jazz) Born in Osaka, Japan,

Eri Yamamoto began classical piano lessons at the age of 3. After hearing pianist Tommy Flanagan on a trip to New York in 1995, she was so taken with jazz music that she moved to the city and enrolled in the jazz program at New York University. Since then she has taken her gorgeous, impressionistic style to clubs and festivals around the world. (RN) eriyamamoto.com Hot Club of Cowtown (Western swing) It can be a bit like

watching a tennis match in a flea circus when you see this Texas Western swing trio trade off licks and riffs. As much Django Reinhardt as Bob Wills, Hot Club of Cowtown is an all-star, rhythm-driven cavalcade. (FD) hotclubofcowtown.com Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz jam) Turn to page

5 for more information.

Kendrick Scott’s Oracle (Straight-ahead jazz) For some

drummers, it’s more than just holding down the beat from a throne in the back. Grammy nominee Kendrick Scott plays in an ever-moving drive, offering the listener a respite from the straight, vanilla time. His drum tone is natural and organic, with flourishes of brass interjected where it feels right. (FD) kendrickscott.com

Monty Alexander took in all he could from the local jazz and folk clubs in his hometown of Kingston, Jamaica. After moving to Miami in the early 1960’s Alexander got deeper into jazz, resulting in gigs in some of New York’s hottest clubs. Since then he’s established a reputation as a distinctive jazz pianist who occasionally returns to his Jamaican roots. (RN) montyalexander.com Next Generation Jazz Orchestra (Big Band Jazz) If the title

didn’t give it away, the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra is a big band made up of high school students. Whether they are soloing or playing complex charts, these are some of the most talented high school musicians in North America, and they are brought together every summer to play at the most prestigious jazz festivals. (RN) montereyjazzfestival.org/NGJO New Breed Brass Band (New Orleans jazz) For more

information, check out page 15.

Ole Mathisen Floating Points (Avant-garde jazz) Born in

Norway, Ole Mathisen is now an established member of the New York City progressive jazz scene. A tenor saxophonist with a muscular sound, Mathisen is equally at home in an acoustic setting or a more fusion-oriented electronic band. (RN) olemathisen.com

HEADLINER | POSTMODERN JUKEBOX (Pop, jazz)

Check out our interview with leader Scott Bradlee on page 18. Steve Kuhn Trio (Straight-ahead jazz) Classically trained

on the piano, Steve Kuhn attended Harvard University but spent much of his time playing with his trio at a club in Harvard Square. That’s where he met musicians like Coleman Hawkins and Chet Baker and began to build his reputation. He was playing with Kenny Dorham in 1960 when he was asked to join John Coltrane’s band. The gig only lasted eight weeks, but it laid the groundwork for a career that has spawned dozens of albums as a leader. (RN) stevekuhnmusic.com Vanessa Rubin (Vocal jazz) With an irresistibly lilting vocal

style, Vanessa Rubin effortlessly glides through everything from soul tunes and original songs to challenging jazz classics, like Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.” After her surprise victory singing in a talent contest, Rubin emerged from the Cleveland club scene to follow in the footsteps of great vocalists like Nancy Wilson and Carmen McRae. (RN) vanessarubin.com

LSAT (Straight-ahead jazz) This is not a test. LSAT stands

for two emerging stars on the saxophone: Lauren Sevian and Alexa Tarantino. XRIJF attendees may remember Tarantino as the Eastman School of Music student who, in 2014, stepped on the stage and blew everyone away playing

Vanishing Sun Band (Drum and bass) This Rochester band

mixes old-school funk tones and sensibilities with an urgent beat that waxes original and new. Fresh and fun. (FD) vanishingsun.com

TUESDAY SCHEDULE 12:00 p.m. Christian Crawford Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE) 1:00 p.m. Jazz Workshop for Young Music Students with Tommy Smith Eastman School of Music (Room 120) (FREE) 4:00 p.m. Monty Alexander Lyric Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 4:30 p.m. Greece Athena HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. School of the Arts Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Bill Evans Band Featuring Tommy Smith Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Eri Yamamoto Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. New Horizons Big Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Rochester Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. New Breed Brass Band Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. LSAT Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Steve Kuhn Trio Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:15 p.m. Vanessa Rubin Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Kendrick Scott’s Oracle Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Dave O’Higgins Atlantic Bridge Quartet Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Vanishing Sun Band Fusion Stage (FREE) 7:00 p.m. Mario Rom’s Interzone Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:15 p.m. Bill Evans Band Featuring Tommy Smith Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Next Generation Jazz Orchestra Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:30 p.m. Ole Mathisen Floating Points Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Charlie Hunter Trio Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Eri Yamamoto Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 8:00 p.m. HEADLINER | Postmodern Jukebox Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre ($45-$85) 8:30 p.m. Hot Club of Cowtown Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Dave O’Higgins Atlantic Bridge Quartet Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Vanishing Sun Band Fusion Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. Kendrick Scott’s Oracle Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Steve Kuhn Trio Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:15 p.m. Mario Rom’s Interzone Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Next Generation Jazz Orchestra Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:30 p.m. Ole Mathisen Floating Points Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Charlie Hunter Trio Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Vanessa Rubin Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. New Breed Brass Band Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Hot Club of Cowtown Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. LSAT Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Ballroom at Radisson Rochester Riverside (FREE)

rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 19

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28

FEATURED ARTIST

Marcia Ball [ PROFILE ] BY FRANK DE BLASE

Marcia Ball is a piano-playing neckbreaker from Orange, Texas, who tickles the ivories in a raucous barrelhouse style. Her voice has just enough of that roadhouse weariness to make her all the more enchanting and legit as her band summons the crowd with its boss back beat and shuffle. But Ball isn’t boastful when it comes to her singing and piano playing. “I‘ve always said my piano playing is just good enough to accompany my singing,” Ball says over a cell phone from a tour stop in New Orleans. “And my singing is just good enough to accompany my piano playing.” She credits her grandmother for lighting the fuse. Born near the Louisiana line, Ball grew up on the greats like Fats Domino, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Ray Charles by default. “Because that’s what you heard everywhere,” she says. “I really always liked the Memphis sound, you know, soul music, like the sound that came out of Houston in the late 1950’s — Duke Records and Peacock Records, Bobby Bland, Albert Collins, Lightnin’ Hopkins. Where I grew up, it was big soul country, big horn bands, guys like Gatemouth Brown.” Ball soaked it all in alongside a new generation of rockers with a new found freedom. “It wasn’t the dream of most parents of my parents’ generation that their child become a musician,” Ball says. “But that’s what happened in my case. The mystery of making music and recording kind of fell away. And with the coming of The Rolling Stones we figured if those scruffy guys from Great Britain could put together a band and go out into the world, maybe all of us could, too, if we wanted to give it a shot. And in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s a lot of people did. In turn, my generation raised kids with the hope that they would play music. There are still a lot of fathers out there who think they have the next Stevie Ray Vaughan.” It’s not that there aren’t things to be done, Ball just doesn’t have a bucket list. She’s grateful for what she has and what she does with it. “I’m just fortunate to be able to keep on keeping on,” she says. Marcia Ball will perform Wednesday, June 28, at “To keep doing what I Harro East Ballroom, 155 North Chestnut Street. love. I love playing. I love 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $30, or you can getting in the van and use your Club Pass. facebook.com/marciaballband. going to the gig.”

20CITY CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2017 20 JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2017

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

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rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 21

WHO’S WHO... Bobby Militello Quartet (Straight-ahead jazz)

Anyone who witnessed one of Bobby Militello’s performances with Dave Brubeck at previous XRIJFs can attest to his prowess on saxophone. Militello was playing with Maynard Ferguson’s band in the late 1970’s when his urgent sound caught the ear of Brubeck, who had recently lost his long-time saxophonist Paul Desmond to cancer. Militello joined the legendary quartet in the early 1980’s, and stayed with Brubeck until the pianist’s death in 2012. (RN)

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Charles Pillow’s Large Ensemble Featuring Tim Hagans and Clay Jenkins (Straight-ahead

jazz) Eastman School of Music faculty member Charles Pillow plays so many instruments he’s practically an ensemble unto himself. But when his Large Ensemble takes the stage it will showcase his new project, “Electric Miles,” featuring two great trumpeters, Tim Hagans and fellow Eastman faculty member Clay Jenkins, exploring the music of Miles Davis. (RN) charlespillow.com

Chris “C-Note” Northington (Jazz, blues) Steady

263 Park Avenue • 442-5090

www.baccosristorante.com • Reservations Recommended

sideman Chris “C-Note” Northington doesn’t differentiate between genres or styles. Like Satchmo used to say, there are only two types of music: good and bad. Dig Northington as steps out as a leader and brings up the bottom end of the good music. (FD) Electric Kif (Jazz fusion) With a tight

dynamic attack and blend, the Miamibased Electric Kif offers up the challenge of jazz fusion without the confusion. It’s high spirited and extremely high energy but doesn’t seem hell-bent on confounding as others may do. (FD) electrickif.com George Cables (Straight-ahead jazz) There is

a reason George Cables became the pianist of choice for many of the top players in jazz, including Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, and so many more. Cables has been one of the most dexterous and gorgeously lyrical keyboard players of the last 50 years. (RN) georgecables.com Klabbes Bank (Odd jazz) Compared to the

synthetics in this Scandinavian group’s makeup, the horns sound like inarticulate voices set together in some of the most beautifully structured chordal phrasings. Be prepared for the portions of freak out that pop up out of nowhere. (FD) klabbesbank.com Marcia Ball (Blues) For a feature on Marcia

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22 CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2017

Ball, check out page 20.

Mark Kelso and The Jazz Exiles (Jazz fusion) He’s

a first-call Canadian drummer who has played with a “Who’s Who” of jazz greats, including Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, and Randy and Michael Brecker. But when Mark Kelso leads his own band, The Jazz Exiles, he plays a slinky kind of funk-jazz-fusion that manages to be both complex and catchy. (RN) groovydrums.com

WEDNESDAY

HEADLINER | MAVIS STAPLES (R&B,

gospel) The soul that comes out of this divine lady is staggering. Staples came to prominence in the 1950’s, performing with her siblings in The Staple Singers. The group became so popular after releasing the 1956 hit “Uncloudy Day” they were referred to as God’s Greatest Hitmakers. Still going strong at 77 as a solo artist, Staples recently released “Livin’ on a High Note.” (FD) livinonahighnote.com Melissa Gardiner (Jazz trombone) The Salt

City’s Melissa Gardiner seems to pop up everywhere with her trombone: as a teacher at Cornell and Syracuse University, fronting her own organ trio, and occasionally playing with Rochester’s Paradigm Shift. She has shared the stage with artists like Aretha Franklin, Geri Allen, and Wycliffe Gordon. (FD) melissamaymusic.com Monty Alexander Trio (Straight-ahead jazz) Turn

Mavis Staples. PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER IN

to page 19 for more information.

Polly Gibbons (Vocal jazz) This lady must have

lungs everywhere — one for each tone she emits. The British-born Polly Gibbons toys with the notes like a lion playing with its prey. (FD) pollygibbons.com Ryan Keberle and Catharsis (Straight-ahead

jazz) New York trombonist Ryan Keberle has rubbed elbows with artists like Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, and Justin Timberlake. In his own jazz realm, he’s much more impactful and thoughtful while relying respectfully on tradition. (FD) ryankeberle.com Roberto Occhipinti Trio (Straight-ahead jazz)

A multiple Juno Award recipient for his work on the double bass, Occhipinti also composes and produces. Not limited by category walls, Occhipinti shines in classical and Latin settings as well. (FD) robertoocchipinti.com Shauli Einav Quartet (Hard bop jazz) Israeli-born

saxophonist Shauli Einav has a big tenor sound that has impressed audiences all over the world. That’s only fitting for a musician who has led bands on three continents. He began working on the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv jazz scenes before moving to New York City and working with top players in the US. Now located in Paris, he continues in the hard bop tradition of Ben Webster, Hank Mobley, and Sonny Stitt. (RN) shaulieinav.com

Tommy Smith (Straight-ahead jazz) Considered

one of the finest saxophonists of his generation, Scotland’s Tommy Smith blows cool with a touch of heat. And this is the kind of artist that makes the XRIJF a high quality and truly international affair. He is the founder and current director of The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and an educator as well. (FD) tommysmith.co.uk

12:00 p.m. Melissa Gardiner Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE) 1:00 p.m. Jazz Workshop for Young

