Another Great Year At The Rochester International Jazz Fest

Last week was the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival. Thousands of people made their way into Downtown Rochester for some good food and great music. Cathy and I attended both opening and closing weekends and had a great time. The first weekend of music actually started out a few blocks from the jazz fest at Party In The Park where we saw an old favorite of ours, Rusted Root. This is where I was treated to one of the most random concert food stands ever — Cornish Hens.

Yup, I got one. It was delish. Jump to the next day and the jazz fest was in full swing. The most memorable act we saw at the festival was definitely Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers. I’m in no way a Zydeco aficionado but we had more fun at their show than we’ve had in a long time. Between audience interaction and the fact that they are just damn talented you could hardly ask for a better night. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone play an accordion quite like Dwayne Dopsie. Here’s a short clip of some crazy accordion action.

Check out the videos here and here to see some audience participation. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and as the clock struck 11pm the Zydeco band made their way off stage. Luckily the festival still had some top notch entertainment in store for us. On the closing night of the festival we attended the Trombone Shorty concert. Yet another great show. The crowd at the show was insane — guesstimates put attendance around 20-25k. A bit more crowded than we usually like but Trombone Shorty rocked the streets which made braving the crowd worth it.

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One Response to Another Great Year At The Rochester International Jazz Fest

  1. It was hot but I really enjoyed the Jazz Fest this year. Dwayne Dopsie was one of the most memorable shows I’ve seen. Accordion, washboard, sax, guitar, drums and bass–who could ask for more!