NOTE: Artists are listed alphabetically by first name; click the links to visit the musicians' official web page. You can also find artist bios for a specific day of the festival by clicking on that date in the Guides section.
At the age of 24, keyboard player Aaron Parks is already a veteran of the jazz scene with a debut album on Blue Note. Listen to "Invisible Cinema" and you will understand his rapid ascent. True to the title, every tune on the album is an evocative journey. Precocious in several ways, Parks entered the University of Washington at the age of 15, triple-majoring in math, computer science, and music. By his early 20s he was touring with Terence Blanchard and Kurt Rosenwinkel. This is a chance to see a true rising star. (RN)
Acuna takes traditional Latin rhythms and gives them a contemporary boost. Peruvian percussionist Alex Acuna first came to the States in 1964 as a member of Perez Prado's band. Acuna split his time between Prado and studio work before joining Weather Report as a drummer and percussionist. He has recorded with Ella Fitzgerald, Chick Corea, Paco de Lucia, Joni Mitchell, and Lee Ritenour. His current outfit is straight-up Latin jazz with a little funk in the trunk. (FD)
Don't let the repertoire of alto saxophonist Alex Graham's sextet fool you. The songs are familiar - "All The Things You Are" and the Stylistics' "You Make Me Feel Brand New" - but they are re-harmonized to bring out abstract complexities you might never have imagined were there. Pianist David Hazeltine, who, along with Graham, is responsible for some of these arrangements, is among the members of this all-star band. Others include Jim Rotondi, trumpet; Steve Davis, trombone; Rodney Whitaker, bass; and Carl Allen, drums. (RN)
Born in Germany and raised in Italy, pianist Antonio Ciacca sounds like he grew up next to a Chicago jazz club. He might have graduated from the Bologna Conservatory, but somewhere along the line he also attended the school of hard-bop. In Europe and the United States, Ciacca has shared the stage with James Carter, Lee Konitz, Art Farmer, and Johnny Griffin and has toured the world with jazz great Benny Golson. Aside from his keyboard work, Ciacca is director of programming at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. (RN)
Arve Henriksen is another trumpeting Norwegian who has worked in free jazz influenced by Japanese koto, biwa, shakuhachi music, and rock with bands like Motorpsycho. Henriksen recently said, "In my opinion, the trumpet has vast potential for tone and sound variations that we still have not heard." Perhaps he'll stumble upon some of those variations here. (FD)
This Manhattan-by-way-of-Rochester band is bringing sexy back with its folky hip-hop mash. Like Fun Lovin' Criminals or Sublime, the band keeps the groove intact with its lackadaisical raps, stokes them electronically with samples and scratching, and leaves room to breath with the earthiness of its acoustic instruments. The band comes on laid back and infinitely cool. (FD)
In the Malian language, Baye Kouyate is a griot of jali --- a West African poet, a praise singer, a wandering musician. This caste is highly respected in Mali as keepers of its culture and history. This percussionist's wandering has brought him to the United States, where he split his time between Tampa and Brooklyn. Kouyate's music is polyrhythmic and joyful, enhanced with generous splashes of, jazz, Latin, and reggae grooves. It's hypnotic and infectious. Kouyate is a master at the talking drum, an hourglass-shaped instrument bound with a goatskin head and strings along its side. While striking the head, the player simultaneously squeezes the strings to change the instrument's pitch like a rhythmic voice. (FD)
Benny Goodman's Centenary w/Ken Peplowski
The undisputed heavyweight king of swing, Benny Goodman would be 100 years old if he were alive today. Goodman riffed hot and fast on the licorice stick, leading the charge of one of the most important swing bands in history. There would be no jump, jive, or jitterbug without Goodman, and he was one of the first to lead an integrated band. His 1938 concert at Carnegie Hall is considered by some to be one of the most important concerts in jazz history. Clarinetist/saxophonist Ken Peplowski is more than qualified to front this celebration of the master. Peplowski honed his chops playing polka as a lad in Cleveland. Out of college, he joined an incarnation of The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Hell, he even played tenor in Goodman's big band when the fabled bandleader came out of retirement in 1984. (FD)
Guitarist Bill Frisell's sound is as much about the unexpected sonic aftermath as it is about the player's approach. Despite holding the guitar and clearly being the one in charge, it seems that in a live setting, the music plays Frisell. His sound is guitar based, and he'll rattle off a list of six-string heroes you'd expect, like Hendrix, Rush, and Montgomery. But he puts himself in the middle of less-conventional settings to push his limits, and his listeners' buttons. Within his music, unexpected sound quotes and melodies bubble up, like Lucinda Williams' "Ventura," which wound up being Frisell's opening selection at his Kilbourn Hall appearance two years ago. Live, Frisell hovers over his rig tweaking and listening, tweaking and listening until he throws a saddle over something that catches his ear and rides. (FD)
Bill Tiberio is a committed local educator at Fairport High School. But when he's not teaching, he's honking away on his saxophone with a large, funky sound reminiscent of Maceo Parker. Tiberio thrives on carefully shaped, melodic solos that are catchy enough to appeal to a wide audience. A Rochester favorite for more than a decade, Tiberio has shared the stage with a variety of performers including Fred Wesley, Lou Gramm, The Four Tops, and Nestor Torres. (RN)
Billy Bang is one of the most creative and kinetic violinists in jazz today. As anyone who has heard him electrify audiences at past RIJFs, or in his collaborations with Garth Fagan Dance knows, it's not easy to remain calm while listening to Bang play one of his long, fiery solos. He bows and plucks his way up and down the neck at a frenetic pace, somehow managing to shape magnificent solos. When Bang creates a musical vortex with his violin, it's easy to get caught up in the swirl. (RN)
