In the Jazz Fest afterglow, it might be easy to view the
rest of the summer concert season as a letdown. Don’t be fooled — you’ll
really miss out if you don’t dig in the nooks and crannies. Rochester
practically bursts with music, especially during summer, when you can gorge
yourself on a dizzying range of styles in a variety of venues (many of them
quirky and intimate and brimming with local charm). Attendance can sometimesbe weak, but there’s really no excuse.
The following list of highlights doesn’t even begin to cover
what’s on offer this summer. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open — City listings are a great place to
start, but some of the best show tips arrive at the last minute via word of
mouth. (For example, obscure 23 year-old Swedish punk band Avscum recently made
a local appearance at a house party,
and new punk and dance venues spring up all the time.)
Mambo Kings | June
17, Hochstein (etc.) andDave
Rivello Ensemble | June 27, Kilbourn Hall (etc.): Two of this town’s
greatest assets are the Eastman School’s Kilbourn Hall and the Hochstein School
of Music and Dance, where you can pretty much just walk in off the street and
catch free classical (and other) concerts once or twice a week all year round.
Though most classes are out of session, concerts/recitals by faculty, students,
visiting guests, and community ensembles continue throughout the summer. Of the
70-plus events listed (at Hochstein, Kilbourn, Eastman Theatre, and some at
area churches), the overwhelming majority is free.
As always, in addition to classical, the concert programming
at both schools reflects an enthusiasm for jazz, modern composers, and
international music. Hochstein faculty member Dick DeLaney directs the Mambo
Kings on piano, while Eastman jazz professor Dave Rivello conducts his
12-person band through a set of his original compositions, which he describes
as “my version of what big band would have evolved into today — set up like a
traditional big band but more modern, and hopefully spanning wide emotional
contours.”
Other highlights: at Hochstein, the Summer Solstice Folk
Music Concert (classical and contemporary) on June 22. And at Eastman: New
Music Concert (Clay Greenberg, director) on July 1; “Brazil, Guitar, and
Friends” (Peter Kodzas, guitar) on July 2; Hindustani Music on July 9; Oliver
Steiner (violin) and Bonnie Wagner (piano) on July 20; IMPROVfest series on
August 2, 3, and 4. More: our classical listings on page XX,
www.hochstein.org, or www.rochester.edu/Eastman/concerts/
Steve Rush-Tom
Abbs-Geoff Mann Trio | June 22, Village Gate Atrium: The Bop Shop’s Tom
Kohn continues to give us the gift of prime under-the-radar modern jazz and
progressive roots music. This summer, he brings several shows to Milestones
(Peter Lang on June 30, Dr. Eugene Chadbourne and Michael Hurley Milestones on
July 5, etc.), but Rush, Abbs, and Mann play the ONLY show scheduled for the
criminally under-trafficked Village Gate Atrium. The trio compares its style of
improv to “an extremely well-honed basketball team.” (!) Chatty restaurant
patrons aside, the atrium’s lovely acoustics make this a must-see. More
listings: www.bopshop.com.
Latin Vibes | July
15, Salsafest at the Public Market: Once summer hits, the Public Market
blossoms into an ideal outdoor venue. Veteran vocalist Johnny Vega leads local
ensemble Latin Vibes (9 to 12 pieces depending when you catch ’em) through a
highly-charged repertoire of salsa and merengue standards and originals.
Ithaca’s humorously political jam-roots ensemble Donna The Buffalo plays on
August 19.
For fans of Latin music, there are other opportunities to
hear it live: Willie Colon headlines Frontier Field on July 23; Luisito
Carrion, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and Larry Harlow’s Legends con Yomo Toro
play the Puerto Rican Festival at the Civic Center Plaza August 12 through 14;
Coco Montoya appears at the Montage Grille August 15. (To stay abreast of
Latin, tune in 6 to 10 on Saturday mornings to 90.1 FM’s Essencia Latina program.)
Picastro | July 15,
A\V Space: Hats off to Kate Laux, Keith Sanders, Graham Saathoff, and the
rest of the folks who run A\V — and to audiences — for making it a premier
venue for underground music and art. The past year has seen a great variety of
well-presented shows and exhibits with enthusiastic turnouts. Pitting Russian,
Greek, and gypsy folk music against the Faces and Black Sabbath, Toronto
quartet Picastro features a cello and prides itself on the dynamic range it
achieves through playing quieter. Excellent local alt-country outfit Hinkley
also appears. More listings: www.avspace.org.
String Cheese
Incident, Keller Williams, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Umphrey’s McGee |
July 19, High Falls (etc.): String Cheese’s heavily-stacked “Big Summer
Classic” lineup stops in at High Falls for the first of several top-shelf
outdoor shows taking place right in the city. Also: Buckwheat Zydeco (High
Falls) on July 21; Duke Robillard (Garden Vibes Summer Concert Series, George
Eastman House) on July 21; and Little Feat and the Campbell Brothers (High
Falls) on July 28.
10th Annual Clarissa
Street Reunion | August 20, Clarissa Street: Once home to a number of jazz
clubs and referred to as “Rochester’s Broadway,” Clarissa Street (located in
Corn Hill), is also the site of Rochester’s first African American
neighborhood. This boisterous, all-day outdoor event honors that rich heritage
with three stages, one each dedicated to blues, jazz, and gospel. For a good
taste of local talent in blues, jazz, gospel, soul, and r&b, it just
doesn’t get any better than this. Ohio organist Tony Monaco headlines the jazz
stage. FYI, the Clarissa Room, an elegant lounge that used to be Shep’s
Paradise, is always a good bet for jazz and blues. Info: (Reunion Committee)
234-4177, (Clarissa Room) 325-5350.
Bug Jar Fest | August
27, Highland Bowl: Because the Bug Jar does unify many different groups
from our clannish local music scene under one roof, it’s easy to buy into the
illusion that the Bug’s regular crowd, diverse as it is, covers the whole
spectrum of Rochester rock. Every summer, though, a more mixed audience
converges on the rolling green fields of Highland Park for what has become a
cherished local tradition: Local bands play early in the day and three to four
national indie acts close out the night. Sometimes, you can feel the magic in
the air. Baba Yaga, Hinkley, the Veins, and Bludwรผlf are the locals confirmed
for this year. And, for the uninitiated, the thick heat of the Bug Jar’s band
room on crowded summer nights is an experience unto itself. Info:
www.bugjar.com.
Other places to
watch: Small local jazz ensembles at the Little Theatre Cafรฉ; experimental
music at Visual Studies Workshop; intimate quirk at Bullwinkle’s; modern jazz,
DJ’ing, and poetry in the alley outside of Java’s; hip-hop at Chaser’s; house
music at Metro and Pearl; drum n’ bass at Elixir; progressive DJ’ing at
Soho/Tonic; mid-level national touring acts at Water Street Music Hall and the
Club at Water Street; Latin at Club Liquid and Tapas; blues, rockabilly, and
rock ‘n’ roll at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que; local and national underground rock at
Monty’s Krown and Monty’s Korner; metal and punk shows at Ellison Park;
touring and local metal/hardcore at the Penny Arcade; gospel, spiritual
classical, and choir music at our numerous churches; ethnic folk in Rochester’s
ethnic neighborhoods and restaurants; obscure indigenous roots music at
concerts and festivals in outlying rural towns, etc., etc.
Happy digging.
This article appears in Jun 15-21, 2005.
