jasoncrane.org » Rochester

New episodes of The Jazz Session: Fly and Barbara Dennerlein

Jason Crane — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:40:12 +0000

Jason Crane interviews the members of the trio Fly: bassist Larry Grenadier, drummer Jeff Ballard and saxophonist Mark Turner. Fly is very much a collective effort — the group operates with a leaderless philosophy in which everyone contributes equally. As a result, the trio has come up with some fresh and exciting sounds as they try new combinations and new ways to balance their respective instruments. All three musicians are very much in demand as sidemen, too. A full transcript of this interview is available at AllAboutJazz.com.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW.

Jason Crane interviews organist Barbara Dennerlein about her pipe organ recording Spiritual Movement No. 2 (Bebab Records, 2008). The album was recorded at one of Germany’s most famous churches in front of a very appreciative audience. In this interview, recorded before a concert in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Dennerlein discusses jazz on the pipe organ; why organists should use their feet; and how she adapts to the challenge of seldom having her own instrument on stage.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW.

The Jazz Session is back!

Jason Crane — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:38:24 +0000

THE JAZZ SESSION #52: MARILYN CRISPELL. Jason Crane interviews pianist Marilyn Crispell about her album of solo piano pieces, Vignettes (ECM, 2008). Crispell made an early name for herself with Anthony Braxton, and she’s since amassed an impressive list of recordings that include composed and freely improvised pieces. In this interview, Crispell talks about the nature of improvisation, the particular challenges of solo playing, and the joys of Woodstock, NY.

Listen to the show at thejazzsession.com.

Article: Bucky Pizzarelli

Jason Crane — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:57:05 +0000

My latest article for the Island Packet newspaper is a short biographical sketch of Bucky Pizzarelli. The posted piece is significantly shortened, but you’ll get the idea.

Bucky Pizzarelli: Jazz Guitar Hero

Urban Chickens

Jason Crane — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 05:22:29 +0000

Quite a few of my Rochester friends are raising chickens in the city. You can find out more about the Rochester Chicken Club (which is not a sandwich) in this article. (Thanks to chicken rancher Julie for the link!)

The Rochester Dissident

Jason Crane — Mon, 14 May 2007 14:59:44 +0000

I’ve mentioned my colleague Jack Bradigan Spula before. He writes the wonderful blog The Rochester Dissident.

I think the thing I like most about Jack is that he sees an entirely different side our of city from what most people see. Jack rides his bike everywhere, and his years on two wheels have caused his eye for detail to strengthen. Reading Jack’s blog is always revealing. He forces me to think about the world around me in ways that I often forget in my daily life.

For example, check out today’s post on a new college development project.

Immigrant Rights Day speech

Jason Crane — Wed, 02 May 2007 11:41:26 +0000

On May 1, I had the pleasure of speaking at Immigrant Rights Day rally in Rochester. If you’re interested, here’s what I had to say:

Buenos tardes. Mi nombre es Jason Crane. Soy un organizador para al sindicato UNITE HERE. UNITE HERE representa a trabajadores en las industrias siguientes: tejidos, lavanderías industriales, hoteles, casinos, servicio de alimento, aeropuertos y restaurantes. Mi sindicato cree que ninguna persona es ilegal. Cada trabajador tiene derechos legales, derechos civiles, y derechos de trabajo. Por favor perdóneme, pero el resto de este discurso es en inglés.

Good afternoon. My name is Jason Crane. I’m an organizer with UNITE HERE. UNITE HERE represents workers in textiles, industrial laundries, hotels, casinos, food service, airports and restaurants. My union believes that no person is illegal. We believe that all workers have legal rights, civil rights, and labor rights.

UNITE HERE supports the broadest possible legalization program for the 11-12 million currently undocumented workers. They’re here, they’re working, they’re contributing to our country. They should become legal permanent residents and then be able to earn their way to citizenship.

UNITE HERE does not support Bush’s guest worker program. However, we recognize that there’s going to be a future flow of immigrant workers. That’s why we support an immigrant worker visa with the following features:

The visa must allow an immigrant worker to petition on his or her own for permanent residence.
The new worker can’t be tied to an employer — there must be job portability. If you come to this country and go to work for a boss who treats you badly, you should be able to leave and go to work for somebody better.
Immigrant workers must have the same legal, labor and civil rights protections that domestic workers have. They’re American workers, not second-class workers.

UNITE HERE supports family reunification. The government backlog is so huge right now that many workers with legal residence have to wait 10-15 years or longer for their spouses and children to get family visas. We want that backlog cleared up so that these families can be reunited.

Right next to this building is the Crowne Plaza Hotel, where the workers have been fighting for almost a year to get management to respect their right to choose whether or not they form a union. Many of these workers are immigrants from places like the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Vietnam. They came here to find a better life for themselves and their families. At the Crowne Plaza, many of these workers make poverty-level wages, and many can’t afford health care. Is this the promise of America?

UNITE HERE thinks we can do better. We’re committed to helping workers in our industries create power for themselves so they can have respect on the job, so they can take care of their families, and so that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are more than pretty words.

Most people have forgotten why May 1 is an important day in the lives of workers. On May 1, 1886, close to 300,000 workers nationwide, including more than 40,000 in Chicago, took part in demonstrations for the eight-hour day. On May 4, workers rallied at Haymarket Square in Chicago to protest police brutality against striking workers on the South Side. As the last speaker finished his remarks, police marched in and demanded an end to the gathering. Then an unknown assailant threw a bomb into the crowd, killing and wounding several police officers and workers. Police arrested eight anarchists on charges of conspiracy to commit murder. All eight were found guilty and four were executed: Albert Parsons, August Spies, Adolf Fischer, and George Engel. The latter three were German immigrants.

The trial is often referred to by scholars as one of the most serious miscarriages of justice in United States history. Most people now believe that Pinkerton agents provoked the incident. In HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1893″ \o “1893″ 1893, Illinois Governor HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Peter_Altgeld” \o “John Peter Altgeld” John Peter Altgeld concluded that all eight defendants were innocent and signed pardons for those still alive.

As we stand here on State Street in front of the seat of government and next to the site of ongoing labor struggle, let’s remember the millions of immigrants who built this country. My union, UNITE HERE, pledges to fight for the rights of those who are here now and those yet to come. Thank you.

BOA Editions Getting A New Home

Jason Crane — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:00:51 +0000

BOA Editions, one of the brightest spots in Rochester’s cultural life, is moving to new digs. This is from this morning’s Democrat & Chronicle newspaper:

BOA Editions moving to North Goodman Street

Local publishing company BOA Editions will be moving to the Neighborhood of the Arts.

It is moving from 260 East Ave. to the Anderson Alley building, 250 N. Goodman St. The new address will be effective April 30.

Poet and editor Peter Conners from BOA Editions was a guest on The Jason Crane Show last year. You can check out that episode for an interview with Peter and poetry from a number of great poets.

NewsTalk 950 in Rochester strengthens its lineup

Jason Crane — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:57:14 +0000

NewsTalk 950 WROC, former home of the original The Jason Crane Show, is Rochester’s progressive talk station. With the departure of Al Franken from Air America yesterday, WROC took the opportunity to revamp its lineup. The new version is much, much stronger. Here it is:

12 a.m. — Politically Direct (hosted by David Bender, sponsored by People for the American Way)
1 a.m. — Joey Reynolds (old-school variety talk show from WOR in NYC)
6 a.m. — The Bill Press Show
9 a.m. — Stephanie Miller
12 p.m. — Ed Schultz (live instead of taped, as it had been until now)
3 p.m. — Randi Rhodes (also live now instead of taped)
6 p.m. — News 8 (audio of local TV newscast)
6:30 p.m. — Rachel Maddow (for my money, the brightest light to come out of the whole Air America adventure)
8 p.m. — Democracy Now! (finally, a local station dares to air this daily progressive news program from Pacifica)
9 p.m. — Lionel (in my opinion, this show is the low point of the schedule, but you can’t have it all…)
11 p.m. — News 8 (audio of local TV newscast)
11:30 p.m. — Lionel (again)

I’ve got to say that I’m really impressed with this new lineup. Sounds like the program director has a vision for what to do with this station. Kudos!

The full schedule and links to the shows are at the NewsTalk 950 Web site.

Bob Sneider, Joe Locke in Vanity Fair

Jason Crane — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:45:06 +0000

This arrived this morning from guitarist Bob Sneider, who is based here in Rochester:

I do not usually promote someone else’s website. However, this is pretty cool. Just launched this AM on vanityfair.com.

Annie Leibovitz’s Film Noir photo montage of Hollywood’s A-list features the music of the Bob Sneider/Joe Locke Film Noir Project. John Sneider’s “Black Dahlia” is set to the multi-media slide show (featuring Paul Hofmann, Joe Locke, Grant Stewart, Bob and John Sneider, Martin Wind, Tim Horner and Luisito Quintero). This track is on an upcoming release titled Nocturne For Ava Gardner (release date not set).

The behind-the-scenes video of the Leibowitz photo shoot has “Rumblin’” (Bob Sneider) throughout. This is performed by John Sneider (trumpet), Bob Sneider(guitar) and the late great Bob Stata(bass).

Stay warm,

Bob

More coverage of the PAETEC Jazz Festival

Jason Crane — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 14:31:56 +0000

Music writer Jeff Spevak of Rochester’s daily newspaper, The Democrat & Chronicle, weighs in on the new PAETEC jazz fest in Baltimore:

Jazz fest expands to bigger market
Owners of Rochester event plan a similar gig in Baltimore

Jeff Spevak
Staff music critic

The powerful chords struck by the Rochester International Jazz Festival in its first five years have reached Baltimore.

John Nugent and Marc Iacona, co-owners of the Rochester event, are co-producing a similar festival at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Attendance soared to an estimated 80,000 jazz fans last year at the critically acclaimed Rochester event, which will be the model for the new PAETEC Jazz Festival — named for the Perinton telecommunications company, the primary sponsor of the Aug. 9-11 Baltimore event.

“He likes what he’s seen and what’s been developed in the Rochester event,” Nugent said of Arunas A. Chesonis, the chairman and CEO of PAETEC who is a Baltimore native.

And it may not stop there: “We went to a bunch of different cities, most that we didn’t have any name recognition in PAETEC,” Chesonis said. “Our biggest issue is just to get people to recognize who we are. We found a city eager to embrace us, in a large market. If we can’t get that place rocking as the first pilot program, we have no business trying to get it going anywhere else, which is our intention.”

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor includes a 4,400-seat open-air shed. But much of the event will probably have the same feel as Rochester, with extensive use of music clubs and free outdoor concerts.

The Inner Harbor is operated by another company with local ties, the Baltimore-based management company Cordish Co. Earlier this week, Cordish said that it had agreed with Rochester officials to terminate its contract to run the High Falls Entertainment District. Mayor Robert Duffy confirmed Tuesday that the city and Cordish are parting ways in High Falls.

PAETEC was a small sponsor of previous years of the Rochester festival, and it was the rapid ascent of the event in the jazz world that convinced Chesonis to jump on board with Nugent and Iacona. There are no plans to increase sponsorship locally.

“They’re both good businessmen, very successful not just in Rochester but in a number of other events. They built Rochester from a small festival to a nine-day extravaganza. And Rochester is a wonderful town, but it’s a small market. There are a lot of markets out there with much greater potential.”

Big money at stake

At Wednesday’s news conference in Baltimore, promoters of the new jazz festival noted that last year’s Rochester International Jazz Festival generated $10 million locally.

“If we don’t make a $10 million impact in three days in Baltimore, we’d be very disappointed,” Nugent said, according to the Baltimore Sun. “But we’re looking to bring $20 million to the city.”

Iacona, president of Simcona Electronics, is also an investor in PAETEC and first began working out the details of the jazz partnership with the company five months ago.

No performers’ names were offered at Wednesday morning’s news conference in Baltimore’s City Hall. That is expected to happen in May.

Now in its sixth year, the June 8-16 Rochester International Jazz Festival will announce in April its lineup for the nine-day event, the bulk of which takes place in the East End Entertainment District.

Since 2000, Nugent has also produced the Stockholm Jazz Festival, whose 24th season is July 17-21. It drew 50,000 fans last year.

“We’ll have some big plans to announce for Rochester,” he said by phone from Baltimore on Wednesday. Those plans are expected to include expanding the festival beyond the East End District.

“Marc and I hopefully will be doing some good stuff around the country as well,” Nugent said.

Nugent, who has lived most recently in Toronto but holds dual citizenship, is also reinforcing his personal commitment to Rochester. He’s buying a house in Brighton and is expecting to close the deal on Friday.

“I’m excited to be in town and hopefully contribute to the local arts scene,” he said.

The original story is here.

Again, I couldn’t be happier at the success of the Rochester International Jazz Festival, or at its migration to Baltimore. I have family in the Baltimore area, and I’ve spent a fair amount of time at Inner Harbor. It’ll be a great site for a jazz festival.

I also think John Nugent’s decision to move here to Rochester is a strong sign of his committment to this town and to the RIJF.

Supporting Rochester’s Jazz Festival

Jason Crane — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 13:57:11 +0000

The Democrat & Chronicle, Rochester’s daily paper, weighed in this week in support of using the arts as a growth engine for Rochester:

A mix of activities: Jazz Festival’s growth should inspire Music Fest surge

(January 30, 2007) — As part of a larger plan to create a dynamic city, Rochester officials must provide entertainment on a large scale.

So news that the city is headed in that direction with the annual Rochester International Jazz Festival is encouraging.

With just $35,000 last year, the event managed to attract 80,000 people. Imagine what could be done with the $250,000 the city has asked for.

The idea is to expand the festival beyond the East End and hold events in other areas of the city such as High Falls and Corn Hill, creating a more appealing event.

This would be money well- spent. But the focus on the jazz festival creates a question. What about Music Fest?

The event was a product of the Johnson administration, and has primarily highlighted R&B and hip-hop acts. The event has seen some changes over the years — a reduction in the number of days it is held and a change of venue last year to Frontier Field. Charles Reaves, commissioner of recreation and youth services, said keeping the Music Fest going for years to come remains a priority of the city.

He said sponsorship for the event hasn’t grown to the level the city would like to see, but an audience is there.

Broadening the Music Fest to include other genres of music could be a smart way of appealing to more people and keeping the event fresh, though Reaves said variety can be achieved within the R&B and hip-hop genres by offering a mix of new, old and local acts.

