Peterson and Sanborn to Headline Rochester Fest

Here’s a fine way to spend your tax refund (we hope you’re getting a refund): Tickets for the Rochester International Jazz Festival, to be held June 4-12, go on sale Friday, April 16. Despite the festival being only three years old, the festival bookers have rounded up a number of capital-S stars including Oscar Peterson (pictured), David Sanborn, Bobby McFerrin, Marian McPartland, Yolanda Adams, Stanley Clarke, Jean-Luc Ponty and Al DiMeola. And that’s a small sample of the fest’s total talent pool, made up of some 70-plus groups.

The fest takes place in Rochester, N.Y. and will include two new features this year: Jazz Street (Rochester’s Gibbs St. will close to traffic on the festival weekends and become Jazz Street, featuring free live music and an outdoor stage located at the corner of Gibbs St. and East Ave.) and Club Pass Big Tent (a 10,000 sq. ft. carpeted nightclub with a stage that seats 350 and features a full bar and food service).

The full artist lineup is below and a complete schedule is available at www.rochesterjazz.com, where you can also sample some these artists’ music via MP3. The festival’s ticketed shows range in price from $15 to $65 and tickets at Ticketmaster/Ticket Express outlets and at the aforementioned Web site.

Lineup:

Antonio Ciacca/Wessell Anderson Quartet Assaf Rozov (Israel) Avanti Galoppi Benny Green & Russell Malone Bill Tiberio Quartet Bob Sneider Trio Bobby McFerrin & Jack De Johnette Brad Mehldau Brian Lynch Quartet Campbell Brothers Sacred Steel Guitar Cedar Walton Trio Cloud Nine Music Cuong Vu Group (Vietnam) Curtis Stigers Dave Rivello Ensemble David “Fathead” Newman & Paradigm Shift Trio David Gibson Quartet David Giudice Plays The Great American Songbook David Sanborn Dawn Thomson Deanna Witkowski Trio Djabe Don Thompson Quartet (Canada) Earl Klugh Band Eastman Jazz Performance Workshops Eliane Elias Quartet Eric Alexander Trio Harold Danko & Special Guests Harper Hot Club of Cowtown Ian Shaw Jam Session! James Blood Ulmer Jamie Baum Group Jeff Johnston Trio (Canada) Jeremy Pelt Quartet Joe Locke Quartet Joe Romano & Friends John O’Gallagher Quartet Jon Ballantyne Jonas Kulhammar Quartet Latin Giants of Jazz Ligeti/Bjorkenheim Duo Marc Miralta’s Flamenco Reunion (Spain) Marian McPartland Matthias Lupri Quintet Mel Henderson Plus One Melvin Sparks Band Michel Besceglia Trio Mike Stern Band Mose Allison New Birth Brass Band Orquesta Fama Sin Gafas Oscar Peterson Quartet Paul Cebar & The Milwaukeeans Phil Flanigan & Bob Sneider Duo Raul Midon Rite of Strings (Stanley Clarke Jean-Luc Ponty & Al DiMeola) Sam Kininger Band Seongsik Jeon Quartet (Korea) Shikandaza (Japan) featuring Ian Smith Sim Redmond Sliding Hammers Sunny Jain Collective The Holmes Brothers Tim Ries-Music of The Rolling Stones Trio Da Paz Trip Hazard Valery Ponomarev Quartet Vijay Iyer & Rudresh Manthrappa The Vitale Brothers Wallace Roney Quartet Yolanda Adams

Schedule Highlights

Eastman Theatre Series

June 4 – David Sanborn Band with special guests The Earl Klugh Band

June 5 – The Oscar Peterson Quartet

June 6 – Eastman School of Music all-star groups to support the Rochester International Jazz Festival Scholarship Program (free)

June 7 – Marian McPartland w/ The Eastman Jazz Ensemble & guests

June 8 – The Rite of Strings (Stanley Clarke, Jean-Luc Ponty & Al DiMeola) with special guests Eliane Elias Trio

June 9 – Yolanda Adams and special guests The Campbell Brothers Sacred Steel Guitar

June 10 -Bobby McFerrin w/Jack De Johnette and special guest Brad Mehldau

Nightly Jam Sessions at the Crowne Plaza State Street Bar & Grill begin at 10:30 p.m.

Originally Published April 14, 2004