Stein / Smith / Shead Trio is a long-standing working ensemble featuring Jason Stein (bass clarinet), Damon Smith (double bass), and Adam Shead (drums). The trio is dedicated to extended collective improvisation, long-form development, and a deep commitment to listening, allowing form and structure to emerge organically through duration, density, and group decision-making. Their work has been featured in The Wire, Point of Departure, Free Jazz Collective, All About Jazz, The Chicago Reader, and The New York City Jazz Record.

Across four albums, the trio has developed a sustained practice rooted in continuity rather than isolated projects, cultivating a shared language that privileges risk, restraint, and structural clarity. This approach is especially evident in their ongoing collaboration with NEA Jazz Master Marilyn Crispell, which has resulted in two acclaimed recordings. The trio has also worked with Roscoe Mitchell, situating their work within a lineage closely connected to the Midwest’s history of creative music while maintaining a distinctly contemporary voice.

At the center of the ensemble’s sound is Jason Stein’s bass clarinet, marked by physical engagement with the instrument, an expanded timbral palette, and the ability to sustain narrative over extended durations. Damon Smith and Adam Shead complete the trio with a rhythm section defined by elasticity, precision, and acute responsiveness to subtle shifts in time, texture, and density. Together, the Stein / Smith / Shead Trio creates music that reflects a commitment to exploratory practice, lineage-aware experimentation, and artist-driven music-making.

Jason Stein is an internationally recognized bass clarinetist and composer and is among the handful of jazz musicians who play the bass clarinet exclusively. Stein leads the acclaimed trio Locksmith Isidore as well as his own quartet, and he is an indispensable contributor to several of the leading bands on Chicago’s jazz and improvised music scene. Stein has been named on both the Downbeat Critics Poll and the El Intruso International Critics Poll, having won the latter from 2017-2020. Stein’s playing showcases an extraordinary expertise on the bass clarinet, ranging from powerful post-bop lines to ear-grabbing wails in the altissimo range. Stein is based in Chicago and has recorded for such labels as Leo, Delmark, Not Two, Atavistic, 482 Music, Clean Feed, Astral Spirits, Sunnyside, Eremite, and Northern Spy.

“Stein is the most emotionally present bass clarinet player since Eric Dolphy.” — THE WIRE

“During a career that’s propelled him to the upper echelon of Chicago’s vibrant improvised music scene, Jason Stein is doing for the bass clarinet what Steve Lacy had done for the soprano sax. By looking forward while never losing sign of tradition, he’s modeled himself after the paths of jazz innovators before him to forge his own track.”
— SOMETHING ELSE!

“Stein has perfected a style of focused yet incendiary sonic exploration.” — DOWNBEAT

Damon Smith studied double bass with Lisle Ellis and has had lessons with Bertram Turezky, Joëlle Leandré, John Lindberg, Mark Dresser and others. Damon’s explorations into the sonic palette of the double bass have resulted in a personal, flexible improvisational language based in the American jazz avant-garde movement and European non-idiomatic free improvisation. Visual art, film and dance heavily influence his music, as evidenced by his CAMH performance of Ben Patterson’s Variations for Double Bass, collaborations with director Werner Herzog on soundtracks for Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World, and an early performance with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Damon has collaborated with a wide range of musicians, including: Cecil Taylor, Marshall Allen (of Sun Ra’s Arkestra), Henry Kaiser, Keith Rowe, Jaap Blonk,Roscoe Mitchell, Weasel Walter, Michael Pisaro, Wadada Leo Smith, Weasel Walter, Marco Eneidi, Wolfgang Fuchs, Peter Brötzmann and Peter Kowald. After many years in the San Francisco Bay Area, and six great years in Houston, Texas working regularly with Alvin Fielder, Sandy Ewen, Thomas Helton, David Dove & Chris Cogburn. Damon moved to the Boston area in the fall of 2016 and began working with Jeb Bishop, Pandelis Karayorgis, Joe McPhee and Ra-Kalam Bob Moses and many others. Damon has run Balance Point Acoustics record label since 2001, releasing music focusing on transatlantic collaborations between US and European musicians.

Adam Shead is an accomplished percussionist, composer, improviser, and performance curator based in Chicago. He frequently performs with the Stein/Smith/Shead trio, microplastique, and Cellular Chaos, and is a sought-after percussionist in the Chicago jazz and improvised music scene. For nearly a decade, Shead has curated performances at notable Chicago art galleries such as Slate Arts & Performance and Comfort Station, where he helps promote both emerging and established artists, enriching the local cultural landscape. Shead has collaborated with prominent figures such as Marilyn Crispell, Roscoe Mitchell, Jason Stein, Damon Smith, John Dikeman, Angel Bat Dawid, Mary Oliver, and Molly Jones, amongst others. He has released music through various record labels, including Amalgam, Ears & Eyes, Scripts, Balance Point Acoustics, Shifting Paradigm, and Irritable Mystic. Shead is the founder and composer of the Adiaphora Orchestra, microplastique, and Adam Shead Quintet and works regularly as a sideman in such groups as Ben Zucker’s Fifth Season, the Jake Wark Quartet, and Undisclosed Sims.

