Aug 12, 2025 10:24 AM
Vocalist Sheila Jordan Dies at 96
Sheila Jordan, a vocalist who was celebrated for her scatting and lyric-improvising abilities, died Aug. 11 at her home…
Aretha Franklin, Sonny Rollins, Dianne Reeves, Dr. John, and jazz festival favorites such as Medeski Martin & Wood, Terence Blanchard, Joe Lovano and Brad Mehldau will headline the first edition of the Rochester International Jazz Festival (RIJF), June 3-9.
Advance tickets go on sale Saturday March 9.
Organizers announced today the festival’s complete line-up of more than 50 critically acclaimed jazz and contemporary music artists, a free series of eight jazz films, and a series of free concerts and educational workshops for students. Complete details including the schedule, artist profiles and MP3 samples are now available on the festival website at www.rochesterjazz.com.
The program embraces a wealth of innovative talent and inspiring sounds that will easily make Rochester the destination for jazz early this summer. The nation’s newest international jazz festival will offer something for everyone.
“We’ve worked extremely hard to develop the premiere edition of the Rochester International Jazz Festival. We’ve strived to create an innovative, diverse and all encompassing lineup which includes renowned jazz and creative, improvising artists from around the globe,” said John Nugent, producer of the event. Nugent is President of NY JAM, INC., producer of international concert tours and jazz events including the long-running successful Stockholm Jazz Festival, now in its 19th year.
Ticketed show prices range from $10 to $35. Tickets are available online at www.rochesterjazz.com, at Wegmans Ticket Outlets in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey for Frontier Field, High Falls and Jazz Pass shows. Tickets for Eastman Theatre shows are only available at the RBTL Box Office (Ticket Express) or online at www.rbtl.org. Advance discounts are available for many events. For details, see brochures available March 15 at Wegmans and other locations throughout Rochester, the festival website or call 585-234-2002.
Jordan was a dyed-in-the-wool bebopper whose formative musical experiences were with Charlie Parker.
Aug 12, 2025 10:24 AM
Sheila Jordan, a vocalist who was celebrated for her scatting and lyric-improvising abilities, died Aug. 11 at her home…
“I don’t guess I’m going to excite you; I know I’m going to excite you,” Palmieri said in an August 1994 DownBeat feature.
Aug 12, 2025 10:33 AM
Famed Latin jazz composer, bandleader and pianist Eddie Palmieri passed away in his New Jersey home on Aug. 6. He was…
“What I got from Percy was the dignity of playing the bass,” Buster Williams said of Percy Heath.
Aug 26, 2025 1:53 PM
Buster Williams, who at the age of 83 has been on the scene for 65 years, had never done a Blindfold Test. The first…
Don and Maureen Sickler serve as the keepers of engineer Rudy Van Gelder’s flame at Van Gelder Studio, perhaps the most famous recording studio in jazz history.
Sep 3, 2025 12:02 PM
On the last Sunday of 2024, in the control room of Van Gelder Studio, Don and Maureen Sickler, co-owners since Rudy Van…
The Free Slave, Cosmos Nucleus and Sunset To Dawn: three classic Muse albums being reissued this fall by Timer Traveler Recordings.
Aug 26, 2025 1:32 PM
Record producer and “Jazz Detective” Zev Feldman has launched his next endeavor, the archival label Time Traveler…
