Once I finished playing Monday morning quarterback with the cats at JAZZ 90.1, I crossed the street — to get to the other side and catch the Lauren Sevian Quartet deliver some hard bop via her baritone saxophone. Miss Sevian stayed mostly in the upper register while ignoring the delicious honks and growls associated with […]
Rochester International Jazz Festival
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Jazz Fest 2016, Day 8: Ron reviews Helen Sung, Ben Monder, and Matthew Halsall and The Gondwana Orchestra
The intimacy of Hatch Hall was perfectly suited to the highly personal set Helen Sung played Friday night. Between tunes, she told the audience about her musical journey, starting with her upbringing in Texas with a strict Russian piano teacher who told her classical music was the only music worth listening to and playing. Once […]
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Jazz Fest 2016, Day 7: Ron reviews Jamison Ross, Cortex, and the Claudia Quintet
Jamison Ross has played at the XRIJF before as the drummer for Cecile McLorin Salvant, but Thursday night he was at the center of the Kilbourn Hall stage. There’s no doubt about Ross’s drumming prowess; he won the 2012 Thelonious Monk Drums Competition. But when it came to one of the competition’s prizes, a recording […]
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Jazz Fest 2016, Day 6: Frank reviews Tia Brazda, Nikki Hill, Johannes Linstead, and Danielle Ponder
[IMAGE-1] Tia Brazda’s first show was sold out to the walls with a crowd forced to sit on old wooden chairs from the Marquis de Sade collection. But the charming Brazda made the pain in the ass worth it. Her just right amount of vocal flexibility was wrapped in coquettish velvet and sass — she […]
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Jazz Fest 2016, Day 6: Ron reviews Russell Malon and Marianne Trudel Trio
Russell Malone was one of the artists I was most looking forward to seeing at the XRIJF, and when he played his first tune at Kilbourn Hall, it seemed promising. It was his own tune, “Honeybone,” and it showcased that wonderful blend of lead and rhythm guitar, with gorgeous ringing tone, that Malone is known […]
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Jazz Fest 2016, Day 5: Ron reviews Nacka Forum and Christine Tobin
When I entered Kilbourn Hall a bit late for the Nacka Forum concert, saxophonist Jonas Kullhammar was in the middle of a solo. He wasn’t playing the sax, though; he was doing a deadpan, funny monologue about his desperation to move to the United States. He said he would have to marry someone, and it […]
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Jazz Fest 2016, Day 5: Frank reviews Bria Skonberg, plays a show, and ends the night with the Dan Brubeck Quartet
[IMAGE-1] Despite her sunny looks, Bria Skonberg harbors a little darkness. She played around in minor keys, and introduced me to my new favorite tune, Sidney Bechet’s “Egyptian Fantasy.” The way she worked around its haunting Duke Ellington-esque elegance was tres cool. I couldn’t make up my mind if I liked her horn playing or […]
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Singer Tia Brazda brings retro style and force
Tia Brazda is a
study in jazzy effervescence as the fizz and tingle of her voice skates the
line between campy, almost cinematic fun and seductive sophistication. The singer performs Wednesday, June 29, as part of XRIJF 2016.
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Jazz Fest 2016: Critics’ picks for the last half of XRIJF 2016
We’re only half-way through the 2016 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, and there’s still a lot of music to hear. To make it a little more digestible, our music critics pick their top concerts for each day. And if you’re still looking for a full schedule of performances, or bios on each day’s musicians, keep […]
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Jazz Fest 2016, Day 4: Frank reviews Gwyneth Herbert, The Revelers, and Bill Kirchen
For me, the sound in Christ Church has sucked, and it’s sucked for years: relegated to a kick drum-induced boom-a-thon and vocals that were so reverb-drenched that they sounded backwards. It’s never been the soundman’s fault; it’s just the big room. Well I’m here to tell ya, that’s all changed with Gwyneth Herbert’s positively riveting […]
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Jazz Fest 2016, Day 3: Ron reviews Eldar, Pedrito Martinez, and Arild Andersen
Just about every pianist I’ve seen at Hatch Hall over the years has been excellent, but Eldar is in a class by himself. He’s the Vladimir Horowitz of jazz, or for the younger generation, let’s say Lang Lang. The point is, Eldar is one of the world’s greatest pianists — and we had him all […]
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Jazz Fest 2016, Day 4: Ron reviews Lizz Wright, Moscow Jazz Orchestra, and Mika Pohjola
Lizz Wright had the sold-out Harro East Ballroom crowd in the palm of her hand Monday night. Maybe it was because, with the room’s large windows, there is no way to turn the house lights off while it’s still light outside. She could see the audience, so Wright engaged with it throughout her show. She […]
