Flying solo without the other two Hi-Risers, Greg Townson (fresh off a solo tour of Europe) bopped on the Dinosaur stage last Monday night like a Rockabilly Bragg. Townson kept things in line and on time by simply stomping the downbeat with a...

The RIJF literally fills the void in my life left by the adulthood erosion of the Christmas holiday, but with two primary distinctions. For starters, Jazz Fest lasts NINE days instead of one, and it really is a case of more-is-more, where the...

In like a lion, out like a soggy lamb. The 2009 RIJF went damply into its good night. I was amped to do things as I had in years past; bombard my brain with as many artists, styles, and variations as I could, starting off with Joe Lovano. Hell, I...

Joe Lovano works in so many different settings --- from duo to nonet --- that I wondered which band he would bring to Rochester. When his quintet, US Five, took the stage at Kilbourn Hall Saturday night, it was clear that there would be a great...

As it turns out, yesterday's rain contributed greatly to the atmosphere of what ended up being one my absolute favorite performances of the whole festival: John Boutte at the free stage at East Avenue and Chestnut. There must've been fewer than...

Every jazz fan knows the story of Pat Martino, the great guitarist who suffered a brain aneurysm in the late 1970's and had to re-learn the guitar from scratch. But until you see and hear him play you don't quite realize how amazing his recovery...

Slip me the crimson jimson
Here's the scoop, Bettie Boop
And the low down, Brown
It was back to the Jazz Fest scene feeling young and feeling mean
 
Ryan Shaw had 'em all gawked in awe
His pipes preached, heaven was reached
Sweet...

Noise, dissonance, and lack of discernible rhythm aren't the only ways to challenge an audience. As Norwegian trumpet player Arve Henriksen proved last night during his first set at the Lutheran Church, music with a serene, meditative quality...

Monty Alexander is a great pianist, so why did I find his performance at Kilbourn Hall Thursday night so lacking? In the opening tune he cut a wide swath through the history of jazz, touching on ragtime, stride, boogie-woogie, barrelhouse,...

You know how cartoon characters get lifted off the ground by their noses and get physically carried away by the scent of something tasty nearby? That might as well have been how I reacted last night as I was about to get in line for Ryan Shaw's...

The Jazz Fest really messes with my sleep schedule. I'm up until at least midnight, and those are the nights I don't hit the nightly jam at the Plaza. And I'm sure I'm not the only one already looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday morning....

Perhaps the best music is the music that only has itself as a definition; music that eludes clever quips, comparisons, and references. I'll try anyway. (A-hem) Dave Rivello's ensemble is his palette, or perhaps a window into his brain. As I...

British singer Tessa Souter is one of my favorite vocalists, but I was a bit concerned that the heavy rain and competition from jazz titan Dave Brubeck might make for a sparse crowd at Christ Church Wednesday night. So, on my way into the late...

Well, we managed five days of picture-perfect weather before Mother Nature finally made her presence felt last night. And did she ever. Still, heavy rain didn't necessarily put a damper on the attendance at some of the indoor shows, which...

I slipped into my mackintosh and galoshes and slipped my City umbrella into my bag. That necessitated donning a garment that, once shed for the summer, I don't usually reapply until that white stuff begins to fall: socks. But the sky was crying...

Yowza, yowza, yowza... Whatta mob, whatta crowd, whatta scene, whatta show. I popped some Benzedrine in the Ovaltine and was feelin' live for Day No. 5. Took a deep breath and shifted my ADD into low gear 'cause there were three artists I simply...

I knew, climbing the stairs to the Xerox Auditorium, that Andrey Razin & Second Approach was likely to be the most unusual group I would hear at this year's jazz festival. All of the music on the band's website is either on the edge or way...

In jazz, it's customary for band lineups to change frequently, if not constantly. On the plus side, that ensures spontaneity. On the downside, jazz as a rule rarely provides a platform for the same group of musicians to spend extended periods of...

It's challenging to listen to jazz. It is almost the thinking person's music. And it's not everyone's cup of tea. Which is why I commend the Jazz Fest for bringing in a smattering of musical acts that appeal to a broader audience. And how it...

Cedar Walton's three-year association with The Jazz Messengers is what drew me to his set at Harro East last night. The cat is one of the remaining legends still running up the odometer. I'd seen him before and remembered him being a little...