Cover Story
NOTA’s renaissance
Some of the people who helped make Rochester’s Neighborhood of the Arts what it is — and what it’s becoming — say that this southeast city neighborhood is experiencing an unprecedented period of investment and growth.
Deadline coming for police body-camera survey
If you want to give city officials your opinion about having Rochester police wear body cameras, you have only a few more days to do it. Community surveys have been circulated for the past two months, and City Council leaders announced today that the survey period will end at 5 p.m. on June 30. Paper…
City issues RFP for Bull’s Head consultant
City officials are intensifying efforts to revitalize the historic Bull’s Head neighborhood on the western edge of the downtown Rochester. The city issued a Request for Proposals today for a consultant to develop a plan for that effort. One of several city neighborhoods coping with a high level of concentrated poverty, Bull’s Head “has been…
Eastman House holds community forum on restoration efforts
Eastman House representatives held a community forum Monday night to explore the history of restoration at the museum and gardens and to discuss plans for future repairs. The forum was attended by members of the public, Eastman House staff and members of the board of trustees, volunteers and docents, representatives from the City of Rochester…
Ad against wage increase is dehumanizing
New York labor officials are in the middle of a process that’ll probably lead to a higher minimum wage for fast food workers. As they’ve taken public comment over the last few weeks, supporters and opponents of a wage increase have been publicly and aggressively making their cases. New York’s minimum wage is currently $8.75…
Jazz Fest 2015, Day 4: Ron reviews Joe Locke, Eivind Opsvik Overseas, and Trio Red
When former RochesterianJoe Locke plays at Kilbourn Hall it’s always an event. I still vividly remember a long-haired Locke as a punky teenager, already brilliant on the vibes, playing little clubs on Alexander Street. And look at him now, arguably the best jazz vibraphonist in the world. The hometown fans couldn’t be more proud and…
Jazz Fest 2015, Day 4: Frank reviews Joe Locke, Blue Highway, Stephane Wrembel, and Kat Edmonson
Joe Locke’s double malleted arms were a blur last night at his 6 p.m. Kilbourn Hall show. It was if he were a cross between an octopus and a helicopter. You could literally feel the heat coming off of him. This was my fourth or fifth time seeing the vibe master and by far the…
Jazz Fest 2015, Day 4: Daniel reviews Blue Highway, The Soul Rebels, and Stephane Wrembel (again)
On Monday night, the members of Blue Highway brought a more traditional bluegrass approach to the Squeezers Roots & Americana Stage. This sound had less swagger and more twang than The HillBenders from three nights before. And while the music of Blue Highway was perfectly pleasant, it felt staid — almost commonplace — lacking the…
WEEK AHEAD: News events for the week of June 22, 2015
Coming up this week: meetings on bike boulevards, future plans for the George Eastman House mansion, and outdoor public storage. The state Legislature is also winding down its session.
Theater Review: Pittsford Musicals’ “Next to Normal”
In 2010, “Next to Normal” became the eighth musical in history to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A Pulitzer for a rock musical, no less, a genre typically reserved for “American Idol” rejects and revues featuring the greatest hits of now-elderly musicians. But “Next to Normal,” which Pittsford Musicals opened last Friday, has achieved…
Jazz Fest 2015, Day 3: Ron reviews Tessa Souter, Nils Berg Cinemascope, and Raul Midon
I rarely go back for a second show, but Tessa Souter is one of my favorite singers, so why not indulge? Souter has been at the festival four times before at three different venues. She finally made it to Kilbourn Hall. Souter does not sing a lot of standards; she’s more likely to transform a…
Jazz Fest 2015, Day 3: Daniel reviews Stephane Wrembel and Kneebody
On Sunday night, though the two Jazz Festival performances I witnessed were stylistically quite disparate, both concerts had a nonstop energy that was remarkably uncanny. First was guitarist Stephane Wrembel and his 8:30 p.m. set at the Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, where he was joined by drummer Nick Anderson, bassist Kells Nollenberger, and guitarist…
Jazz Fest 2015, Day 2: Ron reviews Joey Alexander, Benny Green Trio, and Andrew McCormack Quartet
