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Summer Guide 2018: Sunny days
All right, we’re nearing the end of June now, so I think we can safely call it: winter is officially over. (But be quiet about it; we don’t want to jinx anything.) We’ve entered that glorious time when Rochesterians get to shake off our winter blues and dive headlong into the great outdoors. And you…
Jazz Fest 2018, Day 5: Frank grooves on Dmitri Matheny, Junior Brown, and VickiKristinaBarcelona
The man with the loudest finger snaps and the creamiest horn, Dmitri Matheny, took the Wilder Room stage while there was still plenty of threatening rays of light streaming in through the windows. For the mood of the music on the menu this early summer evening was dark. Matheny shines as a flugelhornist and a…
Jazz Fest 2018, Day 5: Ron reviews Joe Locke Group, Lucia Cadotsch ‘Speak Low,’ and Gary Versace Trio
It’s one thing to hear great music; it’s quite another to witness a super-human performance. That’s what two full houses at Kilbourn Hall experienced Tuesday night with the Joe Locke Group. Locke played selections from his new album, “Subtle Disguise,” with Jim Ridl on piano, Lorin Cohen, bass, and Samvel Sarkisyan, drums. Guest singer Paul…
Jazz Fest 2018, Update: Miles Electric Band to replace St. Germain
The Miles Electric Band, an ensemble of Miles Davis alumni revisiting the repertoire of Davis’s electric years, will play the free, 9 p.m. outdoor show at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival on Friday, June 29. The French house and jazz musician St. Germain was scheduled for Friday’s show, but had to cancel his North…
Morelle wins House primary
The odds were in Joe Morelle’s favor headed into tonight’s 25th Congressional District Democratic primary. The county’s top Democrats, including Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren and former mayor Bill Johnson, lined up behind him. As the State Assembly’s second in charge, Morelle had a political operation he’d built up over his 30 years in politics. And…
House primary vote is today
Starting at noon, Democrats across most of Monroe County will be able to cast their ballots in the 25th Congressional District primary.
Jazz Fest 2018, Day 4: Frank checks out and exudes much joy for the Joe Farnsworth Quartet feat. Eric Alexander, Trail of Souls, and Johnny Goldtooth and the Chevy Casanovas
Holy shit. That was one healthy dose of pure jazz. So powerful I had to wash it down with Raisin Jack, Jack. The Joe Farnsworth Quartet featuring Eric Alexander played some hard bop with blinding heat. And even with bass and drums in the pocket so deep they were covered in lint, the show at…
Jazz Fest 2018, Day 4: Daniel reviews Teagan and the Tweeds, Cold Chocolate, and Zara McFarlane (and catches Moon Hooch again)
At the festival Sunday, I had gotten a taste of magic, and the following day, I couldn’t shake it. I was having cravings, and I had to give in: I needed more Moon Hooch. So I crept into The Montage Music Hall for the infectious trio’s first set of Monday night. This time, the room…
Jazz Fest 2018, Day 4: Ron reviews Jane Bunnett & Maqueque, Christian Sands, and Strings Attached
In Cuban Spanish, the word “maqueque” means “the energy of a young girl’s spirit.” In Jane Bunnett & Maqueque, the spirit of five young Cuban women came through loud and clear. The band played a lively show of Afro-Cuban jazz to a near-capacity crowd at the Temple Building Theater Monday night. Working with Cuban musicians…
Jazz Fest 2018, Day 3: Daniel reviews Colin Gordon, The Dustbowl Revival, and Moon Hooch
My Sunday night started fittingly on Jazz Street with a performance by local saxophonist Colin Gordon. Gordon was joined by a well-balanced lineup of fellow Rochester musicians: guitarist Chris Potter (fresh from his performance in the Doug Stone Quartet the night before); pianist Max Greenberg; upright bassist Tyrone Allen; and drummer Andrew Tachine, of the…
Jazz Fest 2018, Day 3: Frank checks out Beats & Pieces Big Band and Knower
It’s a bit perverse, I know, but I love to see and hear chaos in a church. I like to see statues tumble, stained glass broken. I like to see pews on fire while church bells ring. I came close to the chaos last night as Britain’s Beats & Pieces Big Band shook the foundation…
Jazz Fest 2018, Day 3: Ron reviews Bill Dobbins, Kuara Trio, and One for All
Eastman School of Music professor Bill Dobbins has had such a rich musical life that he can reach back through the decades and come up with a fascinating program. At Hatch Hall Sunday evening, Dobbins revisited some preludes for piano that he wrote between 1991 and 2001. If you think that sounds too classical for…
Jazz Fest 2018, Day 2: Daniel reviews The Bad Plus, Melissa Aldana Quartet, and the Doug Stone Quartet feat. Josiah Williams
Jazz trio The Bad Plus has always excelled at moody jams and compositions that dig heartily into syncopation while flourishes in the piano sweep the listener away blissfully. But with the fairly recent addition of pianist Orrin Evans, taking over for Ethan Iverson, the music is less esoteric. The band is still willing to revel…
Jazz Fest 2018, Day 2: Ron reviews Sigurder Flosason, David Hazeltine, and Django Bates Beloved Trio
As I’ve gotten to know Scandinavian/European/North Atlantic jazz — as a result of the XRIJF series — I have come to think of it as a musical parallel universe. These players obviously have no direct connection to the American experience let alone the lives of the African-Americans who spawned this great art form. And yet,…
Jetty at the Port revamps for a beachy, casual feel
Jetty at the Port in Charlotte has already been open for two summers, but recently, changes have been made both aesthetically and to the menu that have transitioned the establishment from fine dining to a more casual, beachy feel
Jazz Fest 2018, Day 1: Daniel reviews Phony Ppl, Marius Neset Quintet, and Ron Artis II & The Truth
