# Rochester International Jazz Festival

43°09′43″N 77°37′01″W﻿ / ﻿43.162064°N 77.616846°W﻿ / 43.162064; -77.616846
Established in 2002, the Rochester International Jazz Festival takes place in June of each year in Rochester, New York. It is owned and produced by RIJF, LLC, whose principals are John Nugent, Co-Producer and Artistic Director, and Marc Iacona, Co-Producer and Executive Director.
The nine-day festival is held at 20+ diverse venues throughout downtown Rochester New York's East End cultural and entertainment district, including Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music, Hatch Recital Hall, Inn on Broadway, Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, Max of Eastman Place, Montage Music Hall, The Little Theatre, Temple Theater, Theater at Innovation Square, The Duke at Sibley Square and multiple outdoor free stages and venues - all within walking distance and many on "Jazz Street" (otherwise known as Gibbs Street during the rest of the year), which is closed off for the festival's nine days. More than 90 free concerts and events are presented on outdoor stages and other free venues. A five-day Jazz Workshop provides an opportunity for elementary and high school music students to learn from and play alongside noted musicians performing at the festival. The festival supports the RIJF Eastman School of Music Jazz Scholarship, which has awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships since 2002 to 43 students to attend the Eastman School of Music.
In 2008, attendance was estimated at a record 125,000 for the nearly 250 concerts presented.
In 2010, 162,000 people attended the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival's 250 concerts presented over nine days, breaking the record set the prior year of 133,000.
2011 saw another record-setting year with 285 concerts presented over nine days and in 18 different venues. Attendance reached an all-time high of 182,000.
In 2012, the 11th Edition hit another attendance record of 187,000, a record number of headliner sell-outs, the addition of new venue, Hatch Recital Hall and 9 days of spectacular weather. Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers, Esperanza Spalding, Zappa Plays Zappa, and Daryl Hall "Live From Daryl's House" with special guest Keb' Mo' headlined this year.
In 2018, the festival drew a record-setting crowd of more than 208,000 people from around the world to see more than 1500 musicians from 20 countries performed in 320+ shows.
In 2019, the festival also drew more than 208,000 to see 1750+ musicians from around the world perform in 325+ shows.
CGI Communications became the festival's new title sponsor as of July 2018, succeeding Xerox, which was the title sponsor for 10 years from 2009 through 2018. M&T Bank is the presenting sponsor.

