When the Rochester International Jazz Festival debuted last year with an aesthetic triumph and a financial loss, there were questions about whether the festival could be sustained. Looking at this year's expanded program, the questions have disappeared.
Top-name performers --- Tony Bennett, George Benson, Spyro Gyra --- may lean to the pop side, but few jazz aficionados would pass up a chance to hear Dave Brubeck. The Club Pass is once again an outrageous bargain; a ticket to see Claudia Acuna, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Chris Potter and dozens more in intimate settings, not to mention Eileen Ivers at the Club Pass finale.
This year's festival lives up to the name "international," with acts like Two Siberians, India's Mynta, and Yggdrasil featuring Eivør Pálsdóttir (from the Faroe Islands).
Go to our Special Sections for City Newspaper's complete guide to the second annual Rochester International Jazz Festival.