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Footing the free college bill
Americans generally have a poor understanding of how higher education is financed and start their own planning too late.
Jazz Fest 2016, Day 5: Ron reviews Nacka Forum and Christine Tobin
When I entered Kilbourn Hall a bit late for the Nacka Forum concert, saxophonist Jonas Kullhammar was in the middle of a solo. He wasn’t playing the sax, though; he was doing a deadpan, funny monologue about his desperation to move to the United States. He said he would have to marry someone, and it…
Jazz Fest 2016, Day 5: Frank reviews Bria Skonberg, plays a show, and ends the night with the Dan Brubeck Quartet
[IMAGE-1] Despite her sunny looks, Bria Skonberg harbors a little darkness. She played around in minor keys, and introduced me to my new favorite tune, Sidney Bechet’s “Egyptian Fantasy.” The way she worked around its haunting Duke Ellington-esque elegance was tres cool. I couldn’t make up my mind if I liked her horn playing or…
Child lead numbers up from last year, but down overall
More Monroe County children tested positive for exposure to lead last year than the year prior according to results released today, but the numbers are far below where they were a decade ago.
Jazz Fest 2016, Day 4: Frank reviews Gwyneth Herbert, The Revelers, and Bill Kirchen
For me, the sound in Christ Church has sucked, and it’s sucked for years: relegated to a kick drum-induced boom-a-thon and vocals that were so reverb-drenched that they sounded backwards. It’s never been the soundman’s fault; it’s just the big room. Well I’m here to tell ya, that’s all changed with Gwyneth Herbert’s positively riveting…
Craviso apparently the new CEO for the RPO
It appears that the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s interim president and chief executive officer, Ralph Craviso, has stepped into the position permanently. There has not yet been an official announcement from the RPO, but in a letter to donors dated June 23, Craviso wrote, “As the next leader of this great organization, I promise to uphold…
Jazz Fest 2016, Day 3: Ron reviews Eldar, Pedrito Martinez, and Arild Andersen
Just about every pianist I’ve seen at Hatch Hall over the years has been excellent, but Eldar is in a class by himself. He’s the Vladimir Horowitz of jazz, or for the younger generation, let’s say Lang Lang. The point is, Eldar is one of the world’s greatest pianists — and we had him all…
Jazz Fest 2016, Day 4: Ron reviews Lizz Wright, Moscow Jazz Orchestra, and Mika Pohjola
Lizz Wright had the sold-out Harro East Ballroom crowd in the palm of her hand Monday night. Maybe it was because, with the room’s large windows, there is no way to turn the house lights off while it’s still light outside. She could see the audience, so Wright engaged with it throughout her show. She…
Jazz Fest 2016, Day 3: Frank reviews John Abercrombie, The Majestics, Madeleine McQueen, and Charles Ruggiero
Okay, so I’m paraphrasing here, but my “what for,” “why is,” and “when by” of jazz was serendipitously solved by guitarist John Abercrombie. During his 10 p.m. slot to a packed and lively crowd at the Montage Music Hall, he said, “I don’t like to know where I’m going. That’s why I play jazz.” But…
Jazz Fest 2016, Day 2: Ron reviews Makoto Ozone and Tommy Smith, Jon Ballantyne, and Phil Robson Trio
About three-quarters of the way through their energetic set at Kilbourn Hall, Tommy Smith aimed his tenor saxophone right into the open lid of Makoto Ozone’s grand piano. The sounds that came out for the next several minutes were magical. Smith, who had a gorgeous tone and a voluminous dynamic range, played clusters of notes…
Jazz Fest 2016, Day 2: Frank reviews Kandace Springs, misses Erykah Badu, and makes it to Junior Brown
I said it was all about Junior Brown, and that’s precisely how things rolled out for day two of the Jazz Fest. Weather-wise it was the kind of conditions that weathermen take credit for. And inside, it threatened to get hot since the buzz was buzzin’ for Nashville’s super-afroed lady at the keys, Kandace Springs.…
Jazz Fest 2016, Day 1: Frank reviews Grace Potter, Fitz and The Tantrums, and Davina and The Vagabonds
It was crazy, I tell ya. People were everywhere in the beautifully controlled chaos. Opening day: Jazz Fest 2016. Be still my beating heart as it keeps time with the rat-a-tat-tat of my rickety keyboard as I type away this report from the frontline. John Mooney and Bluesiana kicked off my musical intake on the…
Jazz Fest 2016, Day 1: Ron reviews Scofield-Lovano Quartet, Mikkel Ploug’s Equilibrium, and Paul Hofmann
The Scofield-Lovano Quartet got right down to business at Xerox Auditorium Friday night. The two stars — guitarist John Scofield and saxophonist Joe Lovano — walked onto the stage, along with the excellent rhythm section of Ben Street (bass) and Bill Stewart (drums), and launched into Lovano’s “Symbolism.” Scofield played gorgeously, even slipping into some…