The RIJF line-up may change from year to year, but one thing remains constant. Every night, after the last notes are sounded at venues around the city, the Bob Sneider Trio hosts the jam session at the Rochester Plaza Hotel's State Street Bar and Grill. Starting at around 10:30 p.m. and heating up as the night progresses, the session has attracted some of the festival's finest musicians - Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, Jake Shimabukuro, to name a few - for after-hours jams. (RN)
Bonerama: almost as fun to say as it is to hear. This five-trombone-powered outfit makes Phil Spector's wall of sound look like a cardboard fence. Horn players Mark Mullins and Craig Klein put this band together during some downtime from their regular gig with Harry Connick, Jr., and playing it straight wasn't the goal. Experimental guitar got thrown in along with rock drums. With an emphasis on the funky and unpredictable, this New Orleans band is part parade, part earthquake, part wrong, and all right. (FD)
Though zydeco stands alone as its own genre, when in the hands of masters like four-time Grammy nominee Buckwheat Zydeco, it's simply another time signature to explore in --- or apply to --- virtually every other style of music. Jazz and blues do particularly well with this syncopated joy. Buckwheat Zydeco is probably the most prominent figure in the resurgence of Zydeco and Creole music. He played the closing ceremonies at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and played both Clinton inaugural balls. And he's jammed with everyone from Eric Clapton and Willie Nelson to Keith Richards and Robert Plant. (FD)
Though it wound up in California, the California Guitar Trio started a bit more spread out. Bert Lams is from Belgium and Hideyo Moriya is from Japan. Paul Richards is the only American in the group. The three met in England thanks to experimental guitarist Robert Fripp. After touring with Fripp the three went on to form their own group in 1991. The CGT is sparkling and tight. It focuses on a circular style of playing, where each musician plays one note in a phrase followed immediately by the next player and the next so that it sounds like one player, is breathtaking. (FD)
On stage or in the sanctuary, there's a whole lotta push and pull in the Campbell Brothers' sacred steel sound. Not just for Sundays anymore, the band is bringing its music to the world, playing numerous jazz festivals, Bonnaroo, Carnegie Hall, and the Hollywood Bowl. The brothers have shared the stage with artists like The Allman Brothers, North Mississippi All-Stars, Gov't Mule, Medeski Martin and Wood (John Medeski produced the band's 2005 "Can You Feel It"), and have helped spawn the next generation of sacred steel acolytes like Robert Randolph. (FD)
The Susans - that'd be Tedeschi and Foley - are at that enviable cruising altitude afforded them by talent and years of hard work. Fans of those ladies will undoubtedly fall in love with Carolyn Wonderland, a triple threat (songwriter, singer, guitar slinger) from Austin, Texas, who - in my opinion - burns even hotter than the aforementioned ladies. Wonderland's pipes defy race, genre, and age, and are backed up by bluesy guitar. Her spurs dig deep into Americana's side. She has toured with Buddy Guy and Johnny Winter, and has sat in with The String Cheese Incident, Los Lobos, and Robert Earl Keen. This gal's gonna blow your doors off. (FD)
Cedar Walton Trio
From his early days with Kenny Dorham and J.J. Johnson through his stints with Hank Mobley, Milt Jackson, Lee Morgan, and many more jazz giants, Cedar Walton has been a first-call pianist since the late-1950's. While with Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, Walton composed some of the group's most innovative tunes, including "Mosaic," "Ugetsu," and "Bolivia." At the age of 25, he was the first pianist to record "Giant Steps" with John Coltrane. Over the past five decades he has released more than 50 albums as a leader, and remains one of the most imaginative pianists playing today. (RN)
The scene is the Newport Jazz Festival, 1958, as documented in the film "Jazz on a Summer's Day." One great act follows another, including Thelonious Monk and Dinah Washington. Then Chico Hamilton's group takes the stage and begins to play the haunting "Blue Sands." It is absolutely mesmerizing to the audience at the festival, and to audiences of the film. Hamilton's drums, played with mallets, seem to sing in soft tones, building to a crescendo as the piece progresses. Over the past seven decades, Hamilton has supplied no shortage of stunning performances, including the soundtrack for the film-noir classic "The Sweet Smell of Success." Now in his late 80s, he remains the driving force behind a wonderful band. (RN)
Clay Jenkins and Special Guests
Early in his career trumpeter Clay Jenkins played in the bands of Stan Kenton, Harry James, Buddy Rich, and Count Basie. Currently a member of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, he has recorded with Milt Jackson, Diana Krall, Ray Brown, and many others. A professor at the Eastman School of Music, Jenkins has also played with the school's jazz bands. In an Eastman performance a few years ago he brought the house down tackling Miles Davis' challenging parts in "Miles Ahead." (RN)
Since arriving in the United States just a decade ago, Dafnis Prieto has earned a spot as one of the hottest drummers on the New York and national jazz scenes. He has been enlisted by the top Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban ensembles, including the Caribbean Jazz Project, Chico O'Farrill's The Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra and the bands of Chucho Valdez, Michel Camilo, Arturo Sandoval, and Eddie Palmieri. His current album, "Taking the Soul for a Walk," reveals him to be a formidable composer and arranger in addition to his percussion prowess. (RN)