I entered Hatch Hall — where keyboard wunderkind Joey Alexander was about to play — with a lot of questions. Can a young Indonesian boy really know the American idiom of jazz? Can any 11-year-old, without significant life experience, know the meaning of what he’s playing? And could reincarnation be real; could it be that…
Jazz Fest 2015, Day 2: Frank reviews Grace Kelly, Chet Catallo, and Herb Alpert
Before we kick off into this evening’s festivities I forgot to tell you about the Sauce Boss and his set last night on the Jazz Street stage. Well, he was on fire and I’m not just talking about his kitchen shtick where he’s rockin’ while a big pot of gumbo is cookin’ which he serves…
Jazz Fest 2015, Day 2: Daniel reviews The Splendor and Blood, Sweat & Tears
The music featured nightly at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Chestnut Street as part of XRIJF’s “Nordic Jazz Now” series is perfect for the contemplative listener. The Scandinavian artists who perform there tend to have a more cerebral approach to the art form of jazz-less demonstrative or overtly showy and more nuanced and…
Jazz Fest 2015, Day 1: Daniel reviews goodbyemotel and The Hillbenders
Paradoxically, my first night at the 2015 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival was about anything other than jazz. From anthemic alternative rock to dance-inducing bluegrass, Friday was a prime example of Producer and Artistic Director John Nugent’s willingness to program music belonging to any genre, so long as it’s engaging. And though, goodbyemotel — a…
Jazz Fest 2015, Day 1: Ron reviews Cecile McLorinSalvant, Bill Dobbins, and Music Music Music
Cecile McLorin Salvant had been singing the songs of the early 20th century for her entire set at Kilbourn Hall Friday night. But for her final tune, she decided to step right back into that era. With all the microphones turned off, she launched into a totally acoustic rendition of Bessie Smith’s “Blue Spirit Blues.”…
Jazz Fest 2015, Day 1: Frank reviews Diana Krall, David Gibson’s “Boom,” and Mavericks
I’ve debated for years whether Diana Krall’s poker face was out of boredom or the fact the chick is pretty damn cool. Krall’s 4 p.m. matinee at Kodak Hall? Boredom. She was rather unfocused and bored. Now in her defense, the sold-out crowd was a cadaver convention and it’s hard to vibe off a bunch…
Jazz Fest 2015, Day 2: Frank reviews Grace Kelly, Chet Catallo, and Herb Alpert
Before we kick off into this evening’s festivities I forgot to tell you about the Sauce Boss and his set last night on the Jazz Street stage. Well, he was on fire and I’m not just talking about his kitchen shtick where he’s rockin’ while a big pot of gumbo is cookin’ which he serves…
Your Weekend in Art: “Fantastic Fauna” and “Industrial Nature”
The days are ripe for a little jaunt to Cummings Nature Center (6472 Gulick Road, Naples), where you can take in the glory of nature’s full blush in reality and on canvas. Through September 8, “Fantastic Fauna,” featuring paintings by regional artists Mary Mullard and Anne Smoral, will be on display alongside specimens from the…
Busing vote delayed
School board member Malik Evans calls the RCSD’s transportation budget unsustainable. Board members are clearly unhappy with the new RTS proposal to bus students.
Jazz Fest 2015: Meet City’s jazz bloggers
Ron Netsky This year’s Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival opens with one of my favorite artists from last year’s XRIJF, Cecile McLorinSalvant. If you haven’t heard this wonderfully expressive singer, come to Kilbourn Hall and you’ll understand why she won DownBeat Magazine’s Critics Poll as Jazz Artist of the Year in 2014. I’m also looking…
Local lead-poisoning numbers continue long-term drop
The number of Monroe County children with elevated levels of lead in their blood continues to decrease, according to data released today by the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning. In 2014, more than 14,500 local children under age 6 received lead screenings, and 609 were found to have elevated levels, according to the data tracked…
Jazz Fest 2015: What’s FREE at the fest
There’s no shortage of free options for the frugal jazz lover at the 2015 Rochester International Jazz Festival. In fact, this year’s festival boasts a total of 93 free shows across 6 venues in its nine-day run. These venues, of course, can become a bit cramped, so be sure to claim your spot early in…
Piling on the pope
