Results for "Rochester"

Gap Mangione

Born: July 31, 1938

Born in Rochester, New York, Gap (Gaspare) Mangione was raised in a closely-knit, Italian family where music poured from the radio and phonograph. Papa Mangione would regularly invite visiting musicians home to pasta dinners -- gatherings which were often followed by impromptu jazz sessions. By the time Gap was 13, he was playing the blues on the family piano and encouraging his brother, Chuck, to join him in improvisations; at 15, he was writing and arranging for local big bands. Eventually the brothers Mangione decided it was time to form their own band. They called themselves The Jazz Brothers.

Chuck Mangione

Born: November 29, 1940

For more than five decades, Chuck Mangione's love affair with music has been characterized by his boundless energy, unabashed enthusiasm, and pure joy that radiates from the stage. Mangione first attracted attention with his brother, Gap, in a mainstream jazz band, The Jazz Brothers, in which he played trumpet much like that of the man who he refers to as his musical father-Dizzy Gillespie. In fact Dizzy gave Chuck an 'updo' horn just like his own. Chuck's years with the Jazz Brothers overlapped with his attending the Eastman School of Music and eventually resulted in his solo album debut.

Steve Gadd

Born: April 9, 1945

Steve Gadd, b. Rochester, New York, April 9, 1945. Uncle, a drummer in the army, encouraged him. Drum lessons from age seven; sat in with Dizzy Gillespie at 11. Studied music at Eastman College, Rochester, playing in wind ensemble and concert band, and at nights in a club with Chick Corea, Chuck Mangione, Joe Romano and Frank Pullara. After college, drafted into army and spent three years in a military band. After the army, gigged and worked with a big band in Rochester. 1972, formed a trio with Tony Levin and Mike Holmes, going to New York with it. The trio fizzled out, but Gadd began to work extensively as a studio musician. He also played with Corea's first Return to Forever

Paul Smoker

Born: May 8, 1941

Paul Smoker studied and performed both jazz and classical music while growing up in Davenport, Iowa. He attended the University of Iowa (eventually receiving a DMA in trumpet) where one of his fellow students was David Sanborn. While in high school and college he played in the clubs across the Mississippi River in Rock Island and Moline, as well as Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, getting to work with Dodo Marmarosa, Buddy DeFranco, and Al Jarreau, among others. He was also a member of the Iowa Brass Quintet, touring throughout the United States, and the U of Iowa Center for New Music. As a trumpeter his influences include avant-garde classical sources as well as the jazz trumpet tradition, and also the saxophonists John Coltrane and Anthony Braxton

CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival 2019

by Gregory Savage
July 16, 2019

The CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival, held June 21st thru the 29th, was a huge success. The streets of downtown Rochester, New York, are the perfect venue to host nine straight days (and nights) of jazz. The eighteenth annual festival had a little something for everyone, including perfect weather. From high school bands, to rising stars, ...

18th Edition Of The CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival Starts Friday June 21!

June 17, 2019

Jazz in June officially starts this Friday June 21 with the opening of the 18th Edition of the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival. The nine- day Festival runs through June 29 and will present more than 320 shows including a record 102 free shows and events and 220 shows in the Club Pass Series. It all ...

Nancy Kelly

Born: October 12, 1950

Nancy Kelly is one of the few blues-based jazz singers working today.

Also active as a songwriter, educator and impresario, Nancy Kelly enjoys a

solid international fan base thanks to her intoxicating swinging style. Ms.

Kelly’s artistry harkens back to a time when jazz – including vocal jazz - was

an authentic expression of genuine emotion.

Kelly has appeared regularly in New York City for decades, at such hallowed

venues as The Blue Note, Birdland, The Rainbow Room and Dizzy’s at JALC.

She also works frequently throughout the USA and abroad, in jazz clubs,

Rochester International Jazz Festival Announces New Title Sponsor

July 18, 2018

John Nugent and Marc Iacona, co-owners of RIJF, LLC and co-producers of the Rochester International Jazz Festival, one of the world’s leading jazz festivals, announced today that CGI Communications will be the festival's new title sponsor. “CGI will succeed Xerox Corporation, which has been the festival’s title sponsor since 2009,” said Marc Iacona, festival co-producer and ...

Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival 2018

by Gregory Savage
July 13, 2018

The 17th edition of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival--held June 22nd to the 30th--was another success. The festival, held annually in downtown Rochester, New York, has quickly become one of the nation's most popular and most respected music events. We're talking about 1500+ artists, 20 venues; each within walking distance of each other, 320 concerts; ...

Lineup Announced For Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival 17th Edition June 22-30: Nine Days, 300+ Shows, 20 Venues, 94 Free Events

March 22, 2018

Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival (XRIJF) producers John Nugent and Marc Iacona today announced the complete lineup for the festival’s 17th Edition. The nine-day festival returns to Rochester June 22 to June 30 presenting more than 1500 artists from around the world in 300-plus shows at 20 venues. The 2018 Festival is presented in three series ...