Lineup Announced
On March 10th, and without a press conference this year, Marc Iacona and John Nugent, producers of the 23rd Edition of the Rochester International Jazz Festival, June 19-27, announced the festival’s full lineup. Starting this year, there also were earlier lineup announcements starting in November. The 9-day festival turns downtown Rochester into a celebration of music and the city. It features 300-plus shows, including more than 100 free shows, jam sessions, and jazz workshops. This year the RIJF will, as John Nugent notes “cover all facets of creative improvised music” and feature 1,750-plus artists from the United States, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cuba, France, Hungary, Japan and Poland, with a special emphasis on emerging artists. It will be another year where Nugent’s wise words “it’s not who you know, it’s who you don’t know” will be in play. For me that’s always good. Of course, this full announcement includes the free shows outside in Parcel 5 (and this year on Chestnut). And yes … Trombone Shorty is coming back. You can find the full lineup here.
Last Headliner Announced
The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra completes this year’s Ticketed Headliner Series. They appear on Saturday, June 27th at 8:00 pm at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, joining previously announced Kodak Hall headliners Chris Botti and Gladys Knight. Tickets are available here. Note that balcony seats won’t be sold for the Basie Orchestra. The RIJF is making them available at no charge to the hundreds of student musicians who will be performing in the high school jazz bands and ensembles at this year’s festival.
The RIJF Evolves: This Year’s Changes
There were quite a few changes this year, with announcements starting in early November. While the RIJF has always been changing, for me this year seems more like an evolution. Here are the highlights:
- A major change this year are the enhancements to the Club Pass Series (and, of course, a substantial increase in the price). The first of these enhancements are 12 Club Pass shows with 10 marquee artists over six nights in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. RIJF notes that many of these Kodak Hall shows could have been individually ticketed headliner shows. I know I’m going to try to hear every one of them. This is a big change from prior years at the festival, where all of the concerts in Kodak Hall were ticketed events (and often not jazz or jazz-adjacent). I expect that this expansion and early announcement of many Club Pass changes staring in November was, at least in part, to help folks justify laying out a larger wad of cash for the Club Pass this year as, in the past, those who were purchasing a Club Pass had to buy a pass without knowing any of the lineup until later in March.
- Also new for Club Passes, the RIJF will now be offering a 1-Day Club Pass, in addition to the 3- and 9-Day options, although quantities are limited. You can purchase a Club Pass here.
- The festival is transforming the former lot at Gibbs and Main Street (where the Big Tent was) into “Rochester Regional Health Rhythm Square,” a new gathering place for music, food, drinks and official festival merchandise. Rhythm Square also provides a larger venue for the Wegmans Pavilion, which will present three free shows nightly. This will be a great showcase for artists from our local jazz and music scene!
- The late night jam sessions will expand to two venues this year. The Hyatt Regency Rochester returns for all nine nights. New this year, Vanni’s Jazz Lounge at the Inn on Broadway will host jam sessions for seven nights, June 19-20 and 24-27. Both jams will be free with no cover charge and start at 10:30 pm.
- Beyond the free Basie concert balcony seats, student performing at the RIJF will receive two One Day Club Passes in recognition of their participation and to give them the opportunity to explore music in the Club Pass venues on the days they perform. Students should contact their school band director to sign up.
- The double-decked tent for sponsors that has been at the end of Jazz Street (Gibbs) will be removed this year, opening up and linking the area more directly to the new Rhythm Square. The RIJF merchandise store will move to Rhythm Square.
- The number of free shows, which have always been the “gateway drug” to a deeper appreciation of the RIJF, are expanding. That’s a good thing and I hope will be bring more of the community into the festival. I’m an addict already, I’m afraid ….
- Rochester Regional Health is the new partner sponsor for the RIJF, replacing former sponsor CGI. M&T Bank is returning as a presenting sponsor.
RIJF App Coming
The updated 2026 RIJF app for iPhone and Android devices is set to launch in April and is again sponsored by Harris Beach Murtha so will remain free. Personally, once I have an itinerary for my own exploration of the RIJF, the app is absolutely necessary for figuring out where I need to be. It is also where the festival announces issues and changes during the festival.
Watch JazzRochester for More
Between now and June 19th, I’ll be sharing a series of posts here on JazzRochester with my Picks for who to hear at the festival and other pre-RIJF observations. Although our coverage here may be evolving as I consider how I can use this new site during the festival, most of my RIJF writing is usually done before the festival as during the RIJF I’m focused on hearing the music, not writing about it. Of course, I continue to post the weekly Wednesday listings post during RIJF as there is other jazz to hear around town to hear the other 356 days of the year.
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