Jazz Fest 2016: Other music happening downtown
Throughout the nine days of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, several other Rochester venues will take advantage of the wandering crowds still looking for more music, and will host their own mini-festivals. While they are not affiliated in any way with the XRIJF, Abilene Bar and Lounge (153 Liberty Pole Way), Bernunzio Uptown Music…
Film review: “Finding Dory”
Thirteen years after the mega-blockbuster “Finding Nemo,” Pixar dives back into the ocean to fill in the bittersweet backstory of the forgetful, perpetually optimistic blue tang fish, Dory (once again wonderfully voiced by Ellen DeGeneres). And while the studio’s animated fish saga wasn’t exactly crying out for another chapter, the result is as delightful and…
Brandie Posey may be salty, but she’s got heart
Comedian Brandie Posey calls herself “20 percent white trash,” which, she adds, is the perfect percent to be. A ska kid from Maryland — and current resident of a double-wide mobile home in Los Angeles — Posey, with bright blue hair and an unflinching, no-sacred-ground approach to comedy, won’t dodge anything onstage, including the death…
Jazz Fest 2016: What’s FREE at the fest
The Xerox Rochester International JazzFestivalis already great because of the musicians that will be there, but it’s even better when some of those shows are free. Although tickets are required for admission into the Club Pass shows and Kodak Hall, there are seven venues and 100 shows open to the public at no cost –…
Superintendent search continues
Rochester school board members have been sent back into “search” mode after negotiations with its choice for superintendent broke down. The board had selected Ithaca Superintendent Luvelle Brown, to fill the position vacated by Bolgen Vargas at the end of last year. But in a statement released earlier today, the board said that it had…
Mayor halts Cobbs Hill project
On the heels of growing protests against a proposed apartment complex at the edge of Cobbs Hill Park, Mayor Lovely Warren is asking the developer to submit a new design. Rochester Management had wanted to replace six one-story senior housing apartment buildings at 645 Norris Drive with two four-story buildings, each having 52 units. Neighbors…
Eastman exhibit celebrates centennial of National Parks
A century ago, the United States created the National Park Service to preserve some of the continent’s most breathtaking wild spaces. Over time, the wilderness has also become a tourist playground. In celebration of this anniversary, the George Eastman Museum is hosting “Photography and America’s National Parks,” an exhibition of images and materials that explore…
THEATER | “Avenue Q”
Mix “Sesame Street” with some R-rated humor and you’ll get the Tony Award-winning musical “Avenue Q,” which opened Bristol Valley Theater’s summer season on June 16 and continues through this weekend. A play incorporating both puppets and live actors, the production is a no-holds-barred comedy about the struggles of city living, and adjusting to adulthood…
ART | “Explorations: A Visual Conversation”
Arena Art Group’s “Explorations: A Visual Conversation” exhibition is bringing the Rochester arts and deaf communities together through paintings, mixed media, photographs, installations, and sculptures at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Dyer Arts Center this the summer. “Explorations” challenged the featured artists to relate their own cultural norms to other communities through their artwork. Arena…
ART | “Sweet as Summer”
“Sweet as Summer,” an exhibition at Gallery 384, is appropriately named. The show includes sculptures by Richard Harvey, photography by Dan Gallagher, and oil paintings by Dunstan Luke that portray the natural beauty of summer. Gallagher’s photography is printed on pieces of polished metal and feature vividly colored takes on the natural world; Luke’s oil…
SPECIAL EVENT | Rochester LowBrow: Panty Raid
Rochester LowBrow is all about presenting a variety of free spirited, nonconformist entertainment, like the upcoming interactive cabaret show: Panty Raid. The performance includes sword swallowing with Riley Schillaci – only a handful of people still practice sword swallowing — sideshow acts with Arlowe Price of Savage Buffalo, Ruby Sparkles’s provocative Burlesque dancing, belly dancing,…
COUNTRY | Miranda Lambert
Albums like “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and “Revolution” quickly established Miranda Lambert as one of the bad girls of country music: spinning tales of revenge, firearms, and hard living. Lambert’s latest record, “Platinum,” moves her even further up the pole when it won a Grammy Award for Best Country Album. The LP shows why the Texan is…
POP ROCK | Panic! At The Disco
