Xerox Rochester International Jazz Fest 2010

Well, well, well. I was anxiously awaiting yesterday's release of the Jazz Fest '10 lineup. It's good enough to make me buy two club passes today while the prices are still a bit lower than they will be. I think it was damned straight of them to keep the price down for a couple of days after announcing the lineup. It's hard to justify buying tickets when one has no idea who might be playing.

At a quick glance of the lineup, I'm very excited about Charnett Moffett. I saw him a few years ago when he played the Jazz Fest with McCoy Tyner. The man was amazing. Can't wait to see Mose Allison, too. Joe's very excited about Russell Malone, Andreas Oberg and Joyce Cooling. I also bought tickets for Joe's birthday for us to see John Pizzarelli at the Eastman. I've been wanting to see him for a long time.

And, of course, I can't wait to see my Joe and the rest of the Bill Tiberio Band at the Club Pass Big Tent on June 16 at 6:00 pm. Got to have the Club Pass for that, right?

I have to say that I'm looking forward to this year's Jazz Fest very much. Get your club passes while they're still $135 - that's only today!

yours in music,
Tracy

I Am In Love ... with The Lawnmowers!

I managed to drag my Joe into the city "where there is no parking" last night to go see The Lawnmowers at Abilene. I think he wanted to avoid my having the tantrum that I wrote about in my last post. Anyway, we pulled into the completely filled parking lot, and what to our wondering eyes did appear? A parking space was vacated in a most timely fashion for us, and Joe shimmied his car into it. So far, so good.

We walked into the packed, and I do mean PACKED, Abilene. The vibe was actually electric - like something really special was going to happen. It felt like The Place to be on this particular Friday night in Rochester. A space appeared at the bar, and we got our drinks and moved closer to where the band would be playing. The band members started getting organized to play, and who do you think was going to sit in? John Nugent! This was boding well.

From the first song on, there was no standing still. The beat was there to dance to, and had I more space, I could have really moved! As it was, though, we were packed in like sardines - but we were all dancing sardines. The vibe was relaxed and groovy but really alive! I loved this band.

The members include the ever-cool, Dave Cohen on drums. The lead singer, who also played guitar, is Ron Stackman. Now, I did a little online research this morning and found that he was the leader of the band Big Roots. They used to play at Milestones quite often, and I went to see them on my first date with my ex-husband. But I won't hold that against Ron! He has a very luscious, fluid voice - perfect for the reggae sound of the Lawnmowers. Vinnie Ruggiero is a great guitar player; I really liked his sound. It was pretty evident that he is a master of rock, jazz and probably most any genre of music. And I, of course, have very high standards for guitar players . . . I loved Russ Roberts and his cajun accordion - it added so much to the overall sound of the band. The bass player, Jim Schwarz, has a long history in music in the Rochester area, and includes Colorblind James Experience and Big Roots.

John Nugent picked up his sax and joined the band about halfway through their first set. He can really play. As Joe said, "He has a nice tone." It was great to see that someone who is so integrally linked to the jazz scene in Rochester can actually put his money where his mouth is. So to speak.

I can't wait to see the Lawnmowers again. It looks like they are going to be playing at the Lilac Festival, the Jazz Fest and Corn Hill. I wish I could get them to come and play at the soon-to-be-announced launch event for the Rochester Music Hall of Fame. What do you think guys? It would be awesome to have sound of The Lawnmowers there.

I had a blast with The Lawmowers at Abilene last night. I think it really was THE place to be.

yours in music,
Tracy

Twestival

Went to last night's Twestival at Lovin' Cup. As I explained to my daughter, it was a global event to raise money for an organization which builds schools for poor children all over the world. But the idea was that all the people, mostly Twitter aficionados, would be able to see all the celebrations across the globe via live stream. And there was a lot of tweeting going on.

I noticed, thankfully, that I was not the oldest person there. (Though I probably have the oldest phone.) There were as many people my age or older as there were younger. However, I noticed that most of the avid tweeters, especially those of the younger age, were scattered. In other words, trying to have a conversation with someone who keeps grabbing her phone and reading tweets or sending tweets was difficult as her attention was scattered - always thinking of her next good tweet.