After the first day of the 2018 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, the bar for riveting performances is already high. The artists I caught were far from conventional and boasted charisma that was matched only by their musical profundity. First up was Phony Ppl, a Brooklyn-based quintet who owned the stage at Anthology. The band’s…
Jazz Fest 2018, Day 1: Frank reviews Duchess Trio, Seal, and Vintage Trouble
With the maternal armcharm in tow, I strolled down the gangplank to the bloodbath that is the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival. It felt like someone had crammed an extra Saturday night or two into this particularly balmy Friday. I first did the broadcast boogie boogaloo with Ron Netsky and the Jazz 90.1 characters before…
Jazz Fest 2018, Day 1: Ron reviews Terell Stafford Quintet, Matt Savage, and Alfredo Rodriguez and Pedrito Martinez
There are so many variations on what constitutes a jazz group these days that it was almost shocking to see the Terell Stafford Quintet walk onto the Kilbourn Hall stage in ties and jackets and launch into a hard-core, hard-bop classic. The tune, “Hocus-Pocus,” was by the late, great trumpeter Lee Morgan, and Stafford, one…
Could a citizen board discipline Rochester police? Lawyers disagree
(UPDATED JUNE 22) A Rochester law firm has issued an opinion that a new Police Accountability Board could be legally empowered to discipline police officers. But the city’s law department disagrees. City Council is reviewing Rochester’s system of handling citizen complaints about police actions, and is considering establishing a new Police Accountability Board to review…
IJC says no plan would have stopped last year’s flooding
About that Lake Ontario flooding last year: blame it on the rain. And the melting snow, too. Today the International Joint Commission, the binational body that manages water bodies shared by Canada and the US, released a report on the causes of last year’s epic flooding. And the conclusions are sure to infuriate landowners and politicians…
Rallies for immigrant families and refugees take place this week
A march protesting the Trump administration’s separation of immigrant families will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, and events around UN World Refugee Day will take place Saturday.
Jazz Fest 2018: CITY’s Daily Jazz Blogs
And that’s it for the 2018 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival. The festival reported more than 208,000 people in attendance. Catch up on the nine days of action with our reviews of 79 acts
ROCK | ZZ Top
Thankfully, the last couple of ZZ Top records found the band back at its roots: pure, unadulterated, high octane albums, like the classic “Tres Hombres.” The band has managed to maintain its cool even in the dark ages of early Empty-V, from which ironically, ZZ Top had its biggest hits. Live, the trio unleashes deceptively…
Fear of missing the dish
Scrolling through my social media accounts, I frequently have two thoughts: One, the people I follow are going out to eat a lot in Rochester; and two, I want what they’re having. Between my full-time job, my freelancing job, and another part-time job, I don’t really have a lot of time to get out and…
NOISE | To Live and Shave in L.A.
To Live and Shave in L.A. is an experimental music collective based in Germany that incorporates aggressive noise, avant-garde, and post-punk textures. Founded in the early 90’s by composer Tom Smith and producer Frank Falestra, TLASILA released its debut album, “30-Minuten M#nnercreme,” in 1994 with the help of oscillator player Ben Wolcott, and has since…
Sizzling summer cinema
It’s worth staying indoors for these 15 movies
FOLK | Trevor Hall
Colorado-based singer-songwriter Trevor Hall’s music is as spiritual as he is. While studying classical guitar at an arts academy in California, Hall was introduced to meditation and yoga, spiritual practices that he would carry with him throughout his musical career. Hall has a scratchy and airy voice with a soulfully tender vibrato, and his music…
THEATER | ‘Swans’
The world premiere of Rochester playwright Maria Brandt’s new work, “Swans,” will be presented this week at Geva’s Fielding Stage. In the era of #MeToo, Brandt’s story tackles the still under-acknowledged incidences of domestic violence. The play explores this through one family that’s been torn apart by abuse. When the mother returns after a ten-year…
SPECIAL EVENT | Make Music Day
Marking the summer solstice with music sounds almost too picturesque. Make Music Rochester on Thursday is organizing an afternoon and evening of free music performances, events, and lessons at various locations around the city. Its second year in Rochester, the events are part of the worldwide Make Music Day; more than 700 cities are participating…
KIDS | The Whalemobile
It’s never too early to get kids thinking about the health of the oceans and the creatures that inhabit it. Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County will this weekend host a fun interactive exhibit that allows kids to explore and appreciate the ocean using the humpback whale as an entry point — literally. Cynde…
CLASSICAL | Orchestra in the Pines
There are a lot of summer concerts that give music lovers the chance to get outdoors, and if you keep your eyes open, you’ll find almost every landscape put to use, from Ontario Beach Park to the garden at the George Eastman Museum. The annual Orchestra in the Pines concert throws classical music into an…
ART | ‘I Am a Naked Person’ tour launch
This Friday night Small World Books will host a gathering in celebration of the 10th anniversary of “I Am a Naked Person,” a short and sweetly humorous illustrated story about being naked by Rochester-based artist Ray Ray Mitrano. The party also serves as a tour kick off — Mitrano will travel throughout the summer to…
Queer Rock Camp amplifies voices of LGBTQ and gender expansive youth
Girls Rock! Rochester has been running music camps every summer since 2012, and in August, the group will start a new session: Queer Rock Camp.
