It is quite a lineup for Day 4 of the Rochester International Jazz Festival.
Jazz singer Stacey Kent will captivate fans with her music at Kilbourn Hall. Kent, who learned the piano at an early age, has recorded with a number of legends, collaborated with Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro and won several accolades.
Her repertoire includes original songs written by her husband, Jim Tomlinson, saxophonist, producer, composer and arranger. Kent’s work has taken her to many stages around the world where she expresses her love for music.
Grammy Award-winning drummer Jared Schonig will bring his compositions to the theater at Innovation Square. Well known in the New York City jazz scene, Schonig is not only a drummer but also a composer and band leader. He has toured with a multitude of Grammy winners, from Kurt Elling to the New York Voices. Schonig has sold out shows at Carnegie Hall. More recently, he was drum chair for the Broadway revival of “The Color Purple,” and is currently playing drums and percussion for “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”
The Rochester-based folk band, the Honey Smugglers, will be at the Wegmans pavilion. The band has released three studio albums in its almost 10-year career, building a sizable fan base in Upstate and Western New York. The band’s music genre can be described as folk rock or alternative folk.
Giveton Gelin is a self-taught jazz musician. At age 10, Gelin lived in the Bahamas and started to teach himself trumpet. Later, he moved to the United States, eventually graduating from the Juilliard School of Music. During that time, he was mentored by renowned jazz musicians—some of whom he later performed with, including Wynton Marsalis and Roy Hargrove. Through the Giveton Gelin Quartet, he wants to inspire other kids to pursue their passions in music.
Geoffrey Keezer and Gillian Margot will perform together this year, bringing vocals and piano to the stage. Keezer is a Grammy Award-winning pianist, while Margot is a talented singer with a wide range of vocal styles. The duo collaborated in 2018 on Keezer’s album “On My Way to You.” They are expected to perform familiar jazz standards, pop songs, and original compositions at Max of Eastman Place.
This evening also features the Eastman School of Music Scholarship Ensemble. Current students, Jazz Festival scholarship alums, and Eastman School of Music faculty will perform at the City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage. The event is presented by the Rochester Area Community Foundation.
For show times and ticket prices, see the full Jazz Fest schedule. For the Beacon’s Jazz Fest coverage, click here.
Charles Schaff is a Rochester Beacon intern, a rising junior at Ithaca College and a member of the Beacon Oasis Project’s inaugural cohort. The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. Submissions to the Letters page should be sent to [email protected].