The stage was set up in an unusual way for Daryl Hall and Keb’ Mo‘s appearance Thursday night at Kodak Hall. Surrounding the back and side walls of the stage was a faux-wood recreation of the music room where Hall hosts “Live From Daryl’s House.” The webcast features a wide variety of musicians who come […]
Jazz Festival
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JAZZ FEST 2012, DAY 7: Dwayne Dopsie, Terje Rypdal, Barrel House Blues Band
You have certain expectations when a band has the word “hellraisers” in its title. So, Rochester, let me tell you a little story about Dwayne Dopsie & The ZydecoHellraisers. The band came out on the Big Tent stage Thursday night jamming, but with accordionist and front man Dopsie nowhere to be seen. His saxophonist jumped […]
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JAZZ FEST 2012, Day 6: Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, Ffear, Yvette Landry
Perhaps it was his comedic timing and wit, or maybe it was his genuine charm. Or maybe it was his crisp blue suit. But wait…could it have been the bluegrass? Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers put on a simply amazing show full of humor and instrumental dexterity. And both the laughs and musical […]
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JAZZ FEST 2012, Day 6: Eliane Elias, Kneebody, Osian Roberts, Steve Fishwick
Eliane Elias wowed the crowd at Kilbourn Hall Wednesday night in a show filled with sambas and bossa novas from her native Brazil. For decades Elias has been known as a formidable pianist; in recent years her singing has become an equally important part of her music. She sang songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim and […]
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JAZZ FEST 2012, Day 6: Bill Evans Soulgrass, Shirantha Beddage Quartet, Russell Scarborough Soul Jazz Big Band
If there’s a shortcut to my musical heart, it lies with the Celtic-leaning instruments: the fiddle, the banjo, the accordion. They aren’t often seen in jazz music, but one act Wednesday night took that shortcut and ran down the path. Bill Evans Soulgrass exists in a magical place where the roads to many different styles […]
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JAZZ FEST 2012, Day 5: Zappa Plays Zappa, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Jack Allen Big Band
On Tuesday night, ex-Dirty Dozen Brass Band denizen Big Sam and his new group, Funky Nation, didn’t just entertain, it commanded and demanded participation, reciprocation, and overall elation from the packed Harro East Ballroom crowd. It was a little less New Orleans than I had expected, but it had folks on their feet, reaching for […]
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JAZZ FEST 2012, Day 5: Tommy Smith & Karma
I only had one show at the Jazz Fest Tuesday night — contrary to popular belief, other types of music do still go on during the festival, and I’ll have a full photo slideshow of Motion City Soundtrack’s Water Street show up on City’s Facebook in the morning. But at least my one jazz show […]
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JAZZ FEST 2012, Day 5: Benny Green, IPA, NeWt
There were few fireworks from the Benny Green Trio Tuesday night in Kilbourn Hall, just a solid concert. Green had great support in the bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, who are not related but probably have played together more than any other musicians in New York. The program featured salutes to colleagues, including […]
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JAZZ FEST 2012, Day 4: Kim Lenz & the Jaguars, Teagan and the Tweeds
It’s rare that I’ll chance missing a lot of groovy new stuff I’ve never heard and instead stick around to see an artist’s second set. But I really had no choice; Kim Lenz had us wrapped around her finger so tight that by the time she and her band, The Jaguars, were done, we all […]
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JAZZ FEST 2012, Day 4: Eldar, Terence Blanchard, Nicholas Payton
You can have Heaven. Hearing Eldar play “Rhapsody In Blue” on a perfectly tuned Steinway piano in Hatch Hall Monday night is enough for me. He played it a little faster than usual, and a little bluesier, kind of like the original rendition by George Gershwin himself. It was the perfect ending (save the encore) […]
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JAZZ FEST 2012, Day 4: Jeff Lorber Fusion, Pedrito Martinez Group, Calle Uno
If Sunday night at the Jazz Festival was all about extremes, Monday was all about expectations. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Jeff Lorber Fusion at Harro East. I had written a preview on the group a few months back, and knew that Lorber has put music together for such wide-ranging projects as […]
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JAZZ FEST 2012, Day 3: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Ninety Miles, Breach
Last time Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey appeared at the RIJF, it was obvious the band members were excellent musicians, but the set didn’t impress me as anything special. Sunday night at Xerox Auditorium the group rose to a higher level. Aside from some personnel changes, JFJO, which hails from Tulsa, OK, recently recorded an ambitious […]
