At this year's Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, more than 1,000 artists will perform 285 concerts- with more than 70 of them free to the public. Here are a few of the headliners who will be playing in Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre:
Natalie Cole is the opening night headliner, set to perform June 10. The daughter of the legendary Nat King Cole is an "unforgettable" jazz artist in her own right. The Grammy-winning singer has recorded jazz, pop and rock songs since debuting at age 11, and she's currently been on a steady jazz path since the early 1990s.
On June 11, it's the music of the Beatles with the
Fab Faux. They perform what they call "The Glorious Hodgepodge Show," with Beatles songs reproduced note for note. They want to show you what the Beatles might have sounded like, if they had toured behind their later albums. Some of the band member's might be familiar to late night TV fans. Bass player Will Lee plays on David Letterman's band, and guitarist Jimmy Vivino is a long-time member of Conan O'Brien's bands. The band has created buzz in New York, and perform 3 times a year in Liverpool, England for Beatle week festivities.
June 14's headliner is Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Premier and innovative banjo player Fleck has reassembled the original members of his group for the Jazz Festival. Those members will be backing him on songs with genres ranging from traditional bluegrass to progressive jazz.
Chris Botti returns to the Jazz Festival on June 15. The trumpeter is the largest-selling American jazz instrumental artist - earning four #1 jazz albums, and multiple Grammy Awards. Botti has played in Rochester on multiple occasions - in 2002 and 2005 during the Jazz Festival, and recently in 2008 at the Eastman Theatre.
On June 16, Grammy winner k.d. lang appears with "The Siss Boom Bang." The Canadian singer started out blending country and rock, and over 25 years, her career has gone in all kinds of musical directions. The legendary Tony Bennett, who recorded a duet album with her, called lang the best singer of her generation.
The final headliner set to take the stage on June 17 is Elvis Costello. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is best known for his pioneering rock and roll music with the Attractions. Costello has also worked with everyone from Paul McCartney to the Charles Mingus Orchestra, from Burt Bacharach to his wife, jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall. At the Jazz Festival, he will be backed by his band The Imposters.
There will be other big-name acts performing at the free concerts, including .38 Special and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.
Check out the Jazz Lounge on 13WHAM.com for the entire Jazz Festival lineup.
