April 6, 2006
Mayor Duffy lends support to Jazz Festival
Jeff Spevak
Staff music critic
We already knew the names before this morning's Rochester International Jazz Festival press conference: McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, James Brown, Etta James and dozens of others playing from June 9-17 in the East End District.
But here's the latest, and perhaps biggest, name to join the event in its fifth year: Mayor Robert Duffy.
"I'm mayor, we can block off all the streets we want," Duffy joked about plans to close Gibbs Street to traffic for all nine days of the festival.
Duffy's presence was a notable departure from city representation at either the news conferences announcing the artists or the festival itself.
Though he was a jazz enthusiast, former mayor William A. Johnson Jr. never actively supported the event. He even sharply criticized Jazz Festival organizer John Nugent for going after sponsors of the series that he helped create, the Rochester MusicFest.
The tone of this morning's news conference was of one note: That the event will soon rival the best jazz festivals in the world.
"I grew up hearing about the Newport Jazz Festival," Duffy said. "And Montreal. Perhaps Rochester should be there in a few years.
"We got national attention last year. Hopefully, we'll get international attention this year."
Said Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, "It's about economic vitality."
And, Nugent pointed out, the Rochester event is growing faster than Montreal's festival did over a similar time period.
"We're a minor Montreal," he said. "We're in our fifth year. They're in their 25th. The industry knows about this event. I get hundreds of e-mails each week from musicians who want to play here."
The lineup at the Eastman Theatre is impressive, if expensive. According to Nugent, the opening-night show of Woody Allen & His New Orleans Jazz Band, with tickets ranging from $50 to $95, has already sold 1,000 tickets in a benefit for the New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund.
In addition to Brown and his 18-piece band (June 10), the Eastman Theatre schedule boasts the McCoy Tyner Trio (June 14), the Wayne Shorter Quartet (June 15), Etta James & the Roots Band (June 16), the free Eastman School of Music Scholarships Concert (June 12) and saxophonist Phil Woods with a string section in a tribute to Charlie Parker (June 13).
The "club" lineup is a diverse one that includes the funk-jazz fusion of the Charlie Hunter Trio (June 9 at Kilbourn Hall); Brazilian vocalist Badi Assad (June 11 at the Big Tent in the lot diagonal across from the Eastman on E. Main Street); a showing of Wild Man Blues, a documentary on Woody Allen's music (June 14 at The Little); the dynamic violinist Billy Bang and his quintet (June 12 at The Montage); the irreverent Austin, Texas, jug band the Asylum Street Spankers (June 16, Milestones); and 18-year-old Kyrgyzstan pianist Eldar Djangirov (June 9 at Max of Eastman Place).
Also of note: pianist Cedar Walton (June 10), singer Karrin Allyson (June 11), the return of blues pianist Mose Allison (June 12) and the biggest-selling jazz band in Europe, e.s.t. (June 16), all at Kilbourn Hall.
Free shows include the southern jam band Little Feat, the soul-funk fusion of Soulive, and ex-Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts (June 10, 16 and 17, respectively, on the stage at Gibbs and East Avenue).
For the complete lineup and ticket information, check
www.rochesterjazz.com.
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