Say what you want about Pope Francis, but after 15 years of sex scandals involving priests, this pontiff made it cool to be Catholic again. Tomorrow, Pope Francis will deliver a papal encyclical on the environment. And later this year, he’ll visit the US and speak at the United Nations just before the UN’s meeting…
Arts & Cultural Council returns to NOTA
Effective July 1, The Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester will return to the Neighborhood of the Arts. The organization announced today that it will move its offices and headquarters to the historic Visual Studies Workshop building at 31 Prince Street. Following news of an financial crisis in the spring of 2014, the Arts…
Student busing situation gets messier
The Rochester school board will review a resolution at its meeting on Thursday, which may mean the framework of an agreement has been reached between the city school district and RTS on busing for the next school year. But there are no details available about the contract being proposed – an $11.4 million, one-year deal…
New light-based arts festival announced
A new light-based arts festival will take place in Village Gate this July, organizers announced Monday. The event, A Street Light Festival, will showcase interactive art and projects in a multitude of forms, coming from artists, engineers, and performers. The festival will be in conjunction with the international Year of Light, as declared by the…
Charles Owens to leave RPO in fall
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) has announced that President and Chief Executive Officer Charles Owens will leave his position on September 30, following the opening weekends of the 2015-16 Philharmonic season this fall. Owens, who has been in his positions since 2007, will continue as a consultant to RPO for the remainder of 2015. “It…
SPECIAL EVENT | ADA Film Festival
On July 26, The American with Disabilities Act will turn 25. The bill, which is widely considered the civil rights bill for the disabled, and its anniversary will be celebrated at the ADA Film Festival, organized by Rochester’s Center for Disability Rights (CDR). Part of CDR’s 25th Anniversary Celebration of the ADA — which includes…
THEATER | New Plays/New Voices
The Multi-use Community Cultural Center, or MuCCC, (142 Atlantic Avenue) is gearing up for its annual New Plays/New Voices Festival, which celebrates the world of contemporary Rochester theater, presenting new works by local playwrights, as performed by local actors and actresses. The festival continues through Friday, June 26. The remaining performances include Justin Rielly’s retrospective…
ART | “With Love From the No Coast”
1975 Gallery director Erich Lehman has turned over the reins for the current show. Through June 27, the space is hosting “With Love from the No Coast,” a group exhibition curated by Chicago-based artist and curator, Josef Zimmerman. The exhibition will feature new works by six artists from the landlocked regions of America, as well…
Scripted
In her book, “The Poitier Effect: Racial Melodrama and Fantasies of Reconciliation,” Sharon Willis, a University of Rochester professor of Art and Art History/Visual and Cultural Studies, provides a comprehensive, deft analysis of respectability politics by using the films of Sidney Poitier — and their enduring effect on our depiction of racial reconciliation — as…
Motor City country
Jennifer Westwood and the Handsome Devils sound like they made a serendipitous wrong turn on their way to the juke joint and wound up in a countrypolitan cathedral instead. It’s beautiful and ever so haunting. Westwood’s voice is sexy and strong as it applies the seduction over the band’s groove and thoughtful reserve. The road…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Summertime State of Mind”
Amanda Lee Peers “Summertime State of Mind” Self-released amandaleepeers.com She’s parted ways with the Driftwood Sailors, and the Sailors’ sound. Granted, Amanda Lee Peers’ voice was a huge part of the groups haunting, sexified sound as it stood loud and proud just a few clicks north of the blues, but you couldn’t always tell who…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Offering: The Music of Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson”
Charenee Wade “Offering: The Music of Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson” Motema Music chareneewade.com In his prime, Gil Scott-Heron was a truly unique artist, a rapper before rap, a hip-hopper before hip-hop. Plagued by addictions, he died at the age of 62 in 2011. Since then, there have been several tribute albums, but Charenee Wade’s…
JAM ROCK | moe.
