Monday, June 22 - Musician Bios 

Monday, June 22 - Musician Bios

Blue Highway With more than 20 years together and 11 albums to show for it, Blue Highway is at the top of the bluegrass heap. The band has been besieged with an avalanche of awards, including two Grammy nominations for its gospel and Americana-tinged music. (FD) bluehighwayband.com

Bob Albanese Not only a talented pianist versed in jazz, Latin, pop, and theatrical spheres, but Bob Albanese is also a philanthropist who, in 2003 as the U.S. Jazz Ambassador, led his band Café Simpatico in performance and cultural exchange throughout former Yugoslavia. (NP) bobalbanese.com

Eivind Opsvik Overseas When he doesn't have his arms around a big bull fiddle, a steel guitar on his lap, or his ass parked in front of a keyboard or behind the drums, he's running a record label. In other words, Oslo, Norway's Eivind Opsvik is busy, busy, busy. With his band Overseas he focuses more on bass and arranging. (FD) eivindopsvik.com

ESM-XRIJF Scholarships Concert with Charles Pillow Charles Pillow is fluent in just about every instrument in the reed family. He's applied his skills in the jazz world with greats like Joe Henderson, John Scofield, and Michael Brecker and in the pop world with Donald Fagen, Mariah Carey, and Paul Simon. You can even find him playing on the original cast albums for Broadway shows like "Gypsy" and "Kiss Me Kate." (RN) charlespillow.com

Harkness Harriott Duo After meeting in Japan while touring for a show, guitarist Sean Harkness and flugelhornist Mike Herriott started to bond as they traveled together, eventually creating a musical kinship combining their two instruments. Their record marks the beginning of that exploration. (NP) harknessherriott.com

Jack Allen Big Band Tenacious trumpeter and big-band leader Jack Allen has been blowing his horn since the age of 5, playing gigs since 12, and touring the United States with assorted combos since he was out of high school. He took over the Chick Edmond band in 1993 and continues to swing with the kind of dreamy elegance only a big band can bring. It wouldn't be Jazz Fest without him. (FD) thejackallenbigband.com

Jane Bunnett & Maqueque See feature on page XX.

Joe Locke Joe Locke's new album, "Love Is a Pendulum," is a sweet, dreamy affair that bellies the madness of the man live. When Locke plays it's like hummingbird wings; you can't see his mallets or arms for that matter. This Rochester native has played with a host of notables from Dizzy Gillespie to the Beastie Boys. (FD) joelocke.com

Jon Regen New York City singer-pianist Jon Regen plays like Randy Newman, though he sings little less ragged. His songs, like Newman's, are sardonic lyrical studies that team up well with his deceptively simple hooks. Regen's new album, "Stop Time," calls to mind classic strains and beats of the Big Easy as well as urban-esque salvos and ditties. (FD) jonregen.com

Kat Edmonson See listing for Sunday, June 21.

Raul Midon See feature on page XX.

Saxofour From sinuous lines snaking over chords to honks and beeps and percussive squeaks, Florian Bramböck, Klaus Dickbauer, Christian Maurer, and Wolfgang Puschnig — known collectively as Saxofour — do just about anything that can be done with a saxophone. And they do it with an eclectic repertoire that ranges from jazz to Mozart to Italian Western movie music. (RN) toene.at/saxo4

Significant Other This is a band of rockers, jazzers, and classicos from the Rochester scene. Heavy hitters, all Significant Other is a power house of originals and adaptations you'll love. (FD) significantotherrocks.com

Soul Rebels See listing for Sunday, June 21.

Stephane Wrembel See listing for Sunday, June 21.

Such Sweet Thunder Named after the 1957 tune by Duke Ellington, Such Sweet Thunder is a jazz quintet with strings. The ensemble is poetry set to music, tackling work from E.E. Cummings and Shakespeare as well as original prose from leader Shannon Thomson. (FD)

Trio Red Here's a piano, bass, and drums threesome that tempers its dissonance with gentle, low-gear meanderings. However the band — hailing from Norway, Scotland, and England — is willing to go off the rails with things like mashing up Joan Armatrading with Ornette Coleman. That should work. (FD) interrupto.com/Interrupto_Music/Trio_Red.html

XRIJF Nightly Jazz Session with The Bob Sneider Trio See listing for Friday, June 19.

In This Guide...

  • Jazz Festival Guide 2015

    City Newspaper's guide to Rochester's biggest music festival. For more reviews, blogs, photos, and the latest news, check our website every day of the festival.

