Rochester International Jazz Festival impresario John Nugent isn't your typical promoter. He's not your textbook fat cat chompin' on a cigar, pressing the flesh, pocketing most of the bread, and making hollow promises. He is, however a textbook jazz cat chompin' on his saxophone. He's a musician first, and as much time as he spends booking this annual event, he's still playing. When we spoke Nugent was still decompressing from a flight back from Budapest, where he had just played a show with Djabe. His passion, knowledge, and experience as a musician give him a discriminating ear that he uses to book top-notch musical talent each year. The Nuge knows, and he wants you to know, too. He wants you to take a chance.

"The whole thing about the festival experience," he says, "is besides having a few beers and a good time, hanging out with your friends, and meeting people in the street, it's about hearing and getting uplifted by music that you've never experienced before. That's the essence of what any hip, cool, forward-thinking event is about."

This year's line-up covers all aspects of the jazz idiom, and in many cases spills over its sides. The artists are varied, but they have something genuine, unique, and in some cases, historic to offer. The selection criterium is simple.

"I pick them because they knock me out," Nugent says. "That they're original, that they have something powerful to say. That they've got a depth of knowledge, that they understand the traditions, and they've earned the right to make their own statement."

Nugent, 45, has earned the right to make his own statement, full stop. Growing up in St. John's, Newfoundland, his mother was a classically trained pianist, his younger sister a bassoonist/pianist, his other sister has been principal violist in the Toronto Symphony for the last 20 years, his uncle is a progressive rock guitarist....

And the history runs even deeper.

"My great-grandfather started our family's music business - Charles Hutton and Sons Music Store - in 1883," Nugent says. "He imported all the Steinways and saxophones and sheet music from New York and Toronto to the island of Newfoundland when it was still a British Colony. When he started, he sold milk and eggs and sheet music in downtown St. John's. He wrote ‘The Ode To Newfoundland,' which is the Newfoundland anthem. He was an organ master, choir director, and theatrical producer."

Nugent split St. John's for the States, where he studied at North Texas State University. He also did a stint at St. Francis Xavier in Nova Scotia before landing in the Woody Herman Orchestra. 

"I was playing third tenor, where Stan Getz played 40 years before," he says. We backed up everybody: Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett..."

Nugent took a teaching post back in Toronto and released his first album, "Did I Tell You," on Unity Records in 1990. He and his wife, jazz guitarist Dawn Thompson, moved to New York City in 1993, where he founded New York JAM (Jazz Artist Management) in 1994. NY JAM produced more than 30 projects.

Nugent initially arrived on Rochester's shores as part of the annual Swing 'n' Jazz event. After the decision to invest money - and take a risk - he started The Rochester International Jazz Festival in 2002.

But no truer glimpse can be made of the man than when you ask him to give his top picks of the line-up, recommendations for the newbies and the vets.

"Top five?" he asks. "How about the Top 25?" Then he takes a deep breath and proceeds to rattle off a torrent of talent:

"Any of the Nordic groups are all first-class musicians, like Beady Belle. If you're into fiddling, you've got Ola Kvernberg from northwest Norway; he's ridiculous. You've got Timo Lassy, funky killer saxophone player. How many times are you going to get to hear the Wild Magnolias in Rochester? Cat Russell's coming back, one of several repeat offenders, if you will. There's a pianist from Hungary, Robi Botos, who's a chameleon, genius pianist. He can play like bill Evans, he can play like McCoy, he can play like Herbie... he's 20 years old. Al Foster quartet, a great drummer who was with Miles Davis. There's an organist from Germany - Barbara Dennerlein - just her and a drummer, she's psycho good. Billy's Band, they are theatrical; everybody will be cramming to get into that. Carolyn Wonderland from Texas... a great artist. One of the truly great artists in jazz today that most Rochesterians won't know, Miguel Zenon; hell of a player, knockin' people flat all over the world. He's from Puerto Rico, lives in New York. New singer Sachal Vasandani. The Bad Plus. Todd Londagin is cool... Stephanie McKay, a slammin' musician ...Jake Shimabukuro, a virtuoso ukulele player from Hawaii. Jacky Terrasson a great freakin' pianist from Paris..."

And of course there's Nugent himself, who after running the event from 6 a.m. until close, will still find his way down to the open jam at the Rochester Plaza Hotel. The whole festival is a means to an end - that end being to play some music.

"Yeah," he says. "I can't crash until I've blown a few riffs."