Music Students with Tim Hagans Eastman School of Music (Room 120) (FREE) 4:00 p.m. Tommy Smith Lyric Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 4:30 p.m. Fairport HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. Eastridge HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Marcia Ball Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. George Cables Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. ESM-XRIJF Scholarships Alumni Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Eastman Youth Jazz Orchestra Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Bobby Militello Quartet Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Roberto Occhipinti Trio Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Monty Alexander Trio Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:15 p.m. Shauli Einav Quartet Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Charles Pillow’s Large Ensemble Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Polly Gibbons Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Chris “C-Note” Northington Fusion Stage (FREE) 7:00 p.m. Ryan Keberle and Catharsis Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:15 p.m. Marcia Ball Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass)

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NTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

7:30 p.m. Music Educators Big Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:30 p.m. Klabbes Bank Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Electric Kif Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. George Cables Hatch Recital

Hall ($30 or Club Pass)

8:00 p.m. HEADLINER | Mavis Staples Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre ($25-$65) 8:30 p.m. Mark Kelso and The Jazz Exiles Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Polly Gibbons Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Chris “C-Note” Northington Fusion Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. Charles Pillow’s Large Ensemble Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Monty Alexander Trio Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:15 p.m. Ryan Keberle and Catharsis Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Music Educators Big Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:30 p.m. Klabbes Bank Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Electric Kif Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Shauli Einav Quartet Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Bobby Militello Quartet Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Mark Kelso and The Jazz Exiles Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Roberto Occhipinti Trio Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Ballroom at Radisson Rochester Riverside (FREE) rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 23

THURSDAY, JUNE 29

FEATURED ARTIST

Manuel Valera [ PROFILE ] BY RON NETSKY

PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

Manuel Valera is a tough man to get a hold of. When I finally caught up with him by phone, he had just returned to his home in New York City on a red-eye flight from the West Coast. But he didn’t have a lot of time: he was getting ready to leave later that day for Poland, where he had 10 days of concerts scheduled. “It comes with the territory,” Valera says. “But it’s fine. The good thing is when I’m home, I’m home.” The territory he refers to consists of being one of the most sought-after pianists on the scene today. Since Manuel Valera will perform Thursday, June 29, at arriving in New York in 2000, Hatch Recital Hall at Eastman School of Music, Valera has lent his talents to a 433 East Main Street. 5:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. variety of artists, including Arturo Tickets are $30, or you can use your Club Pass. Sandoval, Paquito D’Rivera, Brian manuelvalera.com. Lynch, Dafnis Prieto, and Jeff “Tain” Watts. But it’s his work as a leader that’s taken off. In 2013, his album “New Cuban Express” was nominated

24 24 CITY CITY JAZZ JAZZFESTIVAL FESTIVALPREVIEW PREVIEW2017 2017

for a Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, Valera started playing saxophone to follow in the footsteps of his father, one of the most famous saxophonists in Cuba. He studied classical sax at a top conservatory. “I was infatuated with the whole kidwants-to-be-like-his-dad phenomenon,” Valera says. “But then I realized that I really didn’t like the saxophone. The rules in the conservatory were such that you couldn’t switch to another instrument. “The good thing for me is that everybody had to learn to play piano, so I focused a lot more on my secondary instrument. It was very easy and natural for me from the beginning.” Although it’s been 17 years since he left Cuba, in terms of music Valera has never left his birthplace behind. But his brand of jazz is a unique blend.

“It’s always there,” Valera says. “But my upbringing was different than that of other Cuban musicians because my dad was more interested in jazz than Cuban music, so I grew up listening not only to Cuban bands but also people like Chet Baker and Paul Desmond. “My father was into the West Coast cool jazz thing, so I listened to Bill Evans, Lennie Tristano, Jim Hall, and Cannonball Adderley. It was very eclectic and different. My music kind of lies in the crack between those two things. I play with a lot of straight-ahead people; I also play with a lot of Cuban people.” And Valera occasionally gets the chance to perform with his father, who he recently brought along as a special guest to a festival in Uruguay. On his albums and in concert, Valera is a superb

improviser. When you hear him, it sounds effortless, but it takes a lot of work to achieve the ability to create music spontaneously.

“When I’m improvising, I try not to think about technical things,” Valera says. “That aspect of the music is better left in the practice room. When I’m performing, I like to be in the moment. Whatever happens happens. With the trio, we’ve been playing together for so long that we’re playing off each other all the time.” Valera’s music may evoke ideas and images that go far beyond the melody. His tunes are reminiscent of tone poems in classical music. “I love painting pictures,” says Valera. “My main focus technically is to have memorable melodies. It may be difficult to play, but I don’t want it to be difficult to listen to. I like to paint a picture or conjure a memory of mine. I’m inspired by all forms of art — painting, poetry — I find that it’s not just music that inspires me.” His latest album, “The Seasons,” is a prime example. It’s a contemporary take on the concept behind Antonio Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” But it’s a view of the seasons through decidedly contemporary eyes. “The whole thing that we’re going through now with global warming, if you’re going to write something about the seasons, it couldn’t be as delightful and happy as Vivaldi’s,” Valera says. “But like Vivaldi, harmonically, one thing melds into the other. It involves, ultimately, the cycle of life.” This isn’t the first time Valera has turned to a classical work for inspiration. He has previously re-imagined Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.” Like most jazz musicians, Valera occasionally covers a standard from the Great American Songbook. But he also keeps his ears open for more recent songs that are destined for standard status. On his new album, and in recent concerts, he’s been playing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” “I was fooling around with his song after he passed away last year, and my wife really liked what I was doing,” Valera says. “She said, ‘You should record that.’ It has a little bit of world music but it also has a churchy thing. “It’s one of my favorite songs. I played a concert in Toronto, and I thought it would be interesting to play that song. It sounds simple but it has a lot of meat. It’s also a challenge with the lyrics being such an important part of the song. We felt that it had to have some sort of undertone with the bass and the rhythm. It’s a gorgeous song.”

in tune Tune in to 90.1 FM At 5 p.m. every day during the festival for our take on the day's shows