He said it’s striking the right mix, as the jazz festival has done, will help to build the Music Fest’s appeal.

Officials will meet soon to determine the details of this year’s event, and the City Council will vote on whether to approve additional funding for the jazz festival. Nurturing both events should be on the top of the city’s to-do list.

That’s a song I’ve been singing for years. You’ll find that opinion and a lot more about the Rochester International Jazz Festival by looking through the RIJF category here at jasoncrane.org.

Otto’s back

Jason Crane — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 01:23:31 +0000

My good friend Otto Bruno is back in two media: He’s (finally!) got a new entry on his blog, From Where I Sit, and he’s also on the radio tomorrow (New Year’s Eve) with his wonderful show the Sunday Music Festa. Tomorrow’s show features an interview with vocal legend Julius La Rosa. Don’t miss it. Tune in to Jazz90.1 in the Rochester area, or visit jazz901.org to listen live via the Internet.

The White Hots have a new CD

Jason Crane — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 00:17:24 +0000

The White Hots are Rochester’s premier “chamber blues” band. If you’re in the area on December 11, this is one event not to miss:

The White Hots announce the release of Caught in the Act, our first CD with vocalist Tina Albright!

Come to our CD release party on Monday, December 11 from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. at the Little Theatre Café, 240 East Avenue.

All three of our CDs are also available at any of our gigs (we are at the Little Theater the first three Mondays in December) or via thewhitehots.com.

Caught in the Act is dedicated to Dennis Monroe, the amazing musical talent who was our friend and fellow Hot. Dennis passed away earlier this year.

We look forward to seeing you!

East Side Democrats

Jason Crane — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 04:57:20 +0000

I mentioned before that I’m now the leader of the 24th Legislative District (LD) committee of the Monroe County Democratic Party. Three LDs — 21, 23 and 24 — work together as the East Side Democrats. As of today, we have a new Web site at EastSideDems.com. Give it a look and let me know what you think.

Rochester 1973: Buddy Rich

Jason Crane — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 00:24:06 +0000

Another good friend, Chuck Ingersoll, sent this along:

Chuck was at this gig, and remembers this about it:

This vid of Buddy Rich at the Top of the Plaza. I was there during this engagement, but I can’t recall if it was the nite they filmed. Buddy at one point ended a set about 9:45. Said he was going to go watch Kojak and would be back after. We all laughed, thinking he’d be back in 20 mins. However, he came back around 11:10 and told us all about Kojak.

Rochester 1963: Midtown Plaza

Jason Crane — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 00:17:58 +0000

Here’s a fascinating bit of Rochester history sent to me by my good friend Bob DeRosa. It’s part of a promotional video about Rochester made in 1963. The person who posted it to YouTube runs a Web site about malls, so he edited the video down to this 5:34 clip about Midtown Plaza. Some of what you see in the video still exists (the clock, for example), but most of it is gone, and Midtown Plaza is largely a ghost town.

Jazz@Rochester

Jason Crane — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 00:00:29 +0000

Local jazz fan Gregory Bell has started a new blog about all things jazz in Rochester. He very kindly mentions yours truly, too, but his blog would be worth a look even if he didn’t. Check it out, and tell him Jason sent you.

Jazz@Rochester

Vallow saves two PK’s … and we still lose?

Jason Crane — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 03:45:51 +0000

What a nail-biter at PAETEC Park tonight. The Rochester Rhinos played the New England Revolution of MLS in the U.S. Open Cup, the oldest continuous cup competition in any sport in the U.S. After 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime, the score was tied at 0-0. It was on to penalty kicks. Rhinos goalkeeper Scott Vallow saved the first TWO penalty kicks, which in almost any game means that’s all she wrote. Then two Rhinos players missed their shots, and we ended up losing to the Revolution. Oy!

AAJ: Your 2006 RIJF mixtape is now at All About Jazz

Jason Crane — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 12:56:06 +0000

My review of the 2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival — written as a track list for a mixtape — is now at All About Jazz. Enjoy!

New York State says “F U, civil liberties!”

Jason Crane — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 02:36:17 +0000

New York shot down gay marriage rights today (read the New York Times article). In response, Rochester’s progressives met in historic Washington Square Park downtown to grieve, shout and plan for tomorrow. Here are two images from today’s events:

AAJ: Andre Canniere review

Jason Crane — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 14:24:12 +0000

My review of Andre Canniere’s new album As of Yet is now ready for your reading pleasure at All About Jazz.

Rochester through Doug Ramsey’s eyes

Jason Crane — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 03:22:25 +0000

Author, blogger and jazzhead Doug Ramsey was in Rochester recently to write about The Commission Project’s annual Swing ‘n Jazz event.

While he was here, he also wrote two good pieces about Rochester as he saw it. The first piece is an overview of the city, and the second essay is a tourist’s-eye’view of the Flower City. I always enjoy reading about where I live as viewed through another’s eyes. If you feel the same, check out Doug’s essays. And then put his blog on your daily reading list.

The Respect Sextet at RIJF

Jason Crane — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 15:40:07 +0000

Here’s a little clip of the Respect Sextet playing “Time To Say Goodbye” at the 2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival. The clip runs about 2 minutes. Enjoy!

2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival: The final word

Jason Crane — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 02:07:20 +0000

Once again, it’s over. From the look of it, the 2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival has been a roaring success. We’ll have to wait for the facts until the annual post-festival press conference, but here are a few thoughts as we close out the year.

1. It was a great decision to close Jazz Street (Gibbs St.) for the whole festival. The East End felt like a party for the whole nine days, and that was fantastic. Toward the middle of the festival, as the weather improved, Jazz Street was packed every night with folks watching the free student shows, and the free shows by the pros, too. This is a what a festival atmosphere is supposed to feel like. My prediction? In another five years, we’ll see additional street closures — maybe even free East Ave shows every night of the festival.

2. Kudos to John Nugent for the diversity of the acts. This year’s festival had a great group of acts from overseas, plus a fair amount of adventurous music for those of us who like hanging out on the ragged edge. I’d like to see a venue devoted to “out” music in future fests.

3. Rochester’s jazz fans are a pretty classy bunch. With a few exceptions, most of the folks in most of the venues were polite and attentive, because they were there to hear the music. The Montage is probably the biggest offender in the loud crowd category, and Max and the tent had those tendencies, too, but by and large people were cool.

4. We have a wealth of student talent in the Rochester area. Alen Tirre and Bill Tiberio booked a great collection of student ensembles for the early sets at the Jazz Street Stage. That was great to see, and it’s always a cause for celebration to see young players diggin’ the music. I was particularly impressed by a young woman who played trombone from West Irondequoit High School.

5. It’s time to start booking acts in other venues at 8 p.m. For the first five years, the producers haven’t booked acts at the same start time as the Eastman shows. It’s probably time for that to stop. The festival is drawing a large enough crowd these days that there are enough people to buy Eastman tickets AND fill the club venues. Otherwise, there’s not much to do at 8 p.m. This year, by the time the 8:30 shows started, you really needed to be in line for a 10 p.m. show at one of the clubs. Which leads me to…

6. We need more venues. Club Passes were sold out on Day 1. Just about every show in the clubs had a 60-90 minute wait, and many people couldn’t get into ANY show during a particular time slot. There are additional venues downtown, and some just out of walking distance that an EZ-Rider-style shuttle could take people to. It’s time for an expansion! We’ll end on an up note:

7. The Bop Shop was back — yay! Two years ago, Tom Kohn and the boys set up shop at East and Jazz Street. This year, they had a tent on Jazz Street. It makes such a difference to have access to the records right there at the festival. I’d like to see the official autograph sessions return, too.

All in all, a brilliant festival, brimming with great music and good times for every jazzhead — and lover of good music — in the region. See you next year!

2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival: Day 8 In Review

Jason Crane — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 05:44:50 +0000

It’s always bittersweet as the festival winds down to the end. There are still great acts to see, but you know that in a few days Rochester will turn back into a pumpkin, and we’ll have to wait a year to fit into the glass slipper again.

Tonight in Kilbourn Hall, Sweden’s E.S.T. (the Esbjorn Svensson Trio) worked hard to push back the final moment and keep the festival energized. They succeeded, functioning as a three-man instrument to turn groove into gold and complex harmonic and melodic structures into the anthems that have sold more than 100,000 copies of their latest record. And before you read that number and say, “Wait a minute, doesn’t Britney sell millions of records?” remember that a smash jazz album tends to sell around 10,000 copies. That’s a big hit. So 100,000 is an insane number in the jazz world.

E.S.T. is Esbjorn Svensson on piano, Dan Berglund on bass, and Magnus Ostrom on drums. The band is touring the U.S. and Canada in support of their new CD, Viaticum. Tonight was the first show of the tour. The set opened with “Eighty-eight Days in My Veins” from the new album. Svensson is a wonder, playing left-hand bass lines that many pianists couldn’t play with their right hands, let alone solo over. He and Berglund were locked in at the low end, with Ostrom driving the group forward and adding very musical shadings with cymbals, bells and effects. In fact, the group used its effects skillfully, creating new textures and layers rather than using them to cover up poor or unimaginative playing. “Viaticum” featured a rivulet of rhythmic playing on the bass, but the rivulet quickly widened into a stream of of tubular industrial sounds from the upright bass and an arco solo that sounded like Ravi Shankar going through a Cuisinart. At one point, Svensson reached into the piano with what looked like an overturned shot glass, using it to bend pitches on the strings of the piano. The woman in front of me leaned far forward in her seat as if she were in the crowd at a magic show, trying to see behind the illusion.

Later in the set, Ostrom took a drum solo that was processed through some ENIAC-era effects, the bloops and bleeps blending in with the toms and cymbals. He played the solo with brushes, which added a wonderful texture and sounded great through the effects unit, as did his yelping onto the snare head. And no, that isn’t a type-o. This is a good time to mention that the band came with its own sound engineer, which probably explains why it sounded so good in the tricky Kilbourn Hall.

The highest compliment I can pay is that when I tried to think of whom to compare EST to, I couldn’t come up with anyone. This highly original and entertaining trio is huge in Europe, and promises to have a similar effect here on this continent.

Soulive held court at the East Ave Stage, and thousands of people came out to enjoy the show. Unfortunately, the 9 p.m. start time meant that you could either watch Soulive or line up for a 10 p.m. club set. Maybe next year the festival can finally free itself from its five-year policy of not booking bands at the same start time as the Eastman Theatre shows at 8 p.m. For folks who don’t attend those shows, that means that you usually can only see a club set at 6 and 10, rather than also seeing a club set (or major outdoor act) at 8 p.m.

For me, there was no question about my destination: Asylum Street. No, that’s not an address in Rochester, it’s the home of the Spankers. The Asylum Street Spankers are a reviewing nightmare. The music is just about uncategorizable, many of the lyrics are unprintable, and a Spankers show is more or less indescribable. So take the next several sentences with a grain of salt.

Tonight, the Spankers were a six-piece band. At various times, the members played washboard, fiddle, guitar, ukilele, manolin, percussion, harmonica, upright bass, voice, and beer bottle. Everybody sings, everybody tells jokes, and everybody contributes to the hillbilly-bluegrass-improv-comedy-country-blues-fill-in-your-own-adjectiveness of the experience. Maybe it’s easiest to just give you a few choice concepts, words and phrases from some of tonight’s selections. WARNING: NOT SUITABLE FOR UNENLIGHTENED CHILDREN OR PARENTS!

“Fellatio. Cunnilingus. Pedaresty. Daddy, why do these words sound so nasty?”
“Winning The War On Drugs” — sung by Wammo (!) as he chugged a beer
“You Only Love Me For My Lunch Box”
“If you love me, you’ll sleep on the wet spot / Buy my tampons using your foodstamps / take out the garbage and clean out the cat box / If you love me, the wet spot is yours”
A brief interlude of musical saw
A hilarious tune about bestiality titled “I Want To F*** You Like An Animal” (“written for my grandma,” said Sick (!!), who sang the tune)
A hick-hop tune “about when cousins marry” combining country murder ballads and gangsta rap
The Star Wars Cantina Theme

Get the idea? Run, don’t walk, to the next Spankers show. They’ve been in Rochester before, and I’m sure they’ll be back. (Kudos to Tom Kohn from The Bop Shop for making it happen!)

A quick non-RIJF review: I stopped by the Bug Jar after the Spankers show and caught Filthy Funk and a bunch of hip hop MCs and singers gettiin’ it on for about 90 minutes. Hassan dropped the knowledge on the mic, and even saxman Jimmy Highsmith made a guest appearance. Where my funk at?

2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival: Day 7 In Review

Jason Crane — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 04:31:41 +0000

Rochester was filled with world-class musicians tonight, but the night belonged to one man named Wayne.

Tom Harrell kicked off the evening in Kilbourn Hall with a set of mostly original compositions. Harrell’s flugelhorn work was stunning throughout the evening as he dipped into the stream of chords and rhythms sprung from the hands of pianist Danny Grissett, bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Rodney Green. For most of the set, it was the contemplative Harrell on stage, navigating circular melodies and intricate chord progressions. At the end of the set, though, traces of the old fire emerged, as Harrell — on trumpet this time — ripped through a masterful solo on “Caravan.” The crowd loved him, whistling and shouting and calling for multiple encores.

The Eastman Theatre was the center of the jazz universe tonight, as saxophonist Wayne Shorter and his quartet held court. Shorter brought his working band for the gig — pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade. This is the band that backed Shorter on his three most recent albums: Footprints Live, Alegria and Beyond The Sound Barrier. Their telepathic communication was evident on stage, as was their sheer pleasure at being together. In recent months, Shorter has been ill, and several of his concerts have been glorified trio shows. Tonight, though, Wayne was in good form, particularly when playing the soprano saxophone. His probing lines cut through the complex interplay of the rhythm section, driving the band to greater heights.

