In four days -- at 4:30 p.m. Friday -- the School of the Arts High School Jazz Band is scheduled to open the seventh Rochester International Jazz Festival on a closed-down Gibbs Street. Nine days later, the last you'll probably hear of the event is the sound of trucks hauling away the empty plastic beer cups after the Kentucky Headhunters and Medeski Martin & Wood have played their final notes on closed-down East Avenue.
And in between? A bewildering Cuisinart of events. The little jazz festival that could attracted 140,000 people last year, a startling success in a town still smarting from the recent failures of the fast ferry, the High Falls Entertainment District and job losses at Kodak.
Jazz fest rookies and veterans alike will wander into the closed-down streets, trying to get the most out of their club passes and wondering: “What's a Cross Canadian Ragweed?"
We're here to help.
The Game Plan. Club passes offer admission, space permitting, to more than 125 shows at nine main venues. Last year, they sold out before the festival began. To squeeze the most value out of your pass, a bit of planning must be done. Sit down with your jazz festival brochure, decide what looks delectable to you and make a mini-schedule for yourself. Most shows repeat, and starting times at the venues are skewed enough that you can make four or five shows if you plan right and don't mind leaving a song or two early (more if you anticipate long lines). But don't be too rigid, and don't be afraid to sample something new. Keep your ears open for the word on the street -- are people buzzing about a 6 p.m. show by an artist who will perform again at 10? -- which might lead you to the unexpected gems of the festival. Also factor in the artists playing two days; if you don't catch them the first night, not all is lost. The jazz festival is a smorgasbord of music, so sample and move on to the next.
And in between? A bewildering Cuisinart of events. The little jazz festival that could attracted 140,000 people last year, a startling success in a town still smarting from the recent failures of the fast ferry, the High Falls Entertainment District and job losses at Kodak.
Jazz fest rookies and veterans alike will wander into the closed-down streets, trying to get the most out of their club passes and wondering: “What's a Cross Canadian Ragweed?"
We're here to help.
The Game Plan. Club passes offer admission, space permitting, to more than 125 shows at nine main venues. Last year, they sold out before the festival began. To squeeze the most value out of your pass, a bit of planning must be done. Sit down with your jazz festival brochure, decide what looks delectable to you and make a mini-schedule for yourself. Most shows repeat, and starting times at the venues are skewed enough that you can make four or five shows if you plan right and don't mind leaving a song or two early (more if you anticipate long lines). But don't be too rigid, and don't be afraid to sample something new. Keep your ears open for the word on the street -- are people buzzing about a 6 p.m. show by an artist who will perform again at 10? -- which might lead you to the unexpected gems of the festival. Also factor in the artists playing two days; if you don't catch them the first night, not all is lost. The jazz festival is a smorgasbord of music, so sample and move on to the next.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