Jazz legend Dave Brubeck was nearly bounced out of college when it was discovered he couldn't read music. This is the same guy who went on to compose and play pieces in odd time signatures like 5/4 ("Take Five"), 6/4 ("Pick Up Sticks"), 7/4 ("Unsquare Dance"), and 9/9 ("Blue Rondo a la Turk"). In fact ,the Dave Brubeck Quartet's Iconic 1959 recording "Time Out" contained all original compositions completely devoid of conventional time signatures, and quickly achieved platinum status. Prior to "Time Out's" release Brubeck focused primarily on standards as he assumed that was what audiences wanted. That all changed one night in Rochester, when saxophonist Paul Desmond urged Brubeck to compose "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Waltz" within 30 minutes. (FD)
Grammy-winning composer/arranger Maria Schneider has declared Dave Rivello's writing "compelling and beautiful." Trained by the great arranger Bob Brookmeyer, Rivello is also a superb arranger, and conductor. With adventurous harmonies, recalling composers as diverse as Charles Mingus and Igor Stravinsky, Rivello's arrangements are challenging to play, but this is never a problem. Rivello's reputation is so strong that he attracts only superb musicians capable of riding the tides of this dynamic music. (RN)
Danish quartet Delirium intertwines its brass in a display that's half ballet, half wrestling match. It's improvisational jazz with a double-jointed spine. But the assumption of utter randomness is thrown out the window when you hear passages in unison and harmony. Granted, the passages are punctuated by moments of total chaos, as if the group is waiting for the Sun Ra to rise during rush hour. But it's really equal parts spontaneity and calculation. (FD)
Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers
Dwayne "Dopsie" Rubin's old man is considered the king of Zydeco. So here comes the prince. The 29-year-old Dopsie grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana, surrounded by Zydeco music's spicy rattle and cry. The young man first got involved by strapping into a washboard before moving on to the accordion, where he really shines. People in the know know; Dopsie was voted "Hottest Accordion In America" in 1999 by the American Accordionists Association. (FD)
Blues guitarist Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater was part of the big black south to north migration in the late 1950's and early 1960's, and wound up in Chicago playing in its legendary blues scene. The spark was lit after he heard Chuck Berry and Magic Slim. He first recorded under the name Clear Waters as a sort of tribute to Muddy Waters before changing it to Clearwater. He got the nickname "Chief" for his penchant for donning elaborate Native American headdresses on stage. At almost 75 years old, Clearwater still plays the blues red hot, deep-dish Chicago style. (FD)
Saxophonist Eric Alexander's professional career started in earnest when he placed second in the 1991 Thelonious Monk Competition (behind Joshua Redman - it was quite a year). In the 18 years since then, he has recorded a staggering 27 albums as a leader and more than 100 as a sideman. Among the new generation of tenor saxophonists, none have a more muscular, assured tone than Alexander. Whether playing originals or reinventing standards like "Where or When," Alexander never fails to take wonderful excursions on every solo. (RN)
Hailing from the "Show Me" state (that'd be Missouri), vocalist Erin Bode has one of the purist voices you will ever hear. Her sweet 'n' creamy contralto is breezy and sweet and casual. Bode digs into the Great American Songbook with ease, but frankly, she could recite from the phonebook and make it sound beautiful. Comparisons to Norah Jones abound, but apply in style only. Bode's tone is crystal clear and simply amazing. She is an aritist who doesn't primp or preen, but rather lets the music open doors. She has appeared on "A Prairie Home Companion" and has worked with the Themba Girls School Choir in South Africa. (FD)
Ernestine Anderson made her first festival appearance at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1958. Countless appearances world-wide and four Grammy nominations later, she is still wowing audiences with her sultry delivery and inventive scat-singing. After tours with the Johnny Otis Band and the Lionel Hampton Orchestra in the 1950's, Anderson moved to Europe, where the ground was more fertile for jazz singers. In the past several decades she has been back in the United States touring and recording. With her extraordinary range and style, Anderson encompasses the entire scope of jazz history in her voice. (RN)
The T-bird torch hasn't been completely passed just yet. Yeah, Fran and Jimmie split a long time ago, and Keith swapped his bass for a harp and a halo. But as long as Kim Wilson is up front croonin' and munchin' on the tin sandwich, it'll be The Fabulous Thunderbirds. With the release of "Girls Go Wild" in 1979, the T-Birds blasted onto the scene playing classic barroom blues. The band brought the music of less celebrated blues and r&b musicians like Slim Harpo and Lazy Lester to the mainstream. Wilson is essentially a soul singer and an amazing harmonica player. He is one of the few players to master circular breathing, a technique where the player inhales through the nose while simultaneously blowing through the mouth, resulting in notes of endless sustain. (FD)
This band certainly isn't fake, and it's definitely not French. The Faux Frenchmen comes from Cincinnati, where the people put cinnamon in their chili. But TFF doesn't rehash, but rather swings up or gypsy-fies tunes like the theme to "Spider-Man." t's all the Hot Club-era jump and swing a la gypsy jazz's big daddy, Django Reinhardt. (FD)
Growing up in Rochester, Gap Mangione and his brother Chuck were introduced to some of the greatest musicians in jazz by their father. After collaborating as The Jazz Brothers in the 1960's, they worked together on several of Chuck's landmark albums in the early 1970's. And, after Chuck's phenomenal crossover success in subsequent decades, they reunited in 2007 for Chuck's Friends & Love reunion concerts. Gap Mangione has pursued a three-pronged career, playing solo piano, and leading small groups and a big band. He's been a fixture on the Rochester music scene for five decades, delighting fans with standards and original tunes. (RN)
