I had some time to kill before my one and only scheduled show for Saturday night, so I swung by the Jazz Street Stage to catch a set by the Pittsford-Sutherland High School Jazz Ensemble. Since there are literally hundreds of internationally renowned artists that descend on Rochester during the course of XRIJF, the local high-school bands tend to get lost in our coverage, and that's kind of a shame - there are a lot of extremely talented young musicians in this community.

That fact was plain during the Pittsford-Sutherland set, which was surprisingly funky and had the audience grooving. It was nothing revolutionary, and there were some rough parts, but there was also a lot of impressive playing going on up on the stage. I sincerely hope some of these kids continue their music after graduating high school. It had me longing for my days playing tuba in the LaFayette High School Jazz Band lo those many years ago... (*sniffle*)

I would also recommend the daily high-school sessions to anyone who thinks the Jazz Fest isn't for them, since they don't like jazz. Jazz has many forms, and most of the tunes here were easily accessible for just about any audience. And the people watching on Gibbs Street is amazing - loved the guy shamelessly playing air guitar on his umbrella. And, oh yeah, it's FREE. Take a chance, maybe you'll dig some of the tunes, and that may embolden you to plunk down some hard-earned cash for one of the Jazz Fest's ticketed artists. Like Michael Kaeshammer.

I caught Kaeshammer's 6 p.m. set at Montage, and my only regret is that I didn't see him at Max of Eastman Place Friday night, so that I could have experienced the show again. In a word: WOW. This boogie-woogie piano prodigy put on a captivating, thrilling show for the standing-room-only crowd that made good on the buzz he generated the night before.

Kaeshammer began the set by snapping his fingers, slapping his leg, whacking the side of the piano, and messing with the strings inside his instrument. His impish energy was infectious, and he had the audience spellbound and following his body percussion cues for the entirety of his hour-plus set. He played some instrumentals, some great takes on standards, and even personality-filled interpretations of some classical pieces.

Kaeshammer threw his entire body into his performance, bopping all around his piano bench, throwing his head and arms back, rearing up -- at one time he left the stage for a full five minutes to boogie amid the audience while his outstanding bassist and percussionist took over for a salty extended jam. His charm was matched only by his outstanding performance, as he ripped through time signatures, key changes, varied dynamics, and even style changes with speed and style.

I have a feeling that Kaeshammer will be one of those artists that people will talk about long after this festival ends, like Jake Shimabukuro or Billy's Band two years ago. If you get a chance to make it to tonight's 10 p.m. show, GO. But prepare for very long lines and a very packed house. He's worth the inconvenience.