Buffalo jam-band moe. is one of the most successful acts to come out of western New York. The band started at University at Buffalo circa 1989, and in the 26 intervening years has toured with the Furthur Festival, played at Woodstock ’99, opened for The Allman Brothers and The Who, and headlined two consecutive New…
SKA | Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish is best known in the mainstream for the 1996 hit “Sell Out,” whose video appeared on MTV, hit No. 57 on the Billboard charts and sent the band’s sophomore album, “Turn the Radio Off,” to gold status. However, the era of ska-revival, featuring horn-section laden bands along the lines of Less Than…
VOCAL | Celtic Woman
All-female Celtic singing group Celtic Woman will visit the Rochester Auditorium Theatre on Tuesday, June 23, as part of the group’s 10th Anniversary Celebration tour. The tour features four highly gifted Irish women — three talented singers and one dazzling violinist — with a full band, the Anotas Choir, bagpipers, and Irish dancers. The group…
AMERICANA | Hey Mavis
Simply, Hey Mavis is fun folk with poppin’ banjo and beautiful vocals. The band has been a Jazz Festival regular here in Rochester, finding a strong folk following since its inception in 2010. The band’s most recent release, “What I Did,” adds a taste of rock to the frolicking folk, thanks in part to collaborations…
Feedback 6/17
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. In politics,…
HIP-HOP | Hoodie Allen
Not everyone would turn down a job with Google for the uncertainty of a music career, but that’s just what Steven Markowitz did after graduating the University of Pennsylvania. Following the success of a few mixtapes between 2009 and 2011, Hoodie Allen released his debut EP, “All American” in 2012. His debut full-length, “People Keep…
Urban Action 6/17
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Update on plans for Eastman House George Eastman House will hold a community forum at 6 p.m. on Monday, June 22, in the Curtis Theatre at the historic mansion, 900 East Avenue. The…
VARIOUS | Beerly Legal
Flour City Station, with help from Three Heads Brewing, is putting on nine straight days of live music and beer tastings. Tastings will be held every night when the doors open and during the band’s set breaks, and all Three Heads Beers will be $5. The event will kick off with Danielle Ponder & The…
JAZZ FEST 2015: City’s Daily Jazz Blogs
The 2015 Xerox International Jazz Festival runs Friday, June 19, through Saturday, June27, and City Newspaper will be out EVERY NIGHT of the festival, covering multiple shows. Check in first thing each morning for photos and reviews of the previous night’s entertainment, listed below by date. For up-to-the-minute coverage of the festival follow City on…
JAZZ | Jazz at the Cabaret
Downstairs Cabaret Theatre is getting into the Jazz Festival spirit this week with its own hefty lineup of nightly jazz shows from Friday, June 19, through Saturday, June 27. The nine-day series will feature a night of Duke Ellington songs, a Billy Strayhorn tribute, “Blues in the Night with Doug Stone,” and “Creole at the…
COMEDY | Daniel Tosh
Daniel Tosh is a comedian for the present age. His Comedy Central show, “Tosh.0,” now in its seventh season, sources it’s inspiration from the Internet, and the humor that follows is derived from engaging with the absurdity inherent to the digital time. Although often controversial, it is the intentionally offensive nature of some of his…
FESTIVAL | Strawberry & Dessert Tasting Festival
The Greece Historical Society and a slew of local businesses are coming together to put on this year’s Strawberry & Dessert tasting festival as a fundraiser for the Greece Historical Society. Strawberry-themed desserts will be provided by Tops, Long Pond Family Restaurant, Tim Horton’s, and various other local businesses. The festival will also serve as…
Writers & Books founding director Joe Flaherty to retire in 2016
Writers & Books announced today that Founder and Executive Director Joe Flaherty will retire in June 2016. Flaherty saw the organization grow from its beginnings as a one-room storefront on South Clinton Avenue in 1981, through its move to its current residence at 740 University Avenue in 1985, and into a thriving literary center that…
Film Review: “Jurassic World”
Summer 2015 is quickly shaping up to be the season of the self-loathing, lecturing blockbuster. It was just a few weeks ago that “Tomorrowland” gave audiences a high-flying adventure wrapped in an oddly scolding tone about how the world has grown too pessimistic. Now comes “Jurassic World,” in which director Colin Trevorrow delivers a loud,…
Film Review: “I’ll See You in My Dreams”
It’s not a big mystery why Hollywood isn’t cranking out movies geared toward older audiences. Explosions and boobs make the studios piles of cash out of the gate and in the lucrative foreign markets, while chatty character pieces about those of a certain age play more effectively to English-speaking crowds and, thanks to buzz, typically…
Film Review: “Aloft”
It’s been 13 years since his breakthrough role in “28 Days Later,” and I firmly believe that Irish actor Cillian Murphy is not a big star by his own design. Murphy has the looks and the talent, but he seems to be one of those artists who does slam-dunks like Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy…
The State of Monroe: what Brooks didn’t say
The county executive highlighted collaboration, finances, and economic development. But what about child care needs and luxury-housing tax breaks?
