Night 7 of the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival is a voyage of discovery for me. While there has always been some portion of past jazz fests where artists are exploring a bit more than your average trad jazz fan is looking for, this year's lineup includes quite a lot more of that and appeals to the more adventurous among us (although there is still quite enough to slake the thirst of the more traditional minded). As you might expect from my earlier choices and the ones below, I kind of hop back and forth across that line. It's like with food. My wife eats the same, very healthy and nutritious meal every morning. I try to mix it up. It's just who I am. So, with that introduction, while you may want to try something different, here's where I'll be traveling on June 27th of the RIJF:
- The description of Music For Roads was what hooked me. This group of top European (and mostly Nordic …) musicians are attempting with this project to present the melting pot of landscape, culture, history and current political turmoil that is the U.S. through their "3D instrumental project" of "immersive jazz," after touring over the years across the country (by car, I'd expect from the title of the project … although it is also a nod to Brian Eno). The music of Finnish musicians Tuomo Prättälä and Markus Nordenstreng (known as Tuomo & Markus) is described as "Nordic American folk with jazz, soul and psychedelic influences." As here, they often work with virtuoso jazz trumpeter Verneri Pojhola on projects. Listening to their music (the RIJF website links just to earlier work by Pojhola, but I've found and added a 2024 cut on the playlist linked from off an album that I think (hope) sounds more like what we'll be hearing….). I look forward to what could be a strange, but beautiful trip, with some twang and psychedelia thrown in, although who knows… it could be something completely different. Music For Roads will be appearing at the Theater at Innovation Square at 6:30 and 8:30 pm.
- Pianist/keyboardist Andy Milne came out of the M-Base Collective (an acronym for Macro–Basic Array of Structured Extemporizations), a musical "movement" organized in NYC by saxophonist Steve Coleman in which many artists have been involved. Milne was at the center of M-Base as a member of Coleman's group Five Elements for a while in the late 1990s and on over 10 projects after that. He appeared here with his band Dapp Theory at the 2007 RIJF. Andy Milne & Unison is a newer project that returns to Milne's first love, the piano trio, with the bassist John Hébert and drummer Clarence Penn, in which they explore the "intersection of texture and groove." Their 2020 debut album "The ReMission" won a Juno (Canadian Grammy) for Best Album of the Year: Group. The RIJF site links to other music by Milne, but I've added a cut from his 2024 release of Andy Milne & Unison on the playlist I link to below. Andy Milne & Unison will be appearing at the Global Jazz Now series at Christ Church at 7:30 and 9:30 pm.
- If you like your jazz big, irreverent, playful, created by a nonet of excellent musicians, and with jazz takes on songs you may know from the 20s and 30s through Motown, Prince and Sly and the Family Stone, then Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra should fit the bill. As the quote from the Something Else! site exclaims, the MTO has "… the euphoric energy of the pre-Big Band-era territory jazz ensembles with the audacity of Downtown music and the memorable melodies of pop.” You may have heard Bernstein's group Sex Mob at RIJF way back in 2005; I've heard him play in town more recently with trombonist Joe Fiedler's group Open Sesame, which similarly mines the tunes of Sesame Street. The Millennial Territory Orchestra will be hitting the stage at the Temple Theater at 7:00 and 9:15 pm. They'll also be playing the Theater at Innovation Square the next night, June 28th, at 6:30 and 8:30 pm.
There are some artists on this night who I wish I could hear (really, I'd like to hear so much more every night, but scheduling, my arthritic knees, and sheer exhaustion argue otherwise…) plus, given my choices above, you might want some alternatives. Here's some other choices:
- As I noted for the night of the 26th, you can't go wrong with the Manuel Valera Trio, who will be appearing on the 27th at the Inn On Broadway at 5:30 and 7:15 pm, and The Levin Brothers, who on the 27th will be playing at The Wilder Room at 6:00 and 10:00 pm.
- Canadian pianist and singer/songwriter Laila Biali has been a Juno (Canada's Grammys) winner and nominee. Her band will include Eastman profs Christine Jensen (saxophone) and Jeff Campbell (bass). Her latest release is Your Requests, an album of standards based on the requests of her social media community. I've included a cut on the playlist from her prior album of her music, Juno nominated album "Out of Dust." Laila Biali will be at Montage Music Hall at 6:00 and 10:00 pm. On the 28th, she'll also be appearing at Max at Eastman Place at 6:15 and 10:00 pm.
I've included links to the RIJF page for each artist where you can check out the links to their websites and to their music on Spotify. I'm currently building an RIJF 2024 Spotify playlist with a track from recent albums that I could find for all of the picks I've made my picks (and others listed). Go give it a listen!
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