  • Festival Information

    Tickets, Venues, Parking and Additional Information

  • Friday, June 19 - Schedule

    Friday, June 19 3:45 p.m.: Buckman Heights Elementary School Jazz Street Stage (FREE)

  • Friday, June 19 - Musician Bios

    Friday, June 19 - Musician Bios Anthony Strong Fortified with an acclaimed live show, a tailored suit, and a grand piano, the Anthony Strong wears the "English Gentleman" role well.

  • Saturday, June 20 - Schedule

    Saturday, June 20 3:45 p.m.: Gates-Chili High School Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE)

  • Saturday, June 20 - Musician Bios

    Saturday, June 20 - Musician Bios 78 RPM Big Band A 16-piece band based out of Dansville, 78 RPM brings big band music all through Western New York.

  • Raul Midon

    When I reached Raul Midon by phone he had just returned from a tour of Europe. With a vocalist, lead guitarist, rhythm guitarist, bassist, percussionist, and trumpet player in tow, it could have been a complicated tour.

  • Sunday, June 21 - Schedule

    Sunday, June 21 3:45 p.m.: MCC Jazz Band Jazz Street Stage (FREE)

  • Sunday, June 21 - Musician Bios

    Sunday, June 21 - Musician Bios Benny Green Solo See listing for Saturday, June 20.

  • Herb Alpert

    It's 9 a.m., Pacific Time when Herb Alpert gave us a jingle-jangle a few weeks ago. He'd been up for hours recording "Whatever pops into my head," the 80-year-old jazz and pop trumpeter says.

  • Monday, June 22 - Schedule

    Monday, June 22 - Musician Bios 12:00 p.m.: Jazz Starts at the Library with Mike Kaupa Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE)

  • Jane Bunnett

    What is it about Afro-Cuban music that makes it the very embodiment of joy? Is it the dance of the exuberant polyrhythms as they weave in and out of one another?

  • Tuesday, June 23 - Schedule

    Tuesday, June 23 12:00 p.m.: Jazz Starts at the Library with Danny Ziemann Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE)

  • Tuesday, June 23 - Musician Bios

    Tuesday, June 23 - Musician Bios Aaron Diehl Aaron Diehl turned more than a few heads with his gorgeous keyboard work when he played last year's XRIJF with Cecile Mclorin Salvant.

  • Wednesday, June 24 - Schedule

    Wednesday, June 24 12:00 p.m.: Jazz Starts at the Library with Mel Henderson Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE)

  • Wednesday, June 24 - Musician Bios

    Wednesday, June 24 - Musician Bios Aaron Diehl Solo See listing for Tuesday, June 23.

  • Fred Hersch

    Growing up in Cincinnati, Fred Hersch noticed that there was a piano in his house, so, at the age of 4, he sat down and started to pick out tunes. That precocious beginning led Hersch to a career as a sideman with greats like Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, and Art Farmer; as a leader on more than 40 albums; and an innovator who has expanded jazz into multimedia and the classical realm.

  • Thursday, June 25 - Schedule

    Thursday, June 25 12:00 p.m.: Jazz Starts at the Library with Doug Stone Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE)

  • Thursday, June 25 - Musician Bios

    Thursday, June 25 - Musician Bios Ali Jackson Trio The son of bassist Ali Jackson Sr., drummer Ali Jackson had strong encouragement at an early age from stars like Max Roach, Milt Hinton, and Aretha Franklin.

  • Sharon Jones

    Sharon Jones was scheduled to sing at the 2013 Rochester International Jazz Festival when her career was abruptly put on hold due to a bout with cancer. Consequently, the following feature article was also put on hold.

  • Friday, June 26 - Schedule

    Friday, June 26 12:00 p.m.: Jazz Starts at the Library with Mike Melito Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (FREE)

  • Friday, June 26 - Musician Bios

    Friday, June 26 - Musician Bios Arstidir Iceland's Arstidir has spent the last six years touring in more than 30 countries.

  • Ingrid Jensen

    If instruments have personalities, trumpet has to be the most audacious and in your face. Maybe that's why not many budding female musicians are handed one.

  • Saturday, June 27 - Schedule

    Saturday, June 27 3:00 p.m.: Bill Tiberio Band East Ave. & Chestnut St. Stage (FREE)

  • Saturday, June 27 - Musician Bios

    Saturday, June 27 - Musician Bios Alex Pangman Regarded as Canada's "sweetheart of swing," Alex Pangman has proven herself a talented and learned student of the classic jazz singers.

  • Steep Canyon Rangers

    To the untrained ear, bluegrass tunes tend to run into each other, the patterns and loops of notes both picked and plucked can be a confusing barrage. That's not to say bands like this aren't accessible, you've just gotta be on your toes.

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