The eighth night of the Rochester International Jazz Festival is packed with artists I want to hear, but I cannot hear them all so have to make some choices. My choices are a blend of my diverse tastes, a yearning to explore new musical genres, and, regrettably, timing. So, you do you, but if you’re interested, here are the artists/groups I am aiming to hear at the 2026 RIJF on June 26th. The headings are links to their RIJF pages so you can check them out yourself. It is possible to go hear the full sets on these picks (depending on how fast you walk, in some cases). I’ve added links at the end to a few more I wish I could fit in.
Kyle Roussel Quintet
Kyle Roussel is a New Orleans born pianist/organist, composer, producer, arranger and bandleader. By 12 years old, he was playing piano in churches all over NOLA. At the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, he studied with Alvin Batiste, and later with Ellis Marsalis after an introduction from Delfeayo. Roussel’s career began with The Headhunters and after some stints with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, he became the regular touring pianist for the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. That puts him on two divergent ends of the jazz spectrum. Roussel’s most recent project is this third album as a leader, Church of New Orleans, released in 2025, a Grammy-nominated record blending R&B, funk, jazz, gospel and Mardi Gras Indian sounds and upon which nearly three dozen New Orleans musicians appear, including Irma Thomas, Ivan Neville, members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and John Boutté (this year it was a good night at the Grammys for Louisiana-connected music). While the RIJF page says Quartet, other sources say he’s touring with the Quintet, which is the billing for the band supporting the Church of New Orleans release. Kyle Roussel Quintet is an RIJF Producer’s Pick.
Venue: Kilbourn Hall
Time: 6:00 pm & 9:00 pm
Orrin Evans Trio
Pianist Orrin Evans came up through the jam sessions in Philly, mentored by Bobby Watson, Branford Marsalis and Ralph Peterson Jr. and studying later with Kenny Barron at Rutgers University where he is now on the faculty. In addition to his Trio, Evans is best known for his work with the Captain Black Big Band, which has been nominated for a Grammy three times, most recently in 2025 for the album Walk A Mile in My Shoes. For 3 years he replaced Ethan Iverson in the Bad Plus before leaving to focus on his own projects (we’ll know by this night whether he reprised some of that role when the Bad Plus appears on June 24th).
Venue: Max of Eastman Place
Time: 6:15 pm & 10:00 pm
Brittany Davis
Blind since birth, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, producer and engineer Brittany Davis has felt that “sound is the way I’ve always seen my world.” After meeting Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard through a fellow Seattle musician, Davis worked with him on some projects and began recording their own. After a debut EP I Choose to Live led to an NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, Davis recorded their first full-length album Image Issues, a 26-track “audio movie” pairing songs with spoken-word pieces addressing discrimination, abuse, gun violence and the prison system, with Davis playing nearly every instrument, focusing on drum machine and programmed keys. Davis’s most recent project, 2025’s Black Thunder, was recorded live with a trio of Davis on acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes and vocals, Evan Flory-Barnes on bass, and D’Vonne Lewis on drums and percussion. Davis is touring with a trio this year. Describing Black Thunder as “a freewheeling, jazzy excursion,” Brittany Davis’s singing on this album has been compared to Nina Simone and other fearless artists like Abbey Lincoln, Moor Mother and Angel Bat Dawid. Brittany Davis is an RIJF Producer’s Pick.
Venue: Montage Music Hall
Time: 6:00 pm & 10:00 pm
You Might Also Consider …
I won’t be hearing these artists, despite wishing I could, but that doesn’t mean you can’t:
- Doreen Ketchens New Orleans Jazz Quartet. Ketchens brought the house down in Kilbourn Hall last year and, no surprise, she’s back again this year to bring that NOLA sound back to Temple Theater. She’s also appearing on the 27th.
- Sasha Dobson. Vocalist Dobson is an RIJF Producer’s Pick (and is also appearing on the 27th)
Whatever you choose, I hope you take some chances and let something unexpected grab your ears. Tell me who you’re planning on seeing in the comments of the full post (for those of you who get the email, you’ll have to come to the site first). I’ll be back with more picks for the rest of the RIJF soon.
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