PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Dawn Anderson, APT
(617) 338-4455, ext. 149
dawn_anderson@APTonline.org
or
Kristin Tutino, WXXI
(585) 258-0253
ktutino@wxxi.org
ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL
The Rochester International Jazz Festival has become one of the most popular and
most respected music festivals in the country. In 2006 more than 80,000 fans came
to see more than 600 artists performing in 170 concerts. Now ROCHESTER
INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, a six-part television series produced by WXXI
Public Broadcasting in Rochester, New York, shares this amazing musical event with
viewers across the country. Shot in breathtaking high-definition, the series puts the
viewer right into historic Kilbourn Hall to experience jazz like it’s never been seen –
or heard – before. It offers an unsurpassed look into the nine-day festival held last
summer in Rochester’s east end cultural district.
The ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL series is comprised of an
hour-long program and five half-hour episodes. The hour-long broadcast gives
viewers a true flavor of the festival and features performances by Karrin Allyson,
Mose Allison, Cedar Walton, the Charlie Hunter Trio and The Preservation Hall Jazz
Band. The artists also candidly share their thoughts on their music as well as the jazz
genre as a whole. Interspersed between their performances are engaging, streetscene interviews and concert highlights from other festival artists including James
Brown, Etta James, Susan Tedeschi, Woody Allen, Dickey Betts, Red Stick
Ramblers, Phil Woods and Sliding Hammers.
The half-hour episodes are dedicated to each of the five artists/groups featured in
the hour-long broadcast. The result is an intimate, front row seat to Karrin Allyson,
Mose Allison, Cedar Walton, the Charlie Hunter Trio and The Preservation Hall Jazz
Band. The concerts were filmed at Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music.
Built by George Eastman in memory of his mother Maria Kilbourn Eastman, it is
considered one of the finest chamber music halls in the world.
Home of the Eastman School of Music, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the
Memorial Art Gallery, George Eastman International Museum of Photography and
Film, Rochester is a preeminent arts and cultural center in upstate New York. It has
proven itself once more by supporting the Rochester International Jazz Festival for
the past five summers with record-breaking attendance year after year.
The ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL series is produced by WXXI
Public Broadcasting and distributed nationally by American Public Television. For
more information, visit WXXI.org/jazz or aptonline.org.
The ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL is underwritten by
Canandaigua National Bank & Trust and the Office of New York State Senator Jim
Alesi.
More about the featured performers
Karrin Allyson is a popular and critically acclaimed fixture on the jazz landscape.
She projects an instantly recognizable tonal personality, illuminating hidden layers of
emotion within songs that are drawn from a vast well of styles and genres.
Mose Allison has played and recorded with jazz greats like Stan Getz, Al Cohn,
Zoot Sims and Gerry Mulligan as well as with his own Mose Allison Trio. Today Mose
works with his own trio, writing and singing his own songs.
Cedar Walton is one of the most influential musicians active today. For more than
25 years, the pianist has enjoyed an up tempo career, maintaining a non-stop
itinerary.
The Charlie Hunter Trio seems to attract a younger, more rock-oriented audience
curious to hear the unique sounds of the trio – especially Hunter’s seven-string
guitar.
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.”
More about the Rochester International Jazz Festival
Founded in 2002 – attendance at the Festival has grown each year, from 15,000 the
first year to more than 80,000 in year five – attracting music lovers from around the
U.S. and the world. John Nugent, Co-producer and Artistic Director, and Marc
Iacona, Co-producer and Executive Director, consistently deliver a multi-dimensional
festival with something for everyone. From legendary performers and familiar
favorites – to rising stars and new discoveries – this is a festival that navigates all
genres of creative improvised music from all corners of the world.
www.rochesterjazz.com
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WXXI is the essential, life-long educational media resource for the Greater Rochester area. WXXI puts the
community first with programming that stimulates and expands thought, inspires the spirit, opens cultural horizons
and promotes understanding of diverse community issues. Log on to WXXI.org for more information about our
services and programs.
For 45 years, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for the nation’s public
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