The quartet opened the show with the long and meditative “She Moves Through The Fair” from Alegria. Shorter stuck to the tenor on this tune, and both his sound and approach were often tentative. On the second tune, though, Shorter gained command of the stage, soprano saxophone soaring as Brian Blade rocked — I said ROCKED — so hard that his drum stool fell over. The third tune opened with a lovely duet between Blade on bells and Patitucci on arco bass. The intensity heightened with another masterful soprano sax solo, and this time Blade launched a drumstick across the stage and onto the floor in the orchestra pit where the media sits. My good friend and fellow media guy paused for one beat, then leapt out of his seat to grab the stick as a souvenir. “Hey man,” he said, “it’s like a foul ball.” I waited in vain for Shorter to drop a saxophone into the orchestra pit. Alas, I went home empty-handed. The obligatory “spontaneous” encore featured more soprano and tenor, and ended the evening on a high note.

For the final set of the evening, a packed-to-the-rafters Montage hosted trumpeter Terrell Stafford and his B-3 band, featuring organist Pat Bianchi and drummer Chris Somebody. OK, his last name wasn’t Somebody, but the Montage crowd was so loud — mostly in the bar, not in the music room — that it was impossible to understand about 80% of what Stafford was saying. He noted this problem from the stage, and played two very soft numbers in an attempt to quiet the conversations. Despite the annoyances from the crowd, the set was nicely swinging, with the band putting several jazz thoroughbreds through their paces, including “Skylark,” “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” and “I Don’t Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You).” Particularly moving were the two ballads: “Dear Rudy,” a tribute written by Stafford for his late grandmother, and the even quieter “Nearness of You,” both played on silky flugelhorn.

(UPDATE: It turns out the drummer’s name was Chris Beck. Thanks to the Woodstock Road desk for the tip.)

For complete information, including audio files, concert photos and more, visit rochesterjazz.com.

2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival: Day 6 In Review

Jason Crane — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 04:30:53 +0000

So how DO you see five acts in one night when four of them are playing at the same time? That was the question faced tonight, as the 6 and 10 p.m. sets featured Ben Allison, Jane Bunnet, the Tiberi/Garzone tenor duo, and the Joe Locke/Geoffrey Keezer group. All that plus Toots Thielemans and Kenny Werner at 8 p.m. opening for McCoy Tyner’s trio. Oy!

First it was off to Kilbourn Hall for a set by saxophonist/flutist Jane Bunnett. The effervescent Bunnett had an all-star band: Elio Villafranca on piano, Keiran Overs on bass and Francisco Mela on drums. The two Cubans were an inspired pairing, urging each other on from across the stage, and singing together on several songs.

Bunnett seemed visibly surprised by the size of the crowd and the enthusiastic response as she walked onstage. “That’s a really nice welcome,” she said. “Almost as nice the one we got at customs.” She took out her cell phone and said she felt safe in using it as a timer because “no one ever calls me.” She was saved from this precarious position by a good Samaritan with a watch he was willing to loan for the set.

Then it was down to business. Bunnett unleashed a long and flowing unaccompanied solo on the soprano saxophone, often lifting one knee in the crane stance known to fans of the Karate Kid movies. The solo became a rollicking quartet number, complete with call and response vocals. The second piece was “Ogere’s Cha,” a tune from Villafranca’s excellent debut album from 2003, Incantations. For this number, Bunnett switched to her wonderfully Rahsaan-esque flute, the raspy tone running through the hall like a broadcast from Cuban radio in the 1950′s. Villafranca’s solo climaxed with a two-handed trill that seemed to lift the stage a few inches higher, as the audience collectively willed the downbeat and accompanying cymbal crash.

Bunnett then dedicated “Joyful Noise” to the brilliant pianist Hilton Ruiz, who died on June 6 at age 54. Mela led the quartet with his wonderful voice and his exuberant drums, all the while with a look on his face as if he were debating an invisible partner. “Alma de Santiago” began with ruminations by Villafranca, then accelerated into a classic Cuban dance tune with vocals by Bunnett, Villafranca and Mela, and a soprano sax solo that had my companion exhorting the heavens for release. Cries of “Ultra, ultra!” brought the band back on stage for another wonderful Cuban dance number, and sent the crowd off to Jazz Street with a bounce in its collective step.

At the Eastman Theatre, pianist Kenny Werner and harmonica legend Toots Thielemans were alternately mellow and playful as they delighted the audience — and each other — with a set of standards, including “Summertime,” “Moon River/Days of Wine and Roses,” “In Your Own Sweet Way,” and more. Werner played both piano and keyboard, using a synthesized string section on several tunes. Thielemans regaled the crowd with stories of his nearly seven decades in the music business, dating back to his first record purchase — a Louis Armstrong album he bought in 1942 during the Nazi occupation of his Belgian homeland. “That was my first injection with jazz,” he said before playing a lovely version of “What A Wonderful World” to close the show. “And after seeing everybody and playing with everybody, Louis is still my main guru.”

Thielemans and Werner also paid tribute to John Coltrane, and by extension the night’s headliner, McCoy Tyner, with a medley of “Naima” and “Giant Steps”. The other tribute of the evening was to pianist Bill Evans, whom Thielemans referred to as “one of the traffic lights of my career,” by which he meant playing with Evans was a milestone for him. The duo sailed through “Blue In Green” and “Solar.” The 84-year-old Thielemans was a wonder to hear, and a true joy to see.

The main act of the evening, the McCoy Tyner Trio, suffered from poor microphone placement on the same piano that sounded fine moments earlier for Werner. The piano was often muddy, individual notes and chords losing focus in a wash of sound. Despite that, the trio played a robust set of mostly Tyner originals, including the vivacious “Angelina” from Tyner’s 2004 album Illuminations. Charnett Moffet provided the energetic bass, and recently un-retired drummer Eric Kamau Gravat kept the music moving with his undeniable beat, one cymbal suspended high in the air like an offertory bell at the Temple of Tyner. (For the fairly amazing story of Gravat, check out this article.) Had the lights gone out in the theatre, we all could have found our way to the exits in the glow of the smiles exchanged throughout the set between an obviously overjoyed Moffet and an equally charmed Gravat. Being in the presence of Tyner was an honor, but the real meat of the session came from his sidemen.

The final act of the night was a late set at Milestones featuring bassist, bandleader, composer, and all-around good guy Ben Allison. Allison — along with guitarist Steve Cardenas, trumpeter Ron Horton, and drummer Gerald Cleaver — played tunes from his new album Cowboy Justice, along with a few selections from earlier records. Every song was fun and interesting, but the two tunes that will make SportsCenter were “Green Al” and the encore, a version of John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” with spaces so wide you could have piloted a hot air balloon through them. Allison also played the beautiful and haunting “Ruby’s Roundabout,” written for (scaring?) his 2-year-old daughter. Horton played his ethereal trumpet to great effect on “Roundabout,” and the closing minutes saw the whole band swaying on stage as if in a mild breeze. A fun and adventurous set of music by one of the modern-day visionaries of jazz.

For complete information, including audio files, concert photos and more, visit rochesterjazz.com.

2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival: Day 5 In Review

Jason Crane — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 04:09:10 +0000

Tonight was a laid-back night at the Rochester International Jazz Festival, at least for me. While folks lined up to see the Preservation Hall Jazz Band or to get into the Montage to hear Dawn Thompson, my friends and I decided to kick back in the tent for an evening of feel-good, in-the-pocket jazz that drove straight down the road with no surprising detours.

The evening began with the trumpet — and, as it turned out, voice — of Byron Stripling. Stripling played the evening before at the Eastman Theatre with the winners of the 2006 RIJF scholarships, but tonight he was in the company of pros: guitarist Bob Sneider, bassist Phil Flanigan, and drummer Mike Melito. If those names sound familiar, it’s because they belong to three of the busiest men at the festival. All are backing multiple artists, plus the trio is holding down the house band gig at the nightly jam sessions. To add insanity to frenzy, Melito is even teaching his regular lessons this week.

The trio has played together hundreds of times, and it shows. They provided solid, swinging and intelligent support to Stripling’s trumpet on a set that could have come out of a Jamey Aebersold play-along book: “Confirmation,” “I Can’t Get Started,” “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Strike Up The Band,” “Back Door Blues,” “A Night In Tunisia,” “East of the Sun,” and “Kidney Stew.” Three of the songs (“Kidney,” “East” and “Back Door”) featured Stripling singing in a serviceable style a la the late nonexistent great Nat King Rawls Williams. Highlights included Flanigan’s bass solo on “Honeysuckle,” Melito’s drum work on “Strike Up,” and Sneider’s burning guitar throughout. The sound was fairly good, better than the tent often sounds, although the vocal mic was too loud.

The only part of Stripling’s show I could have done without was the intro to “Strike Up The Band,” during which he made a fairly condescending speech about how all drummers wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and “see Buddy Rich.” He made a few more snarky comments about drummers and eternal solos, then gave the stage to Melito, the drummer who, in all of Rochester, least epitomizes the problem he was describing. Ha ha.

All in all, a fun show with no challenges but a lot of nice music.

The 8:30 set in the tent was a pick-up band filled with talent: drummer Ted Poor (who played the previous night in the Respect Sextet), bassist Ryan Cotler, guitarist Mark Whitfield, and saxophonist Gray Mayfield. The band burned through some standards, including “Straight No Chaser,” the rarely played Coltrane composition “Like Sonny,” and “Trinkle Tinkle.” Mayfield was particularly impressive on “Trinkle,” weaving the tricky melody into his solo, aided by the sharp ears and sharper reflexes of Poor. I enjoyed Whitfield’s comping more than his solos, although those had their moments. The original lineup was supposed to include trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, who had to cancel and was replaced by Whitfield.

Gray Mayfield was a good showman as well as musician. Recounting his conversation with Marsalis: “He called me and said ‘I’ve got good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?’ I said “Whichever, man.’ He said, ‘I can’t make the gig.’ I said ‘What’s the bad news?’ That’s how we joke down in New Orleans.” It’s always good to hear Mayfield. Kudos to producer John Nugent for bringing him back to the Flower City.

The hot ticket at 10 p.m. was Blue Note pianist Robert Glasper. Glasper was born in Rochester, although he moved away before turning 1. Many of his cousins live here, though, and a big family contingent filled several tables in the back of the atrium at Max of Eastman Place. Bassist Vicente Archer (who was with Karrin Allyson earlier this week) and drummer Damion Reid joined Glasper for a 70-minute set that felt like nothing so much as a John Coltrane recording. Not that it was at all derivative. It was more of a feeling, a polyrhythmic pulse supporting searching piano improvisations that explored the full depth of each piece.

Glasper began the set with a new tune that received the spur-of-the-moment title “Might As Well.” Reid used his tight snare (which sounded like a snare Amir Thompson from The Roots would use) to drive the music forward with quick jabs and longer rolls. The ballad “Of Dreams To Come” was gorgeously heavy, like a glacier glistening in the midnight sun. But the moment of truth was the half hour medley of Glasper’s own “Enoch’s Meditation,” coupled with a reharmonized “Maiden Voyage” laid over the changes of Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place.” The middle 15 minutes found Glasper playing by himself, eyes closed, head rocking as he found more to do with two chords than seemed possible. After so much quiet meditation, it was as if the ceiling fell in when Archer and Reid jumped back in for “Maiden Voyage,” and then the rest of the room fell into the basement as Reid wailed through a solo over a static figure from Glasper and Archer. The crowd was on its feet before the song was even finished. A bright moment, and a bright future.

For complete information, including audio files, concert photos and more, visit rochesterjazz.com.

The D&C goes digital with jazz fest coverage

Jason Crane — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 05:12:01 +0000

The Democrat & Chronicle has a fun multimedia slideshow of photos and audio from each day of the Rochester International Jazz Festival. And I’m not just linking to it because I’m in the first photo. Kudos to photographer Will Yurman for his excellent work.

2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival: Day 4 In Review

Jason Crane — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 04:53:13 +0000

Billy Bang. Period. (See details several paragraphs below.)

Tonight I saw something straight out of the past. Mose Allison played more than 20 songs in 70 minutes with no written set list, calling each tune from his book of music by its number so the bass player, Rich Syracuse, would know which song to play. Allison remembered all the lyrics, played 20+ interesting solos, and kept the audience charmed and smiling for the whole set.

Mose Allison is a quiet institution. He’s been around so long that he’s part of America’s musical fabric, and he still has such a following that the line was halfway around the block 90 minutes before showtime. It was worth the wait, as Mose played one great song after another: “Look What You Made Me Do,” “Your Molecular Structure,” “What’s Your Movie?” “Ever Since The World Ended,” and many more. He also threw in some songs by other writers, including “Fool’s Paradise” by Johnny Fuller and a very reharmonized “You Are My Sunshine,” by former Louisiana governor Jimmy Davis.

One strange element of the sound was a bass rasp on the low string that jumped out every time Syracuse plucked it, but otherwise the sound was fairly good in the sometimes cavernous Kilbourn Hall. A friend of mine once described watching jazz there as watching “jazz in a diorama.” While it often has that feel, the best performers can transcend the limitations of the space (see Allyson, Karrin and Allison, Mose).

NOTE: Three paragraphs until Billy Bang.

Outside on the free Jazz Street Stage, the reunited Respect Sextet wowed the crowd and kept them laughing. As a matter fact, Mose Allison into the Respect Sextet was a great segue, as both shows showed the value of a sense of humor in music. It was the classic Respect lineup: Josh Rutner on sax, Eli Asher on trumpet, James Hirschfeld on trombone, Red Wierenga on piano, Ted Poor on drums, and Malcolm Kirby on bass, who missed the Respect show this year at the Bop Shop because he was on tour with the Campbell Brothers. As usual at a Respect show, original compositions — in the best sense of the word “original” — held sway, including Herschfeld’s “latin surf anthem” opener, a Balkan tune by Rutner, and the wonderfully titled “Beer” by Wierenga. The band members now make their home in New York City (all but Asher, who lives in the D.C. area), but they still remember their roots here in Rochester.

NOTE: Two paragraphs until Billy Bang.

The official Next Big Thing of the 2006 festival, Sonya Kitchell, filled the big tent and caused a line down Main Street outside. Back in its inaugural year, the Rochester International Jazz Festival booked a then-unknown singer/pianist named Norah Jones. Eight Grammy awards later, producer John Nugent hoped to prove his instincts again with 17-year-old phenom Kitchell. She’s good, but she struggled to overcome the big tent’s sound-swallowing atmosphere, and her airy vocals were often lost completely in the muddy mix of sound. That said, Kitchell’s songwriting was often impressive, and if she wins eight Grammies this year, you’ll know how to rate my skills as a talent scout.

