Friday, July 1
Ben Monder (Jazz) Ben Monder's bold sound is perfectly complemented by his wonderfully impressionistic guitar style. Monder, who has lent his talents to the bands of Paul Motian, Maria Schneider, and others, most recently earned praise for enhancing David Bowie's haunting final album, "Blackstar." (RN) benmonder.com
Curtis Stigers (Vocal jazz) Curtis Stigers' vocal style may be reminiscent of Chet Baker's, but there's another similarity. Like Baker, Stivers is also a fine instrumentalist, picking up his saxophone to solo once in a while. Along with jazz, Stigers will occasionally slip in a pop classic by Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, or The Beatles. (RN) curtisstigers.com
Cyrille Aimée (Vocal jazz) With a voice as sexy as it is sultry, Cyrille Aimée can deliver a classic tune with a healthy dose of scat-singing on the side. Growing up in France, she sometimes snuck off to Gypsy encampments to absorb the rich music of the culture. It paid off in a first-prize win in the vocal competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival. (RN) cyrillemusic.com
Denis Parker and the Modern Saints (Blues) You can hear the Delta coming out of Newfoundland when slide guitarist Denis Parker picks up his guitar to play. He's been singing the blues for nigh on 50 years. He even recorded at Abbey Road. (FD) slideguy.net
Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers (Zydeco) There's plenty of that New Orleans juju pumpin' in Dwayne Dopsie's plumbing and pumping out of his accordion. Dopsie shifted from the washboard to the accordion when he was 7 years old to learn at the feet of the master, his dad Rockin' Dopsie Sr. (FD) dwaynedopsie.com
Emefe (Avant-cool) For more information, check out our feature
Flat Earth Society (Progressive jazz orchestra) Flat Earth Society is one of the most deliriously deranged big bands you will ever hear. Part Frank Zappa, part Sun Ra, and part Duke Ellington, this band packs a powerful progressive punch. After performing Friday (July 1) at Xerox Auditorium, Flat Earth Society will appear at the Lutheran Church on Saturday. (RN) fes.be/indexEN.html
Gregg Allman (Classic rock) once called The Allman Joys, The Allman Brothers epitomized — still do — the Southern rock sound, with its slippery slide guitar fire from the late "back to Macon, Ga." and the soulful voice of his brother, Gregg. The band initially broke up in 1975, but Allman kept plugging away as a solo artist and peaked with the hit "I'm No Angel" in 1987. A few albums followed, including 2015's "Back to Macon, GA." (FD) greggallman.com
Helen Sung (Jazz) She's performed with Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Clark Terry, won the Kennedy Center's 2007 Mary Lou Williams Piano Competition, and appeared on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz radio show. Listen to any of Helen Sung's six wonderful albums and you will understand why she has emerged from a crowded field of pianists. She'll also perform with her quartet. (RN) helensung.com
Herb Smith (Jazz) You might not expect the third trumpet with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra to be a blistering jazz player, but Herb Smith's range extends well beyond classical music. The Eastman School of Music professor has played with jazz, soul, and pop greats, including Wynton Marsalis, Natalie Cole, Yes, Doc Severinsen, The O'Jays, and more. (RN) herbtrumpet.com
Jam sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz) Turn to page XXX for more information.
Los Lonely Boys (Blues) Carrying the torch that Stevie Ray Vaughan lit, this Texas trio of Latino brothers plays the blues and what they call brown-eyed soul extra fierce. Texican rockin' blues done loud, proud, and right. (FD) loslonelyboys.com
Matthew Halsall and The Gondwanda Orchestra (Jazz) The color and rain-soaked patina found in Manchester skies is prevalent in it native son, Matthew Halsall's playing. With six albums to his credit, the young trumpeter is considered one of England's rising stars. The Gondwanda Orchestra adds an Eastern spice to the dish. (FD) matthewhalsall.com
Mingo Fishtrap (Funky Texas soul) As this band of tenacious Texans matures, it has dialed back some of the funky bombast but not the soul and the groove. It's a brassy party monster for sure with 16 arms. Bring the kids. (FD) mingofishtrap.com
Orgone (Funk) Not to be confused with the hypothetical universal life force conceived in the 1930's by Wilhelm Reich, Orgone is an infectious soul force conceived in California. This eight-piece funk machine, with the fantastic singer Adryon de León will simply not allow you to sit down for too long. (RN) orgonespace.com
Pugs and Crows (Avant-garde) Set in a quasi-chamber setting, Canadian Juno Award-winner Pugs and Crows creates organic, lush, and downright weird sounds that converge on one another for this band's curious dirge. Its identifiable components don't clash for dominance but rather celebrate their uniqueness. Odd never felt so good. (FD) pugsandcrows.com
Red Baraat (Brooklyn bhangra) For a feature on Red Baraat, check out page XXX.
Tord Gustavsen with Simin Tander and Jarle Vespestad (World music) Drawing from Scandinavian folk music, traditional gospel music, and the sounds of the Caribbean, Tord Gustavsen is among the most poetic pianists to emerge from the Norwegian jazz scene. At the XRIJF, Gustavsen will add the beautiful voice of Simin Tander and the adept percussion of Jarle Vespestad. (RN) tordg.no/trio