If you ask Panic! At The Disco and its tour-partner, Weezer, about tumultuous changes, they’d probably hand you a book on it. The former emo pop titan (now with frontman and vocalist Brendon Urie as the last of the original lineup) has changed sound from album to album, with the latest, “Death of a Bachelor,”…
FUNK | Ill Doots
“The bigger they are, the harder they fall” can easily apply to the rhymes and funk jams of Philadelphia rap-funk-jam band Ill Doots. The band, which was founded in a dorm room by two guys, now has nine members, and when the big sound hits you, you’re going to fall hard. Ill Doots encapsulates the…
ROOTS-ROCK | Woody Dodge
Roots-rock roots run deep here in Rochester with a solid scene headed up by the longstanding Woody Dodge. Since the late 1980’s, this foursome has blended Americana and folk into a barroom blast that sounds good in dressed up joints as well. Woody Dodge will play as part of the Hochstein at High Falls series…
MATH ROCK | Culture Vulture
Math rock is really just the base to the proggy, jazzy, funky music that Culture Vulture makes. The Savannah, Georgia-based trio — guitar (James, the guitarist, is a Rochester native), drums, and a trombone that’s run through a processor for all kinds of fun — creates instrumentals that are really just compelling, layered stories winding around…
Feedback 6/22
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. Comments of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in print. We don’t publish comments sent to other media. Inequality fight…
The Majestics are back
It’s not that The Majestics don’t care; it’s just that stardom and the magnetic allure of its trappings don’t matter anymore. The legendary Rochester reggae band no longer chases the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The band abides. And after a lengthy hiatus, The Majestics are back, Jack. Ron Stackman (guitar…
Urban Action 6/22
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Workshops explore different faiths The Hickey Center for Interfaith Studies at Nazareth College will hold two workshops. “Interfaith Immersion: Leadership Skills and Conflict Resolution” is designed for professionals, business managers, teachers, religious leaders,…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Out To Lunch”
Jon Lewis “Out To Lunch” Self-released jonlewis.bandcamp.com Following hot on the heels of his most excellent record, “Panic Rock,” Rochester rocker Jon Lewis is back in with more thoughtful, guitar-infused introspection. Now, let me be the first one not to call Lewis a brainiac, but this clever cat’s sound is smart on the parade that…
Bursting Maplewood library turns to Aquinas
The Rochester Public Library may look to Aquinas Institute to solve the cramped conditions at its Maplewood branch. It will also do an assessment of all 10 of its branch libraries — probably over the winter — to evaluate each’s needs, says director Patricia Uttaro. The branch study came up at a recent City Council…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Between The Lakes”
Justin Roeland “Between The Lakes” Self-released roeland.bandcamp.com Songwriter Justin Roeland’s music bridges the cracks between genres as if they were the proverbial lakes mentioned in the title of his new album. There is an overall beauty that runs throughout “Between The Lakes,” with the opening track thoughtfully assailing ears while sounding like The Byrds when…
Young NYWCC executive chef drives locally focused program
A modest crowd has gathered under the open-air tent in the garden behind the New York Wine and Culinary Center on a balmy Friday evening in early June. Servers in starched uniforms offer cucumber cups from blackened slate slabs and pour glasses of chilled white wine for guests in linen dresses and pressed collared shirts.…
Lighthouse Pointe is on again
Developers are moving forward with plans to develop a 5.5-acre tract on the Genesee River in Irondequoit for housing and commercial space. Lighthouse Pointe was proposed in 2007, but the town’s Planning Board has just recently started reviewing the project. The recession contributed to the delay. “This has been a long time coming,” says Irondequoit…
Whole Foods could push Monroe to breaking point
The stretch of Monroe Avenue between I-590 and Clover Street is congested and chaotic. And Brighton officials and residents worry that putting a Whole Foods store and retail plaza along the north side of this densely developed corridor will only aggravate the situation. “We’re going to have to look to see what further impact this…
Film review: “Weiner
Filmmakers Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg were hired in 2013 to document disgraced former US Representative Anthony Weiner’s campaign for mayor of New York City. Though Weiner’s seven-term congressional career had been brought to an abrupt end in 2011 — when he tweeted a photo of his boxer brief-covered bulge out into the world, and…