Album review: ‘High Hopes’
Lower Expectations “High Hopes” Self-released lowerexpectationsband.bandcamp.com I didn’t have any expectations — low or otherwise — when I gave Lower Expectations’ debut album, “High Hopes,” a couple of spins. Consequently I was surprised, pleasantly, in fact, when it came barreling out of my headphones. The twin guitar attack found here stops just short of being…
Fresh Cut: ‘Spintech’ by Diluted
Diluted’s newest EP, “Legitimate Bastard,” is being released in August, and it finds the band revisiting some of its earliest material.
Album review: ‘Heatin’ Up’
Stickybun “Heatin’ Up” Self-released stickybun.bandcamp.com While Stickybun is a relatively young band, the musicianship on its debut EP, “Heatin’ Up,” makes it clear these players weren’t born yesterday. The local funk rock band came together in winter 2016 after bassist Shawn Rotolo and singer-songwriter Aaron Shewan turned their weekly jam sessions into a project with…
Feedback 6/20
Our endorsement of Joe Morelle in the Democratic Congressional primary brought numerous responses from readers, most of them disagreeing with us. A selection of those comments follows. You’ll find more on our Facebook page and in the Comments section under our endorsement article. Due to the volume of responses, readers’ feedback is taking the place…
Urban Action 6/20
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Doctors, Cuba, and the poor Cuba and the Latin American School of Medicine will be the focus of the Rochester Committee on Latin America’s meeting on Tuesday, June 26. The program will include…
Trump and the dismantling of LGBTQ rights
Donald Trump was no stranger to the LGBTQ community prior to his presidential campaign. And during the campaign, he addressed the community directly. “As your president, I will do everything in my power to protect LGBTQ citizens,” Trump said at the National Republican Convention in July 2016. And a month earlier, he tweeted: “Thank you…
MUSEUM | ‘Discover Martha’s Magic’
The words entrepreneurship and invention in Rochester’s history are nearly synonymous with the names Eastman and Kodak. There are other individuals and companies that we associate with those words, but our town also has some early inventors and business people whose names have fallen into obscurity. This weekend Rochester Museum & Science Center will present…
Barefoot jams
Get out into the sun and take off your shoes for some summer music
ART | ‘Birds in Art’
On view at Cumming Nature Center this summer is “Birds in Art,” a touring exhibit featuring 60 works by international artists, drawn from the 42nd annual exhibition of the same name held at Wisconsin’s Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. Visitors can check out avian interpretations by contemporary artists working in an array painting and sculptural…
Freedom paths
Upstate New York was an important part of the Underground Railroad. Connect with that history this summer
NOT JAZZ | Abilene’s Late Night Sessions
While downtown is under the Jazz Festival’s spell for nine days straight, there will be a pocket of renegades contributing to the sound of music wafting skyward. And it’s without a hefty sticker price to get in. Abilene Bar and Lounge will have music every night during the XRIJF with its late night sessions. Music…
Trailblazing
A beginner’s guide to biking on the Erie Canal
The F Word: Occupy Jazz Fest
Logistically speaking, the Jazz Fest bigwigs do a phenomenal job. But there are still some things music fans have to do on their own to keep things running smoothly.
Film review: ‘Incredibles 2’
The highly anticipated sequel to the adored 2004 film had a lot to live up to. With plenty of humor, excitement, and heart, it’s still an exhilarating ride.
Beyond burgers at Charlotte’s LDR Char Pit
For more than 70 years LDR has been a classic beach-side burger joint. But it also fits squarely in CITY’s ongoing series exploring local diners.
Review: ‘The Seagull’
A tale of unrequited love and unfulfilled aspirations, Anton Chekhov’s bitterly tragic comedy gets an enjoyable — if mostly unremarkable — adaptation, boosted by strong performances from its spectacular cast.