Half Ton Horns
Specializing in true-to-the-original arrangements of r&b classics like "I Want You Back," "Rock Steady," and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours," the Half Ton Horns has the power to deliver them with a punch. When it comes to 1970's soul, the band can channel the Average White Band, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Stevie Wonder with a combination of fine vocals, a funky rhythm section, and tight reeds and brass. (RN)
If you're not hip to her already, Holly Cole's torch song treatment of Tom Waits' music on 1995's "Temptation" is a nice way to get drawn to her flame. This sultry Canadian chanteuse has a voice that is seduction personified. Just try and resist; you don't stand a chance. Cole's style is deceptively simple. The sophistication is all in her languid phrasing and often wry emphasis on lyrical subtext. And just dig the way she slithers in and out of melodies you know, melodies you think you know, and melodies you will forever associate with Cole after she commandeers them. (FD)
Austin's Hot Club of Cowtown is a trio bent on Western swing frenzy. It is an unstoppable, undeniable, irresistible force of fiddle, bass, and guitar. Up front is the darling Elena James, who Bob Dylan saw fit to include in his touring band. And guitarist Whit Smith is so slick on his big blonde guitar that the average guitar player would need four hands and a fistful of trucker speed to keep up with him. The band briefly split from 2005 to 2007, but has since reunited and is currently working on new stuff. (FD)
Welsh pianist/composer Huw Warren's music quickly dispels the myth that experimental music has to be weird or pieced together with the remaining notes more conventional artists have discarded. He manages to string them together elegantly and relies only slightly on dissonance. He is a founding member of British cult jazz favorite Perfect Houseplants, and the winner of the BBC Jazz Award For Innovation in 2005. Warren bridges the gaps between experimental jazz, pop, and world music with a style that could be called beautifully reckless. (FD)
It doesn't take much to dwarf a ukulele. It does, however, take some talent to take the tiny instrument out of the realm of the hukilau and into the rock virtuoso arena. Hawaiian ukulele wildman Jake Shimabukuro had 'em howling at last year's Jazz Fest. Lines wrapped around the sold-out venues he played, and festival honchos reportedly turned more than 1200 people away. For some, playing rock music on the uke may come off as novel, but Shimabukuro's technique is no joke. He fills his traditional and contemporary salutes like a man-sized music box with flawless, innovative technique. It's a fleet-fingered blur unlike anything you've ever heard. (FD)
The Jazz Mandolin Project's Jamie Masefield is sailing into uncharted waters with the mandolin. The band works freely in the jam band idiom, where its jazz and rhythm experiments are embraced and encouraged. But this isn't just a good time; this is some seriously heady stuff. In fact, parking the band under the jazz umbrella is simply because jazz is the only genre with parameters elastic enough to contain it. In 2005 the band played an interpretive work along with a cinematic interpretation of Tolstoy's "How Much Land Does A Man Need?" Who knows? But Masefield knows a man can always use more mandolin. (FD)
Jeff Dyer-Bill Brennan Group
Newfoundland pianist Bill Brennan has only appeared on 85 recordings. He's only backed up cats like Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie, and Placido Domingo. His work with Jeff Dyer is pretty cool, too, in an evening cocktail kind of way. This is because Dyer sounds just a little bit like, well, Lou Rawls to be exact. In fact ,when you close your eyes you can almost picture the late crooner's easygoing, pearly white display while Dyer sings. (FD)
Whether he's playing blues or bop, vibraphonist Joe Baione swings hard. He's capable of attacking the bars with lightning speed or slow, deliberate languor, but the common denominator is precision. Growing up in a musical family in Delaware, Baione was influenced by his father and two older brothers, all of whom were musicians. He also absorbed what he could by listening to the greats on his instrument. Later, he was aided in his education by veteran jazz producer, Todd Barkan, who produced his album. (RN)
It's hard to tell when Joe Lovano is improvising and when he's not. That's because his effortless explorations of others' explorations somehow possess the same abandon as his own. Weened on bebop (James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie) as a lad in Cleveland, Lovano caught the improve bug in the1960's after hearing cats like Coltrane and Coleman. After graduating from Berklee, Lovano made his recording debut with Dr. Lonnie Smith. He went on to tour with Woody Herman before settling in New York City. He has received multiple Grammy nominations and continues to work in assorted outfits, including the Three Tenors. (FD)
Chris Isaak once said "The B3 is like ketchup. It's good on everything." With that in mind, it's safe to say Philadelphia's Joey DeFrancesco is the condiment's king. Since his teens, DeFrancesco has proven to be a major operator at the stops and keys. His style is unparalleled in its aggression and soul. He works out the instrument's virtually limitless textures, tones, and moods with authority. DeFrancesco has released more than 20 albums, and has worked with Miles Davis, Jimmy Smith, Bobby Hutcherson, Elvin Jones, and John McLaughlin. And now he's helping grind out new organs as part owner in organ company Diversi Organ. (FD)
New Orleans singer John Boutte cooks (you could say Sam Cookes) up Louisiana boogie. There's some city, there's some swamp, and all kinds of soul. Think Lee Dorsey, but just a shade sweeter. Boutte has racked up plenty of awards for his golden voice, including Best Male Vocalist and Best Traditional Jazz Album at the 2008 OffBeat Music Awards. (FD)
