Roberta Piket began her set at Hatch Hall, Friday night, with a kind of call and response between her right hand and her left on the Steinway grand piano. The dialog ranged from sparse melodies answered by blunt chords to lush clusters answered by pounding bass. Eventually all of this morphed into “Monk’s Dream,” the […]
Rochester music
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Jazz Fest 2017, Day 1: Frank reviews Barbra Lica, Joss Stone, and St. Paul and the Broken Bones
Well, the 16th edition of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival took off its clothes and did a cannonball. The energy in the thick arid air was surprisingly electric; a vibe this strong at Jazz Fests past usually didn’t get this feverish so quickly. It must have been the battle for souls raging on two […]
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Jazz Fest 2017: Music around the fest
If the XRIJF’s more than 320 shows isn’t enough to quench your jazzy thirst, several other Rochester venues not affiliated with festival will host their own performances Friday, June 23, through Saturday, July 1. If you need a break from the Jazz Fest crowds, or want to catch one more show late night, keep an […]
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Jazz Fest 2017: Favorite Jazz Fest moments
Vagabonds invade Max One of my favorite Jazz Festival experiences was entirely unexpected. Between shows in 2008, I was walking down Gibbs Street when I ran into Frank De Blase. He told me I had to see this group at Max. I hadn’t planned to see them but Frank was adamant. On the stage I […]
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Jazz Fest 2017: What’s FREE at the fest
If you want to see live jazz but don’t want to shell out the extra cash for a Club Pass, the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Fest will feature around 100 shows across the nine-day event that are free of charge. Everyone likes free stuff, though, so be sure to get there early — good vibes […]
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Jazz Fest 2017: Meet the writers covering the XRIJF
Ron Netsky My real job is Chairman of the Art Department at Nazareth College and my main work is in the field of printmaking, but I love music and I’ve been writing about jazz for CITY since the 1990’s. Late-June is one of my favorite times of the year, a chance to indulge in great […]
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Jazz Fest 2017: CITY’s Daily Jazz Blogs
The 2017 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival runs Friday, June 23, through Saturday, July 1, and CITY Newspaper will be out every night of the festival, covering multiple shows.
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Make Music Rochester to celebrate summer solstice
Several local venues will host free music performances,
events, and lessons throughout Wednesday, June 21
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Album review: ‘The Crooked North’
The Crooked North “The Crooked North” Self-released thecrookednorth.com Local Americana band The Crooked North’s self-titled debut album is a rootsy tapestry of heartfelt songs that sound better with each subsequent listen. Mike Brown’s production is flawless, giving the music an added fullness and warmth that is paradoxically chill-inducing. The tender, balladeering track “Where We Are” […]
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Album review: ‘Exquisite Corpse’
Jon Lewis Band “Exquisite Corpse” Self-released jonlewis.bandcamp.com Rochester singer-songwriter Jon Lewis has mastered the art of catchiness. Drenched in sunshine, “Exquisite Corpse” is an enjoyable set of smooth, mid-tempo rock and pop that defies you to keep your toes from tapping. Lewis’s laid-back voice is easy on the ears, characterized by the kind of heart-on-the-sleeve, […]
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Jazz Festival Guide 2017
CITY Newspaper’s guide to the nine-day 2017 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival
