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 […]
Rochester Jazz Fest
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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, […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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JAZZ FEST 2013, DAY 9: Frank reviews Tim Berne SnakeOil, Amy Lynn and the Gunshow
With just two shows to officially cover I hit the Jazz Fest scene amidst a sea of people. The streets were teeming with eager bodies, but the fun stopped there. Now perhaps I’m showing my ass here, and heating up my self-perceived cool, but I thought Tim Berne SnakeOil at Montage was the worst thing […]
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JAZZ FEST 2013, DAY 9: Ron reviews Gwilym Simcock, Five Play, Torben Waldorff
Pianist Gwilym Simcock brought just the right mix of tradition and experimentation to Christ Church Saturday night. He played mostly straight-ahead, but occasionally went under the hood to spice things up. At one point he played totally inside the piano, strumming the strings percussively as if they were on a mandolin. Simcock took care to […]
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JAZZ FEST 2013, Day 6: Paloma reviews Gretchen Parlato, Supertramp’s Roger Hodgson
There was something in her hands that was prayerful, especially as she tipped her head back, eyes closed, and just let her head rock side to side. Even before she sang a note, it was apparent that Gretchen Parlato would be worth every bit of the long line and the wait outside of Kilbourn Hall. […]
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JAZZ FEST 2013, Day 6: Frank reviews Lee Fields and The Expressions, Soweto Kinch, Rocky Lawrence
Alright youse guys, let’s talk about life and the quartet of want, expect, need, and get. Tonight’s foray into our beloved downtown — a city resurrected to look like a city we want, expect, and need, but only get one time a year — brought me and the Tin Man, riding shotgun in a blue […]
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JAZZ FEST 2013, Day 6: Ron reviews Goldings-Stewart-Bernstein, Aaron Goldberg Trio, Jacob Karlzon & Viktoria Tolstoy
Goldings-Stewart-Bernstein took the stage to a full house at Montage Wednesday night and proceeded to play a couple of original songs. The band is, of course, B3 organist Larry Goldings, drummer Bill Stewart, and guitarist Peter Bernstein, three top players on the national jazz scene. The tunes, by Goldings and Bernstein respectively, gave them an […]
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JAZZ FEST 2013, Day 4: Frank reviews The Dave Spinner B3 Band, The Sicilian Jazz Project, Violet Mary, and Chris O’Leary Band
With the casual air of a felon who knows he’s guilty, but doesn’t care, The Dave Spinner B3 Band swung vibrantly nonchalant and tasteful in the Big Tent Monday night. The band came out with its take on the Funky Meters before moving into Herbie Hancock territory. The set was even-keeled and steady in the […]
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JAZZ FEST 2013, Day 3: Frank reviews The Stretch Orchestra, Christine Tobin, Louis Armstrong Jazz Society Band
Of all the bands that I wanted to see on Sunday night, and of those I hadn’t seen before, The Stretch Orchestra at Montage Music Hall was at the top of my list. I’ve seen this Canuck trio in parts — as solo artists or sidemen — and knew the total would surely outweigh the […]
