Eastman School of Music musicians — current students, faculty, staff, and alumni as well as students and faculty from the Eastman Community Music School — will be appearing in more than two dozen shows during the 2011 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival.
This year’s festival runs June 10 through 18 at 20 venues, most of them within a short walking distance of the School’s campus on Gibbs Street — which gets renamed “Jazz Street” during the event. Jazz fans will be able to catch Eastman musicians throughout the Festival and on different stages. Look for them at these performances:
- June 10 at 6 p.m.: Guitarist Bob Sneider and his quartet play the music of Wes Montgomery in the Verizon Wireless Festival Big Tent.
- June 11 at 2 p.m.: Pianist Dariusz Terefenko performs with the Smugtown Stompers on the Mary Jemison Boat on The Genesee River.
- June 11 at 6 and 10 p.m.: Accordionist, organist, and pianist Gary Versace and his trio appear at the Rochester Club as part of the “Viva Italia” series.
- June 11 at 6 p.m.: The Bishop/McLeod Organ Trio, with Jeff McLeod, organ, Ben Bishop, guitar, and John Fatum, drums, is featured in the Verizon Wireless Festival Big Tent.
- June 11 at 6 p.m. The Eastman Community Music School Jazz Combo, led by Bob Sneider, appears on the Jazz Street Stage.
- June 12 at 2 p.m.: Pianist Dariusz Terefenko performs with the Smugtown Stompers on the Mary Jemison Boat on The Genesee River.
- June 12 at 4 p.m.: The “Producer’s Performance” with saxophonist and Festival producer John Nugent in Kodak Hall features the premiere of nine new arrangements of standard jazz tunes by Dave Rivello, who will also be conducting. Numbers include “My One and Only Love,” “Like Someone in Love,” “Yesterdays,” “Moonlight in Vermont,” and others. Also performing will be pianist Bill Dobbins and bassist Jeff Campbell. (Note: this is a free performance at which donations will be accepted for the Rochester International Jazz Festival/Eastman School of Music Scholarship Fund.)
- June 12 at 6 p.m.: The Eastman Jazz Performance Workshop Honors Unit 1, with saxophonist Matt Stuver, pianist Jeff McLeod, drummer John Fatum, and Danny Zieman, bass, is featured on the Jazz Street Stage.
- June 13 at 5:30 and 7:15 p.m.: Trumpeter Rick Braun plays the Harro East Ballroom.
- June 13 at 6 p.m.: The Eastman Jazz Performance Workshop Honors Unit 2, with Chris Potter, drums, Dave Chisholm, trumpet, Wills McKenna, saxophone, and Gabe Condon and Adrian DiMatteo, guitar, will perform on the Jazz Street Stage.
- June 13 at 7 p.m.: The Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival-Eastman School of Music Jazz Scholarship Performance in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre features the Eastman Youth Jazz Orchestra directed by Howard Potter; and the Eastman Jazz Ensemble directed by Bill Dobbins, with guest Dick Oatts, alto saxophone, and Harold Danko, piano, in a program of the music of Thad Jones. This year’s scholarship recipients will be introduced. (Note: this is a free performance at which donations will be accepted for the Rochester International Jazz Festival/Eastman School of Music Scholarship Fund.)
- June 13 at 9:15 p.m.: Rich Thompson, drums, performs with the Rick Holland Uptown Society Jazz Orchestra on the Jazz Street Stage.
- June 14 at 6 and 10 p.m.: Guitarist Bob Sneider joins the Vitale Brothers in the Rochester Club Ballroom.
- June 14 at 6 p.m.: The Eastman Jazz Performance Workshop Honors Unit 3, with Doug Stone, saxophone, Garrett Schmidt, trumpet, Chad O’Brien, trombone, Marcelo Pinto, piano, Dominic Drwal, bass, and Chris Potter, drums, appears on the Jazz Street Stage.
- June 14 at 6:15 and 10 p.m.: The Harold Danko Group, with Harold Danko, piano, Dick Oatts, saxophone, Clay Jenkins, trumpet, Michael Formanek, bass, and Jeff Hirshfield, drums, performs at Max of Eastman Place.
- June 15 at Noon: Pianist Chris Ziemba and his trio play at the Central Library of Rochester.
- June 15 at 6 p.m.: The Jazz Street Stage will be the setting for music by the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival-Eastman School of Music Jazz Scholarship “Alumni” — previous scholarship recipients.
- June 15 at 7:15 p.m.: The New Horizons Big Band, directed by T.J. Ricer, takes the Jazz Street Stage.
- June 15 at 8:30 p.m.: The Eastman Youth Jazz Orchestra, under director Howard Potter, is featured on the Jazz Street Stage.
- June 15 at 9:15 p.m.: Eastman Music Educators Big Band, led by Bill Tiberio, performs on the Jazz Street Stage.
- June 16 at Noon: Mike Kaupa, trumpet, and his quartet perform at the Central Library of Rochester; they’ll be joined by Bob Sneider.
- June 16 at 6 p.m.: Eastman Community Music School Jazz Combo (seniors and juniors from the Eastman Youth Jazz Orchestra) are led by Howard Potter in their Jazz Street Stage show.
- June 16 at 6:15 and 10 p.m.: Double bassist Katie Ernst and her Trio do two shows in Max of Eastman Place.
- June 16 at 5:30 and 7:15 p.m.: Bob Sneider joins the Pee Wee Ellis Funk Assembly in the Harro East Ballroom
- June 18 from 2 to 4 p.m.: Youth Jam Session will be hosted by Bob Sneider, with other Eastman jazz faculty including Rich Thompson, Jeff Campbell, and Paul Hoffman, in Room 120, Main Building of the Eastman School of Music.
- June 18 at 6:30 p.m. at 9 p.m.: The Dave Rivello Ensemble performs in Xerox Auditorium.
- June 18 at 6 p.m.: The Lawnmowers, a group which includes staff member and singer/guitarist Ron Stackman, plays the Jazz Street Stage.
- June 18 at 7:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.: The Po Boys Brass Band, made up of Eastman alumni Evan Dobbins, Nick Finzer, Mike Frederick, Erik Jacobs, T.J. Ricer, Chris Teal, and Chris Van Hof, appear on the Jazz Street Stage.
Since the launch of the festival, guitarist Bob Sneider has closed out each night with a jam session at 10:30 p.m. at the Rochester Plaza State Street Bar and Grill, and the tradition continues this year.
Also appearing in this year’s Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival are University of Rochester alumni John Sneider, trumpet, who’ll be on the Kilbourn Hall Stage with Curtis Stigers on June 14 at 6 p.m., and bassist Tim LeFebvre, appearing in Kodak Hall with Chris Botti on June 15 at 8 p.m.
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