While walking around the Rochester jazz festival, you may have seen José DaCosta, the man behind the excellent Exodus to Jazz series of jazz concerts in Rochester over the past few years, as he handed out postcards with the third season’s artists. José is bringing in some amazing artists for the third season.

In case you didn’t get a postcard during the RIJF, here is lineup, based on the press release José sent out [This post has been amended and republished due to later changes to lineups and dates. To avoid confusion I’m changing the post itself and republishing rather than publishing a new post]:

Exodus To Jazz’ third season will fuel the fire of live jazz in downtown Rochester throughout the year!

• September 5, 2008—Mel Henderson & Paradigm Shift @ The Clarion
  Riverside Hotel. Rochester’s acclaimed native son, Mel Henderson, leads a stellar group that reunites trombonist Wycliffe Gordon and trumpeter Marcus Printup. Their recent CD release -“Street Expressionism” will be featured. The house will be jumping!
• September 12, 2008—Heavyweight Rematch: Mulgrew Miller vs. Johnny O’Neal @ The Hyatt Regency Hotel
  With their first piano face-off judged a draw, Mulgrew Miller and Johnny O’Neal are certain to elevate their virtuosic playing to levels where only the legends of jazz perform. The sure bet: “You don’t want to miss this piano face-off!” (originally scheduled for September 19th).
• September 26, 2008—The Henderson/Owens Trio featuring a “Celebrity Vocalist” @ The Hyatt Regency Hotel.
  Mel Henderson and drummer Ulysses Owens are the core of a trio accompanying an internationally renowned singer-actress whose recent CDs suggest the title “Queen of Jazz” is within her grasp (contractual agreements delay the official announcement of this vocalist until August 26, 2008). Be a member of this royal court!
• October 3, 2008 —The USO Project @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel. Underlining his emergence into the top tier of jazz drummers, Ulysses Owens Jr. leads a star-studded group of internationally renowned artists.
• October 17, 2008—Seamus Blake Group @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel
  Seamus Blake returns as group leader after two previous sideman appearances (with Sylvia Cuenca and Helen Sung) during which he affirmed his recognition as one of the finest and most creative young saxophonists emerging in jazz.
• October 31, 2008—Sylvia Cuenca Group @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel
  Prepare for a swinging session when hard driving drummer Sylvia Cuenca returns for her third consecutive October engagement; she leads a group that includes another acclaimed native son, vibraphonist Joe Locke. Be ready to swing!
• November 8, 2008—Jeff “Tain” Watts & Ebonix @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel
  Critically acclaimed as the foremost percussionist carrying forward the mantle of jazz drumming, “Tain” exhibits explosive power, blinding speed and mastery of complex rhythms and time signatures.
• November 28, 2008—Artist To Be Announced (change from Dee Dee Bridgewater & Raul Midon) @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel

Mini-Series:
“Latin Heat”:

• December 5, 2008—Susan Pereira & Sabor Brasil @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel
  Led by Susan Pereira’s silky rich vocals and percussive piano playing, Sabor Brasil’s dynamic performances are rooted in hot samba, cool bossa nova, the rhythms of Bahia and modern Brazilian jazz.
• December 12, 2008—Freddy Colon’s Jazz Quartet featuring the legendary Candido Camero @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel.
  Recently named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, legendary Cuban-American percussionist Candido Camero joins Rochester’s popular Freddy Colon Jazz Quartet to generate serious Latin-jazz heat.
• January 30, 2009—The Gabriel Alegria Sextet @ The Clarion Riverside Hotel
  With a fascinating polyrhythmic formula, Gabriel Alegria’s Afro-Peruvian Sextet continues to generate popular responses much like that achieved by Brazilian and Afro-Cuban musicians. This return engagement will keep you warm in January!

Mark you calendars! Visit ExodusToJazz.com after July 15, 2008 for complete information on show times, ticket information (reservations and prices), hotel packages, parking and food availability; a schedule of jam sessions will also be included.

Rhythmly Yours (Rhythmically, if you insist)

José

I’m sure you’ll agree it is a killer lineup of artists. More information will appear at the ETJ website as well as in these pages as the dates get closer.