NOTE: Up next is the good bit, featuring Billy Bang.

Every year at the festival, there’s one artist who transcends the ordinary and sends writers scrambling for adjectives. This year, no matter what happens next, that artist was Billy Bang.

Violinist Bang was joined by trumpeter James Zollar, bassist Todd Nicholson, drummer Newman Taylor Baker, and pianist Andrew Bemkey. Listening to them was like someone reaching inside your rib cage and squeezing your heart. From the first note (Bang’s “Reconciliation”) to the last (“Rainbow Gladiator”), Billy commanded the room in a way few performers ever do. And the audience loved him for it. In recent years, thanks to the work of Bop Shop owner Tom Kohn, Bang has appeared in Rochester several times, both at the jazz festival and at the Bop Shop atrium. Rochester’s music lovers have embraced him, and one of the city’s leading cultural figures, choreographer Garth Fagan, has championed Bang’s music by using it as the basis for a dance piece. Bang was effusive in his praise of Rochester all night long, and he seemed genuinely moved by the intense emotion of the crowd.

The set featured one highlight reel solo after another. Nicholson’s root-to-fruit bass solo on “Reconciliation.” Zollar’s ride on Rocket #9 during the Sun Ra tribute “Jupiter’s Future.” Bemkey destroying and rebuilding the piano with a consciousness-altering two-fisted display on the same tune. Bang getting his sabroso on during the Cuban-inflected closer, which had the crowd on its feet screaming as the band tightened the screws one notch, then another, then another, leaving the audience so enraptured that the band was literally prevented from leaving the stage until they played an encore, the lovely “Rainbow Gladiator.”

With the week ahead including names like Tyner and Shorter, it may seem ridiculous to say this, but my prediction is that no individual set of music will top Billy Bang. Not this week, and not for a long time to come.

For complete information, including audio files, concert photos and more, visit rochesterjazz.com.

2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival: Day 3 In Review

Jason Crane — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 05:11:28 +0000

Any festival is about making choices. There are more acts to see than time to see them, and musical triage is the order of the day. With that in mind, it’s tempting to do the easy thing and cross artists off the list if you’ve seen them before. I’ve seen Karrin Allyson a half dozen times, so I did the sensible thing … and lined up an hour and a half early to see her again. She’s that good.

Allyson’s new album is called Footprints. It features a number of tunes not normally associated with singers, decked out with new lyrics by Rochester native Chris Caswell. The program offered a mix of tunes from the new record — “Lazy Bird,” “Never Say Yes,” “Con Alma” — with some old friends from previous albums. Allyson was joined by a top-flight band: Bruce Barth on piano, Vicente Archer on bass, and Todd Strait on drums.

“Con Alma” was a grabber. They played it slow. The kind of slow that makes you lean forward in your chair to try to get closer to the sound. The kind of slow that the band holds together by an act of collective will. Exquisite.

As at any Karrin Allyson gig, there was a beautiful bossa nova number, sung in Allyson’s gorgeous Portuguese. During the latin numbers, Karrin played what appeared to be two egg shakers. In her hands, the egg shakers had a sensuality that they seem to lack when wielded by, say, a class of kindergartners.

Karrin also played piano on several tunes, including Jimmy Webb’s 70′s ballad “The Moon Is Harsh Mistress.” Bruce Barth added a second keyboard instrument — the Fender Rhodes — for Oscar Brown Jr.’s uplifting “As Long As You’re Living,” Hank Mobley’s “Turnaround,” and Blossom Dearie’s “Bye Bye Country Boy.”

The encore was once through the haunting “Say It (Over And Over Again)” from her Ballads album. When it ended, you could have heard a jaw drop. From start to end, a perfect set of music.

From the Not-An-Early-Enough-Bird Department: Apparently, Brazilian sensation Baji Assad is not just big in Brazil. A line four across and about thirty deep was waiting to get into the sold-out show in the big tent, so this review will be rather short. In fact, it’s over right now.

The late set at Milestones featured guitarist Joel Harrison playing the music of George Harrison. For those in the crowd expecting BeatleJazz, it was probably a shock to hear the searing explorations of Harrison and saxophonist Dave Binney, bassist Dave Ambrosio and drummer Dan Weiss. Harrison’s inventive and exciting arrangements used George’s music as a springboard, rather than an anchor. Binney was the perfect foil for Harrison, adding his sharp-edged tone and intelligent but accessible improvisations to Harrison’s fluid and free-ranging chord structures. The band played George Harrison’s “Within You Without You,” “Beware of Darkness,” “Isn’t It A Pity,” and “My Sweet Lord,” along with Joel Harrison’s own compositions “My Father’s House” and “You Bring The Rain.”

Binney lifted “Beware Of Darkness” higher and higher with each phrase, wiping his left hand on his jeans between each line like a safecracker sandpapering his fingers before the next turn of the dial. Binney wasn’t afraid to explore one repeated pitch, mining it of every ounce of meaning before moving on to the next note.

This show was a left turn from most of the fare at the festival, and it was a welcome exploration of less-charted territory.

For complete information, including audio files, concert photos and more, visit rochesterjazz.com.

2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival: Day 2 In Review

Jason Crane — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 06:43:24 +0000

Another chilly night on the streets of Rochester completely failed to deter thousands of people from packing the clubs and filling the streets at the 2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival.

Kilbourn Hall welcomed back pianist Cedar Walton, who played an engaging hour of solo piano for an enthusiastic audience. The set list included two Walton tunes: “Cedar’s Blues” and “Underground Memoirs.” The rest of the evening found Walton navigating the entire range of the grand piano on everything from “Skylark” (an emotional touchstone of the set) to “Willow Weep For Me,” which rolled steadily on a wave of flatted fifths. The list also included a handful of tunes about time: “Every Time We Say Goodbye,” “Time After Time,” “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was,” and “Just In Time.”

When he wasn’t seated at the piano, Cedar delivered lines with the timing of a comedian. He read song titles from a scrap of paper as he introduced the tunes, but at one point he got up from the piano without the list. “That was ‘Every Time We Say Goodbye,’” he said. “The next piece is … I’ll tell you when I’m finished because I’ve got to go look at my list.” He introduced his composition “Underground Memoirs” by saying, “If this one doesn’t put you to sleep, nothing will.”

One thing the Jazz Festival might consider is handing out cough drops. Someone who sounded like they were moments from an appointment with the Grim Reaper spent the entire show hacking in the middle of the theater.

As any jazzhead will tell you, nothing goes with an hour of introspective piano like the Godfather of Soul. Which is a happy coincidence, because that’s just the menu the festival was serving tonight.

It was hard not to be skeptical about a 73-year-old man trying to recreate the soul power of his youth, but it was even harder not to be won over by the mind-jellying funk of The James Brown Show. For more than an hour, the enormous band turned the 3,000 spectators — including Rochester’s mayor, Bob Duffy — into participants, forcing them out of their seats and onto their feet to shake what could be shook. The band had two drummers with full drum sets, a percussionist, three guitarists, a bassist, four backup singers, a guest vocalist, two dancers, three horn players, an M.C., and R.J., who stood on the side of the stage for all but the last ten minutes, when he came on to ask the immortal question, “Do you want James Brown to do his thang?” Everyone said they did, so Soul Brother Number One busted out “Sex Machine,” and it was all over but the leather pants and hot flashes. That said, seeing James Brown in 2006 rather than 1966 is a little like seeing a tiger in a zoo rather than going out into the jungle yourself — you can say you’ve seen it, but it’s not exactly like the real thing. Not that it mattered; a soulful time was had by all.

Djabe played two free sets on the outdoor Jazz Street Stage, and the street was full, despite the cold. Similarly, Roomful of Blues and Little Feat filled the East Avenue Stage.

Back in the clubs, it was time for the most star-studded ensemble of Day 2, as trumpeter Eddie Henderson played swinging hard bop with pianist George Cables, bassist Ed Howard and drummer Billy Drummond (whom Henderson referred to as the “chief of the fire department”). At least, I think those were the guys — the players were almost invisible on the stage, which was apparently lit by the novelty blacklight department at Spencer’s Gifts.

But who needs to see when you can hear? And there was plenty to hear. The late set was full of classic tracks, including “One Finger Snap,” “El Gaucho,” and “Green Dolphin Street.” Henderson used the flugelhorn to wonderful effect on several tunes, his tone sounding like a warm fleece blanket on a cold (June?) night. Cables and Drummond were captivating. Drummond’s solo on “One Finger Snap” was a master class in timing, texture and musicality as he alternated between a curtain of cymbals and driving snare/tom work. A rousing “Cantaloupe Island” finished off the evening, as the band played well past the allotted time. “As you can see, we want to keep playing,” Henderson said. “I hope that’s all right.”

The jam session was packed with minor league ball players, prom guests and jazz lovers. Festival promoter John Nugent held sway for an entire set, slightly belying the “jam” concept, but he was ably assisted by guitarist Bob Sneider, drummer Mike Melito, and Roomful of Blues sax player Mark Earley, with whom Nugent attended college. The bar was full of jazznocenti, including Eddie Henderson and his son, the members of Djabe, and James Brown’s drummer, Mousie.

And that was how it rolled on Day 2.

For complete information, including audio files, concert photos and more, visit rochesterjazz.com.

2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival: Day 1 In Review

Jason Crane — Sat, 10 Jun 2006 06:31:49 +0000

Jason with friends Gary and Beth outside Kilbourn Hall

It’s almost too much to take. Day 1 of the 2006 World Cup coinciding with Day 1 of the 2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival. Three hours of soccer matches (Germany and Ecuador emerging victorious) followed by 8 hours of jazz (everybody in attendance emerging victorious). Here’s what I saw and heard on the opening day of what is fast becoming one of the country’s top jazz festivals.

The weather was nasty. Let’s just get that out of the way. It was a very un-June kind of day in Rochester — cold, rainy and windy enough that the folks from the local jazz station, Jazz90.1, had to hold down the four corners of their broadcast tent to keep it from sailing off into the sunset.

This is the northeast, though, and jazz fans can’t be dissuaded by foul weather. For the first time, all the Club Passes sold out by Day 1 of the festival. (The Club Passes get you in to everything but the shows in the Eastman Theatre.) A packed house watched as guitarist Charlie Hunter and his new trio remodeled the interior of staid Kilbourn hall with a mix of Levon-Helm-Slept-Here drumming from Simon Lott and the Rhodes and organ of Erik Deutsch. A breakneck version of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” was a highlight, particularly when it screeched to a halt and became a cerebral and hushed “Out of Nowhere.” Lott and Deutsch are new to the trio, replacing long-time members John Ellis and Derrek Phillips, who left amicably to pursue other projects. The one hitch in the first set was a long, introspective tune that took up the last 20 minutes of the show. When it ended, Charlie called a closing number, but the soundman was gesturing wildly that time was up, and a surprised Charlie warmly thanked the audience and split. It was obvious that the quiet number wasn’t supposed to be the show closer, and my guess is that they worked out the timing a little better by the second set.

After a quick round of sushi to restore the vital signs, it was off to the Eastman Theatre to see … Woody Allen? That’s right, the film auteur was in town with his trad jazz band to play the most expensive show of the week. Unfortunately, the music didn’t live up to the hype. If his name were Woody Jones, he and the band would have been a very enjoyable local outfit that you might see on a small stage. For $90 a head, though, you really have to like looking at Woody as he energetically keeps time and plays clarinet with what can only be described as a sadistic amount of vibrato. (As it turns out, the standout member of his band was Cynthia Sayer, who charmed the jam session later in the evening with her delightful banjo playing.) It’s important to note, though, that a portion of the proceeds from this show go to benefit folks in New Orleans, so from a nonmusical perspective, it was a good thing.

Over in the festival tent, Hungarian fusion band Djabe made their second appearance in Rochester and once again won the crowd over with the kind of feel-good electric music that was big with guys named Corea and Clarke back in the early 80s. The members of Djabe radiate a personal warmth from the stage that does a lot to win the crowd over, and they back up that vibe with solid musicianship.

Milestones Music Room was host to one of the standout shows of the night, as Gregg Bendian and his Mahavishnu Project channeled John McLaughlin and stoked the inner mounting flame. The five-piece band features Bendian on drums, Adam Holzman on keyboards, Rob Thomas on violin, Glenn Alexander on guitar, and Dave Johnsen on bass. “We believe jazz can be electric,” Bendian told the crowd, “and when it’s electric, it should be heard live.” The room was packed with admirers, from the grey goatees who listened to the original records in the 70′s, to jam band kids who’ve grown up listening to extended improvisation. Highlights included a beautiful version of “Dawn,” a hard-charging “Celestial Terrestrial Extraterrestrial Commuters,” and a mesmerizing rendition of Jan Hammer’s “Bamboo Forest.”

It’s worth mentioning that Milestones booked its own act to go on between the jazz fest sets. Singer/songwriter/pianist Juliet Lloyd played an hour of original music that could easily find its way onto stations that play Jamie Cullum and Nellie McKay. Her song “Too Little, Too Late” would be on the radio in a better world.

For the fifth year running, every night of the festival ends with the Bob Sneider Trio leading a jam session for headliners and amateurs alike at the Crowne Plaza. Guitarist Sneider was joined by bassist Phil Flanigan and drummer Mike Melito. The opening night session featured members of the Woody Allen band, local boys Filthy Funk, and many, many others. A packed crowd stayed until after 2 a.m. to drink in the music (and a few liquid refreshments) and celebrate nine days when Rochester becomes the Jazz Capital of the World.

For complete information, including audio files, concert photos and more, visit rochesterjazz.com.

Game 1 is in the books

Jason Crane — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 18:03:09 +0000

My co-workers and I just went to the Pig & Whistle in downtown Rochester to eat meat and watch Germany play Costa Rica. If you like really, really loud country music playing throughout the game, the Pig is your place. If you’d rather be in the company of people who know that a game is being played, you’re probably better off at Monty’s Korner, on the corner of East Ave and Alexander St. They’re showing all 64 games on a wide-screen TV with the sound on. What a novel idea!

Despite the less than ideal P&W environment, it was great to see the opening match. I’ll leave off the score, for the one person reading this who taped the game, but suffice it to say it was a good time for all.

