XRIJF - Season One

Founded in 2002, the Rochester International Jazz Festival has become one of the nation's largest and fastest growing music festivals, drawing fans from across the U.S. and around the world to Rochester, New York. Annually, the Festival presents more than 170 concerts featuring a diverse and international line-up of legendary artists and critically-acclaimed jazz and contemporary groups. In the summer of 2006, WXXI captured the sounds and spirit of the event in high definition and will soon present it for the world to see.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Named for the historic Preservation Hall in New Orleans, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band has been referred to by one critic as, "a bridge across the ages - a link between the present day and the heyday of traditional New Orleans music." The group, which has been touring for more than 25 years and currently, consists of musicians who range in age from 31-88 works to preserve the New Orleans Jazz style. Collectively, these musicians represent the industry's elite; a finely tuned band whose members hail from highly regarded musical families. Together, they keep alive the traditions and history of this uniquely American sound.

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The Charlie Hunter Trio

"I knew that I wanted to do this with my life from when I was 16", says Hunter about his musical career. "I think our music is an alternative to the suit-and-tie club that says you have to be well-to-do and super-intellectual to understand jazz music", Charlie continues. "We don't have that attitude. We play at places where people aren't interested in pigeonholing instrumental music." As a result, Charlie began exposing jazz to an audience that may otherwise have stayed away from it. "We're jazz musicians, but we're jazz musicians from their generation. That's who we share aspects of a common life with and that's who we are trying to reach."

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Karrin Allyson

Now a popular and critically acclaimed fixture on the jazz landscape, Allyson established her mastery of lyric interpretation on nine previous Concord releases, including the GRAMMY® nominated Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane, In Blue, and Wild for You. The singer projects an instantly recognizable tonal personality, illuminating hidden layers of emotion within songs that are drawn from a vast well of styles and genres-from the blues, contemporary pop, and the American Songbook, to the bossa nova, chanson, and the more specialized jazz and bebop repertoire. Indeed, Allyson husky tone can, "makes palpable the carnal, the romantic and the spiritual, sometimes all at once" (Downbeat Magazine).

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Cedar Walton

For over 25 years, pianist Cedar Walton has enjoyed an up tempo career, which never seems to slow down. Maintaining a non-stop itinerary, Walton has accompanied a litany of Jazz greats while also fronting his own successful groups. Cedar Walton is one of the most influential musicians active today. His original compositions like Bolivia, Clockwise and Firm Roots are frequently recorded by other musicians, and have become part of the standard Jazz repertoire. His playing regularly receives praise from critics, fellow Jazz musicians and audience around the world. Cedar Walton has emerged as a true master of the music he loves.

Bio on Wikipedia

Mose Allison

One writer recently said: "Mose is now at the peak of his performing career. Although maybe this last statement is not quite true as he seems to continue to improve on perfection."

Mose Allison worked in nightclubs throughout the Southeast and West, blending the raw blues of his childhood with modern pianistic influences of John Lewis, Thelonius Monk and Al Haig. Blues singers Percy Mayfield and Charles Brown influenced his vocal style. Mose continues to write and perform all over the world. His songs have been covered by Van Morrison, John Mayall, The Who, The Clash, Eric Clapton, the Yardbirds, Elvis Costello and Bonnie Raitt to name a few. Van Morrison recorded a tribute album, Tell Me Something, The Songs of Mose Allison, on Verve Records, and rockers like Pete Townshend, Bonnie Raitt, Ray Davies and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones have frequently cited Mose Allison as a major influence.

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