On the festival’s final night I saw three virtuoso musicians and their groups.

During his first set at Montage, bassist Avishai Cohen not only explored every inch of the fingerboard, he added percussion by slapping and tapping, he strummed and played occasional harmonics, and, when he wanted to really accent a note, he struck it extra harshly. Even his bowing work was unusually percussive. Cohen has expanded the vocabulary of the bass and made it an effective lead solo instrument in the process.

While most of the tunes his trio played were from his current album, one of the most beautiful ballads, “Seattle,” was written two weeks ago and performed for the first time at Montage. Because we are used to middle- and upper-register lead instruments, hearing melodies played so beautifully on such a low-register instrument is an almost subliminal experience.

Jens Winther’s European Quartet performed only two lengthy compositions during the first set at the Lutheran Church, but both were rich vehicles for the group’s powerful brand of post-bop jazz. Winther was obviously steeped in mid-to-late-1960s Miles Davis, blowing spare solos punctuated by fiery bursts of notes.

On “Once Upon A Summertime,” Winther enhanced the sound of his trumpet by walking over to the open piano and playing his solo directly into the strings two or three inches away. This created a haunting effect with the stings reverberating softly under his melodies.

Bill Frisell has developed the best twang in jazz guitar and it fit “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” beautifully. But Frisell is not satisfied to simply play; like a mad scientist he is constantly twisting knobs, and pushing buttons to obtain sound effects. As a result, “I’m So Lonesome” grew into an apocalyptic Frankenstein monster with chaotic and distorted guitar and crash-and-burn drumming.

Frisell is a master guitarist, but sometimes the sound effects become overdone. It would be fun to hear him without them.

At the risk of sounding like a broken CD (does that even make sense?) this year’s festival was the best ever. I know I say this every year but every step the festival has taken to expand has proved to be just right.

The Scandinavian series at the Lutheran Church was a great success with full houses every night. Several of the bands arrived in the United States for the first time and played their first American concerts to adoring crowds that bought up all of their CDs, and the musicians got to play in a beautiful space, surrounded by stained glass windows. They must have thought they died and went to heaven.

Even the creatures from Midaircondo, on their long, long, flight home, must be raving about how friendly earthlings are.

(For the record, I do not believe in heaven and will not set foot in a church until next year’s festival. But thank you, Lutherans!)

Harro East was also a terrific, elegant new venue, and the festival’s expanded free concert series provided the best street party Rochester has had in years. 

My greatest festival thrill was hearing Wynton Marsalis and The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Odadaa! play “Congo Square.” My greatest festival regret was missing Wynton Marsalis jam for over an hour with the Bob Sneider Trio at the Crowne Plaza after the concert.

Sunday I’m looking forward to… sleep!!!