Cover Story
Jazz Festival Guide 2014
CITY Newspaper's guide to the biggest music festival in Rochester! For more coverage, check our website every day of the festival for reviews, blogs, photos and more!
The under-reported power of parental engagement
I get a kick out of seeing young people receive recognition for their achievements, graduate, and step out on their own. These young people inspire hope for a better world. At the last monthly Rochester school board meeting, several dozen students received awards for outstanding athletic achievement. The presenters made a point of telling the…
County pursuing larger Frontier Field project
Monroe County officials have applied for $4.5 million in state grant funds to help cover the cost of a planned $7.5 million project at Frontier Field. Last night, the County Legislature’s Planning and Economic Development Committee gave the county administration permission to make the application. But the vote was something of a formality, since the…
Rochester grad rate down slightly
The Rochester City School District is the only one of New York’s big five districts, which consists of New York City, Yonkers, Syracuse, and Buffalo, to have its graduation rate drop. Rochester’s graduation rate for students who entered the 9th grade in 2009 and graduated in June 2013 was 43 percent, down from 43.4 percent…
WEEK AHEAD: Meeting on East High plan; Finger Lakes council choosing projects
The Rochester school board will hold a public meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24, to discuss the University of Rochester’s proposal to turn around East High School. Under the proposal, which must be submitted to the State Education Department early next month, UR would become East’s Education Partnership Organization and essentially manage all…
JAZZ FEST 2014: City’s Daily Jazz Blogs
The 2014 Xerox International Jazz Festival runs June 20-28, 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 Twitter (@roccitynews) and Instagram…
![[UPDATED] Medical pot, schools project, judges, and sparklers mark end of Legislature session](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/news_icon1_newspaper.webp?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] Medical pot, schools project, judges, and sparklers mark end of Legislature session
Soon, it could be legal to sell and use sparklers in New York, but not to light up medical marijuana. As the State Assembly and Senate wound down its session last night (and this morning), they acted on a slew of bills dealing with big statewide issues and matters that were specific to single communities.…
Bill to add Family Court judges set for vote; but Monroe would have to wait
It’s the final scheduled day of the State Legislature session, and the Assembly and Senate have long lists of bills to plow through. And each chamber’s agenda includes legislation to add Family Court judges in some New York counties. But the matching bills are a little different than the proposal introduced by Assembly Judiciary Committee…
Dems want county to designate rooms for breastfeeding
County Legislature Democrats have submitted legislation that they say would encourage new mothers to continue breastfeeding after they return to their county jobs. Sponsored by Democratic Minority Leader Carrie Andrews, the legislation would designate specific rooms in most county-owned buildings for employees and the public to breastfeed or pump. The rooms would have locks, an…
Joint Schools Construction Board pushes back on rumors
Until now, the Rochester Joint Schools Construction Board has remained relatively quiet the face of accusations of wrongdoing in the first phase of the $1.2 billion schools modernization project. (There is an FBI investigation, but details are scant.) Much of that concern has come from City Hall. Mayor Lovely Warren demanded specific changes to…
Education is big business in Rochester
Several years ago, a narrative took root about the Rochester school district: low graduation rates and inept management are largely due to adults who are putting their interests above what’s good for students; jobs for adults are more important than the needs of students became a well-worn refrain. The position, a not-so-thinly-veiled reference to the…
Lobbyists doom Child Safe Products Act