## Festival history

| Year | Days | Headliners | No. of shows | No. of venues | Est. attendance | Notes |
| 2002 | 7 | Aretha Franklin Average White Band The Blues Brothers Band Dr. John Norah Jones The Rippingtons Sonny Rollins | 50 | 14 | 15,000 | Jones was booked as an up-and-comer, before her debut album was released—but she performed as a new superstar after it became a runaway success; Franklin concert held at Frontier Field; Chris Botti opened for The Rippingtons |
| 2003 | 10 | Tony Bennett George Benson Dave Brubeck Al Jarreau Spyro Gyra | | 14 | 30,000 | |
| 2004 | 9 | Yolanda Adams Stanley Clarke Al Di Meola Bobby McFerrin Marian McPartland Oscar Peterson Jean-Luc Ponty David Sanborn | | | 55,000 | First year that Gibbs Street was renamed "Jazz Street"; first year for the RIJF Big Tent |
| 2005 | 9 | The Bad Plus Chris Botti & Madeleine Peyroux Dave Brubeck Chick Corea Sonny Rollins | | | 65,000 | |
| 2006 | 9 | Woody Allen James Brown Etta James | | | 80,000 | First year club passes sold out |
| 2007 | 9 | Dave Brubeck Quartet Dr. John and Madeleine Peyroux Jerry Lee Lewis Wynton Marsalis & Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra Raul Midon and "King" Solomon Burke Jean-Luc Ponty, Trio Beyond | 200+ | 18 | 120,000 | First year for Nordic Jazz Now |
| 2008 | 9 | Al Green Medeski Martin & Wood Boz Scaggs | | | 125,000 | Jake Shimabukuro, Carolyn Wonderland, and Catherine Russell also appeared |
| 2009 | 9 | Dave Brubeck Michael McDonald Smokey Robinson Jake Shimabukuro & Carolyn Wonderland Susan Tedeschi & Taj Mahal | 225 | | 133,000 | First year with Xerox as title sponsor |
| 2010 | 9 | Jeff Beck Herbie Hancock Keb' Mo' Gladys Knight John Pizzarelli Bernie Williams | 250 | 15 | 162,000 | A second Jeff Beck concert was added after the first sold out; club passes also sold out in advance; Trombone Shorty appeared; Smash Mouth closes |
| 2011 | 9 | Chris Botti Natalie Cole Elvis Costello The Fab Faux Béla Fleck and the Flecktones k.d. lang | 285 | 18 | 182,000 | Club passes sold out two months in advance; Kevin Eubanks appears; Trombone Shorty plays a free show; G Love and Special Sauce close out the festival |
| 2012 | 9 | Daryl Hall with Keb' Mo' Norah Jones Diana Krall Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers Esperanza Spalding Zappa Plays Zappa | > 300 | 19 | 187,000 | A second Steve Martin concert was added after the first sold out; club passes sold out four-and-a-half months in advance, before shows were even announced; Trombone Shorty appears for the third straight year |
| 2013 | 9 | David Byrne & St. Vincent Peter Frampton with Robert Cray Roger Hodgson Bob James & David Sanborn with Steve Gadd Willie Nelson and Family Pink Martini | 280 | 19 | 195,000 | Trombone Shorty again closes the festival with a free concert |
| 2014 | 9 | Earth, Wind & Fire Fourplay Buddy Guy Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers ft. Edie Brickell Michael McDonald Janelle Monáe | 322 | 20 | 196,000 | Just as in 2012, a second Steve Martin show was added after the first quickly sold out; Bob James appears for second straight year, this time as a member of Fourplay |
| 2015 | 9 | Herb Alpert and Lani Hall Gary Clark, Jr., with Beth Hart Steve Gadd Band with special surprise guest Jennifer Hudson Diana Krall Steep Canyon Rangers Tedeschi Trucks Band with Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and Doyle Bramhall | > 325 | 19 | TBD | James Taylor was Gadd's surprise guest; Blood, Sweat & Tears and Trombone Shorty among free concerts; Yellowjackets, Joey Alexander, and Grace Kelly among the club shows Steve Gadd's 70th birthday concert was recorded and later released as a Grammy-nominated album, Way Back Home: Live from Rochester, NY |
| 2016 | 9 | Gregg Allman Erykah Badu Chris Botti Chick Corea "Trilogy" Trio with Joey Alexander Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers Grace Potter | 325 | 18 | 205,000 | Trombone Shorty again closes the festival with a free concert |
| 2017 | 9 | Sheryl Crow King Crimson Maceo Parker and the Ray Charles Orchestra ft. The Raelettes Postmodern Jukebox Mavis Staples Joss Stone Monty Alexander | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| 2018 | 9 | Béla Fleck and the Flecktones Alison Krauss Lake Street Dive Seal Boz Scaggs Jill Scott | 300+ | 20 | 208,000 | |
| 2019 | 9 | George Benson Marc Cohn w/ The Blind Boys of Alabama Steve Gadd Jeff Goldblum & the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra Patti LaBelle Steve Miller Band | 320+ | 20 | TBA | Club shows include Downchild Blues Band's 50th anniversary tour with Dan Aykroyd; Yellowjackets; Acoustic Alchemy; and Jake Shimabukuro. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue again close the festival, their seventh festival appearance. |
| 2020 | 9 | Garth Fagan Dance Puss n Boots ft. Sasha Dobson, Norah Jones, Catherine Popper Nile Rogers & Chic Spyro Gyra Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue Wynonna & the Big Noise w/ Country Tribute Celebration | 0 | 0 | 0 | Rescheduled to October (to be held at Rochester Institute of Technology) then canceled entirely, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Puss n Boots member Norah Jones previously headlined the festival as a solo act in 2002 and 2012. |
| 2021 | 9 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | Puss n Boots and Spyro Gyra were confirmed for 2021 before the event was canceled due to the ongoing pandemic. |
| 2022 | 9 | Devon Allman Project w/ Dirty Dozen Brass Band & Samantha Fish The Bacon Brothers Chris Botti Sheila E. Tommy Emmanuel G Love & Special Sauce Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors New Power Generation Spyro Gyra Booker T Presents: A Soul Stax Revue Robin Thicke | 325 | 20 | 210,000 | All headline concerts held outdoors, without tickets or admission cost. Wynonna Judd was scheduled as a headliner before cancelling after the death of her mother. She was replaced by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. Chris Botti appears for the fifth time, third time as a solo headliner; Devon Allman is the son of 2016 headliner Gregg Allman; G Love & Special Sauce previously played a free concert in 2011. |
| 2023 | 9 | Keb' Mo' Pat Metheny Bonnie Raitt | 300 | 19 | 211,000 | Keb' Mo' previously headlined in 2010 and 2012 (the latter with Daryl Hall). Several outdoor shows were labeled as "Free Headliners" but the three indoor shows listed here were the only ticketed events. |
| 2024 | 9 | Samara Joy Laufey Taj Mahal John Oates Lee Ritenour Band with Randy Brecker & Bill Evans | 326 | 20 | TBD | Taj Mahal previously headlined in 2009. Samara Joy appeared in 2022 and 2023 in club shows and is now headlining. Shiela E. returns for a free outdoor headline show. |
| 2025 | 9 | Rickie Lee Jones Wynton Marsalis & the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Smokey Robinson Thundercat The Wood Brothers | TBA | TBA | TBD | Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra previously headlined in 2007. Smokey Robinson previously headlined in 2009. |
* Table data gleaned from and

