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The Rochester International Jazz Festival is in swing for its 23rd edition. Starting today, the festival will serve up over a week of sweet music across 19 downtown Rochester venues—all within walking distance.
This year’s festival will host close to 200 artists across its various series: three ticketed headliners at Kodak Hall, 174 Club Pass shows (with tickets also available at the door), and a wide array of daily free outdoor concerts across the festival grounds. The Jazz Fest runs through June 27.
If that isn’t enough to fill your schedule and tucker you out, the festival also is hosting artist-led jam sessions at the end of each night, as well as a set of mid-day jazz workshops taught by festival-performing artists.
So, grab your sunscreen, a set of earplugs, and a festival map—it’s time for some incredible jazz. Here’s a preview of some of the festival’s artists and the shows we think you just can’t miss.
Shebad
The contemporary quintet made its debut at the Rochester festival last summer, and truth be told, I haven’t stopped thinking about them since. Shebad is grounded on simple tenets: love, music and excellent jazz—propagated through electric energy and velveteen lush arrangements. Whether you’re looking for a good time, good music, or a combination of the two, this quintet has it covered.
Shebad is one of the festival’s younger acts, developed by Guelph artists Claire Voy and Mark Ciccio Spagnolo. They’re joined by a trio of multi-instrumentalist and multitalented peers to form a star-sided quintet: one with a uniquely fused sound and spiritually heartfelt lyricism. It’s a new brand for the Jazz Fest, particularly with the group’s youthful and mercurial spirits, but one that was embraced by last year’s crowds.
You can kick off your Jazz Fest experience with Shebad today at The Duke.
—Alex Holly
Performance: June 19
Venue: The Duke
Time: 7:30 p.m., 9:45 p.m.
Tickets: $30/door or club pass
Bob James Trio
Four years ago, I covered the Rochester International Jazz Festival for the first time. There was no shortage of highlights, but the Bob James Trio stood out from the rest. I left that show with an exhilaration that has been unmatched since. Bob James brought in two younger musicians—bassist Michael Palazzolo and drummer James Adkins—who absolutely blew my mind with their unorthodox improvisational techniques, youthful energy, and stunning technical ability. They were certainly the stars of the show, but that isn’t to say that James himself wasn’t impressive. His role as more of a professorial figure to these two up-and-comers brought a productive dynamic to the trio.
James is a bit more of a legacy jazz musician at this point, but when he was at the height of his career, he was respected most for his inventive attitude and leaning toward inventive musical approaches. The pianist now is 86 years old, and his career spans 50 LPs that usually fall within the realms of jazz fusion and smooth jazz.
The centerpiece of his catalog is “Nautilus,” which has been sampled in several hip-hop songs, including “Children’s Story” by Slick Rick, “Daytona 500” from Ghostface Killah, and “Follow the Leader” by Eric B. and Rakim. “Nautilus” has become a hip-hop staple, even though it is just a supremely groovy jazz fusion tune. As his composition found new life, James embraced it wholeheartedly.
The willingness to welcome change with open arms seems to be a pattern in James’ career, and that continues into the present day as he continues to lift up the voices of both his contemporaries and the youth in the jazz scene. Whatever he decides to bring to the table on Day 2 of the Jazz Fest, it will certainly be uplifting and creative.
—Jess Williams
Performance: June 20
Venue: Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $40/door or club pass
Makoto Ozone and Tommy Smith
Japan’s Makoto Ozone and Scotland’s Tommy Smith are an unlikely piano-saxophone duo, but the two have known each other for more than 30 years. They met in Gary Burton’s quartet before each established their own niches. But together, they have a dynamism that can only come from two expert musicians who merge their different backgrounds and disciplines into new sounds.
Smith’s tenor saxophone soars with melodic control and a sweet vocal quality, and Ozone’s piano runs sound like a blend of everything the piano has been involved in throughout musical history. Together, Ozone and Smith are a marvel. They’ll be playing the beautiful Kilbourn Hall on Sunday.
—Jess Williams
Performance: June 21
Venue: Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music
Time: 6:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $35/door or club pass
Raul Midón
Raul Midón carves his own path. The jazz guitarist lost his sight in infancy and immediately submerged in the arts. He surrounded himself with music, picking up the drums when he was four, studying jazz guitar in college, and becoming a session vocalist for Latin pop artists like Shakira before focusing on his solo career. When creating music without limitations, Midón abandons genre lines and infuses his jazz with folk, alt-pop, Latin music, and whatever he is drawn to. As both a master of his instruments and a master of mood, tone, and sonic environment, he operates like a one-man ensemble.
You may find him strumming his guitar, hitting some hand drums, and imitating the trumpet with his voice all at once. He’s got a brain in each hand holding the guitar, one in his head arranging everything, and one right behind his vocal cords. And after all that, Midón proves himself again and again as an expert songwriter. Some men really can have it all, it seems.
—Jess Williams
Performance: June 22
Venue: Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music
Time: 6:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m.
Tickets: $35/door or club pass
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder
Once you start listening to Hiromi’s Sonicwonder, you just can’t stop. But, why would you want to? As its name implies, the electro-jazz quartet is a sonic wonder, one with fluorescent aesthetics that meet the group’s titularly evoked curiosity.
