Over the decades, Brian Charette has brought his soulful Hammond B-3 organ sound to a wide variety of artists, ranging from jazz greats like Lou Donaldson and Houston Person to pop stars, including Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon. As a bandleader, he’s topped the Downbeat Critics Poll as “Rising Star Organist,” and he’s been nominated […]
Ron Netsky
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JAZZ | The Rita Collective
When Rage Against The Machine wrote “Killing In The Name,” the rap-metal band could not possibly have imagined that the tune would be played urgently by a smartly dressed quartet featuring bass clarinet and marimba. The Rita Collective will not only surprise you with unlikely covers like Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror,” it will […]
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Album review: ‘Ask for Chaos’
Gilad Hekselman “Ask for Chaos” Motรฉma Music giladhekselman.com It has a decidedly odd title and only lasts a few seconds, but “prologu00001101” — the wonderfully crazy opening track from guitarist Gilad Hekselman’s newly released “Ask For Chaos” — lets you know in no uncertain terms that this will not be a run-of-the-mill jazz album. Hekselman […]
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Album review: ‘Picture in Black and White’
Concept albums are common in rock, but rare in the jazz
realm. Tessa Souter’s “Picture in Black and White” –set for release on October
5–breaks that mold.
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Album review: ‘Stained Glass & Technicolor Grooves’
Misha Piatigorsky Trio “Stained Glass & Technicolor Grooves” Natural Drummer naturaldrummer.bandcamp.com Even though many of the genre’s CD’s are recorded in studios, jazz is still primarily a live art form, with the players reacting to each other in a certain place, at a certain time. Listening to the live recording “Stained Glass & Technicolor Grooves,” […]
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JAZZ | Eastman Jazz & Contemporary Media Faculty
You’ve probably heard them individually or in small groups at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, but here’s your chance to catch the embarrassment of riches that constitutes the Eastman School of Music’s Jazz & Contemporary Media Faculty. On stage, in various configurations, will be pianists Gary Versace, Bill Dobbins, and Dariusz Terefenko, saxophonist Charles […]
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JAZZ | Mughal Muesli
Combine the name of a North Indian empire with a mixture of fruits and grains, and you get the adventurous trio Mughal Muesli. With influences ranging from Sonny Rollins to Ornette Coleman, saxophonist Xavier Del Castillo, drummer Vicente Hansen, and bassist Mat Muntz play an eclectic range of music, stretching from jazz to world music. […]
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Album review: ‘Secret Language’
Sergej Avanesov “Secret Language” New Centropezn Music sergejavanesov.wordpress.com Growing up in Rostov-on-Don, in the south of Russia, Sergej Avanesov began playing the saxophone at the age of 9. Listening to greats like John Coltrane and Keith Jarrett, he developed a love for jazz. After studying in Russia, at the age of 17 he moved to […]
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Album review: ‘Pay for It on the Other Side’
Pete McCann “Pay for It on the Other Side” McCannac Music petemccann.com Over the decades, great guitarists like John McLaughlin and John Scofield have played at the intersection where jazz meets rock, creating a kinetic hybrid in the process. Pete McCann joins that elite club with his new album, “Pay for It on the Other […]
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JAZZ | ‘Tierra Mestiza’
Latin Americans know “Tierra Mestiza” as the name of a traditional folk song. Music fans are increasingly recognizing it as the name of an excellent duo whose repertoire is at once ancient and contemporary: guitarist Omar Tamez and pianist Angelica Sanchez. Tamez is an expressive guitarist but he also plays a wide variety of instruments […]
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JAZZ | Dave Koz
A smooth jazz extravaganza will be rolling into Rochester, featuring saxophonist Dave Koz and some of the biggest names in the genre. On stage with Koz will be saxophonists Gerald Albright and Richard Elliot, trumpeter Rick Braun, and trombonist and vocalist Aubrey Logan. They’ll be joined by guest vocalists Jonathan Butler, Kenny Lattimore, and Sheléa […]
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Album review: ‘In Real Time’
John Bailey “In Real Time” Summit Records johnbailey.com Trumpeter John Bailey has been enhancing the music of major stars for decades. He joined The Buddy Rich Band while in college and went on to play with Ray Charles, Ray Barretto, and Arturo O’Farrill. Now in mid-career, he put together a first-rate band to express his […]