After winning the grand prize of the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal in 1986, Canadian pianist Jon Ballantyne headed to New York City to study with Barry Harris and Kenny Barron. After tours with the Woody Herman Big Band, Buddy De Franco, and Clark Terry, Ballantyne recorded the 1990 Juno Award-winning album, "SkyDance," with Joe Henderson. He picked up a Juno himself in 2007 for his album, "Avenue Standard." Ballantyne has been featured on Marian McPartland's "Piano Jazz" and has played at jazz festivals all over the world. (RN)
Jon Cleary is an Englishman gone big and easy. New Orleans is home to this monster piano player. He's burned hot and cool with his band The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, and as a sideman with Taj Mahal, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, and Snooks Eaglin. Cleary leans towards the r&b side of things, but you can still hear the parade and the Longhair of his adopted hometown. Cleary recently toured as part of The Keys To New Orleans solo piano tour with Henry Butler and Allen Toussaint. (FD)
With a deep, full, muscular tone on tenor saxophone, Jonas Kullhammar runs the gamut from straight-ahead be-bop cool to free-form avant-garde wildness - and that's in the same tune! It was just nine years ago that Kullhammar released his first recording as a leader. His high-octane sound was immediately rewarded with Sweden Radio's Jazz Cat award as Newcomer of the Year. In 2001, his second album won him the Jazz Cat as Jazz Musician of the Year. (RN)
Finnish keyboardist Kari Ikonen creates a sort of musical infinity within his music. While the trumpet intones lonely and dark, it's Ikonen's work with MOOG, synthesizer, melodica, and piano that truly paints the soundscape. Especially in the electronic realm, he creates notes that hang like definitions of god; notes that sound as if they were always there and always will be. He boogies more expectedly on the piano, but it's the gentle splash of esoteric sounds that really complements his band's more traditional cadence and approach. Very interesting, very cool. (FD)
This Massachusetts lass has got guts. She covers The Cars without a lick of irony on her new Grammy-nominated "If Less Is More, Nothing Is Everything." McGarry shifts from the unlikely to the unexpected with graceful vocal layering, hipster swing, and progressive arrangements. No gimmicks here, just beautiful music. (FD)
This lady lays it on pretty intense for someone who sites Joni Mitchell and James Taylor as major influences. When she isn't singing sweet, just dig the pops and snaps, twings and twangs of her progressive, aggressive acoustic guitar attack. A self-professed urban/folk/jazz artis, Denhert first hit the scene as lead guitarist in the all-female band Fire. She has lived in New York City since 1997, and she holds a residency at The 55 Bar and plays in The New York Unit as well. (FD)
Brit pianist/vocalist Liane Carroll does the absolute funkiest version of Duke Ellington's "Caravan" I have ever heard. It rivals Duane Eddy's. Carroll's voice creeps gentle and soft, and takes on a decidedly gospel tone when she opens it up to bust clouds. A totally engaging performer who obviously loves hearing what she does as much as you will. (FD)
Lionel Loueke has released only one major-label album, but that was enough to earn him the top spot for Rising Star Guitarist in Down Beat Magazine's prestigious Critic's Poll last year. Loueke was born in the West African country of Benin; his album's title, "Karibu," means "welcome" in Swahili. If he sounds familiar, it may be because his distinctive style enhances Herbie Hancock's Grammy-winning "River: The Joni Letters." Loueke's trio-mates, bassist Massimo Biolcati and percussionist Ferenc Nemeth, beautifully support his wondrous guitar and vocals as he fuses the music of his culture with jazz. (RN)
Just wait until you see Lori Andrews rock out on the electric harp. Andrews and her group order off the whole menu, from floating atmospheric jazz, funky stratospheric jazz, to Sunday brunch smooth fusion. Andrews' harp is full-on electric, allowing it to rise above the sultry ripples you're used to hearing. Her unique style has booked her gigs at all sorts of jazz festivals, including Playboy, Newport, Sacramento, and even Oprah's 50th birthday. Oprah, dude. (FD)
A Manhattan Affair with Mike Catalano
"Smooth As Silk" is the title of a song on pianist Mike Catalano's new album, "A Manhattan Affair." It's also an apt description of his music. Catalano is a veteran of the New York studio scene who has composed a variety of music for television shows, like "A Current Affair" and other Fox TV programs. He has a fondness for Brazilian music and has worked extensively with top Brazilian musicians and composer/vocalist Ivan Lins. (RN)
The way Maria Farinha effortlessly lets the Portuguese fly so smoothly, with all its multi-consonant slant, is amazing. Born in Sao Paulo, Farinha is widely recognized as one of the preeminent singers of Bossa Nova and Brazilian jazz. Now living in Canada, she composes within the idiom, as well as interprets the masters like Bossa Nova godfather Tom Jobim. (FD)
The Marshall Tucker Band rides the rail between country and rock, pulling fans from both camps. After nearly 30 years, this band from Spartanburg, South Carolina, is still all over classic rock radio and continues to tour playing its flute-fueled hits like "Can't You See" and "Heard It In A Love Song." (FD)
Whenever a Latin band is described as having pop elements, it's generally because of a pretty voice up top. In this case it's Marta Gomez's velvety pipes as they intone over a plethora of Latin beats. Colombian cumbias and bambucos, Argentine zambas, Cuban sones and Peruvian landos all pulse beneath this Columbian native's voice. The underlying music is traditionally rooted and reverentially cultivated, with Gomez's original compositions left to put a lilting hope on sorrow and a bittersweet twist to joy. (FD)
Michael McDonald joined The Doobie Brothers in 1975 as a replacement for the group's pianist. It wasn't long before his gruff vocals had become a large part of the group's trademark sound. McDonald also came up with a fresh syncopated style of songwriting that spawned hits like "What A Fool Believes" and "Minute By Minute." After leaving the Doobies, he embarked on a successful solo career with more hits, including "I Keep Forgettin'." In recent years McDonald has entered a third phase of his career as an interpreter of the great Motown song book and other r&b classics. (RN)
