SATURDAY, JUNE 20

4:30 p.m.: Rochester Area High School Jazz Bands Jazz Street Stage

5:15 p.m.: Rochester Area High School Jazz Bands Jazz Street Stage

6 p.m.: Rochester Metro Jazz Orchestra Jazz Street Stage

Founded and fronted by noted jazz composer Dave Rivello, the Rochester Metro Jazz Orchestra was formed in 1998. The band primarily salutes big band a la Count Basie, covering standards as well as Rivello's own pieces. (FD)

6 p.m.: Joe Lovano Kilbourn Hall

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)

6 p.m.: Antonio Ciacca Group Montage Music Hall

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)

6:15 p.m.: Marta Gomez Quartet Max of Eastman Place

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)

6:30 p.m.: Aaron Parks Trio Xerox Auditorium

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)

6:45 p.m.: Tim Garland's Lighthouse Trio Christ Church

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)

7 p.m.: Bacci East Ave/Alexander St Stage

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)

7 p.m.: John Boutte East Ave/Chestnut St Stage

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)     

7:15 p.m.: Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers Jazz Street Stage

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)

7:30 p.m.: Delirium Lutheran Church of the Reformation

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)

8:30 p.m.: "A Manhattan Affair" w/Mike Catalano Big Tent

"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)

8:45 p.m.: Tim Garland's Lighthouse Trio Christ Church

See bio above.

9 p.m.: Fabulous Thunderbirds East Ave/Alexander St Stage

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)

9 p.m.: Buckwheat Zydeco East Ave/Chestnut St Stage

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)

9 p.m.: Aaron Parks Trio Xerox Auditorium

See bio above.

9:15 p.m.: Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers Jazz Street Stage

See bio above.

9:30 p.m.: Delirium Lutheran Church of the Reformation

See bio above.

10 p.m.: "A Manhattan Affair" w/Mike Catalano Big Tent

See bio above.

10 p.m.: Marta Gomez Quartet Max of Eastman Place

See bio above.

10 p.m.: Antonio Ciacca Group Montage Music Hall

See bio above.

10 p.m.: Joe Lovano Kilbourn Hall

See bio above.

10:30 p.m.: Bob Sneider Trio State Street Bar & Grille

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)