Child and consumer product advocates have been trying for the last few years to get the State Senate to pass the Child Safe Products Act. The legislation would eventually ban a list of toxic chemicals in children’s products. Tomorrow is the last day of the Senate’s session, and the legislation’s supporters have been making a…
Dryden Theatre to host film series tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman
The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House will host a film series tribute to actor Philip Seymour Hoffman beginning in July. Hoffman, a Rochester-area native, died in February. “Hoffman was one of the screen’s most versatile, daring, and prolific actors whose performances were not only a delight to watch, but often transcended the films themselves,”…
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
I called up Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s trumpeter Glen “The Kid” Marhevka to discuss his band, its brand of swing, its longevity in the swing scene, its hepcat haberdashery, and its impact on swing. That’s right — swing, swing, and more swing. I was excited. I had my coffee and my questions ready. Then Marhevka…
Louis Hayes
Louis Hayes was just 19 and living on Detroit’s west side when his reputation caught up with him. Pianist Horace Silver, fresh out of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, had heard about the young drummer. Silver called up Hayes and asked him to move to New York and join his new band. Hayes packed his drums…
ART | “What’s New with Arena”
Arena Art Group’s exhibit “What’s New with Arena,” hosted by I-Square Visions Gallery, offers a look at the work of the group’s 15 newest members. Featuring painting, sculpture, photography, fiber art, drawing, and mixed media, the exhibition displays a wide variety of work from local artists recently accepted as a part of the group’s rigorous…
Sunday, June 22 – Schedule
3:45 p.m.: West Irondequoit High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 4:30 p.m.: Newark High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m.: Spencerport High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m.: Brubeck Brothers Harro East Ballroom ($20 or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m.: Gerald Clayton Hatch Recital Hall at Eastman ($20…
Tuesday, June 24 – Musician Bios
Blind Boy Paxton Despite his abbreviated age, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton is a master of pre-war, acoustic blues. We’re talking the storied sounds of Lonnie Johnson, Robert Johnson, and Bessie Smith — to name a few — wrought by a multi-instrumentalist in his mid-20’s. The man rocks it right. (FD) Bonerama See listing for Monday,…
FILM | “Home Again”
As a part of its Caribbean Film Series, the Baobab Cultural Center will screen “Home Again” on Friday, June 20. The film stars Tatyana Ali (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) as one of three young people deported to their homeland of Jamaica after growing up abroad. The deportees, from the United States, Canada, and the…
Friday, June 20 – Musician Bios
Akiko Tsuruga Quartet When the Lou Donaldson Quartet played the XRIJF a few years ago, the audience couldn’t help but notice a second star on the stage. Behind the B-3 organ playing one great solo after another was Osaka, Japan, native Akiko Tsuruga. While in Japan she honed her skills with Roy Hargrove, Grady Tate,…
George Thorogood
You wanna survive in showbiz? Wanna last in this rock ‘n’ roll racket? Just listen to blues rocker George Thorogood. Eat your greens. Get some Z’s. “I have never underestimated the value of a good night’s sleep,” Thorogood says. “I asked Chuck Berry once, I said, ‘Chuck, if there’s one thing that’s the bottom line…
KIDS | Art & Story Stroll featuring Ezra Jack Keats
The Memorial Art Gallery is hosting an Art & Story Stroll featuring works by children’s author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats on Thursday, June 19. The stroll is part of the gallery’s monthly series that introduces kids to works of children’s literature as well as the museum’s many attractions. Creative Workshop instructor Ericka Simmons will…
Monday, June 23 – Schedule
12:00 p.m.: John Nyerges Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE) 1:00 p.m.: John Sneider Student Workshop Eastman School of Music (Room 120) (FREE) 4:30 p.m.: Greece Arcadia High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m.: Bloomfield High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m.: Catherine Russell Harro East Ballroom…
Wednesday, June 25 – Musician Bios
