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Choice Concerts
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on November 4th, 2009
Though the cello has been making memorable appearances in rock music for decades, it's still widely regarded in rock circles as a "special guest" support instrument. Cellist Alison Chesley, who plays under the name Helen Money, shatters that notion with her edgy solo act. Working with an array of effects
Choice Concerts
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on October 28th, 2009
Often maligned - both fairly and unfairly - for its ultra-geeky themes and musical excess, progressive rock now exerts a profound influence on today's heavy bands, especially in post-hardcore circles. Fortunately, that influence has resulted in an ever-widening variety of modern permutations, so that even listeners who don't have much
Choice Concerts
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on October 21st, 2009
At its peak of popularity, emo music was justifiably criticized for being too whiny. Strangely, though, its modern-day offshoot has almost the exact opposite character flaw. Where it was once fashionable to combine bright melodies with racing electric guitars and angst, acts like Never Shout Never ditch the electrics and
Choice Concerts
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on September 30th, 2009
Local group Parotia's lull of reggae-influence grooves and chik-chick guitar washes over you like a gentle breeze. While some musicians revel in making people anxious, Parotia goes full-swing in the opposite direction, intending with every note to instill a sense of well being in the audience. While some in that
Music Articles
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on September 23rd, 2009
Since it was first coined about 30 years ago to describe a faster, grittier brand of punk exemplified by the likes of Bad Brains and Black Flag, the term "hardcore" has come to suggest an ever-widening range of music. As more and more bands progressed beyond the limiting, often dogmatically
Choice Concerts
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on September 23rd, 2009
When they're not busy backing honky-tonk bandleader Slim Forsythe, playing together in the punk-country band ATS, or appearing in various other Pittsburgh acts, Erin Snyder and Evan Knauer like to strip things down for a little no-frills duo action. As unpretentious as they come, Snyder and Knauer are keen on
Choice Concerts
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on September 9th, 2009
Rochester boasts a rabid audience for organ music, so expect seats to be scarce for this special appearance by Ohio-based organist Todd Wilson, the first guest in a celebrity recital series sponsored by the Rochester Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, the Eastman School, WXXI, and three local churches
Choice Concerts
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on September 2nd, 2009
Known for their work as members of 10,000 Maniacs, John Lombardo and Mary Ramsey appear live (mostly) as a duo, a sharp contrast to their full-blown band recordings. On "Peace Bridge," their latest album under the name John & Mary and the Valkyries, Lombardo and Ramsey touch on the same
Choice Concerts
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on September 2nd, 2009
If you haven't kept up with the explosive changes going on in the world of classical music, pianist Zuzanna Szewczyk's final doctoral recital is the perfect place to catch up. Ten years after starting at Eastman, Szewczyk (pronounced chef-chick) performs there for the last time with a program that consists
Choice Concerts
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on August 26th, 2009
For this week's installment, the Skaneateles Festival's directors, pianist Elinor Freer and cellist David Ying, present a series of "I Love New York" chamber concerts. And while the music of Broadway does indeed come to Brook Farm on Saturday evening, the crown jewel of the whole affair would be the
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Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on June 22nd, 2009
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 excitement remains in the air for the
Music Blog
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on June 21st, 2009
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 50 people watching, and it was actually a good
Music Blog
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on June 20th, 2009
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 requires its own kind of patience. This, of course, isn't necessarily a
Music Blog
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on June 19th, 2009
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 first show at
Music Blog
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on June 18th, 2009
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 underscores the local appetite for jazz.
By now an RIJF staple,
Music Blog
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on June 17th, 2009
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 time working together. The whole notion of group
Music Blog
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on June 16th, 2009
In some ways the focal point of the Jazz Festival, Gibbs Street is the main artery for pedestrian traffic throughout the nine days as concertgoers shuttle back and forth between the various venues. The free stage at Gibbs and East also draws large crowds attracted by the prospect of taking
Music Blog
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on June 15th, 2009
In addition to the usual overflow of live talent, yesterday brought a chance to watch two late jazz greats, piano master Bill Evans and trumpet icon Maynard Ferguson, perform in concerts videotaped here in Rochester during the 1970's, and screened yesterday afternoon by WXXI at the Eastman Theatre. Despite murky sound in both
Music Blog
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on June 14th, 2009
Jazz drummer, composer, and renowned Yes/King Crimson alum Bill Bruford (whose one-time reed man Tim Garland appears on the final night of this year's festival) recently described one of his pieces as having a "strong British flavor." What does that mean? Does British jazz somehow sound more, um, mannerly? Is
Music Blog
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on June 13th, 2009
Some of my favorite Jazz Fest moments seem to come from acts I wasn't expecting to like, or even see in the first place. But this year definitely got off to an unexpected start for me because my favorite part of the first day had little to do with music.
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