The quartet is led by Hiromi Uehara, a jazz pianist and composer with 15 albums and a plethora of collaborations under her belt. Her previous work has led her to heights such as a Grammy Award (with the Stanley Clarke Band) and a performance at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics, but Sonicwonder is more than just the most recent of her many accomplishments. Rather, it’s a sonic exploration of its own accord: one that restates jazz’s modality of communication through quick flourishes and an excitingly enigmatic fluidity. Hiromi’s Sonicwonder keeps you on your toes … or perhaps on your ears.
The quartet sports two full-length albums: “Sonicwonderland” (2023) and “OUT THERE” (2025)—each of which provides a technicolor glimpse into the group’s groovy hyperspace. To tap into their world, catch Hiromi’s Sonicwonder as a part of the Club Pass series at the dazzling Kodak Hall.
—Alex Holly
Performance: June 23
Venue: Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Time: 7:00 p.m., 9:30 p.m.
Tickets: $40/door or club pass
Cécile McLorin Salvant
Cécile McLorin Salvant is hard to encapsulate in words. While other acts may be described by a simple sum of their styles or a visualization of their craft, Salvant straddles a line above it all. While her voice is gossamer and wispy, it still fills your cup. Whether she lilts over classic jazz piano or grinds on a gritty synthetic beat, Salvant still holds the pulse. She’s the storyteller, yes, but responds and adapts to her sung text as if a listener herself.
Salvant has received acclaim for her multifaceted artistry in a variety of ways: She’s a three-time Grammy winner for Best jazz vocal album and a six-time nominee, and is generally regarded as one of the strongest jazz voices and storytellers of her generation. Her performance at the Jazz Fest precedes the arrival of her first orchestrally accompanied album, “With Every Breath I Take,” which will be released on June 26. Whether her set will be a preview of sorts is up to time, yet a welcome surprise regardless of what she pulls from her vast discography.
You can join Salvant for her June 24 performance at Kodak Hall as part of the Club Pass series.
—Alex Holly
Performance: June 24
Venue: Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $40/door or club pass
Laura Dubin Trio
Rochester’s own Laura Dubin Trio is an eclectic group with the eponymous Dubin on piano at its core, supported by her partner Antonio H. Guerrero on drums alongside Sam Weber on bass. Their approach is highly technical, and Dubin’s technique echoes past legends of jazz like Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, and Oscar Peterson, but with an undeniably modern twist.
Her angular piano delicately glides over the rhythm section and leads the group fearlessly as they flow from raucous crescendos to syrupy descents and explore everything in between. Dubin’s playing is free, and more than anything rhythmically complex. Supported by a backing band that follows her every move, the group boasts an intricacy and an unassuming well of musical power to pull from, all at a moment’s notice. Dubin’s unorthodox arrangements and virtuosic piano will be filling the walls of the renowned Hatch Recital Hall as a part of this year’s Club Pass Series.
—Brodie Martin
Performance: June 25
Venue: Hatch Recital Hall Eastman School of Music
Time: 5:45 p.m., 7:45 p.m.
Tickets: $30/door or club pass
Toubab Krewe
Toubab Krewe is one of those rare bands whose existence alone is pretty amazing. Formed in 2005 by five American college students, the band’s music bridges musical traditions from all over the world. Made up of Justin Perkins, (kora, kamelingoni, guitar, percussion) Terrence Houston, (drumset) Drew Heller, (guitar, organ) Justin Kimmel, (bass, keys) and Luke Quaranta, (djembe, congas, dundun, sangban, kinkini) the group came together through their mutual interest of different musical traditions. They first met through a world music ensemble at Warren Wilson College, where they traveled to West Africa to study its musical traditions.
Since then, the group has cut their teeth relentlessly at home and abroad, honing their unique sound over years. They’ve grown to incorporate influences from all across the globe, and have synthesized them into something completely new. Toubab Krewe’s hypnotic sound shifts from peaceful musical meditations to epic African-style guitar-led breakdowns seamlessly. The band has been hosted at Bonnaroo, as well as the world famous festival in the desert, and now Toubab Krewe is coming to the Duke on Main.
—Brodie Martin
Performance: June 26
Venue: The Duke
Time: 7:30 p.m., 9:45 p.m.
Tickets: $30/door or club pass
DK Harrell
The blues has been a musical bedrock in the United States for at least a century. And yet all through the years it still manages to produce new and original talents. The 27-year-old Louisiana native DK Harrell stands as one showcase for this newest generation of bluesmen. Harrell boasts a wide range of influences—B.B. King, Ray Charles, and James Brown to name a few. Harrell wears them all on his sleeve; the searing blues guitar work, funky trumpet grooves, and tight rhythm section of his backing band create a beautiful sonic tapestry. Tied together by Harrell’s light yet soulful voice, the group delivers an exhilarating musical experience. Harrell doesn’t just rely on imitating his favorite artists. You can feel his personality and authenticity in every note as he howls his lyrics over the sweet playing of his band.
—Brodie Martin
Performance: June 27
Venue: Jazz Street Stage
Time: 7:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m.
Tickets: Free
Jess Williams is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and former intern. Brodie Martin is a member of the Oasis Project’s third cohort. Alex Holly is a Beacon contributing writer and a member of the Oasis Project’s second cohort.
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