Now it’s just four hours until the first set of music at the 2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival. I’ll be at Charlie Hunter in Kilbourn Hall at 6 p.m., followed by a bit of Woody Allen, then Djabe in the Big Tent at 8:30 p.m., followed by Mahavishnu Project at 10 p.m. and the jam session at the Crowne to finish things off.

Day 1 is well under way! Huzzah!

REMINDER: My picks for the 2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival

Jason Crane — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 03:50:22 +0000

I posted this overview back in April, but it seemed appropriate to post it again, given that the Jazz Festival starts one week from today.

Whitman: the day after

Jason Crane — Tue, 23 May 2006 03:44:44 +0000

It’s going to take me a long time — maybe forever — to really come to grips with what yesterday meant to me. When I hatched this crazy plan last year, I wasn’t even sure I could make it happen. Then Connie Bodner stepped in, and it suddenly became possible, if not probable.

Then it was yesterday. Months of planning, literally thousands of e-mail messages, hundreds of phone calls. Dozens of readers, dozens of dinner guests, dozens of staff members, one actor. Could we really expect it to come off well?

When I finally sit down and write the story of my life, 21 May 2006 will be one of the high points. It was better than I ever could have hoped. The diversity of voices. The passion of the readers. The flow of emotion throughout the afternoon. Hail. Rain. Wind. Sunshine. (In late May!)

Then came the end of the reading. Wade Norwood was the final reader. He finished the last line — I stop some where waiting for you — and started down the stairs from the lectern. As his foot hit the first step, a wave crashed through the church. The audience of readers and listeners erupted with cheers, applause, and more than a few moist eyes, including my own. This wave of sound and emotion and joy and completion just kept building and building. It was almost too much to believe. (My hands are shaking right now as I type this.)

We took no photos, made no recordings. The event passed into the air. The sound waves are even now heading out across the solar system as almost imperceptible disturbances of whatever it is that makes up the cosmos.

I’m still awestruck at the experience. I feel so lucky to have been there, and to have been surrounded by such wonderful people. I have a debt to that room that I can’t repay.

Whitman time!

Jason Crane — Sun, 21 May 2006 01:24:59 +0000

It’s finally here! CELEBRATING WHITMAN: AMERICA’S POET, is today (Sunday) at 2 p.m. at Genesee Country Village & Museum. We begin by reading “Song of Myself” from 2-5 p.m., followed by a 19th century dinner at 5 p.m. and Will Stutts as Walt Whitman at 6 p.m. Please come to the reading and be part of this special event.

SHOW-ONLY TICKETS: The dinner is sold out, but you can get a show-only ticket for $20. Just come to the Education Center (next to the main entrance of Genesee Country Village) before 6 p.m. See you there!

Walt Whitman and I on the news

Jason Crane — Tue, 16 May 2006 23:16:03 +0000

If you have a time machine, you can watch me earlier today on News10 NBC here in Rochester, talking about the Whitman event.

If you have a radio or computer, you can hear me tomorrow (Wednesday) at 3:30 p.m. on Jack Mindy’s show on Jazz90.1. The station is at 90.1 FM, or on the Internet.

That ol’ Acuna magic

Jason Crane — Fri, 12 May 2006 03:33:53 +0000

Sigh.

That’s what I’m left with as far as words go. I just spent the evening listening to one of my favorite singers in the world, the delightful Claudia Acuna. She did two sets at the Lodge at Woodcliff, and it was one of those nights that ended too soon.

I walked into the club more than 30 minutes early, but there were no tables. As I was looking for a single seat, I bumped into Pete McCrossen, the general manager of the hotel. I’ve known Pete for several years, ever since he started the current jazz series at Woodcliff, back when I was at Jazz90.1. Pete’s a stand-up guy who loves the music, and who brings in amazing A-list artists and presents them for free (!) at his hotel.

Pete graciously invited me to join he and his wife at their table. The three of us had a nice chat — Pete’s been on the Rochester scene for a long time, and he has lots of good stories. The three of us watched the first set, which was almost all new music that has yet to find its way onto an album. The new band is really hip. It features Claudia’s longtime musical soulmate Jason Lindner on piano and keyboard, Juancho Herrera on guitar, YaYo Serka on drums, and Omar Avital on bass. (Keepin’ it real, I have to say that her band with John Benitez and Gene Jackson was the bomb, and pretty hard to top, but this band is wonderful in its own right.)

After the first set, Gap Mangione came and sat down at our table, followed shortly by Claudia. The five of us swapped stories and jokes and just generally had a blast. I always enjoy hanging with Gap because he’s seen it all and is happy to take the time to tell you about it. During the break, I asked Claudia if the band could play “Esta Tarde Vi Llover,” one of my favorite tunes from her MaxJazz album Luna. I told her not to worry if they don’t play that tune anymore, and I got the sense that they probably don’t.

The second set kicked off, and tune #2 was … “Esta Tarde Vi Llover.” And it blew the doors off the place, evolving into a jam that lifted everyone in the room about an inch off the ground. The whole second set was that way — including a creative version of John Lennon’s “Imagine” and another great tune from Luna called “Historias,” which ended the set. A little more chatting with Claudia and the McCrossens, and it was time for me to head home, elated and enchanted.

UPDATE: Check out my review of the show at All About Jazz.

Claudia Acuna at Woodcliff

Jason Crane — Mon, 08 May 2006 19:04:08 +0000

Don’t forget to keep some space in your schedule on Wednesday or Thursday evening. Vocalist Claudia Acuna will be performing at the Lodge at Woodlcliff from 7:30-10:30 p.m. both nights. Direction to the Lodge are at woodclifflodge.com.

Whitman event – tickets still available!

Jason Crane — Thu, 04 May 2006 04:27:04 +0000

Celebrating Whitman: America’s Poet is looking like a success, but we still need some more folks to buy tickets for the dinner and show. Click on the event title at the beginning of this paragraph for more information on how to get tickets. And remember, the reading begins at 2 p.m. That’s free with museum admission. The dinner/show begins at 5 p.m. It’s $30 for a single ticket, or $55 for a couple for dinner and a live one-man show. Not bad at all!

Amtrak – still around, still worth it

Jason Crane — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 18:03:17 +0000

I’m writing this post from my cousin Lynne’s house in Albany, NY. Jen and the boys and I came here yesterday on the Maple Leaf — an Amtrak train that runs from Toronto to NYC. Round-trip tickets for all four of us (John was free), cost about $130. And let me tell you, it was worth every penny.

The trip from Rochester to Albany took about 4 1/2 hours, just a bit longer than it takes in a car if you don’t stop. The big difference, though, was in the whole vibe of the trip. It was really family friendly — a roomy train with lots of space that allowed all of us to move around, cuddle, and talk to one another. If you’re traveling with a baby, you can’t beat it. John fell asleep at about 1 p.m. (an hour before we got on the train), and didn’t wake up until my cousin picked us up at the Albany station. Not bad at all.

Bernie was so excited he could hardly stand it. He loves his cousins Jack and Grace, so the whole concept of the trip was thrilling. Add the train on top of that, and you’ve got one very happy boy!

Train travel in the U.S. is certainly way behind train travel in Japan, unless you live in the NYC-Boston corridor. But it’s out there, and worth a little investigation if you’re thinking of taking a trip. Leave the driving to someone else, and stretch out with a book as you glide down the tracks. It’s a heck of a way to travel.

Whitman link

Jason Crane — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 00:12:37 +0000

You can visit this link for more information on the Walt Whitman event I’m producing with Connie Bodner. PLEASE NOTE: You must reserve your tickets for the dinner/show portion of the event by Monday, May 1!

Two great singers, one great location

Jason Crane — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 02:32:41 +0000

If you’re a fan of good music, you should be planning on two trips to the Lodge at Woodcliff in the very near future.

Photo by Bruce C. Moore

The wonderful jazz singer Tierney Sutton is playing at Woodcliff on April 25 and 26. The shows start at 7:30 p.m. and run until 10:30 p.m., with a break in the middle. There’s no cover charge, although there’s a bar and an excellent restaurant in the performance space.

If you’ve never seen Tierney Sutton, you need to be at this show. She’s a wonderful interpreter of songs, and her band is top-notch and swingin’.

Then, on May 10 and 11, head back to Woodcliff for one of my favorite singers and favorite people, the magical Claudia Acuna. Claudia’s shows will leave you feeling better about life, and she’s are a must-see for latin music fans, too. Again, the shows run from 7:30-10:30 p.m.

Celebrating Whitman: America’s Poet

Jason Crane — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 02:06:05 +0000

On Sunday, May 21, 2006, I’m producing (along with my good friend Connie Bodner) an event called CELEBRATING WHITMAN: AMERICA’S POET. This special event starts at 2 p.m. at Genesee Country Village with a reading of the 1855 version of Song of Myself, Walt Whitman’s famous poem about America from his seminal book, Leaves of Grass. The 52 sections of the poem will be read by 52 people from all walks of life — workers, students, teachers, clergy, politicians, parents, scholars. The reading will take about three hours (with breaks), and it will take place in the Brooks Grove Church at Genesee Country Village in Mumford. This beautiful church was built in 1854, the year before Leaves of Grass was published. The reading is FREE with museum admission, and you’re welcome to come for the whole thing or for a part of it.

Following the reading at 5 p.m. will be a 19th-century dinner and a performance at 6 p.m. by actor Will Stutts of his one-man Whitman play. Will has worked in one-man shows as much as any actor alive. He’s performed more than 1,000 times for more than one million people. Tickets for the dinner and show are $30 each, or $55 for two. You can purchase tickets by calling Melanie Baldeck at Genesee Country Village at (585) 538-6822 x218. You can also send an e-mail to Melanie.

In the weeks ahead of the reading, I’ll be taking some local poets into area classrooms to talk about Whitman and to read his work and the guest poets’ work. If you’re an educator and you’d like to know more about this free in-class presentation, call me at (585) 469-8434, or simply respond to this message.

Finally, we have a few slots left for readers on May 21. If you’d like to take part in the live reading of Song of Myself, please respond to this message as soon as possible.

I’d like to think that this is the kind of once-in-a-lifetime event that makes Rochester a special place to live, and I hope you’ll come out to support it. If you’d like to order tickets, please call soon to help us budget for the dinner.

Thanks for your continued support of my projects. See you on Sunday, May 21!

The Rochester International Jazz Festival — year 5!

Jason Crane — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 01:18:22 +0000

The lineup for the 5th Annual Rochester International Jazz Festival was announced this morning at Max of Eastman Place. The list of artists gets better each year, and this year’s festival looks like it will be a fantastic party.

One of the coolest parts of the festival experience in recent years has been watching as more and more people hop on to the festival train. I’ve written before about the need for the city of Rochester to embrace the festival — not for altruistic reasons, but for its own economic benefit. (The cultural benefits are wonderful, too, but they’re usually not enough of an enticement to move a government to action. Maybe some day that will change.) As you can see in the picture below, Mayor Duffy is stepping up the city’s involvement with the festival, and he seems genuinely excited to do it.

Another sign of the increasing support for the RIJF is the expanding media coverage. Today’s press conference was covered by all the networks, and broadcast live (for the 5th year running) by Jazz90.1. Here’s a shot of the media in action:

Now for the lineup. It’s phenomenal. Rather than list the entire thing, which you can find for yourself at RochesterJazz.com, I’ll give you my picks for the must-see shows of the festival. Remember, all musical opinions are subjective, so check the music out for yourself ahead of time and make your own decisions. I’m going to go night by night and plan out an itinerary. In other words, you could actually see all the shows I’m going to list, as long as you walk fast, and maybe leave before the last song.

Friday, June 9

This first night features two groups in the 10 p.m. slot. Jazz-rock fans should probably check out the Mahavishnu Project, while soul-jazzheads should see the Henderson-Schonig trio.

Charlie Hunter Trio: Charlie is one of this age’s guitar virtuosos, and he’s funky as the day is long. If you like your jazz with hip hop and funk mixed in, see this show. And for you purists, don’t worry — there’s enough brainpower behind the music to make it worth repeated listening. (Kilbourn Hall, 6 p.m., Club Pass)
Djabe: If you’re a fusion fan or a world music fan, Hungary’s Djabe is not to be missed. They came to the festival two years ago, and blew the roof off the place. (Big Tent, 8:30 p.m., Club Pass)
Mahavishnu Project: Guitarist John McLaughlin set the world on fire with his playing in the Miles Davis band, and then added fuel to the blaze when he left Miles and formed the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Now drummer Gregg Bendian leads the Mahavishnu Project, which performs McLaughlin’s music. It’s the next best thing to having a flashback to that gig you saw in 1971. (Milestones, 10 p.m., Club Pass) OR
Henderson-Schonig Trio featuring Dr. Lonnie Smith: If you like your jazz soulful, you can’t miss with this trio. Guitarist Mel Henderson is a Rochester original, and the co-founder of Paradigm Shift. Eastman grad Jared Schonig has played with Paradigm Shift and many others, and he’s one of the better drummers to come out of our scene. And what can you say about organ guru Dr. Lonnie Smith that hasn’t been said already? A guaranteed good time for the groove crowd. (Montage, 10 p.m., Club Pass)
Jam Session with the Bob Sneider Trio: Every night of the festival, the Iron Man of Jazz, guitarist Bob Sneider, leads a trio in the bar at the Crowne Plaza. Many of the musicians who play in the festival will drop by, and you never know what kind of off-the-hook jam session is going to happen. Yes, it’s late, so make sure you have the week off from work. Hangin’ with Bob and the boys every night is your civic duty. (State St. Bar & Grill at the Crowne Plaza, 10:30 p.m. – 2:30 a.m., Club Pass)

Saturday, June 10

Cedar Walton: One of the giants of jazz, pianist Cedar Walton has been on the front lines of improvised music for decades. He’s been here before, but he’s worth seeing every time. (Kilbourn Hall, 6 p.m., Club Pass)
James Brown: This one’s a judgment call. If you’ve never seen James, and want to rectify that, then here’s your chance. Otherwise, this might be a nice chance to grab dinner at the Montage so you have a good seat for…
Eddie Henderson Quartet: Eddie plays fiery, gutsy trumpet that is guaranteed to have the Montage Grille jumpin’ all night. (Montage, 10 p.m., Club Pass)
Jam Session at the Crowne: That’s right, kids. Night #2. Rest up. (State St. Bar & Grill at the Crowne Plaza, 10:30 p.m. – 2:30 a.m., Club Pass)