Trumpeter extraordinaire Mike Kaupa has enlivened bands in the Rochester area for decades. He's been a regular performer in the Dave Rivello Ensemble, and in a variety of groups at the Strathallan Hotel. In every setting, he has beautiful tone and the ability to produce breathtaking melodic runs. The list of stars he has performed with includes Ben Monder, Mark Murphy, Gary Bartz, Luciana Souza, Steve Gadd, and Ray Charles. (RN)
Mike Melito Quintet w/Grant Stewart & John Swana
Mike Melito began his drumming career at the age of 15, playing with Joe Locke at a local club. Since then he's performed with Chuck Mangione, Gene Bertoncini, James Moody, Benny Golson, and many others. The title of his fourth album, "In The Tradition," is a declaration that Melito cherishes the halcyon days of jazz - the hard bop of the late-1950's. His band includes the wonderful Philadelphia trumpeter John Swana and one of New York's finest saxophonists, Grant Stewart. (RN)
As a teenager, pianist Monty Alexander was already playing clubs in his native Jamaica with his band, Monty and the Cyclones. After touring the United States with Ray Brown, he began to build a reputation as an exciting pianist in his own right. By the mid-1960's he had earned his own recording contract. Since then he has recorded more than 60 albums, many of which explore reggae and calypso music, and other aspects of his Caribbean and Jamaican roots. (RN)
The Neil Cowley Trio is England's answer to The Bad Plus. Cowley is a percussive pianist, and bassist Richard Sadler and drummer Evan Jenkins attack their instruments with equal relish. The trio's music is instantly contagious, with compositions like the rollicking "His Nibs." If that title sounds naughty to you, it must be your dirty mind. It's an expression mocking titles like "his Lordship." But it's also indicative of the subversive and humorous mission of this group. (RN)
Nils Petter Molvaer is the trumpeter for the apocalypse. His music is breathtakingly ambient as it explores sound spaces as intimate as the womb and as far-reaching as the heavens. It's narcotic and soothing, yet there are still elements there to provoke and evoke. Those of you who ordinarily shy away from the weird will be able to get your head around this a little easier. (FD)
Jazz began when African rhythms and song forms were merged with American musical traditions. A century later, encounters with world music are expanding the possibilities. Nordic Connect, which fuses jazz with Scandinavian musical traditions, is a collaboration between two Canadians of Danish heritage - sisters Ingrid Jensen (trumpet, flugelhorn) and Christine Jensen (saxophones); two Swedes, Maggi Olin (keyboards) and Mattias Welin (bass); and an American, Jon Wikan (drums). The resulting music is often ethereal and always evocative. (RN)
Whether gently breathing out a lyric or word-less sighs, Londoner Norma Winstone always maintains a beautiful tone. She has been exploring language and sound becoming apart of the avant-garde movement in the early 1970's. More recently she has concentrated on putting lyrics to existing works by composers like Steve Swallow. (FD)
It may be tough to pronounce, but NYNDK stands for New York, Norway, and Denmark, the countries of origin for the group's members. Danish pianist Soren Moller, Norwegian saxophonist Ole Mathisen, and New York trombonist Chris Washburne explore a wide range of jazz styles. Group members move effortlessly from hard bop excursions reminiscent of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers to beautiful ballads with gorgeous harmonies. But just when you are lulled into your comfort zone, they'll take you on a ride to the very edge of the avant-garde. NYNDK fuses the old world and the new in more ways than one. (RN)
Organissimo injects equal shares of soul, funk, gospel, and rock, and even throws a little Latin into the mix to emerge with a fresh take on the organ trio tradition. Hammond B-3 organist Jim Alfredson met guitarist Joe Gloss when they were students at Michigan State University. Once they hooked up with drummer Randy Marsh they were on their way. Alfredson and Gloss provide an engaging interplay of organ cascades and legato guitar runs over Marsh's steady beat. (RN)
Few musicians have had as riveting a journey as Pat Martino. After establishing himself as one of the premier guitarists in jazz in the 1960's in bands with greats like Jimmy Smith and on his own albums, Martino suffered a brain aneurysm in the late 1970's. An operation in 1980 caused him to lose both his memory and his ability to play. Over the next decade he studied his past albums and re-taught himself guitar. In the late 1980's Martino re-emerged on the jazz scene and has been at the top of his form since then. (RN)
Peter King is a remarkable saxophone player, combining the gorgeous tone of Stan Getz with the fluid melodic lines of Charlie Parker and the wild cascades of John Coltrane. In one rare performance he played Parker's saxophone, and made it sing once again. King has worked with greats like Nat Adderley, Red Rodney, and Maynard Ferguson, and was enlisted for a European tour with Ray Charles. Because he's done most of his playing overseas you may not have heard of him, but it is no exaggeration to say King is among the greatest alto players working today. (RN)
Now based in Rochester, The Po' Boys Brass Band got its start in New Orleans, where one of its members caught a concert by trombone group Bonerama. The Po' Boys play with an element of electric wrong, with the lead trombone getting run through stomp boxes that bend and twist and distort the sound into a creamy stratospheric tapestry. It's like Dumbo on an acid trip. The band bust up joints nightly with stuff off its debut, "Bonebreak," as well as unlikely trombone tributes to tunes like "Thriller" and "Frankenstein." (FD)
RIJF Salutes Joe Romano
