Ron Netsky

Native Rochesterian Mark McGrain has spent the last 25 years soaking up the indigenous jazz scene of New Orleans. When he visits his hometown Sunday, the trombonist will lead his NOROC Quartet in new compositions and works previously recorded with his main group, Plunge. Joining McGrain in his New Orleans-Rochester connection band — hence the […]

It may be scoffed at in elitist circles, but smooth jazz can be an enticing gateway into the hard (bop) stuff. Three of the top players in the genre — keyboardist and composer Lao Tizer, saxophonist Eric Marienthal and guitarist Chieli Minucci — will be joined on the Anthology stage by the excellent drummer Gene […]

After 19 years together and four CD’s to their credit, drummer Rich Thompson, trumpeter Clay Jenkins and bassist Jeff Campbell — known collectively as Trio East — are as musically tight as it gets. All are professors at the Eastman School of Music, but when they’re not professing, Thompson has played with the Count Basie […]

Sometimes you just can’t hold a student back. Trumpeter Nathan Kay is a senior at the Eastman School of Music, brimming with his own jazz compositions, so he’s assembled a sextet to play his tunes at the Bop Shop. Not surprisingly, Kay found most of his bandmates right on Gibbs Street. He’ll be joined by […]

Whether he’s playing a Gibson 335 or a lap steel guitar, Selwyn Birchwood owns the instrument. His extra-long fingers are in command, making his guitar scream, shout or play the most beautiful blues lines you ever heard. Did I mention he’s a great singer and as engaging a performer as you’ll ever see? If that’s […]

Beethoven and Brahms are great, but I love it when classical stations shift to works by great Argentine composers like Astor Piazzolla. With quirky rhythms and bandoneon flourishes, Piazzolla’s tangos really turn the radio on. One of today’s greatest Piazzolla interpreters is Héctor del Curto, who won a major bandoneon contest at the age of […]

One moment pianist Angelo Di Loreto is playing dazzling classical runs, the next Jeff Koch is funking out with his slap-bass riffs. It’s all anchored by Dutch drummer Philippe Lemm, the leader of this virtuosic trio. With its eclectic repertoire and unpredictable turns, if I had to compare the band to a better-known group, it […]