5Head Rochester madcap ska skanksters 5Head are full of pants-optional hi-jinx and contagious back beat that starts at your feet and ends with you attempting dance moves that would have put Fred Astaire in traction. This band features lighthearted fun played by some of the best musicians this town has. (FD) facebook.com/5HEADMUSIC Bertoncini/Jenkins/Sturm From the…
SPECIAL EVENT | ZooBrew
The Seneca Park Zoo is hosting June’s ZooBrew event on Friday, June 20. ZooBrew, the zoo’s monthly adult happy hour during the summer, offers a wide selection of New York State beers and wines for zoo patrons ages 21 and older. ZooBrew also hosts live music at various locations around the park. This month’s event…
Jason Marsalis
With pianist Ellis Marsalis and his famous sons, Wynton (trumpet), Branford (saxophone), Delfeayo (trombone), and Jason (drums/vibes), the Marsalis family of New Orleans can stake a claim as the first family of jazz. But if that conjures up images of a father and his sons jamming in the living room, well… that’s just not how…
Diane Schuur
Through the snap, crackle, and pop of a long distance phone call, and suffering from jet lag, Diane Schuur’s voice is still absolutely beautiful. She has just returned from an engagement in Osaka, Japan. Before that, it was dates in Italy with the big band. Tomorrow, it’s off to engagements in North Carolina and Florida.…
SPORTS | Olympic Day at GTC
The Gymnastics Training Center of Rochester, along with the International Olympic Committee, is honoring the tradition and legacy of the Olympics with the two-day Olympic Day event. Activities begin Friday, June 20, at 3:30 p.m. with an exhibition of the GTC’s men and women’s Special Olympic teams as well as dinner provided by Sticky Lips.…
Tuesday, June 24 – Schedule
12:00 p.m.: Gabe Condon Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE) 1:00 p.m.: Sophie Bancroft & Tom Lyne Duo Student Workshop Eastman School of Music Ray Wright Room (Room 120) (FREE) 4:30 p.m.: Greece Athena High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m.: Fairport High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE)…
Friday, June 27 – Musician Bios
Bill Frisell’s Guitar In the Space Age Every time Bill Frisell has appeared here, it’s been with his eyes on the sonic future; sounds and progressions rarely, if ever heard. This time around, he’s got his eye on the origins of his instrument. Frisell is going to explore seminal six-stringers like Chet Atkins, Speedy West…
POP | The Modern Electric
If you’re looking for something a little different before diving into the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, you might want to check out pop band The Modern Electric at Sticky Lips BBQ. The Cleveland-based quartet is ready for its own prime-time as it creates ambitious, hook-driven pop music slightly reminiscent of bands like Spoon but…
Wednesday, June 25 – Schedule
12:00 p.m.: Mel Henderson and Paradigm Shift Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE) 1:00 p.m.: Jonathan Gee Eastman School of Music RAY WRIGHT ROOM (Room 120) 4:30 p.m.: Eastridge High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m.: Greece Olympia High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m.: Mike Stern/Bill…
Thursday, June 26 – Musician Bios
Anders Hagberg Quartet If you caught Yggdrasil in one of its appearances at the XRIJF, you’ve heard the wonderful range of sounds Swedish musician Anders Hagberg coaxes out of his soprano saxophone and flutes. When he plays the gigantic contrabass flute, it’s a thrilling journey, filled with percussive breathing and scat-singing, and sounds like the…
FOLK | The Felice Brothers
Since The Felice Brothers formed back in 2006 — with its members hailing from the upstate New York area — the band has continued to evolve, coming to embrace a Dylan-meets-bluegrass aesthetic, presenting listeners with a rustic sort of charm. The band’s humble, back-woods beginnings can be heard in each and every song, through a…
Saturday, June 21 – Musician Bios
78 RPM Big Band Starting out as Oktoberfest band The Happy Wanderers, back in 1973, the 16-piece 78 RPM Big Band is based in classic big band, but often branches out into unique versions of contemporary cuts. (JC) 78rpmband.com Bill Dobbins Plays the Music of Dave Brubeck Eastman Jazz Ensemble Director Bill Dobbins is a…
Club Pass Schedule Chart
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PSYCHEDELIC ROCK | Drippers!