## 2009 appearances

The 2009 lineup of major performances was announced on March 24, 2009.

### Headliners

* Smokey Robinson
* Michael McDonald
* Dave Brubeck

### Other appearances

* Taj Mahal
* The Susan Tedeschi Band
* Jake Shimabukuro
* "SMV" (bassists Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten) on their Thunder Tour

## 2010 appearances
### Headliners

The following headlining acts all played ticketed shows at Eastman Theatre
* Gladys Knight
* Herbie Hancock
* Keb' Mo'
* Jeff Beck's first show sold out soon after it was announced, prompting the announcement of a second show
* John Pizzarelli
* Bernie Williams

### Other Appearances

* Trombone Shorty played three nights in a row at the festival
* Los Lonely Boys made a repeat appearance, playing a free outdoor show
* Smash Mouth closed the festival with a packed, free, outdoor finale concert.

## Past performers

* Woody Allen and His New Orleans Jazz Band
* Tony Bennett
* Ravi Coltrane
* Chaka Khan
* Al Jarreau
* The Respect Sextet
* Chris Botti
* Bobby McFerrin & Jack DeJohnette
* Bill Frisell
* Al (Roomful of Blues) Copley
* Sonny Rollins
* Chick Corea
* Hilton Ruiz
* Madeleine Peyroux
* Steve Turre
* Strunz & Farah
* Aretha Franklin
* Charles Ellison Quartet
* Sonny Rollins
* Dr. John
* Dave Brubeck
* George Benson
* Stephane Wrembel
* Norah Jones
* The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band led by Jon Faddis
* John Hammond
* Willem Breuker
* Michael Moore
* Harold Danko
* Dave Pietro & Banda Brazil
* Wallace Roney
* Paul Smoker
* Juana Molina
* Derek Trucks
* Gap Mangione
* Harry Allen
* Lew Tabackin
* Paula West Quartet
* Joe LaBarbera
* Jonas Kullhammar Quartet
* autorickshaw
* Raul Midón
* Wycliffe Gordon
* The Shuffle Demons
* Marian McPartland
* Dave Mancini Quartet
* David Sanborn
* Oscar Peterson
* James Brown
* Das Contras
* Phil Woods
* McCoy Tyner
* Toots Thielemans
* Wayne Shorter
* Susan Tedeschi
* Etta James
* Little Feat
* Soulive
* Dickey Betts
* Dianne Reeves
* Slide Hampton
* Medeski Martin and Wood