From his early days, playing with Chuck and Gap Mangione, to his packed-house performances at the RIJF in recent years, the late saxophonist Joe Romano was a favorite on the Rochester jazz scene for half a century. Even when he lived on the West Coast, playing in the bands of Lionel Hampton and Woody Herman and subbing in the Tonight Show Band, Romano returned home to play gigs in the city where his musical imagination first took flight. A beloved mentor, he will be honored by the musicians whose lives he enhanced. (RN)
RIJF-ESM Scholarship Performance: Celebrating the Legacy of Woody Herman
Clarinetist and big band legend Woody Herman's first band became popular for its interpretation of the blues in the 1930's, and it was his thundering Herd that was at center of the big band blast in the 40's. But besides performing jazz arrangements by Dizzy Gillespie and such, Herman also did pieces by Igor Stravinsky. A little Rochester side note; Rascals guitarist and former Rochesterian Gene Cornish's mother was a vocalist in Herman's band in the late 1940's, and RIJF promoter and saxocat John Nugent played third tenor in a later incarnation of the orchestra, The Second Herd. (FD)
Robert Randolph and the Family Band
Parked unassumingly behind his pedal steel, Robert Randolph will knock you over, out, and off your feet. With a frenetic attack, Randolph blends blues, rock, funk, and gospel, taking each genre to its absolute limit. Like The Campbell Brothers, Randolph got his start in The House of God Church, a Pentecostal denomination known for its use of steel guitar in its liturgy. Randolph has taken this church base and revved it up with equally powerful secular grooves. The man hasn't even reached 30 yet and has already been named "one of the greatest guitar players of all time" by Rolling Stone. (FD)
Ryan Shaw takes a break from touring with Brit-soul babe Joss Stone to rock with us for just one evening. But that may be all it takes to rejuvenate and resuscitate your faith in r&b. Hailing and wailing out of Decatur, Georgia, Shaw digs deep from the genre's classic era, when r&b actually meant rhythm and blues and had plenty of both. Shaw sings creamy smooth, with lofty forays into the clouds that will make you tingle. Wilson Pickett and Jackie Wilson may be gone, but it's comforting to know someone's still doing their work down here. (FD)
Sean Jefferson Septet + Marcus Strickland
A home-grown drummer, Sean Jefferson studied with the finest teachers - John C. McNeill, Dave Mancini, Mike Melito - in the music-rich Rochester area. A member of Paradigm Shift and The Jazz Mad Lab, Jefferson is no stranger to upstate New York stages. At the RIJF his septet will be enhanced by special guest Marcus Strickland, one of the most thrilling saxophonists on the scene today. A versatile leader and sideman, Strickland is equally at home with originals, jazz standards, or contemporary compositions by artists like Outkast and Bjork. (RN)
The three musicians from Moscow who make up Second Approach are fluent in a variety of musical forms, including classical, opera, jazz, and Gypsy music. Andrei Razin is a magnificent pianist who has won Composer of the Year honors in Russia. Igor Ivanushkin is a superb contemporary bassist who pushes the instrument's range well beyond its standard language. And Tatyana Komova is an extraordinarily ethereal vocalist who has perfected her own wordless singing style. Their collective sound is simply otherworldly. (RN)
His point of departure is ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax's 1954 investigation of Sicilian roots music, but guitarist Michael Occhipinti's Sicilian Jazz Project moves well beyond the original Italian folk songs. Occhipinti creates contemporary works based on traditional pieces, incorporating new voicings, rhythms, and harmonies along the way. A typical song may begin in the old country with a folk melody, only to cross the ocean into contemporary post-bop territory. (RN)
This Norwegian songstress sings mellow and sweet --- or should I say melancholy and sweet? Her music embraces the epic heartache of love and life, and exemplifies how surviving it all makes for beautiful music. The dichotomy in her life --- social worker by day, musician at night --- is mirrored in her music. It's both haunting and soothing, vulnerable and strong, lonely and uplifting. (FD)
It would be difficult to name a late 20th-century American songwriter with more classics under his belt than Smokey Robinson. Songs like "The Tracks of My Tears," "I Second That Emotion," and "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" made Robinson's group, The Miracles, one of the most popular acts of the 1960's. But he also wrote great tunes for others - "My Girl" and "Get Ready" for the Temptations; "My Guy" for Mary Wells - to name a few. Songwriting is just one part of Robinson's greatness. Was there a more gorgeous voice in all of pop music than the one that melismatically glided through "Ooo Baby Baby"? (RN)
SMV (Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten)
What is the sound of three hands slapping? The age-old question will finally be answered when three of the world's most phenomenal bassists take the Eastman Theatre stage. Stanley Clarke revolutionized the electronic bass in the 1970's as a member of Chick Corea's Return to Forever before striking out on his own sensational career. Marcus Miller has driven the rhythm sections of R&B giants Aretha Franklin and Luther Vandross, worked extensively with Miles Davis, and won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 2001. Victor Wooten, who is well known for his work with Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, has dazzled audiences around the world with his spectacular technique. Bass is often in the shadows; these three low riders will pull it firmly into the spotlight. (RN)
They used to call the piano the piano-forte; you know, the soft/loud. After hearing Denmark's Soren Kjaergaard you'll think twice when calling it merely piano. In the spirit of artists like Cecil Taylor, this group blurs the line between the improvised and the composed with a healthy dose of creative curiosity. (FD)