Drippers! has become a local legend over the last few years, with a lineup that evolves as much as its music does. The band’s sound is psychedelic, swampy, and full of hooks that make you feel like you are suspended in a gravity deprivation chamber. Not many bands can hang on a riff as long…
Thursday, June 26 – Schedule
12:00 p.m.: Nate Rawls Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE) 1:00 p.m.: Ian Shaw Eastman School of Music (Room 120) (FREE) 3:45 p.m.: Greece Odyssey High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 4:30 p.m.: Webster Thomas High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m.: Honeoye Falls Lima High School Jazz…
Seeking bus converts
Fans of mass transit often talk about how hard it is to convince people to give public transportation a shot. But for the past few years, some local mass transit advocates have tried to have a little fun with the task. The result is ROC Transit Day, which happens this year on Thursday, June 19.…
ROCK | Weezer
The best part about Weezer’s most recent album was that Hurley from “Lost” was on the cover. It just didn’t live up to the band’s normal standards. But when you have the track record that the accessibly mature dorks of Weezer do, it can be hard to match past efforts. The band’s debut album “Weezer,”…
Cécile McLorin Salvant
If you go to hear Cécile McLorin Salvant at Kilbourn Hall, you might find yourself squirming in your seat. McLorin Salvant has no qualms about singing songs like “You Bring Out The Savage In Me,” a tune few have dared to touch since Valaida Snow sang it in the 1930’s. “I’ve had time to delve…
Teachers’ rights challenged
The recent anti-tenure decision by a California Superior Court judge shocked many teachers and their union leaders across the country. The court ruled that teacher job protections in that state, such as tenure, are unconstitutional because they impede students’ rights to a good education. But education reformers and many business leaders and politicians couldn’t be…
COUNTRY | Willie Nelson
As an American country music icon, Willi Nelson stands as one of the few remaining country stars in a genre that has, in many cases, sold its soul. And at 81, this red-headed stranger shows no signs of slowing down. When Nelson played Kodak Hall last summer, his sparse arrangements, rendered by an equally sparse…
Sunday, June 22 – Musician Bios
Benedikt Jahnel Trio With titles of tunes like “Equilibrium” and “Modular Concepts,” you might think the Benedikt Jahnel Trio is too cerebral to enjoy the wonder of jazz. On the contrary, the German-born pianist is a joyous player, with a shimmering, melodic sound and a dynamic touch. His trio — with Owen Howard on drums…
Feedback 6/18
Send comments to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. For our print edition, we select comments from all three sources, and we edit those selections. Development foes are obstructionists Regarding potential investment and development at the Port of Rochester area (“The Urban Balancing Act,” Urban…
ROCK | Hook Face
“… With the snide savvy of Jim Carroll and psycho-sexual swagger of The Cramps lost in the Delta, Hook Face’s eponymous debut dishes out some beautifully dark, dangerous rock ‘n’ roll with a noir-ish splendor.” I couldn’t have said it better myself … except I already did when this band’s incredible self-titled disc came across…
Friday, June 27 – Schedule
12:00 p.m.: Vince Ercolamento Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE) 1:00 p.m.: Pat LaBarbera Quartet Eastman School of Music Ray Wright Room (Room 120) (FREE) 3:45 p.m.: Gates-Chili High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 4:30 p.m.: Pittsford Mendon High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m.: Buffalo Academy High…
Urban Action 6/18
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Testing is topic of public forum Spencerport teachers and the Coalition for Justice in Education will hold a public forum on “New York State Testing, Grades 3-8” on Thursday, June 19. David Hursh,…
The Cheetah Whores
The Cheetah Whores have endured. The Rochester band has endured the thankless hardship of being in a band. It’s endured the senseless murder of one of its members, bassist Shalonda “Pearl” Simpson. And it’s endured the Cheetah Whores — its own drunken antics, mania, and onstage volatility. Despite the madness, the members of The Cheetah…
Vijay Iyer