+ CITY Newspaper has collaborated with the area’s top jazz radiostation, WGMC Jazz 90.1 to bring you a playlist of our can’t miss acts from the 2017 Xerox Rochester Interational Jazz Festival. Find more on: RochesterCityNewspaper.com

rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 25

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WHO’S WHO... are many giants among jazz composers, but few rival the brilliance of Thelonious Monk. His off-kilter melodies might seem odd at first, but once they grab you, you can’t resist tunes like “’Round Midnight,” “Ruby, My Dear,” “Straight No Chaser,” and so many more. Monk was also a great pianist, so it’s appropriate that four of today’s top keyboard artists — Kenny Barron, Benny Green, WWW.OWGOODS.ORG George Cables, and Cyrus Chestnut — will PITTSFORD PLAZA 387-0070 celebrate Monk’s genius. (RN)

only an excellent pianist, she is also a vocalist known for expressive interpretations of tunes from a wide range of genres. A set may include songs from the Great American Songbook, Latin American folk music, or contemporary songwriters like Randy Newman and Joni Mitchell. (RN) arielpocock.com Ben Tiberio (Straight-ahead jazz) An up-

and-coming bassist, Ben Tiberio emerged from Fairport High School and attended the University of Miami where he won ASCAP and DownBeat Awards for his compositions. Since moving to New York City in 2015, Tiberio has played with Ambrose Akinmusire, Terell Stafford, Kenny Barron and Danilo Perez. (RN) bentiberio.bandcamp.com Buried Treasure (Rock covers) This powerful

Hudson Valley-based outfit covers songs that are, in their origin, done by classic rockers, so they are considered classic rock. However when put in the context of each other, these songs soar attesting to their staying power. Excellent players and classic. (FD)

Dakha Brakha (World music) Now for

something completely different. It’s not enough that Dakha Brakha plays and sings wonderfully wild Ukrainian folk music; the group does it using traditional instruments from India, Africa, Russia, Australia, and the Arab world. With the most eclectic array of vocal sounds you will ever hear, Dakha Brakha is bound to be among the most talked-about groups at the XRIJF. (RN) dakhabrakha.bandcamp.com Django Festival All Stars (Gypsy jazz)

Serving Lunch and Dinner Tuesday - Saturday 75 W. MAIN ST. • WEBSTER (in old church mall) 872-1237 • MARIASMEXICAN.COM 26 CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2017

(Rock) Nine-time Grammy Award-winner Sheryl Crow’s songs have a sweet believability and an appeal that satisfies the rocker in us all. Crow’s latest album, “Be Myself,” features the poppy single “Halfway There.” (FD) sherylcrow.com Soul Stew (Soul) This Toronto powerhouse is

Ariel Pocock (Vocal jazz) Ariel Pocock is not

facebook.com/buriedtreasuretheband

Make some Music at Maria’s with a Frosty Cold Margarita!

HEADLINER | SHERYL CROW

4 By Monk By 4 (Straight-ahead jazz) There

Sixty-four years after his death, Django Reinhardt remains one of the most influential guitarists in history. Who can resist a breezy, swinging style full of playful melodic flourishes? The Django Festival All Stars will transform the XRIJF into a Hot Club with two guitars, Stéphane Grappelli-style violin, and Parisian accordion thrown in for good measure. (RN)

The Dustbowl Revival (Americana) With

just the right amount of swingin’ antiquated exuberance, Los Angeles’s The Dustbowl Revival mixes its music’s melancholy with joy. Things don’t get out of hand, but the energy of two bands — string and brass — is there from the beginning. (FD) dustbowlrevival.com Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz

jam) Turn to page 5 for more information. Jeff Coffin “In Orbit” (Straight-ahead jazz) Jeff

Coffin blows his sax with a smirk. Sometimes he plays two at the same time. Either way, it’s over a bed of jumpy jazz. His arrangements are dynamically pleasing and sound simpler than they actually are. The group also sports bassist Felix Pastorius, the son of the late and legendary Jaco Pastorius. (FD) jeffcoffin.com

what I like to call a “peanut butter cup band”: “Hey you got soul in my funk.” This band is a lead-footed ensemble that goes from zero to funk to soul in a matter of seconds. Keep your arms and legs inside for the whole ride. (FD) robertoocchipinti.com/about-soul-stew Walt Weiskopf Quartet (Straight-ahead jazz)

Saxophonist Walt Weiskopf was a force to be reckoned with right out of the Eastman School of Music. At 21, he joined the Buddy Rich Big Band, and at 24, he moved to the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. A muscular player influenced by John Coltrane, Weiskopf has recorded numerous albums as a leader. He has also bridged the worlds of jazz and pop at the highest level, playing on Steely Dan’s “Everything Must Go,” and Donald Fagen’s “Morph The Cat.” (RN) waltweiskopf.com

Manuel Valera (Straight-ahead, Latin jazz)

Check out a feature on Manuel Valera on page 24.

Noble Vibes (Reggae) This young Flour City

reggae party belies its toddler status with simple sophistication and wisdom. Noble Vibes gives the people what they want, and that’s not easy. But it sounds great. (FD) noblevibes.com Phronesis (Piano jazz). Scandinavian and

British piano trio Phronesis is two parts tradition a la Brubeck, one part wrong a la … oh, I don’t know … Zappa? The band plays through its peaks and valleys with enviable expertise. A little out there, but not where you’ll wind up with a nose bleed. (FD) phronesismusic.com Oskar Stenmark NYC Quartet (Straight-

ahead jazz) Oskar Stenmark grew up in Sweden, but he was obviously steeped in American jazz. A sensitive but progressive trumpet player, Stenmark has played with Dave Liebman, David Byrne, the Maria Schneider Orchestra, and many others since moving to New York City. (RN) oskarstenmark.com

The Wee Trio (Jazz interprets pop) Born

in Brooklyn in 2008, this is a trio of phenomenal cool and insight — they even dedicated an album to the music of David Bowie. The Wee Trio interprets music through its unique instrumentation: drums, bass, and xylophone. The band plays like a mystery that merely listening can solve. (FD) theweetrio.com Youn Sun Nah (World music) If I had to

pick just one word to describe Youn Sun Nah, it would be “otherworldly” because she makes vocal sounds I haven’t heard before on this planet. Nah possesses one of the most remarkable voices you will ever hear, capable of everything from operatic high notes to Björk-like punk dramatics. When she sings, she uses her hands and arms in an upper-body ballet that beautifully accents everything. (RN) younsunnah.com

THURSDAY SCHEDULE

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Ariel Pocock. PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