Sunday, June 11

Karrin Allyson: First, a little tip — it’s pronounced KAR-in, not CARE-in. Now you can hip your friends to what an insider you are. Anyway, she’s been one of my favorite singers for years, and I’ve never seen her give a bad performance. (Kilbourn Hall, 6 p.m., Club Pass)
Badi Assad: OK, not to do this twice, but it’s BA-ji a-SAHJ, more or less. She’s a big deal in Brazil, and you’ll be doing yourself a favor by figuring out what the Brazilians already know. (Big Tent, 8:30 p.m., Club Pass)
Claudia Quintet: The instrumentation alone lets you know you’re in for a good time — drums, bass, accordion, vibes, sax/clarinet. Eastman grad John Hollenbeck leads this critically acclaimed band. (Little Theatre, 10 p.m., Club Pass)
Jam Session at the Crowne: Night #3. Just hitting your stride. (State St. Bar & Grill at the Crowne Plaza, 10:30 p.m. – 2:30 a.m., Club Pass)

Monday, June 12

Mose Allison: Any guy responsible for lyrics like … “A bad enough situation / Is sure enough getting worse / Everybody’s crying justice / Just as soon as there’s business first” and “Well you know the people running round in circles / Don’t know what they’re headed for / Everybody’s crying peace on earth / Just as soon as we win this war” … is worth your time. (Kilbourn Hall, 6 p.m., Club Pass)
Respect Sextet: Begun in Rochester, now based in NYC, this group is one of the reasons to be proud of our city. Expect the unexpected. (Jazz Street Stage on Gibbs St., 7:15 p.m., FREE)
Sonya Kitchell: OK, so this is a recommendation I’m making without having heard too much from this artist. But I’ve heard enough to know it’s worth hearing more. And my friend Richard says go see her, so go see her. She may just be The Next Big Thing. (Big Tent, 8:30 p.m., Club Pass)
Billy Bang Quintet: One of the best shows I’ve ever seen was a duet gig by Billy Bang and Kahil El’Zabar at the Bop Shop. Every time Billy comes anywhere near here, you need to check him out. (Montage, 10 p.m., Club Pass)
Jam Session at the Crowne: Night #4. No yawning! (State St. Bar & Grill at the Crowne Plaza, 10:30 p.m. – 2:30 a.m., Club Pass)

Tuesday, June 13

Robert Glasper Trio: Pianist Glasper is Blue Note’s new man on the scene. If you want to say “I knew him when,” you should see him now. (Max of Eastman Place, 6:15 p.m., Club Pass)
Bird Lives! with Phil Woods: “I’ve got Bird’s axe” is one of those old hipster jokes. Well, Phil has Bird’s charts — the charts to the album Bird With Strings, to be exact, given to him by Charlie “Bird” Parker’s wife, Chan Parker. Now you can hear a great alto man revive these charts with the Rochester Chamber Orchestra. A special evening of music, to be sure. (Eastman Theatre, 8 p.m., Ticketed)
Gray Mayfield & Delfaeyo Marsalis: Gray is married to a Garth Fagan dancer, and he’s spent quite a bit of time in Rochester. Now’s he’s making waves on the national scene. If you were ever at one of Gray’s sets at the inaugural RIJF, you know that he makes the magic. Throw in a Marsalis brother, and musical mayhem is likely to ensue. (Big Tent, 10 p.m., Club Pass)
Jam Session at the Crowne: Night #5. Grrrrrrr! (State St. Bar & Grill at the Crowne Plaza, 10:30 p.m. – 2:30 a.m., Club Pass)

Wednesday, June 14

This is a tough, tough night. The first three acts listed are all playing at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., and they’re all on my must-see list. So that means you’ll have to miss one and see the other two. Oy!

Jane Bunnett Quartet: Canadian saxophonist Jane Bunnett is as impressive a human being as she is a musician. She’s been mining the Cuban motherlode for years now, and every Bunnett show is a good time for the feet and the mind. (Kilbourn Hall, 6 p.m. or 10 p.m., Club Pass) OR
Ben Allison Quartet: As the leader of the Jazz Composers Collective, bassist Ben Allison has been responsible for much of the good music to come out of NYC in the past decade. From funk to freak-outs to kora jams to burnin’ post-bop, Ben does it all. (Milestones, 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., Club Pass) OR
Joe Locke & Geoffrey Keezer Quartet: No RIJF is complete without a leave-it-all-on-the-stage, vision-inducing vibe fest with Rochester’s own Joe Locke. Joe’s been making pulses rise and hair stand on end since the first fest, when he rocked the Pythodd. (Montage, 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., Club Pass)
McCoy Tyner Trio: Face it, you probably never got to see Coltrane. Me either. But if you want to connect to the essence of that era, you need to make the pilgrimage to McCoy. This show also features harmonica legend Toots Thielemans, who I believe will be opening for McCoy. (Eastman Theatre, 8 p.m., Ticketed)
Jam Session at the Crowne: Night #6. Energy drink, anyone? (State St. Bar & Grill at the Crowne Plaza, 10:30 p.m. – 2:30 a.m., Club Pass)

Thursday, June 15

Osage County: Groove music led by drummer Scott Neumann and featuring pianist David Berkman and saxophonist Sam Newsome? Sign me up! (Milestones, 6 p.m., Club Pass)
Wayne Shorter: SEE THIS SHOW. Period. (Eastman Theatre, 8 p.m., Ticketed)
Sliding Hammers: Two Swedish sisters who play trombone. They were the talk of the festival a couple years back, and now it’s your chance to find out why. (Big Tent, 10 p.m., Club Pass)
Jam Session at the Crowne: Night #7. Home stretch! (State St. Bar & Grill at the Crowne Plaza, 10:30 p.m. – 2:30 a.m., Club Pass)

Friday, June 16

e.s.t.: A night of groove and funk and mayhem begins with Europe’s best-selling jazz act — this dynamic piano trio. And don’t worry if the words “piano trio” don’t set your heart racing. These guys will pin your ears back and knock your socks off. But that’s OK — it’s warm in Rochester in June, so going barefoot feels nice. (Kilbourn Hall, 6 p.m., Club Pass)
Soulive: The ubiquitous funksters are everywhere these days, both as headliners and as the opening act for folks like the Dave Matthews Band. Join the big party on the closed-down East Avenue. (East Ave. Stage, 9 p.m., FREE)
Asylum Street Spankers: The name alone should tell you that these guys are worth seeing. This is jazz in a train going over a cliff into a lake of fire. What does that mean? I don’t know, but the Spankers will help us all figure it out. (Milestones, 10 p.m., Club Pass)
Jam Session at the Crowne: Night #8. Here’s where we cull the weak from the pack. (State St. Bar & Grill at the Crowne Plaza, 10:30 p.m. – 2:30 a.m., Club Pass)

Saturday, June 17

The final night! This night is filled with international artists about whom I know nothing, so consider it a grab bag of goodies and experiment for yourself. The only thing I know for sure is that you should see…

Kenny Garrett: He’s often referred to as one Miles Davis’s alumni, but saxophonist Kenny Garrett stands on his own two feet. He’s usually on fire, and always worth hearing. (Kilbourn Hall, 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., Club Pass)
Jam Session at the Crowne: Night #9. Close down the festival in style with the final jam session. Thanks, Bob! (State St. Bar & Grill at the Crowne Plaza, 10:30 p.m. – 2:30 a.m., Club Pass)

Remember, this list doesn’t even include most of the great free acts at the Jazz Street Stage on Gibbs St. or the East Avenue Stage. These acts include hundreds of area students, playing on the same stage as headliners. It’s a chance for you to get a glimpse of the future of the music. The student acts will be selected by Alan Tirre and Bill Tiberio, two of Rochester’s finest, so you know they’ll be good. There’s so much to see!

And here’s a very important tip: PLAN AHEAD. You’ll see more music and have a better time if you know where you want to be. You don’t have to have every night planned out, but make sure you leave time to stand in line for the things you really want to see. Tickets for the Eastman shows go on sale at Ticketmaster outlets on Friday, April 7. Club Passes are on sale now, too. Remember, it’s all at RochesterJazz.com.

Enjoy!

SignWall.com

Jason Crane — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 22:07:11 +0000

If you’ve got a minute, check out my newest project, SignWall.com. I’ve been noticing all those faded business ads and political signs painted on the walls of city buildings recently, and I decided to create a site to record and preserve those images. Let me know what you think.

Lake Affect Magazine announces poetry contest

Jason Crane — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 05:42:08 +0000

Hot on the heels of the MoKA announcement (see below), Michelle Cardulla sent this message announcing a poetry contest run by her excellent arts mag, Lake Affect Magazine:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

MICHELLE CARDULLA
PUBLISHER, LAKE AFFECT MAGAZINE
585-317-9191

Lake Affect Magazine to Honor Book Publisher with Poetry Contest

Lake Affect Magazine is sponsoring a poetry contest to honor BOA Editions, Ltd. the award-winning Rochester-based publisher of poetry books. The contest will help mark BOA’s 30th anniversary. The winning poem will receive $250. The second place poem will receive $150, and the third place poem, $75. In addition, all three winning poems will be eligible for publication in an upcoming issue of Lake Affect Magazine. And each winner will receive three copies of BOA Editions poetry books. There are no limits on style, length, or content, although overtly religious or political poems are not encouraged. Poems which, because of content, are not suitable for publication in a family-oriented magazine, will still be eligible for the monetary prize, but will not be published in the magazine. The contest is open to all residents of the greater Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse areas. Entrants must be citizens or legal residents of the United States, at least 18 years old, and cannot be employees, board members, family or volunteers at either BOA or Lake Affect. Each entry may contain up to two poems and must be accompanied by a check or money order for $5 payable to Lake Affect Magazine. All entries must be postmarked no later than May 1, and should be sent to Poetry Contest, Lake Affect Magazine, P.O. Box 10016, Rochester, NY 14610. Poems will not be returned. Entrants wanting to know the results of the contest should include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Thom Ward, Editor of BOA, will serve as final judge of the contest.

Announcing the Museum of Kids Art (MoKA)!

Jason Crane — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 05:30:05 +0000

Michelle Cardulla is a great supporter of the arts here in Rochester. She publishes the excellent arts magazine Lake Affect Magazine, and she’s about to launch a new and exciting creative space — The Museum of Kids Art (MoKA). She can really use your help to make this a lasting success. Please visit mokarochester.com and give her some money. Here’s the press release:

Warm Greetings To All!

The Museum of Kids Art (MoKA) will officially open its doors on Tuesday, March 20th, as a registered museum of New York State. We will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 1-6 pm. We are offering modern dance as our very first program in April. The program will be conducted by Nicolette Depass, a Garth Fagan dancer. Nicolette joined the company in 1994. She was raised in Queens, New York, and graduated cum laude from SUNY Brockport with a Bachelor of Science degree in dance and communications. So cool!

All programming will be free to kids in the Sector 8 area. We plan to have 16 programs ranging from cooking, dancing, gardening painting, sculpture and film. There will be regularly scheduled exhibits throughout the year to display the children’s work.

Our grand opening will be held this summer after we’ve worked the bugs out of the start-up transition to our new facility.

Please come and visit. And please note this advisory:

Be sure to bring an extra pair of socks with you, because MoKA will knock the other ones off!

Much Love and Peace to all.

Michelle Cardulla, Executive Director
Museum of Kids Art
90 Webster Avenue
Rochester, NY 14609
mokarochester.com
phone: (585) 288.4239

Board of Directors:

David Aboyoun
John Anderson
Michelle Cardulla
John Page
Christine Wilson

Cuong Vu

Jason Crane — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 18:39:50 +0000

Trumpeter Cuong Vu is playing at the Bop Shop tonight (27 Feb 06) at 8 p.m. Joining him will be bassist Stomu Takeshi and drummer (and Rochester native) Ted Poor. If you caught the trio at last year’s Rochester International Jazz Festival, you saw something really special. If you missed them in ’05, make sure you see them tonight!

I just downloaded the trio’s new record, It’s Mostly Residual, from cuongvu.com. This is Cuong’s Artist Share site, which is a cool new way of going behind the scenes with your favorite musicians. You can download a copy of the record, complete with cover art, charts, journal entries on the “making of,” and a whole lot more, for $9.95. For higher memebership levels, you get even more behind-the-scenes info. In any case, head over to the site and support this music by buying the record. And I’ll see you tonight at the Bop Shop, 174 N. Goodman St. in Village Gate.

Respect the review!

Jason Crane — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 03:12:22 +0000

My good friends in the Respect Sextet have had their CD reviewed on popmatters.com. Coincidentally, the reviewer is also a good friend of mine, Jeff Vrabel. You can read more by Jeff at his Web site, and you can learn more about the Respect Sextet by visiting respectsextet.com.

Cappy hour?

Jason Crane — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 03:48:34 +0000

Feel the Rochester-based Cappy love over at The Comic Book Haters!

More talent than I

Jason Crane — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 05:29:07 +0000

My friend Zuzanna Szewczyk gave her Master’s Degree recital today at the Eastman School of Music. She played Calendar Collections by Judith Lang Zaimont; Sonata In C Major, KV 330 by Mozart; Scherzo No.2 in B-flat Minor by Chopin; and nine of Chopin’s Etudes.

This concert highlighted several important facts, including: (1) This music is hard to play; (2) Zuza has a lot more talent than I do; and (3) I would’ve lasted about 7.3 seconds at the Eastman School of Music.

She did a great job, and will soon be continuing on to get her doctoral degree. Huzzah!

Norm!

Jason Crane — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 00:18:03 +0000

The other day, a friend said this to me: “I’ve always run away from putting down roots, I think partly because I’m so desperate to have some.”

Exactly. I’ve moved more than 20 times so far, and I’ve always felt cut off from any particular “hometown,” except for Lenox, Massachusetts, where I lived until I was five. I still feel like I’m home whenever I’m there, even though most of my life has been lived elsewhere. The first person I dated had lived in the same house her entire life (about 15 years at that point). My sister lived in the same house from the age of 5 until she was 24. My parents have lived in the same house for the past 20 years.

All of that seems very odd to me. Or maybe it’s better to say that I can’t really relate to it. I’ve always prided myself on my ability to adapt to new surroundings. I find that I get the itch to move after I’ve lived somewhere for about a year.