If you visit the website of pianist-composer Vijay Iyer, you will be greeted with a blurred portrait of a man, vaguely recognizable as Iyer, dashing through an urban landscape. It’s a fitting visual metaphor for the frenetic musical journey Iyer has taken over the past two decades. “Transformation is the way of this music,” says…
Rethinking Irondequoit
Irondequoit is the town with the Medley Centre problem. And for the past few years, the community has grown deeply frustrated with the owner, who’s made no visible progress on redeveloping the idle mall. But the Depot Plaza, located a few long blocks to the west on East Ridge Road, sits in stark contrast. The…
ALBUM REVIEW: “I Am”
Laura Aiisha “I Am” Self-release Lauraaiisha.bandcamp.com I know, I know, it’s tough to balance lush and simple with the temptations of the studio. That’s not to say it can’t be done, but an artist with a singular focused message can’t afford to bury it. Like I said, it’s a balance, and Laura Aiisha’s debut offering,…
Festival Information
The 2014 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival Friday, June 20-Saturday, June 28 TICKETS & VENUES Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre Series Headliner shows are held in the Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre (60 Gibbs Street). These are ticketed shows; a club pass doesn’t work here. Tickets, which range from $40 to $105 (plus service charges),…
Monday, June 23 – Musician Bios
Bonerama No, it’s not a Vanessa Del Rio flick, it’s a four-trombone-powered outfit from New Orleans that makes Phil Spector’s “wall of sound” seem like a cardboard fence. This ‘bone barrage is the brass band equivalent of a muscle car with a horny teenager at the wheel. (FD) boneramamusic.com Catherine Russell Catherine Russell is one…
National security: the US, Obama, and Iraq
Here we go again. Another country far away is blowing itself up. And once more, here in The Homeland we’re debating whether we should get involved. That the blow-up is taking place in Iraq adds to the complexity (and the heat) of the debate. In the Washington Post, Fareed Zakaria warns that aiding the Iraqi…
Friday, June 20 – Schedule
4:30 p.m.: Hilton High School Jazz Band City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m.: Canandaigua High School Jazz Band City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m.: Roy Hargrove Harro East Ballroom ($20, or Club Pass) 5:45 p.m.: Don Thompson Hatch Hall ($20, or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m.: ECMS Mike Kaupa Combo and Paul Hofmann Combo City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage…
Saturday, June 28 – Schedule
3:45 p.m.: MCC Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 4:30 p.m.: Webster Schroeder High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m.: School of the Arts High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:45 p.m.: Stephanie Trick Hatch Recital Hall ($20 or Club Pass) 6:00 p.m.: Newport Jazz Festival: Now 60 Kilbourn Hall…
CHOW HOUND: Bar food, turned up to 11
Marshall Street Bar and Grill is not new. They opened officially on October 1, 2010, in the space formerly occupied by Damian’s Pub on the corner of Monroe Avenue and Marshall Street. Over the last year, however, a certain buzz has grown around them. In recent conversations I have had regarding Rochester food, many have…
Saturday, June 21 – Schedule
3:45 p.m.: Brighton High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 4:00 p.m.: Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers Featuring Edie Brickell Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre (SOLD OUT) 4:30 p.m.: Brockport High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:15 p.m.: Pittsford Sutherland High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE) 5:30 p.m.:…
Saturday, June 28 – Musician Bios
Chuck Mead & His Grassy Knoll Boys Chuck Mead burst on the scene with the three-time Grammy-nominated retro-hillbilly outfit BR549. With the band officially on hiatus, Mead has focused on a solo career and producing the Broadway hit “Million Dollar Quartet.” His latest platter, “Back at the Quonset Hut,” was recorded at what was originally…
“Al-Mutanabbi Street: Start the Conversation”
Some sensitive, yet profoundly brave individuals respond to horrific events by setting unflinching gazes upon complex subjects, when so many others would avert their eyes toward simpler matters. Through September 2, Central Library’s Lower Link Gallery is hosting a traveling exhibit of books and prints created in response to the 2007 attack on Al-Mutanabbi Street,…