It's a jazz, funk, and r&b stew as well. This Toronto septet has been rocking it right since 1990 along Toronto's famed College Street scene. Made up of top-notch session men, Soul Stew has lent its brass to artists from Aretha Franklin to Nelly Furtado to Gorillaz. The band's prevailing sound is the kind of pleasant soul that floated out of umpteen transistor radios in the 1970's. I had mine tied to my handlebars. Where was yours? (FD)
Frenchman Stephane Wrembel calls his music "gypsy jam" --- a hybrid of world music dominated by his gypsy guitar. At the heart of this music, and in the heart of Wrembel, stands Django Reinhardt, the undefeated heavyweight master of gypsy jazz guitar. Reinhardt's two-fingered tight tone and jump is unmistakable on his original recordings, and equally recognizable when they surface directly or indirectly as influences --- like they do with musicians like Wrembel. The teenage Wrembel was turned on to guitar via the legends you'd expect, like Hendrix and Zeppelin. But when he went to the Django Reinhardt Festival in Samois at age 20, it was clear what he would be doing from then on. (FD)
Susan Pereira and Sabor Brasil
Though vocalist, pianist, and percussionist Susan Pereira infuses contemporary jazz into more intense Brazilian jazz, the sound is still rhythmically dedicated and sexy. A native of New York, Pereira and her group have ruled the Brazilian music scene in Gotham since the band's inception in 1983. Pereira's piano attack is bright and percussive, as is her vocal style, which she peppers with rapid-fire Portuguese and scat. (FD)
Susan Tedeschi's "Back To The River" may be the artist's attempt to grow and explore, but this leopard's spots are still pretty blue, jack. The colors that aren't blue are due in large part to the collaborations on the album. Swampster Tony Joe White, The Jayhawks' Gary Louris, songwriter on the rise Sonya Kitchell, Texas wildman Doyle Bramhall II, and hubby Derek Trucks all sat down with Tedeschi with pen, paper, and guitar. So the record leans a little rootsier than previous platters, yet when she opens her mouth and hits the strings, there's no doubt about who's at the mic. (FD)
Taj Mahal dumps the whole spice rack into the soup and makes it work. Afro-Caribbean blues, folk-blues, world-blues, jazz-blues -- when you describe Mahal's music, you've got to hyphenate. However, despite the diversity, the blues remains the meat, as Mahal deconstructs the sounds to their roots. Born Henry St. Claire Fredericks in Harlem in 1942 to a jazz pianist father and gospel-singing mother, young Henry was surrounded by music. It was in college that he transformed himself into Taj Mahal after the idea hit him in a dream. He cut his teeth in the L.A. club scene in the early 60's, where he got to share the stage with influential blues greats like Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Sleepy John Estes, and Lightin' Hopkins. Mahal has earned two Grammys, and plays more than 20 instruments. But it all comes down to the man and his guitar, the history they explore, and the history they are now apart of. (FD)
It's easy to hear why Terell Stafford is the trumpeter of choice for jazz giants like Benny Golson and Kenny Barron. And it's not hard to figure out why McCoy Tyner called him "one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player." Constantly in demand, he has played in Bobby Watson's Horizon, Tyner's Latin All-Star Band, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. In every setting he can be counted upon to play inventive solos with absolutely gorgeous tone. (RN)
Tessa Souter charmed every audience member in two packed concerts at the 2007 RIJF with her gorgeous voice and beautiful original tunes. Born in London, Souter had a flourishing career going as a journalist. She was living and writing in New York in the 1990's when, at the urging of a friend, she began to sing at open mic nights in clubs. After studying with legendary vocalist Mark Murphy, Souter switched from journalism to a different - more tuneful and emotional - form of storytelling. (RN)
Whether he is playing one of his saxophones or the bass clarinet, Tim Garland is a master of exotic sound. Sometimes switching instruments in the middle of a tune, Garland glides effortlessly over the chords with a slight Middle Eastern tinge to his melodies. His partners in the trio are master percussionist Asaf Sirkis and the wonderfully rhythmic pianist Gwilym Simcock. With the interplay of these three virtuoso musicians, the Lighthouse Trio is far more than the sum of its parts. (RN)
Saxophonist Tony Kofi has seen to it that the English have no shortage of hard-bop edginess. Sounding as if he has absorbed all of the lessons of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme," Kofi has taken it from there. And he's got the chops to pull it off. In terms of repertoire, when he's not playing originals, Kofi is partial to Thelonious Monk. After studying sax in England, Kofi enrolled in Boston's Berklee College of Music. Since then he's worked with Branford Marsalis, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Queen Latifah, and a host of others. (RN)
In the 1970s there were funky, horn-based bands on stages everywhere. But there were none funkier and none hornier than Tower of Power. Every brass and reed riff was perfectly punctuated, and the section was stop-on-a-dime tight. The band is still going strong with vocals that are pure soul and arrangements as sophisticated as a Gil Evans chart. Tower of Power is capable of beautiful ballads like "You're Still A Young Man" or mid-tempo masterpieces like "So Very Hard To Go." And the band can make it hard to sit still with tunes like "What Is Hip?" The passing years have shown that the answer to that question is Tower of Power. (RN)
WXXI Jazz Films
Once upon a time in the 1970's, top national jazz musicians made regular visits to the Rochester, and WXXI TV filmed their shows. Sadly, these films have rarely been seen since then. The treasures that will be screened this year include concert performances by Bill Evans and Maynard Ferguson. The films will be introduced by WXXI radio (1370 AM) jazz DJ Tom Hampson, who marks his 50th year on the air this June. Also on the bill is the best of the RIJF 2008. (RN)
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