I’ve now lived in Rochester for five and a half years. It’s almost impossible for me to leave the house without running into people I know. Every restaurant, every store, every concert, every bike ride. A few of those folks even like me, and more than 1,500 of them voted for me for city council. That’s just weird.

I started thinking of this today when I was at Palermo’s Meat & Food Market on Culver and Norton. Guy, the owner of the store, knows my family and me by name, as do several of the employees. While Bernie and I were in there today, we ran into my good friend Otto (don’t forget to check out his new site) and his son Frankie. A few minutes later, Otto’s brother came in. Everybody was chatting, laughing, telling jokes, ordering food from the deli counter, and just generally behaving in the way I always imagined adult life would be.

So what does that all mean? Does it need to mean anything? For one thing, it means that I have roots here in Rochester. I never expected that to happen. It also means that it’s still possible — if I make the effort — to live life meaningfully in a circle of people who care about me. That’s a great feeling. When we had our near-baby-event yesterday, we had friends and family close at hand who were willing to drop everything to help out.

I didn’t expect our life here to be like this, and I’m still trying to figure it all out. In the meantime, it’s cool to have friends.

The birth of a new blog!

Jason Crane — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 05:45:26 +0000

My good friend Otto Bruno has just launched his new site, ottobruno.com. The site is the home of Otto’s blog, From Where I Sit, as well as a place to find his magazine articles. Otto is the host of The Sunday Music Festa and The Otto Show on Jazz90.1, and he also writes a monthly show biz column for the national Italian-American newspaper Fra Noi. Check out Otto’s site, and tell him Jason sent ya!

Back in the day

Jason Crane — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 06:18:00 +0000

I went to Tapas with a friend tonight. Tapas is a bar/lounge in downtown Rochester that features salsa music. Tonight, the band Tumbao was playing. Man, did that take me back.

If you’ve only known me since I moved to Rochester, you may find it hard to believe that I used to play salsa and latin jazz for a living. That’s right. The pasty, overweight, reasonably lame guy that y’all have come to know and/or love was, at one time, a pasty, much thinner, slightly hipper cat who played saxophone and percussion in the dance clubs of the Southwest. As a matter of fact, Jen and I met in a latin dance place. Wacky, huh?

Being down in the basement lounge at Tapas with the music blaring and the dance floor filled was like stepping into La Machine De Wayback. If you’ve never had a roomfull of people grooving to your music, you’ve really missed out. And there’s nothing like that moment when the band is completely locked in clave and the whole joint is heaving back and forth in one fluid motion.

I gave up playing when I moved here, and I thought I had come to terms with that. But tonight made me remember what I really loved about the music, and it made me miss it. Maybe I’ll give Tony Padilla a call and see if they can use a just-past-his-prime sax player.

The future of labor organizing

Jason Crane — Mon, 28 Nov 2005 18:53:22 +0000

As you know, I’m a union organizer for UNITE HERE in Rochester, NY. I recently attended the first national organizing conference put on by Change to Win, the union federation that split earlier this year from the AFL-CIO.

If you’d like to read my report on the conference, you’ll find it at Joan Collins-Lambert’s excellent labor blog, Work Related.

Jack Bradigan Spula is back

Jason Crane — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 14:46:13 +0000

If you know anything about Rochester’s progressive scene, you know the writing of Jack Bradigan Spula. Now you can peek into Jack’s brain again, via his new blog The Rochester Dissident. Do yourself a favor and check it out today.

A silent vigil for economic justice

Jason Crane — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 16:26:54 +0000

(24 October 2005) BRIGHTON – It’s 7 p.m. A light rain is falling. Snaking down Ambassador Drive in Brighton is a long line of silent workers, candles held in cups under their umbrellas. The line moves slowly down the street, a silent testament to labor solidarity in an age of “every man for himself.”

The men and women of Caldwell Manufacturing, proud members of IUE-CWA Local 81331, are bringing their fight for justice and security into the neighborhood where Caldwell’s owners live. The message? Ted and Jim Boucher are letting their greed overcome their family history.

Caldwell Manufacturing makes parts for windows – parts that you’ll find in most houses, including those on Ambassador Drive. For three generations, Caldwell has been run by the Boucher family, and the company has long provided good union jobs for Rochester workers. Now, though, Ted and Jim Boucher are attempting to bust the union by removing the union security clause from the workers’ contract. If they’re successful, Caldwell would be an open shop, a move that would pave the way to remove the union completely. And that would likely be the first domino in a long chain of anti-union activity in the Rochester area.

As the vigil moves through the streets of Brighton, keeping a silent watch, it may be difficult to connect these 50 rain-soaked workers and community members to the larger fight for Rochester’s future. But the connection is clear. Rochester needs good jobs with a living wage, health care, pension benefits, and job security. One proven way to provide those jobs is a union contract. These workers and their supporters in the community are fighting for the very life of this area.

Two by two, pairs of workers knock on the doors of the homes in the Bouchers’ neighborhood. They politely explain why the vigil is happening, and hand the residents a flyer outlining the situation. The response is largely positive, and the effect is immediate. By the end of the vigil, a local trial lawyer who lives on the street has come forward, offering to put a pro-worker sign in his front yard.

As the rain falls, the workers quietly return to their cars. This night’s action is over, but the morning brings the promise of more to come. The fight for Rochester’s future is under way.

Which side are you on?

For more information on the Caldwell strike, and on other local labor issue, visit Joan Collins-Lamberts’ blog, Work Related.

A message from one of Abundance Co-op’s new board members

Jason Crane — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 01:16:24 +0000

Tonight I was elected to the board of Abundance Cooperative Market. Abundance is a shareholder-owned co-op. In other words, it’s owned by the folks who shop at the store. The co-op has a general manager, but the policies and practices of the co-op are governed by the board, on which I now sit.

I’ve written before about Abundance, and about the idea of shopping locally. The Abundance Co-op is modeling a better world, and I ran for the board to help protect that cooperative system. The store turned its first profit this year, and as it grows, it’s vital that we remain true to the principles on which the co-op was founded. The “co-op” is the people — the store is just a happy result of the people’s efforts.

I’m excited to start working with the board. If you have comments, questions or suggestions for me as I start on this journey, feel free to contact me.

Bruuuuuuce in Rochester

Jason Crane — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 06:23:05 +0000

Jen and I saw Bruce Springsteen for the second time on this solo acoustic tour. Tonight’s show was the first show on this leg of the tour, following a couple weeks off. Here, to the best of my recollection, is the set list. Following the list if my little review:

Idiot’s Delight
Living Proof
Devils & Dust
My Father’s House
Long Time Comin’
Independence Day
Two Faces
Ain’t Got You
Maria’s Bed
Cautious Man
Reno
Nothing Man
Real World
Racing in the Street
The Rising
Further On (Up the Road)
Jesus Was an Only Son
This Hard Land
Two Hearts
Galveston Bay
Matamoros Banks

ENCORE

Growin’ Up
The Ties That Bind
The Promised Land
Dream Baby Dream

All in all, a fantastic show. His voice was in perfect form, the crowd was into it, and the show was a lot more upbeat than the July 18 Buffalo show, which had a great set list and a lame audience. Idiot’s Delight was a powerful opener, with somewhat distorted and delayed vocals and a great electric guitar part. Long Time Comin’ is quickly becoming one of my favorites. When he announced that he was going to play a song “for the first time on this tour,” the crowd cheered. He said, “I don’t know why people always cheer. I’ve played about 120 songs on this tour, which means you’re going to miss about 100 of them. But I’ve thought about it, and these are the best 20. There’s a system.” Then he played Independence Day. Further On Up The Road was very intense. The encore was great — Bruce changed some lyrics in Growin’ Up, I think. I know he also changed them in ain’t got you (from “king’s ransom for doin’ what comes naturally” to “king’s ransom for doin’ what I’d do for free”).

Ogden police protect and serve … anti-union bosses

Jason Crane — Mon, 03 Oct 2005 17:06:59 +0000

OGDEN, NY — Security guards bully workers. Workers call police to protect them from guards. Police arrive and hassle workers. Security company turns out to be owned by the brother of one of the cops. That cop is also moonlighting as a security guard. Welcome to Ogden!

The Ogden Police are routinely called to the picket line at Caldwell Manufacturing, where the workers have been on strike since August. Ted Boucher, owner of Caldwell Manufacturing, brought in scabs to staff the production lines, and he also hired guards from C.O.P. Security to direct the cars out of the parking lot as the workers marched across the entrance. That the workers are legally entitled to picket in that spot is of no consequence to the guards who enforce Caldwell’s anti-union policies.

Recently, the C.O.P. Security guards have been roughing up the strikers. Security guards have knocked down workers. Just days ago, one of the guards shoved a woman with both hands. In the face of this escalation, the union (IUE-CWA Local 331) has begun calling the police on their own behalf. But when the police arrive — even when they’ve been called by the union — they immediately bypass the workers and head straight for the guards to get the story. Turns out that one of the security guards is Sergeant Dale Barton of the Ogden Police Department. That’s right, he works for C.O.P. Security and for the police force the workers depend on to protect them from C.O.P. Security. Better still, Dale Barton’s brother is Rick Barton – the president of C.O.P. Security.

Why are the workers on strike? Because Ted Boucher, the owner of the company, decided not to bargain in good faith with the workers. He was censured by the NLRB, and he has appealed that ruling.

As Joan Collins-Lambert wrote on her blog Work Related: “The strike at Caldwell is about something more enduring than tomorrow’s paycheck. It’s about a union’s right to exist, and about a company’s obligation to bargain in good faith with its union workers. Among other things, Caldwell management wants to remove union security clauses in the collective bargaining agreement, and eliminate dues check-off. In other words, it wants the union to commit suicide.” That about sums it up.

So Boucher appealed, and the union workers reluctantly but unanimously decided to strike.

Last Thursday, Sept. 29, was a typical afternoon on the line. The most belligerent of the rent-a-cops, whom I’ll call Dom, shoved another worker today. The cops showed up and immediately pulled aside one of the strikers, keeping him in the back of a patrol car for about 30 minutes before letting him go. I talked to the cops, and told them that if anyone needed to be removed, it was Dom, not the worker. I pointed out that Dom consistently bullies the workers, while the police do nothing to protect the workers’ legal right to picket. The cop was nonresponsive.

Later in the afternoon, a woman pulled up beside one of the police cars to talk to the officer inside the car. Seeing a golden opportunity, I immediately began making fun of the officer over my megaphone. When the woman left, the officer — Lockwood by name — rode up to me and accused me of slandering his wife. I said it was in fact him I was yelling at, and I told him he should be ashamed of himself for protecting the “rights” of Ted Boucher over the rights of the workers. The workers surrounded me as Lockwood and I argued back and forth for a few minutes, until I got bored and walked away.

When it was time to go home, I did what everyone else before me had done and made a perfectly safe u-turn on the road to get back to the main highway. Within seconds, Lockwood was behind me with his lights flashing. One of my coworkers was in the car with me, and we were laughing uproariously as Lockwood approached the car to write me a ticket for “making an illegal u-turn on a curve.” He wrote up the ticket and held it in the window of my car. I took out my pad and pen and asked him for his name. “It’s right there on the ticket,” he said, but I took my time writing it down anyway. “I have an emergency call,” Lockwood protested, “take the ticket.”

So a company breaks the law, is censured, and then appeals, forcing its employees to take their fight to the street. The police support the company, taking sides against their neighbors. There’s a serious conflict of interest at work in Ogden, and it’s directly harming the workers on the picket line.

Rochester loses one of the good guys

Jason Crane — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 16:21:29 +0000

I’m very sad to report the passing of Forrest Cummings, who I knew through his work at Jazz90.1, where he hosted the great show Jazz Ain’t Nothin’ But Soul. Forrest was one of those people who make the world a better place, and it was truly an honor to know him and work with him.

Forrest had a show on WRUR for decades, and when his time there ended, I was on the phone with him immediately, asking him to come to Jazz90.1 and work his magic. We met for lunch, and he agreed to make the move. Most of our volunteers and staff members already knew who Forrest was, and he was welcomed with open arms to our Sunday night lineup.

Even after I left the station, I’d see Forrest at Red Wings games (he was on the board of Rochester Community Baseball) and at the Rochester International Jazz Festival and other musical events. It was always a pleasure to see him — everyone always seemed to know him and respect him wherever he was.

My thoughts are with the Cummings family. We’ve lost one of the good guys, but Rochester is a better place because he was here.

Here’s the obituary from The Democrat & Chronicle:

Forrest Cummings, 56, dies

He worked to give back to Rochester and to help children

by Ernst Lamothe Jr.
Staff writer

(September 24, 2005) —

Forrest Cummings Jr. could have left Rochester for bigger cities and bigger opportunities. Instead, he spent his life giving back to the only city that mattered in his book.

Mr. Cummings, 56, died Thursday of a massive heart attack.

He worked more than 20 years as regional director of the state Division of Human Rights. In addition, he served on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club, Urban League, Baden Street Settlement and the Rochester Red Wings.

Brenda D. Lee saw every step of Mr. Cummings’ path from a young boy at Edison Technical and Industrial High School to the man who was well respected in the community.

“He was a person who had incredible discipline on one hand but could be very humorous on the other,” said Lee, a childhood friend. “The person you would see in a social setting was completely different than the person you would see as regional director.”

While his time was often spread thin, one area always had a priority on his schedule.

“He was absolutely passionate about making a difference in the lives of children,” said Lee. “Forrest was an incredible role model for everyone, especially young African-American males.”

Gary Larder, Red Wings president and CEO, said Mr. Cummings was the first board member to financially contribute to offering season tickets for the underprivileged.

“He brought a mature attitude and certainly a team spirit,” said Larder.

When Mr. Cummings died, he was spending time with Maurice Stone, 43, a Penfield man with a developmental disability whom he visited every Thursday. Friends say it was an example of the life Mr. Cummings led.

“Even though he was in a position where he dealt with judges, lawyers and politicians, he was very comfortable with everyday folks,” said the Rev. Lawrence Hargrave, acting dean of black church studies at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.

“He could walk around the streets of Rochester and people would know him, and he could walk into the highest offices of the state and people would know him.”

Mr. Cummings hosted Jazz Ain’t Nothing but Soul for 26 years on WRUR-FM (88.5) Sunday evenings before moving to WGMC-FM (90.1) for the past two years.

