My message to John goes like this; but, first of all, John is John Nugent, Producer/Artistic Director Extraordinaire of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, version 13. June, 2014.
Dear John;
Here it is, so fast in coming, the days just after the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival ends. The question is now what to do today...the rest of the week. How to fill the time that for nine explosive days were filled with listening to samples, picking the first draft of our schedule for the evening, striving to get to several events in one evening on our beloved Jazz pass.
What a shining festival year this has been, so fully packed and over in a blink. The 13th season of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival was grand. For me, this was the year of the vocalist. While many of the instrumental groups still place high on my favorites list, I was struck by the supreme talents of female singers such as Cecile McLorin Salvant, Lorraine Klaasen, Karrin Allyson, Phaedra Kwant, Cyrille Aimee, Ester Rada, and of course, Catherine Russell, Diane Shuur (both known and loved) and so many more.
You have broken last year's record for number of attendees, offered and exceptional number of varied performances, feature the luxury of all venues within walking distance negating the need for long drives, shuttles or other hassles to get between events and kept Rochester top on the map for international jazz festivals. How I thank you for the opportunity to sample and hear music I would not find on my own, to meet new people that often lead to lasting friendships, and to renew other friendships. No more to be said as you hear from a multitude of attendees with advice and their own words of wisdom. So I wish you a good year and will go now to my playlist to listen to some of the gems from this years 13th edition of the Jazz Festival.
Ann Carol Goldberg
cgstudio.net
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