I did get the chance to hang out with my good friend Greg Bell. He's the guy with the excellent jazz blog who got my little music blog noticed. It's always a pleasure to chat with him. I didn't hear the first band, really, but was there for all of the MOHO Collective's set. They were an eclectic trio with an "organic drummer." The guitarist also played lap steel. And pretty well. Had I no one to talk with, I wouldn't have minded just sitting and listening to their set.

I'm hoping to get to see the Lawnmowers tonight at Abilene. I've been wanting to see them, and if I can't get there tonight, I'm going to stomp my feet and have a tantrum. I might have to tweet.

yours in music,
tracy

Friday night disappointment

We didn't make it to Tina and the Two-Timers because Joe wasn't feeling great after our dinner at Bonefish Grill, and then the same thing happened to me later. We probably won't be going back there again. The last time we went, the food was fine, but the service was lacking. Last night, the service was fine but the food was lacking. And I had the same thing I always do, the house salad and crab cakes, but this time my stomach was very unhappy with me. Not a great night for food or music for us.

yours in music,
tracy

Music out and about this weekend

Just sitting here enjoying yet another WRUR show, "Rejuvination," while I think about the possible music I might experience this weekend.

So, tonight, I was hoping to get to the Jazz at Immanuel series, but I don't think we're going to make it since Joe is still at work at 6:15, and I am hoping he will take me out to dinner first! So, it looks like we might make it out to Rab's Woodshed to hear our friends, Tina and The Two-Timers. Their show starts at 9:30ish. We should be able to make that.

Tomorrow night, the Bill Welch Band is having their CD release party at The Keg at The German House at 7:00 pm. I'll be there selling their new CD, Roots. I'm very excited for them. This is a great group; Bill Welch is a fabulous lyricist with a soulful voice.

Next weekend, I'm hoping to finally catch The Lawnmowers at Abilene.

Stay tuned for some very important news about an upcoming event for the Rochester Music Hall of Fame. We are working very hard to bring this grassroots organization to fruition and make it a wonderful tribute to Rochester's musical legacy.

yours in music,
tracy

Tweeds!

Yesterday morning, I tuned in to hear Teagan and the Tweeds on Open Tunings. What a great show that is; what a great interviewer and host Scott Regan is! The Tweeds sounded great and were invited back to regale us with stories of SxSW. I can't wait.

Be sure to listen to Open Tunings on WRUR 88.5 fm every day from 9:00 am to noon. You can hear it on the radio or stream it live from the web. For those of us who love high quality music with lots of variety, this show is perfect!

yours in music,
Tracy

Teagan and the Tweeds on WRUR's Open Tunings March 16

First, let me say that I love Scott Regan's show, Open Tunings, on WRUR 88.5 every morning from 9 - noon. I used to listen to it on the way in to work every morning (yes, I ran late a lot). And then once I got settled in to my office, I tuned in via the stream on the website. You never know what new and old music you're going to hear on the show; it's always a delight.

Given that a) Scott has artists perform live on the show quite often; and b) he is a big South x Southwest fan; and c) Teagan and the Tweeds are going to be performing twice at SxSW, I thought that Scott might like to have them on the show. I was right! Tomorrow, the Tweeds will be on Open Tunings at 10:30 am on WRUR 88.5 fm or streaming on the web. Be sure to tune in.

yours in music,
tracy

The Tweeds and Bill Tiberio Band at Lovin' Cup

I can't believe how fast this week has flown by. I was going to write about last weekend's music when it was more fresh in my mind, but here we are.

Teagan and the Tweeds will be getting ready to head out to Austin for South X Southwest. Based on what I saw and heard last Sunday night, they should be well received. The sound was so much better at Lovin' Cup than it was when I saw the band at The Landing a few months ago. That time, I could not understand a word that Teagan was singing. That was a loss. At Lovin' Cup, her vocals came through loud and clear. What a set of pipes; that girl can sing. With Katy Wright's harmony, and the musical talents of the group as a whole, Teagan and the Tweeds just keep getting better and better.



After the Tweeds, the Bill Tiberio Band took the stage. They sounded great, as usual, and did a few new tunes. They also did a straight-ahead jazz standard - Coltrane's Impressions. I loved it, and so did my friends, the DeBolts. Very cool, very jazzy. The boys are working on their CD; hopefully, it will be done in time to have at their show in the Big Tent at this year's Xerox Rochester International Jazz Fest. See you there!

yours in music,
Tracy