For all you jazz fans out there overwhelmed with the wealth of choices at this year's Rochester International Jazz Festival, we'd like to help.
With almost 100 shows to choose from, we understand that picking the right ones, and staying within your budget, can be a little tough. That's why we suggest you get a Club Pass. Available for $75, the pass gets you into 99 of this year's shows.
To help you decide what shows would most interest you, we enlisted the help of festival producer John Nugent. Depending on what kind of jazz you like, the following are a few routes you can take:
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Traditional acoustic/swing or vocal jazz
Allison started his recording career in 1956, and to this day the legendary singer, pianist and composer spends more than half the year on the road giving audiences exactly what they want: A little bit of Mose Allison.
During a March 2004 interview with R.J. DeLuke, a music writer from allthatjazz.com, Allison said of his music: "I'm just tryin' to play jazz, which is improvised music, and I'm tryin' to write the songs that I write and they express a certain point of view, a certain temperament."
Early in Newman's career, he met the one and only Ray Charles. Instantly, the two musicians hit it off. In 1954, they joined forces and, for 12 years, played together as part of The Ray Charles Band. Over the years, this saxophonist spent time in the studio with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Herbie Mann and Aaron Neville, to name a few.
Newman's latest album, Songs for a New Man, was released in January, and John Murph, a writer for JazzTimes, had this to say about it: "At the ripe age of 70, Newman still hones a brawny, robust tone that's splendidly enlivened by his nimble, dance-like phrasing. When he plays, he never loses sight of the melody even during a song's most prickly sequences, making every phrase utterly singable."
A jazz student since he was 7, Green learned the basics from his father. Over time, Green has come to be considered one of the most talented hard-bop keyboardists around. As his quick fingers tickle the ivory during his famous octave runs, people often wonder how it's possible to play so quickly and with such skill. Malone, on the other hand, was first exposed to music in church, and by 10, he was fully engrossed in music. In the end it was jazz this self-taught musician chose to specialize in. Influenced strongly by B.B. King and George Benson, today Malone is part of Harry Connick Jr.'s band.
Acoustic modern jazz
Roney, a trumpet player since he was 5, made his recording debut when he was only 14. While he's had many influences throughout his life, Miles Davis played the biggest role in getting him started.
Monica Kendrick, a Chicago Reader critic, said in a 1999 review, "It doesn't matter where you first hear violinist Billy Bang's tone — for me it was a Marilyn Crispell record — it'll never quite leave you."
Born in Alabama, Bang is best-known for his time with the String Trio of New York.
Vu came to the United States from his homeland of Vietnam when he was 6. By 11, he had caught the music bug and begun studying trumpet. A graduate of New England Conservatory of Music, Vu lives in New York where he is in great demand as a musician.
Jazz rock/funk/fusion and/or smooth jazz
This Hungarian group, which has been together since 1995, has released seven CDs to date. In 2000, the group was honored when its album was named Best Jazz/World Music Album of the Year in Hungary. Captivating Hungarian audiences with its stage show, the group has landed numerous gigs at prestigious festivals around the world.
New Birth Brass Band has a little bit of it all. With a sound that blends Indian chants, funk, jazz and hip-hop, this group has seasoned musicians, all of whom are under 30.
As of late, the group has been featured on cable TV as well as in national publications, gaining steam along the way. Who knows — maybe the group's Rochester gig will catapult the band to superstardom?
Ries has gone on two world tours playing saxophone, keyboard and organ with the Rolling Stones. Ries has also collaborated with artists such as Paul Simon, Sheryl Crow and David Lee Roth.
In his spare time, Ries has released five jazz CDs. To mesh his two loves — jazz and rock and roll — Ries has embarked on other adventures creating jazz interpretations of rock favorites.
"I thought what Tim recorded was amazing," said Keith Richards, guitarist for the Rolling Stones in an interview with Downbeat magazine this spring. "The playing is beautiful, too. … Tim always has such a beautiful sound."
Catch his "Music of the Rolling Stones" show at Kilbourn Hall.
Even though we aren't jazz experts here, we know there are many other types of jazz music out there. In fact, the festival will feature dozens of other artists as well.
For a complete list of shows, go to:
