The Players: Saturday, June 29 

Acoustic Alchemy | acousticalchemy.co.uk

5:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.: Geva Theatre Center – Wilson Stage | (Smooth jazz)

Acoustic Alchemy began innocently enough in the 1980's with two excellent guitarists knocking out Londoners with their catchy arrangements. After several personnel changes over the decades, Greg Carmichael and Miles Gilderdale continue to perform their guitar magic, touching on everything from jazz to flamenco to classical to funk. The result is an appealing blend of new age music. (RN)

Sullivan Fortner | sullivanfortnermusic.com

5:45 p.m. & 7:45 p.m.: Hatch Recital Hall, Eastman School of Music | (Straight-ahead jazz)

See page for Fortner's bio.

Gene Perla Quartet | perla.org

6 p.m. & 10 p.m.: The Wilder Room | (Straight-ahead jazz)

After studying at Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory, bassist Gene Perla moved to New York. It wasn't long before he was enlisted by some of the top artists on the scene, including major players like Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, and Sonny Rollins, not to mention top singers Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone and Sarah Vaughan. (RN)

Sisters Euclid | sisterseuclid.bandcamp.com

6 p.m. & 10 p.m.: The Montage Music Hall (Bluesy, guitar-driven jazz)

Canadian guitarist Kevin Breit has his fingers in all sorts of pies and wrapped around all sorts of guitars, playing in various bands from Stretch Orchestra to Folkalarm to Sisters Euclid. It's in the quartet of Sisters that Breit chases shadows, with a dark and gritty guitar style that also has plenty of melodic invention. (FD)

Kansas Smitty's House Band | kansassmittys.com

6 p.m. & 9 p.m.:Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music | (Straight-ahead jazz)

See the band's bio on page .

New Energy Jazz Orchestra | rit.edu/cla/finearts/music/new-energy-jazz-orchestra

6 p.m.: Rochester Regional Health Big Tent | (Big band jazz)

Organized by saxophonist Carl Atkins and trumpeter Jonathan Kruger in 2006, the New Energy Jazz Orchestra features some of the top players in the region. The group's repertoire is distinctive, comprised of adventurous compositions and arrangements by Atkins, Kruger, and others. (RN)

Andrea Brachfeld & Insight | andreabrachfeld.com

6:15 p.m. & 10 p.m.: Max of Eastman Place | (Straight-ahead jazz)

It takes a large amount of talent to transform a small flute into a powerhouse, band-fronting instrument. Andrea Brachfeld has just that sort of command when she leads her excellent group, Insight. Once you've heard one of her impossibly complex, but beautifully melodic solos, you will understand why Hot House Magazine named her "Best Jazz Flutist" in 2015. (RN)

Jon Stickley Trio | jonstickley.com

6:30 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.: Geva Theatre Center – Fielding Stage | (Acoustic, progressive Americana)

If God danced a jig on the eighth day, it would have been to the music of the Jon Stickley Trio. This band can straight-up play --- with a virtuosic style that'll leave you in awe. Complete with its sawed horsehair, percussive guitar, and atypical beats, Stickley and company will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about instrumental folk music. (FD)

Christine Tobin | christine-tobin.com

6:45 p.m. & 8:45 p.m.: Christ Church | (Vocal jazz)

Vocalist Christine Tobin has good taste in lyricists. When she set the poems of W.B. Yeats to music in her 2012 project, "Sailing to Byzantium," she won a British Composer Award. Two years later, she won Jazz Vocalist of the Year at England's Parliamentary Jazz Awards. In recent years, she has won praise for interpretations of the music of Leonard Cohen. (RN)

The Dirty Bourbon Blues Band | dirtybourbonblues.com

7 p.m. & 9 p.m.: Avangrid/RG&E/Barclay Damon Fusion Stage | (Blues)

I don't know about guzzlin' dirty bourbon, necessarily, but I do know I Iike my blues down-and-dirty. This hometown band, led by drummer-vocalist Uncle Pete, serves it up greasier than an oil slick. The foot's always on the gas with these heavy blues rockers. (FD)

Joey DeFrancesco | joeydefrancesco.com

7 p.m. & 9:15 p.m.: Temple Building Theater | (Straight-ahead organ jazz)

Raised in the musical caldron of Philadelphia with a Hammond B-3 organ-playing father, Joey DeFrancesco emerged in the 1980's as a force of nature at the organ. Able to swing any melody and exploit the otherworldly sounds of the instrument, he's been tapped by a who's who of stars including Ray Charles, Diana Krall, Van Morrison, George Benson, and many others. (RN)

Cha Wa | chawaband.com

7 p.m.: City of Rochester Midtown Stage | (New Orleans jazz-funk)

Go to page for an interview with Cha Wa's Joe Gelini.

Tuomo Uusitalo Quartet | tuomouusitalo.com

7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.: Lutheran Church of the Reformation | (Straight-ahead jazz)

Tuomo Uusitalo started playing the piano at six. He began with classical music and explored rock 'n' roll, but once he heard jazz there was no turning back. The idea of composing in the moment fascinated him. Since arriving in New York in 2012, Uusitalo has played with Johnny O'Neal, Dayna Stephens, Curtis Lundy, and many others. (RN)

Al Chez and the Brothers of Funk Big Band | alchez.com

7:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.: City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage | (Trumpet-led big band, straight-ahead jazz)

In 1997, Al Chez joined the CBS Orchestra after years of sitting in on trumpet and flugelhorn on NBC's "Late Night with David Letterman" and "The Late Show" on CBS, with over 25 years between the two. Chez plays it low-key, carefree and fun. (FD)

The Klick | theklick.net

8:30 p.m. & 10 p.m.: Rochester Regional Health Big Tent | (Funk-jazz fusion)

The Klick is home to some Ra-cha-cha heavy hitters. The septet funkifies its jazz, stretching itself to uncover the music's empathy with a welcoming, energetic vibe. It's sophisticated, but it's also party music. (FD)

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue | tromboneshorty.com

9 p.m.: City of Rochester Midtown Stage | (Trombone-led funk-jazz fusion)

Trombone Shorty got his nickname when he first brandished a trombone that was bigger than him. He led his first band at age six and was touring internationally by the time he was 12. His sound is a New Orleans blast furnace of funk and roll, and it has gotten him to the White House and made him the go-to trombone cat for bands like Green Day and U2. 'Nuff said. (FD)

Jam sessions led by Karl Stabnau & Bob Sneider

10:30 p.m.: The Street Craft Kitchen & Bar at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Rochester (Jam )

See page for more information.