12:00 p.m. Ben Tiberio Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE) 1:00 p.m. Jazz Workshop for Young Music Students with Manuel Valera Eastman School of Music (Room 120) (FREE) 4:00 p.m. 4 By Monk By 4 Lyric Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 4:30 p.m. Brockport HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. Spencerport HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Youn Sun Nah Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Manuel Valera Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. ECMS Saxology 1 and 2 Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Greater Rochester Jazz Orchestra Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. The Dustbowl Revival Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. The Wee Trio Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Django Festival All Stars Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:15 p.m. Ariel Pocock Trio Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Walt Weiskopf Quartet Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Phronesis Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Noble Vibes Fusion Stage (FREE) 7:00 p.m. Buried Treasure Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:15 p.m. Youn Sun Nah Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Soul Stew Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:30 p.m. Oskar Stenmark NYC Quartet Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Jeff Coffin “In Orbit” Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Manuel Valera Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 8:00 p.m. HEADLINER | Sheryl Crow Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre (SOLD OUT) 8:30 p.m. Dakha Brakha Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Phronesis Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Noble Vibes Fusion Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. Walt Weiskopf Quartet Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Django Festival All Stars Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:15 p.m. Buried Treasure Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Soul Stew Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:30 p.m. Oskar Stenmark NYC Quartet Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Jeff Coffin “In Orbit” Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Ariel Pocock Trio Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. The Dustbowl Revival Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Dakha Brakha Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. The Wee Trio Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Ballroom at Radisson Rochester Riverside (FREE)

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rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 27

FRIDAY, JUNE 30

FEATURED ARTIST

Binker and Moses [ INTERVIEW ] BY FRANK DE BLASE

It seems to me that the jazz greats — the truly great ones, like Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, et al. — have elements to their sound that are there to confound for the listener’s own betterment. And it seems the more you train your ear in the direction of these passages, the more you begin to understand. Tenor saxophonist Binker Golding colors within his own set of lines, allowing harmony to emanate from within the listener’s head. As half of the British duo Binker and Moses, Golding blows hot and fresh with economic bursts and fluttering flurries that fly in the face of his stripped down outing with drummer Moses Boyd. Boyd holds down the time meticulously, be it abstract or enticing forays into rock ‘n’ roll, while at the same time exploring other avenues as if to give a hint or preview of what’s next. Fortunately Binker and Moses don’t crowd the runway and leave room for each other. It’s not that the tunes are reduced, so much as the twosome makes each note or beat of each passage count. They keep the excitation to an acceptable minimum, and let fly when appropriate only to return to a thoughtful restraint. And this is so cool. CITY shot some questions over the Atlantic to Golding, and he fired right back. An edited transcript follows. CITY: You’ve been described as being both cutting edge and retro. In your opinion, which is it? Binker Golding: In all honesty I really don’t

think it’s either. We don’t aim to be either of those things, but to a degree, I can see how someone might see us one way or another depending on what they’re used to. One thing I can say is we really make a conscious effort not to be retro. I see the whole retro thing as make-believe; a Binker and Moses will perform on Friday, June 30, fantasy presentation of jazz. The at Christ Church, 141 East Avenue. 6:45 p.m. and music may be absolutely serious, 8:45 p.m. Tickets are $30, or you can use your Club but the peripheral is still fantasy. I Pass. binkergolding.com. can’t stand that. I think musicians who practice that need to see a psychiatrist. Don’t kiss a corpse. SOUL'D OUT Cutting edge? Our value system, what we take pride in, is different to many different genres Soul’d Out Jam Sessions with Karl and individuals, but saying that, we haven’t yet Stabnau Quartet (Jazz jam) Check out done anything that wasn’t done in “The Rite page 5 for more information. of Spring,” which is 104 years old, so I don’t think we’re cutting edge, we’re just trying to do a good job with what we’ve got. If it happens OFF THE GRID to be cutting edge, great. IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO LOOK, THERE

IS PLENTY OF UN-OFFICIAL JAZZ MUSIC TO CATCH DOWNTOWN. HINT, LOOK ON PAGE 2 OF THIS GUIDE...

28 28CITY CITYJAZZ JAZZFESTIVAL FESTIVALPREVIEW PREVIEW2017 2017

Is this what you were looking for, or is it what happened?

What I’m looking for is a 6 bedroom house, a Maserati, and a good dry cleaner. I haven’t found one of those yet. So no, it’s definitely what happened. But what’s happened is still great. My greatest achievements are people

enjoying the music I create. You never know who’s listening, and to that person that’s going through something absolutely unbearable — cancer, a sick or terminally ill child, the loss of their partner, job, or something else — if I can bring happiness to that person’s life, I honestly think that’s greater than the house and the Maserati; no bullshit. I suppose what’s happened is really what we were PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL looking for. We were and are looking to writing for me is spelling out a melody on the communicate and bring happiness to those saxophone whilst giving some kind of idea interested. From the responses we get after of the harmony — which isn’t there — at the live shows, I’d say it at least appears to be the same time. It’s a particular way of writing coming true. which I don’t really use for any other area How did this duo get started?

It was initially because of down-time we had on the road with other bands. We filled in that time with practicing in this format. There was also another time the two of us were booked to do a performance with a bass player, but his bass broke on the gig and we had to carry on as a duo. We slowly started to realize the format could work as a result. Had that bass never broke there may have been no Binker and Moses. What are you doing that no one else has tried?

Musically speaking, I’m not aware of another sax and drums duo that have incorporated rock music into their sound as blatantly as us and without using any electronics or amplification, but I could be wrong, maybe there’re 10 more out there. I think our second album, “Journey to the Mountain of Forever,” is perhaps at the least a vaguely new push in regards to its art direction in the world of jazz, but I don’t think that qualifies. It’s hard enough to play well, let alone do something new on top of that. How would you describe your music?

If I’m to be articulate: Black American Music, Black American Classical Music, Black American Folk Music, via London. Any of the above work for me. Even though there are many other influences in there, it’s coming strongly out of that tradition. I’d also describe it as honest and bullshit free. What obstacles do you encounter when composing?

For this particular group, the hardest part of

I work in to the same extent. Some of the compositions adhere to this more than others. I started doing it more heavily on the second album. Ultimately I learnt it from playing Bach cello suites and violin partitas on saxophone in my youth. If you play them enough, you start to see how he gets a melody, countermelody, and bass all into one single voice. It’s to do with how the voice leaps around and the single-linepart-writing makes logical sense within itself. How do you maintain your freedom while playing so precisely?

