Xerox Rochester International Jazz Fest: Jon Ballantyne Trio

Pictured: Jon Ballantyne

Credit: WXXI

Listening to the wondrous sounds Jon Ballantyne makes at the piano, audiences can never be sure where he will take the music next. 

The 2016 edition of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival series brings viewers the Jazz Fest's "Oh, Canada!" series shot at The Rochester Club featuring bands and performers from across Canada. In this episode of Season 8 of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival series, airs Sunday morning, June 25, at 1 a.m. on WXXI-TV enjoy a performance by Jon Ballantyne. The "Oh Canada!" series was presented by The Canada Council for the Arts. 

Pianist and composer Jon Ballantyne has released 10 albums and won 2 Juno Awards. He is an artist who deftly combines the unknown with the known. Listening to the wondrous sounds he makes at the piano, audiences can never be sure where he will take the music next. There can be a palpable sense that they are hearing a feeling, harmony, melody or rhythm they may be familiar with, and at the same time, they are likely to be figuratively on the edge of their seats, excited, gratified that they are being taken on a musical adventure unlike anything they may have experienced previously.

The Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, held in Rochester, New York – home of the Eastman School of Music, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Garth Fagan Dance and the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film– is a nine-day event that hosts more than 300 concerts at 19 venues. Now in its 13th year, the festival is the brainchild of John Nugent and Marc Iacona and draws more than 190,000 people from 30-plus states and 15 countries. From legendary performers and familiar favorites – to rising stars and new discoveries – this festival navigates all genres of creative improvised music from all corners of the world.

The Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival Series is produced by WXXI Public Broadcasting and distributed nationally by American Public Television. The series is underwritten by The Louis S. and Molly B. Wolk Foundation.