He is survived by his wife, Juliette Rhodes-Cummings. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Abundance Cooperative Market

Jason Crane — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 04:37:44 +0000

I’ve wriiten before about Abundance Cooperative Market, Rochester’s only shareholder-owned cooperative grocery store. It’s a fantastic place, and a wonderful model of how cooperative economics can work. Now I’m running for the board. If you want to know more about why I’m running, check out my campaign flyer. Thanks!

Raymond Street, a logic-free zone

Jason Crane — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 06:35:31 +0000

I just picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, figuring I’d better read the series before I’m the last person in the English-speaking world who hasn’t read it.

While I was reading the book, the neighbor kids came over and said that they’re not allowed to read Harry Potter books because the books are “bad.” I asked why the books are bad.

KIDS: “Because they have witches in them.”

ME: “And why is that bad?”

KIDS: “Because they do magic.”

ME: “What’s wrong with magic?”

KIDS: “Because we’re Christians.”

ME: “But didn’t Jesus do magic? You know, water into wine, bringing people back from the dead, things like that.”

KIDS: “God doesn’t do magic.”

ME: “How do you know?”

KIDS: “It’s in the Bible.”

ME: “But the Bible’s just a story, just like this Harry Potter book.”

KIDS: Blank stare.

And there you have it. As the conservative blogger Kung Fu Monkey recently wrote: “”Everybody who wants to live in the 21st century over here. Everybody who wants to live in the 1800′s over there. Good. Thanks. Good luck with that.”

Dig this, ladies!

Jason Crane — Sun, 07 Aug 2005 18:37:38 +0000

I thought the Savannah Sand Gnats had a lock on the most embarrassing contest at a minor-league baseball game: a fan racing around the bases trying to beat a guy dressed like a big toilet bowl. But that was before I went to see the Rochester Red Wings the other night.

After the game, about 75 women were given tiny shovels — roughly the size of grapefruit spoons — with which they were to dig in the infield dirt, looking for a poker chip that they could then redeem for a diamond.

Maybe you should go back and read the previous paragraph one more time.

So there you have it. The prize for the most demeaning contest ever goes to the Rochester Red Wings and Frontier Field, where it’s always 1951! Dig that, ladies!

Kids are pretty people

Jason Crane — Tue, 21 Jun 2005 04:00:49 +0000

You might think it would be hard to top all the amazing music that’s been happening here over the past 10 days, but you’d be wrong. Tonight I saw something that was every bit as inspiring, and gave me a lot more hope for the future.

My friend Spero Michailidis teaches fourth grade at Genesee Community Charter School (GCCS). Tonight his class presented the results of their most recent “expedition” — a multi-month project that involved hands-on learning and field studies (not, as the kids are quick to point out, field trips), and resulted in a 35-minute film made by the students.

The film was truly magical. The expedition centered around the topic of personal power and community involvement. What was particularly fascinating was how every element of their education revolved around these concepts, from physical education to music to field studies.

In one of the most striking storylines of the movie, the students mobilized around a real issue — lifting the cap on the number of charter schools allowed in New York State. They met with city and state officials, mayoral candidates, and bureaucrats, even traveling to Albany to lobby state legislators. (The meetings with politicians led to one of the funniest — and most skillfully edited — moments in the film: a droning Bob Duffy campaigning for the fourth-grade vote.) Mind you, this wasn’t simplistic, dumbed-down stuff. These kids are smart, articulate and aware, and they brought all those qualities to bear as they pressured lawmakers, wrote and delivered speeches, and analyzed complex issues. (If you want to get involved, check out the Legislative Action Center at the New York State Charter Schools Association.)

Music also provided a platform for the idea of an individual voice and its application to collective goals. A talented teacher (Carrie Haymond-Hesketh) taught the kids about jazz and improvisation. The final result — a contrefact (zing!) based on “Three Blind Mice” — featured hip solos on the vibes, new lyrics and a real understanding of the music. So much cooler than the generic junk that passes for jazz education in most settings.

“Studies in state-sponsored terrorism — also known as gym class.” That’s how Calvin (of Calvin & Hobbes) described physical education. Not at GCCS. Their phys ed teacher, Sarah Morell, is also a dancer and a fan of the Brazilian martial art Capoeira. What? You say your gym experience focused more on getting the snot knocked out of you with a dodgeball? Mine, too. But not these kids. They performed a Capoeira routine set to music, and related the movements to the themes of personal power, community and conversation that were at the heart of the expedition.

All I can say is that I wish I’d gone to a school like GCCS when I was a kid. There are so many different (read: better) ways to learn than the memorize-and-regurgitate style mandated by No Child Left Behind and other standardized-test-based education systems. Genesee Community Charter School is engaging its students in the world around them, and that always results in a deeper understanding of the subject matter, and a greater likelihood that these kids will break free of the Couch Generation and get involved in the world.

If you’ve got a child in the K-6 age range, check out Genesee Community Charter School (GCCS), and be inspired. I was.

Jason at the 2005 Rochester International Jazz Festival (Part 6)

Jason Crane — Sun, 19 Jun 2005 07:04:55 +0000

It’s over.

The 2005 Rochester International Jazz Festival has come to an end. And what an end it was.

This year the festival featured two outdoor stages (up from one in previous years), and tonight the streets were jammed with folks checking out the lineup of free music on both stages.

I went with my sister to see the Derek Trucks Band. They tore it up. Had the joint had a roof, they would have blown it off. I knew we were gonna be OK when the band opened up with Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s “Volunteered Slavery,” featuring Derek Trucks and his wailing slide guitar. They tackled some other jazz classics, too, including Dr. Billy Taylor’s “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” (one of my faves) and John Coltrane’s arrangement of “My Favorite Things.”

What a joy to see people of all ages and races crammed onto East Avenue, dancing and laughing and singing along. I’ve said it before (see my earlier posts on the jazz fest) and I’ll say it again: the city of Rochester needs to grab this festival with both hands.

And there you have it. There’s still great jazz happening in Rochester the rest of the year, but nothing can top the vibe of the festival. I’m already making my plans for ’06. See you there!

Jason at the 2005 Rochester International Jazz Festival (Part 5)

Jason Crane — Sat, 18 Jun 2005 16:54:46 +0000

The penultimate night of the 2005 Rochester International Jazz Festival was a mixture of exhilaration and disappointment.

The disappointment came in the form of the Wallace Roney Sextet. Not because the band was bad, but because the sound was horrible. Kilbourn Hall was plagued with sound problems this week, spoiling a number of shows, including Night of the Cookers, Ravi Coltrane, The Bad Plus, and the Roney band. In truth, Kilbourn may not be the best venue for loud, electric groups, but I’ve seen other electric bands there with much better sound. In this case, the same sound tech was working all of those shows, and I think it’s fair to lay the blame at his feet. At one point during the Wallace Roney show, the pianist actually turned around on his bench to yell at the sound tech. That’s when things have gone way too far.

That said, the band was hip. Trumpet, sax, piano/keyboards, bass, drums, and turntable. I’d love to hear them in a better sonic environment. Or on their new album, Prototype. I’m sure Erik Telford will have some good insight into this show over on Miles Radio.

The real revelation of the night — and of the festival — was singer and guitarist Raul Midon. He’s been mentioned in the same breath as Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder. That kind of hype usually spells disappointment, but Midon is more than up to the challenge. Jen and I saw him at Milestones last night, and we were absolutely blown away. If you get a chance to see this guy, don’t miss it. In fact, you can catch him on The Late Show with David Letterman on Tuesday, June 28. Stay up late and watch one of the best emerging talents you’ll see this year.

Earlier this week, I told you about the death of guitarist Mark Manetta. Sadly, yesterday was also the day of the memorial for bassist Bob Stata, who died after a long illness. Bob was a true gentleman, and one hell of a bass player. He also believed in working with kids and in giving back to his community. He will be missed. A tribute is planned for later this year. Stay tuned.

Jason at the 2005 Rochester International Jazz Festival (Part 4)

Jason Crane — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 16:05:12 +0000

Once again, it’s that bittersweet time of year when the 2005 Rochester International Jazz Festival is winding down. Most of the bands have played. Most of the jams have happened. And while there are still some outstanding shows on the way, your thoughts can’t help but turn to the realization that in three days most of Rochester will forget about jazz for 51 weeks.

I worked the door at the Montage Grille again last night. The Moutin Reunion Quartet blazed away inside, one of the hottest acts of the festival. People left raving about the band after the first set, and the word quickly spread, with people coming in as much as two hours before the second set to make sure they got a seat. I heard that the band will be back in Rochester in the fall — don’t miss them. They’ve also got a new record coming out in August, the follow-up to their excellent album Red Moon.

I spent a lot of time last night chatting with some of my favorite jazz people in town. In addition to Erik Telford (whose Miles Radio blog is worth your time), I talked with Gerry Youngman and Jared Schonig of Paradigm Shift. If you’ve never checked them out, do yourself a favor and catch them. You can find out more about the band here, and you can read a review I wrote of their album Shifting Times. If you’ve read the program for the Rochester International Jazz Festival, then you’ve already read most of the review, because it was copied — without attribution — in the program. What’s that Tom Lehrer tune?

UPDATE: Turns out the program notes are provided by the artists, so the festival is not at fault. And of course the Paradigm Shift guys are friends of mine, and I’m sure they meant no harm. But it is important to remember that published work should be credited.

Jason at the 2005 Rochester International Jazz Festival (Part 3)

Jason Crane — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 16:41:47 +0000

If you’re a jazz fan, you have to feel like a kid in a candy store during the 2005 Rochester International Jazz Festival. Great names in jazz and world music from several continents. The streets are filled with people. Rochester seems like the center of the jazz world. More about that in a minute.

I got reassigned last night to the Montage Grille, rather than Kilbourn Hall. That was fine with me — although it meant that I missed the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, founded by one of my faves, Kahil El Zabar. Instead, though, I got to see two sets by one of the biggest draws of the festival: the Lew Tabackin Trio. Lew played two sets of mainstream jazz, led by his tenor and flute and featuring Boris Koslov on bass and Mark Taylor on drums. The crowd ate it up like it was the last show they’d ever see. Completely sold-out houses for both sets.

I also took in the first half of the movie Miles Electric: A Different Kind of Blue. This film focuses on Miles’ 1970 performance at the Isle of Wight festival. The first half of the documentary features interviews with the musicians who played with Miles in that era — Dave Liebman, Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, Pete Cosey, Airto Moreira, Dave Holland, and many more — and others who were inspired by him, the most interesting of whom was Carlos Santana. The film also features the usual cast of characters — led by Stanley Crouch — taking potshots at electric Miles. I had to leave before the concert footage came on, but the film is out on DVD, so I’ll get a chance to check it out. It was very capably introduced by my friend Erik Telford, the host of Miles Radio on Jazz90.1.

Now back to the impact the festival is having on the city of Rochester.

I’m not privy to too many insider stories, but from where I sit, I think the city is really missing the boat when it comes to this festival. Let’s face it, folks: Rochester’s manufacturing days are over. Say it with me one more time: Rochester’s manufacturing days are over. If this town has any chance of regaining a slice of its former glory, it needs to turn to other sources of attracting people and revenue. Forget High Falls, where no one lives and no one could live, and focus on things like the Rochester International Jazz Festival.

As an example, just look at Montreal. In 2004, the Montreal International Jazz Festival drew 1.9 million people. That’s right, nearly 2 million jazz fans went to Montreal from all over the world, injecting millions upon millions of dollars into that city’s economy. “Sure,” you may be saying, “but that’s a big city.” Folks, don’t kid yourselves. The Rochester International Jazz Festival is one of the top 10 festivals in the U.S. already, in just its fourth year. Can you even imagine the impact on our city from Montreal-level tourism? If even 10% as many people each spent $100 here, that’s $19 million into Rochester’s coffers. (By the way — Monroe County is $19.5 million in the hole. I’m just sayin’.) And that’s completely achievable — but only if the city takes a much more active role in subsidizing the festival, advertising the festival, and integrating the festival into Rochester’s core image.

Yes, it will cost some money. Yes, it will take some vision and initiative. But it’s worth it. Rochester could be one of the centers of the jazz world. And that will benefit all of us. Let’s make it happen.

UPDATE: For more festival reviews and commentary, check out Erik Telford’s excllent Miles Radio site.

Jason at the 2005 Rochester International Jazz Festival (Part 2)

Jason Crane — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 20:34:40 +0000

Last night was another fun night at the 2005 Rochester International Jazz Festival. I volunteered at Kilbourn Hall, part of the Eastman School of Music. Kora player Mamadou Diabate and balafon player Balla Kouyate performed two sets of enchanting music. You may know Mamadou from his work with Ben Allison — he appeared on the album Peace Pipe with Ben in 2002.

My highly skilled job at the show was to count the people with a little clicker as they walked in. Just to make me even more superfluous (zing!), there was an Eastman student standing two feet away doing the exact same job. Huzzah!

Later in the evening, I saw Chick Corea with his new band, Touchstone. If I only see Chick once in my life, I’m glad it was last night. This band hearkens back to Chick’s albums like My Spanish Heart, Touchstone, and Friends, some of my favorite Chick recordings. The band was phenomenal.

Many good friends were in attendance throughout the night, too, which was great. It’s so much fun to see all these folks again, renewing some old connections and catching up with good people.

Tonight, I’m working at Kilbourn Hall again for two sets by the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble. I also plan to take in a new movie about Miles Davis’s 1970 performance at the Isle of Wight festival. It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it.

Jason at the 2005 Rochester International Jazz Festival (Part 1)

Jason Crane — Tue, 14 Jun 2005 16:41:28 +0000

Last night, I volunteered at the Montage Grille during the 2005 Rochester International Jazz Festival. This really is one of the great festivals in the U.S. — in just its fourth year.

What made the evening so special was seeing the jazz crowd that I haven’t seen since leaving Jazz90.1 last November. It was great to be remembered. Sometimes it’s nice to have that affirmation for your past work. And it was exciting to see the number of young fans attending the gigs. I was working at the Joe La Barbera show, which was excellent. I also managed to catch two songs by The Bad Plus. Fun!

The evening’s joy was touched by sadness, too. I learned last night of the death earlier this week of guitarist Mark Manetta. I’ve been so off the scene that I hadn’t heard about Mark’s passing. He was a special human being, and I’ll write more about him soon.