Practice, practice, practice. You work on playing precisely until it’s easier for your body to play accurately than it is in-accurately. Precision is simply all about technique. If you acquire a lot of technique you’ll eventually be truly free. How is your new album different from your previous work?

Conceptually it’s a lot more thorough and well thought out than “Dem Ones” was. Ultimately it’s completely different to that album in a number of ways: the collaborations on disk two, the compositional style of disk one, the artwork, the titles. But underneath it all we’re still us. We were looking for continuity between this record and the first. It’s also an improv heavy album as the first was. We still don’t really care what the rest of the world is doing musically. We’re just doing our own thing with no expectation of what may happen and that’s the backbone to our thought process and musical outlook. If you like it, that means we made it for you.

WHO’S WHO... 4 By Monk By 4 (Straight-ahead jazz) Turn to

page 26 for more information.

Ariel Pocock (Vocal jazz) Turn to page 26 for

more information.

Binker and Moses (New jazz) Saxophonist

Binker Golding blows hot and fresh with economic bursts and fluttering flurries that fly in the face of his stripped down outing with drummer Moses Boyd. It’s not that the tunes are reduced so much as this English duo makes each note or beat count. (FD) binkergolding.com Bill Goodwin Trio (Straight-ahead jazz) In

recent years, Bill Goodwin may be best known as the drummer for jazz great Phil Woods. But the Californian has had a long career that has included some unlikely twists and turns, like playing on Jefferson Airplane’s “Crown of Creation” album. After that gig, and before his steady work with Woods, he lent his talents to Art Pepper, Gábor Szabó, Charles Lloyd, and many more. (RN) billgoodwindrummer.com Bill Tiberio Band (Funky jazz) He’s the director

of the jazz band at Fairport High School, but Bill Tiberio has also carved out a reputation as a soulful saxophone player with a decidedly funky sound reminiscent of Maceo Parker. Over the years he’s lent his talents to a variety of artists, including Fred Wesley, Lou Gramm, The Four Tops, and many more. (RN) billtiberioband.com Bonerama (Trombone-centric brass) When

Harry Connick Jr. took a little hiatus, two of his trombone players went AWOL and formed a band that centers around the freight train blast of three trombones. It’s a funk party wrapped in a parade. (FD) boneramabrass.com Caravan Palace (Electro-swing) Mixing 1920’s

flapper jazz — complete with an undeniable Helen Kane-esque harmonious warble — with a dance club punch makes France’s Caravan Palace a sort of Django-meets-Moby mash-up. It’s sexy, super cool, and irresistible. (FD) caravanpalace.com Down North (Super soul) Seattle’s supersonic soul

sensations, Down North, are merciless, relentless, and salacious. It’s your favorite band’s favorite band. All the cool kids will be talking about this show, so get on the good foot and don’t miss this soul party. (FD) downnorth.bandcamp.com Eric Krasno Band (Soul, funk, and blues) He was

Macedonia. It only takes a short time listening to her ethereal voice to understand why Bergcrantz is one of Europe’s up-and-coming singers. At the XRIJF she will be joined by the superb Swedish trumpeter Anders Bergcrantz. (RN) facebook. com/iris.bergcrantz

Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz jam) Turn to page 5 for more information. Jon Ballantyne (Straight-ahead jazz) After

winning the grand prize of the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal in 1986, pianist Jon Ballantyne headed to New York City. It wasn’t long before he started working with top artists like Joe Henderson, Roy Haynes, Dewey Redman, and Dave Liebman. At the XRIJF Ballantyne will lead a workshop for young musicians. (RN) jonballantyne.com

HEADLINER | KING CRIMSON (Prog-

rock, fusion) Formed in London by guitarist Robert Fripp in 1968, this is the quintessential prog-rock band. With 21 members through its ranks over the years, King Crimson still endures with Fripp at the wheel. (FD) dgmlive.com Labarbera Brothers (Straight-ahead jazz) Along

with the Mangiones, the La Barbera Brothers are jazz royalty in these parts, or more specifically, Mt. Morris, where Joe, John, and Pat got their start. As individuals and together they’ve rubbed elbows with the likes of Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Elvin Jones, Count Basie, and Dizzy Gillespie. (FD) Ronnie Foster Organ Trio (Straight-ahead

jazz) Buffalo native Ronnie Foster sets himself apart from the B3 crowd by emphasizing the rhythmic possibilities of the Hammond organ. When he arrived in New York City, it didn’t take long before he became an in-demand sideman with greats like George Benson, Stanley Turrentine, and Grant Green. By the 1970’s, Foster was stepping out as a leader and recording his own acclaimed soul-jazz albums. (RN) bluenote.com/artists/ronnie-foster

Sammy Miller and The Congregation (Soulful

jazz) This band is all about the joy, like a Pentecostal church filled with helium. Sammy Miller leads this big little band from his drum throne. The joint’s gonna be jumpin’. (FD) sammymillercongregation.com

the co-founder of both Soulive and Lettuce; the producer and songwriter for artists as diverse as Norah Jones, Aaron Neville, and Tedeschi Trucks; and he’s also the winner of several Grammy Awards. Eric Krasno is now out in front of his own smoking, soulful band, singing and playing raw blues guitar. (RN) erickrasno.com

Tessa Souter (Vocal jazz) English vocalist

Iris Bergcrantz Group Featuring Anders Bergcrantz (Vocal jazz, folk) Iris Bergcrantz

This here is an orchestra without all those pesky violins and instruments of subtlety to get in the way of the drive. A diverse and fun funk factory with amazing vocals up front. (FD) communitysoulproject.com

was 14 years old when she won third prize in an international vocal competition. The awards kept piling up during her teenage years in

FRIDAY SCHEDULE

Tessa Souter is an extremely expressive lyricist, composer, and vocalist who makes sure every note and every word is ready to leave the nest before sending it sky-ward on gossamer wings. (FD) tessasouter.com Toronto Community Soul Project (Funk)

