Jazz Festival Guide 2018

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CITY Newspaper's guide to Rochester's largest music festival. The 2018 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival runs Friday, June 22, through Saturday, June 30, in downtown Rochester. For concert reviews, photos, and the latest news from the Jazz Fest, check our website every day of the festival.

There are more than 320 shows at this year's Jazz Festival, so it can be a little overwhelming when deciding who to see. To help give you a taste of this year's offerings, CITY and JAZZ 90.1 put together a Spotify playlist of the bands we're most excited about.

In This Guide...

Rochester International Jazz Festival

Festival Information

Tickets, Venues, Parking, and Additional Information

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Musician Bios: Friday, June 22

Friday, June 22 Alfredo Rodriguez & Pedrito Martinez (Afro-Cuban jazz) Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez was headed into a career as a classical player until he heard Keith Jarrett's "The Köln Concert" and realized the possibilities of jazz improvisation.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Schedule: Friday, June 22

Friday, June 22 4:30 p.m.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

INTERVIEW: Seal

There is a certain amount of class and caution that's required when an artist takes on standards. Not only are people hearing the interpretation, they also hear the original version dancing in their head.

By Frank De Blase Jun 13, 2018

Jazz Festival Guide 2018 XRIJF 2018 Jazz Festival Headliner Seal Jazz Standards
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Musician Bios: Saturday, June 23

Saturday, June 23 The Bad Plus (Straight-ahead jazz) The Bad Plus shook up the jazz world two decades ago by covering unlikely pop songs, like "Life on Mars" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Schedule: Saturday, June 23

Saturday, June 23 3:45 p.m.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

INTERVIEW: Brian Setzer's Rockabilly Riot

Brian Setzer is the gateway drug. It doesn't matter how cool you think you are, if you're of this generation and know anything about rockabilly, you learned it because of Brian Setzer.

By Frank De Blase Jun 13, 2018

Jazz Festival Guide 2018 XRIJF 2018 Jazz Festival Free Shows Brian Setzer's Rockabilly Riot Rockabilly
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Musician Bios: Sunday, June 24

Sunday, June 24 Beats & Pieces Big Band (Progressive big band) Manchester's Beats & Pieces are a big band in all sense of the label except the music.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Schedule: Sunday, June 24

Sunday, June 24 3:45 p.m.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

FEATURE: Jack Broadbent

By the time British slide guitarist, Jack Broadbent took the Montage Music Hall stage for his second set at last year's Jazz Fest, the buzz was on and the word was out. Armed with a Hofner archtop guitar and a whiskey flask as a slide, Broadbent played those beautiful blues to a knocked-out audience.

By Frank De Blase Jun 13, 2018

Jazz Festival Guide 2018 XRIJF 2018 Jazz Festival Club Pass Shows Jack Broadbent Blues Guitar
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Musician Bios: Monday, June 25

Monday, June 25 BuJazzO (Jazz ensemble with film) This German ensemble is celebrating 100 years of the Bauhaus movement.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Schedule: Monday, June 25

Monday, June 25 12:00 p.m.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Schedule: Tuesday, June 26

Tuesday, June 26 12:00 p.m.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

FEATURE: Joe Locke

As a teenager in Rochester, Joe Locke was studying drums and piano when his mom saw an ad for a vibraphone in the newspaper. She bought it and launched a career that has taken Locke to the top of the jazz world.

By Ron Netsky Jun 13, 2018

Jazz Festival Guide 2018 XRIJF 2018 Jazz Festival Club Pass Shows Joe Locke Jazz Vibraphone
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Musician Bios, Tuesday, June 26

Tuesday, June 26 All Our Exes Live In Texas (Indie folk) All their exes live in Texas, that's why they hang their hats in Australia.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Schedule: Wednesday, June 27

Wednesday, June 27 12:00 p.m.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

INTERVIEW: Jazzmeia Horn

She was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, where her grandmother gave her a name that would prove to be prescient. "Jazzmeia" flowed nicely with her last name, Horn, but what are the odds she would grow into a sensational singer and breathe new life into a field once occupied by greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan?

By Ron Netsky Jun 13, 2018

Jazz Festival Guide 2018 XRIJF 2018 Jazz Festival Club Pass Shows Jazzmeia Horn Jazz Vocals A Social Call
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Musician Bios: Wednesday, June 27

Wednesday, June 27 HEADLINER | Alison Krauss (Bluegrass, country, pop) Alison Krauss may have emerged as a prodigious teenage Bluegrass fiddler, but it wasn't long before she became one of the greatest vocalists in country-pop history.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

FEATURE: Lake Street Dive

Six years ago, Lake Street Dive was touring like crazy but not getting much traction on the national stage. Then the band shot a video on a Brighton, Massachusetts, street corner and put it on YouTube.

By Ron Netsky Jun 13, 2018

Jazz Festival Guide 2018 XRIJF 2018 Jazz Festival Headline Shows Lake Street Dive Retro Pop Rachael Price
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Musician Bios: Thursday, June 28

Thursday, June 28 Amanda Monaco Quartet (Straight-ahead jazz) With a fluid contemporary style, Amanda Monaco is among the best up-and-coming jazz guitarists on the scene today.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Schedule: Thursday, June 28

Thursday, June 28 12:00 p.m.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

INTERVIEW: Pokey LaFarge

Gather 'round children and let me tell you of a man that plays a mean guitar and sings pretty. You can practically hear him jump out of a gramophone.

By Frank De Blase Jun 13, 2018

Jazz Festival Guide 2018 XRIJF 2018 Jazz Festival Free Shows Pokey LaFarge Roots Rock 'N' Roll
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Musician Bios: Friday, June 29

Friday, June 29 Buried Treasure feat.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Schedule: Friday, June 29

Friday, June 29 12:00 p.m.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

FEATURE: Akiko Tsuruga

Once in a while, Akiko Tsuruga has to pinch herself and ask, "How did I get here?" She had a steady gig playing the organ in her hometown of Osaka, Japan, when she took a vacation in New York City.

By Ron Netsky Jun 13, 2018

Jazz Festival Guide 2018 XRIJF 2018 Jazz Festival Club Pass Shows Akiko Tsuruga B3 Organ Jazz
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Musician Bios: Saturday, June 30

Saturday, June 30 Akiko Tsuruga Trio (B-3 organ jazz) Click here for a feature on Akiko Tsuruga.

Jun 13, 2018
Rochester International Jazz Festival

Schedule: Saturday, June 30

Saturday, June 30 3:45 p.m.

Jun 13, 2018