Bonerama. PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

12:00 p.m. Jacob Dupre Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE) 1:00 p.m. Jazz Workshop for Young Music Students with Jon Ballantyne Eastman School of Music (Room 120) (FREE) 4:30 p.m. Greece Olympia HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. Gates-Chili HS Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. Bonerama Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Ariel Pocock Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. ECMS Jazz Combo with Bob Sneider and Paul Hofmann Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Greece Jazz Band Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Labarbera Brothers Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Bill Goodwin Trio Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. 4 By Monk By 4 Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:15 p.m. Ronnie Foster Organ Trio Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Tessa Souter Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Binker and Moses Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Toronto Community Soul Project East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 7:00 p.m. Bill Tiberio Band Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:15 p.m. Bonerama Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Down North Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:30 p.m. Iris Bergcrantz Group Featuring Anders Bergcrantz Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Eric Krasno Band Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Ariel Pocock Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 8:00 p.m. HEADLINER | King Crimson Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre ($75-$95) 8:30 p.m. Sammy Miller and The Congregation Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Binker and Moses Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Caravan Palace East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. Down North Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. Tessa Souter Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. 4 By Monk By 4 Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:15 p.m. Bill Tiberio Band Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Iris Bergcrantz Group Featuring Anders Bergcrantz Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Eric Krasno Band Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Ronnie Foster Organ Trio Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Labarbera Brothers Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Sammy Miller and The Congregation Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Bill Goodwin Trio Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 10:30 p.m. Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio Ballroom at Radisson Rochester Riverside (FREE) 10:30 p.m. Soul’d Out with Karl Stabnau Quartet Legends Sports Bar at Radisson Rochester Riverside (FREE) rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 29

SATURDAY, JULY 1

FEATURED ARTIST

Donny McCaslin [ PROFILE ] BY RON NETSKY

When Donny McCaslin went to parties as a teenager in the early 1980’s, there was one record that was sure to be played: “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie. “I especially liked ‘Modern Love’ and ‘China Girl,’” says McCaslin of two of the album’s most popular songs. “I always describe it as the soundtrack of my youth.” By then a budding jazz saxophonist, McCaslin could never have imagined that three decades later he would become a major part of the “soundtrack” of “Blackstar,” Bowie’s final album. McCaslin’s involvement with Bowie began in 2014 when Bowie asked Grammy-winning jazz orchestra leader Maria Schneider to collaborate on an arrangement for his song “Sue (Or in a Season of Crime).” McCaslin, a saxophonist in Schneider’s band, was tapped for a solo that weaves in and out through the seven-and-a-half minute cut. “I was approaching improvising over that song with my own aesthetic. I wasn’t trying to play a rock solo at all,” McCaslin says. “That version of the song is so epic. It was such a thrill to play on that. When we recorded it, I didn’t know they were going to use the whole thing. I just thought it would be a little ornamentation of sax here and there. When I heard it back, it was from start to finish.” When McCaslin was growing up in Santa Cruz,

his dad, a vibraphonist (who is 90 and still playing), would bring him along to gigs. “I would sit on a chair on the bandstand and listen,” McCaslin says. “That was my exposure to jazz music.” His dad’s band played everything from Great American Songbook tunes to funk songs like “Mustang Sally.” At the age of 12, McCaslin made an impulsive decision: he would like to play tenor saxophone. His dad not only lined up lessons with the sax player in his band, he also jammed with his son. “There was an area behind my mother’s house with barns full of chickens, rabbits, and goats,” McCaslin says. “My dad would set up his portable keyboard and accompany me. The first song I learned was ‘Tequila,’ and I was learning Ellington songs. Sometimes it lasted 15 minutes, and sometimes it went on for hours.” When he was a beginner, his dad let him sit in with his band. And he made sure McCaslin attended a high school Donny McCaslin will perform Saturday, July 1, at with an excellent music program. It Xerox Auditorium at Xerox Plaza, 100 South Clinton all paid off in a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston. Avenue. 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets are $30, or you “I was in Santa Cruz playing can use your Club Pass. donnymccaslin.com. all the time, and there were a lot of great young musicians, but Berklee took that up to a stratospheric level,” McCaslin says. “There were so many great saxophone players. It was a shock, but it was a great shock to go there

30 30CITY CITYJAZZ JAZZFESTIVAL FESTIVALPREVIEW PREVIEW2017 2017

because it really motivated me to work harder.” Over the next three decades, McCaslin

played with Steps Ahead, Dave Douglas, and many others, eventually establishing his role as a leader. In 2014, with a dozen albums behind him, McCaslin was on stage at 55 Bar in Manhattan when he looked out into the audience and saw Bowie. After his work on “Sue,” Schneider had encouraged Bowie to collaborate further with McCaslin, so he was checking out the saxophonist’s band. “It’s an intimate room. It’s hard to hide there,” McCaslin says. “I saw him out of the corner of my eye. My approach was not to think much about it, just concentrate on the music. I was a little bit nervous, but I tried to just be in the moment musically.” Bowie liked what he heard and worked with the group in recording PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL sessions from January to March 2015. “He was a wonderful “It was really devastating emotionally,” person,” says McCaslin. “He made me feel at ease McCaslin says. “I was very upset and it was hard to navigate through everything.” He right away. It’s not easy to do that because he’s knew Bowie was sick but, “he was writing new not just a rock star, he’s a cultural icon. But he music and we were planning on making a new couldn’t have been warmer.” record. I don’t think he thought of ‘Blackstar’ It wasn’t never a question of accommodating as his last record.” Bowie. “He wanted us to do what we do. When During the recording process, McCaslin we started recording ‘Blackstar,’ the trust he put had been concentrating on the music, not the in us playing his music — it was a thrill.” foreboding words. “In retrospect, I think of that Bowie had sent demos to McCaslin who now with the mortality in the lyrics.” created mini scores for each tune. Eventually he McCaslin’s involvement with Bowie has started hearing horn lines, counterpoint, and expanded his audience, which now includes harmonies that led to orchestrations. His quartet many Bowie fans. Signing CDs after gigs and got together and played through the songs before meeting them has been helpful in processing the sessions. “There was already great chemistry in my band,” all the emotion around Bowie’s death. “It was such a privilege to meet so many says McCaslin. “To David’s credit, he stepped right into that and started singing and playing guitar with people who loved him so much,” McCaslin says. Now his own shows are linked to Bowie. us. I remember on ‘Lazarus,’ I was looking directly at him and feeling the energy and conviction he was “There’s always a Bowie component, and it’s most often ‘Blackstar.’ I love his music, and in singing with. It gave me chills.” this last year and a half, I’ve found different tunes that I love to play and I feel are meaningful and a Two days after “Blackstar” was released, Bowie, good fit for the band.” who had been suffering from cancer, died.

WHO’S WHO... Alana Davis (Vocal jazz) In the late 1990’s,

Alana Davis had a pop hit with her rendition of Ani DiFranco’s “32 Flavors.” But that was just scratching the surface of Davis’s vocal abilities. Raised by a jazz singer (her mother, Anna Schofield) and pianist (her father, Walter Davis Jr.), Davis has the chops to go wherever she decides to take her vocal gift. (RN) alanadavis.com Balkun Brothers (Blues rock) Like Muddy

FRIDAY SCHEDULE

avant-garde music and are now making their own contributions to the genre. (RN) gardnilssen.com The Hooligans: The Musicians of Bruno Mars

(Pop) Seeing as how Bruno Mars’s stage antics remind me of a modern James Brown, here’s your chance to dig (sans Mars) the BM horns aplenty along with the instruments that make up the seven-piece, crackerjack band. (FD) brunomars.com

waters waiting for the Mothership, this duo plays broke-down Southern-fried blues, funked up and fortified with some psychedelia and a savage back beat. Sweaty, greasy, and rockin’. (FD) balkunbrothers.com Benny Green (Straight-ahead jazz) Pianist

Benny Green was a teenager when he started playing in a band with veteran bassist Chuck Israels. After the inevitable move to New York City, Green worked with Betty Carter, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, and many others. His greatest endorsement came in 1993 when the great Oscar Peterson selected Green as the first recipient of the City of Toronto’s Glenn Gould International Protégé Prize in Music. (RN) bennygreenmusic.com Bonerama (Trombone-centric brass) For more

on Bonerama, check out page 29.

Colin James (Blues) Canadian singer and

guitarist Colin James plays blues rock in the style of fellow Canadian slinger Jeff Healey. Although he’s a good lookin’ fella, it seems most of his songs have him being done some wrong. (FD) colinjames.com Cynthia Sayer (Jazz banjo) Ten years in Woody

Allen’s New Orleans Jazz Band has honed sharp jazz banjo plucker Cynthia Sayer’s swing chops. She doesn’t stop there; Sayer ventures out of the swing idiom to syncopated sojourns that astound. (FD) cynthiasayer.com Danielle Ponder and The Tomorrow People

(Heavy soul) Like Etta James wielding a flamethrower, Danielle Ponder positively roars as she tackles funk, soul, and hip-hop with a socially conscious agenda. The band’s shows frequently sell out, leaving the audience spent. Power to the people. (FD) daniellepondermusic.com Donny McCaslin Group (Straight-ahead jazz)

International Orange (Jazz jam) this New York

band jams, swirls, and sanctifies. It plays with authority and resolve, and keep it a little more condensed than many that crowd the genre. (FD) internationalorange.band

Jam Sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz jam)

Turn to page 28 for more information.

John Labarbera Big Band (Big band) This

show celebrates 100 years of Buddy Rich, a pioneer La Barbera has worked closely with, along with Woody Herman, Count Basie, and Dizzy Gillespie (to name a precious few). A big band on the Kilbourn stage? Playing “Caravan”? That’s what I’m talking about. (FD) johnlabarbera.com The Majestics (Reggae) With the lazy

lope and precise punch on the one-drop, Rochester reggae rockers in The Majestics are back for their second XRIJF appearance. You may remember the band as Bahama Mama back in the 1900’s and as The Lawnmowers in this century. (FD) facebook. com/majesticsreggae Matthew Stevens (Straight-ahead jazz) In-

demand Canadian guitarist and sideman Matthew Stevens has some of the most enlightened chord phrasings you’ll ever come across. He can let fly with a honeyed flurry, but it’s his chordal structure that’ll surely knock you out. What can’t the guitar do? (FD)

For more on McCaslin, turn to the feature on page 30.

mattstevensmusic.com

Gard Nilssen’s Acoustic Unity (Avant-garde

Sammy Miller & The Congregation (Soulful

jazz) If you wonder where the cutting-edge in jazz is currently located, you might try Norway. That’s where drummer Gard Nilssen and his compatriots are stirring up a storm of free improvisation. Nilssen, saxophonist André Roligheten and bassist Petter Eldh have obviously absorbed American and European

jazz) For a bio, turn to page 29.

Tessa Souter (Vocal jazz) You can find more

information on page 29.

Toronto Community Soul Project (Funk)

Check out the band’s bio on page 29.

Colin James. PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

4:30 p.m. Charles Finney School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m. Monroe Community College Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m. The Majestics Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m. Benny Green Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. ESM Honors Performance Unit 3 Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 6:00 p.m. New Energy Jazz Orchestra Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (FREE) 6:00 p.m. Sammy Miller and The Congregation Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. Matthew Stevens Wilder Room ($30 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m. John La Barbera Big Band Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 6:15 p.m. Cynthia Sayer Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 6:30 p.m. Donny McCaslin Group Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 6:45 p.m. Tessa Souter Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 7:00 p.m. Balkun Brothers East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 7:00 p.m. Danielle Ponder and The Tomorrow People Midtown Stage (FREE) 7:00 p.m. International Orange Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 7:15 p.m. The Majestics Harro East Ballroom ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Toronto Community Soul Project Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 7:30 p.m. Gard Nilssen’s Acoustic Unity Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 7:30 p.m. Alana Davis Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 7:45 p.m. Benny Green Hatch Recital Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 8:30 p.m. Bonerama Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 8:45 p.m. Tessa Souter Christ Church ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. Donny McCaslin Group Xerox Auditorium ($30 or Club Pass) 9:00 p.m. The Hooligans Midtown Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. Colin James East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE) 9:00 p.m. John Labarbera Big Band Kilbourn Hall ($35 or Club Pass) 9:15 p.m. International Orange Little Theatre ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Toronto Community Soul Project Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 9:30 p.m. Gard Nilssen’s Acoustic Unity Lutheran Church of the Reformation ($30 or Club Pass) 9:30 p.m. Alana Davis Squeezers Stage at Anthology ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Cynthia Sayer Max of Eastman Place ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Sammy Miller and The Congregation Montage Music Hall ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Bonerama Rochester Regional Health Big Tent ($30 or Club Pass) 10:00 p.m. Matthew Stevens Wilder Room ($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 2017