https://www.jasonsteinmusic.com/

https://www.adamsheadmusic.com/

https://balancepointacoustics.com/

Live at the Hungry Brain (2025) w/ Marilyn Crispell (Trost Recods)

spi-raling horn (2024) w/ Marilyn Crispell (Irritable Mystic Records)

Hum (2023) - (Irritable Mystic Records)

Volumes & Surfaces (2022) - (Balance Point Acoustics)

Elsa Nilsson - flutes
For the past decade, flutist, composer and band leader Elsa Nilsson has explored unlikely connections among tendencies of human nature, contradiction and pluralism and the natural world. A conceptualist from every angle, the Gothenburg native left Sweden for Seattle in 2005 before settling in Brooklyn in 2010. Her breadth of work engages urgency, high-level improvising and layered, cinematic orchestration; her artistry, an earnest and actionable desire to collaborate with multimodal artists and the changing world around her. 

Artiro O'Farrill - piano
Mexican American composer, pianist, and bandleader Arturo O'Farrill is a leading voice in contemporary music, known for seamlessly blending Afro-Latin traditions with modern jazz and original composition. His work honors deep musical roots while pushing boldly into new creative territory.

Tickets $20 in advance on-line or at the door. 
Half price for students with valid ID
SHOWS START AT 8PM, DOORS AT 7PM

THE LEVIN BROTHERS BAND

Trained in Classical music, Pete and Tony Levin were also influenced by the 1950's jazz recordings by bassist Oscar Pettiford. Both were encouraged by high school music faculty to pursue music careers. Pete went to The Juilliard School in New York City, Tony to The Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. After graduating, Tony also moved to New York City. By the 1970’s both were active in the New York City music scene.

Style-wise, Tony and Pete have had divergent careers. Their musical paths have crossed many times, backing other artists and playing in each other's bands. In the late ‘70s they toured together with Paul Simon. But other than a 1976 recording by their first group - “The Clams” - the Levin Brothers band was their first time developing a project together.

While their 2014 debut album “Levin Brothers” was rooted in ‘50s-era jazz, over the years they've added a lot of eclectic material to the band's repertoire, drawing from Classical, Pop and Prog Rock genres and adapting it to the band's jazz style.  Performances now include compositions by Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Ennio Morricone, Ralph Towner, Astor Piazzolla and Jimi Hendrix, as well as originals by Pete and Tony.

Over the last 10 years the quartet has toured the U.S. and internationally, releasing 4 more albums.  While Woodstock drummer Jeff Siegel has been with them from the beginning, the 4th member has varied over the years: saxophonist Erik Lawrence, guitarists David Spinozza and Jeff Ciampa, flautist Ali Ryerson and saxophonist Ken Gioffre.  In 2024-25 they are joined by iconic saxophonist Pat Labarbera.

TONY LEVIN

Tony has become the bass and Chapman Stick voice for Peter Gabriel, King Crimson and BEAT. He has played on notable recordings for John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Dire Straits, Carly Simon, Judy Collins, Buddy Rich, Gary Burton, Chuck Mangione, Herbie Mann and many others. He currently records and tours with Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Stick Men and BEAT.

PETE LEVIN

In the 1970s, Pete switched to keyboards, becoming a synthesizer specialist in the New York City recording studio scene. Over the years, he has graced hundreds of jazz and pop recordings and performances with artists including Gil Evans, Jimmy Giuffre, David Sanborn, Miles Davis, Joe Louis Walker, Annie Lennox, Jaco Pastorius and Wayne Shorter. He has released 19 solo albums. He currently leads the “Gil Evans Remembered” band, an 11-piece group made up of alumni of the Gil Evans Orchestra of the 1970’s.

JEFF "SEIGE" SEIGEL

Drummer/Composer/Educator Jeff Siegel is a veteran of the New York Jazz Scene.  A member of Sir Roland Hanna's Trio from 1994-99, Jeff has performed and recorded with jazz legends including Ron Carter, Kenny Burrell, Jack DeJohnette, Benny Golson, Frank Foster, Helen Merrill and Mose Allison.  For many years he was a member of legendary pianist Lee Shaw's recording and touring trio. He currently tours “The Professors” a jazz group made up of four members of the SUNY music faculty.

PAT LABARBERA

American-born Canadian jazz tenor sax player, Pat Labarbera is best known as a long-time featured soloist in Buddy Rich’s band and Elvin Jones’ quartet.  Pat comes from a musical family, sharing jazz history along with his two brothers, John (Buddy Rich) and Joe (Bill Evans, Tony Bennett).  Pat also played in groups led by Woody Herman, Louie Bellson and Carlos Santana.  Living in Toronto, Ontario since 1974, Pat has played a major role in the development of a generation of Canadian saxophonists.  Pat joined the Levin Brothers quartet in 2024, appearing with them for four shows at the Rochester International Jazz Festival.

www.thelevinbrothers.com

Doors @ 6pm | $35 advance / $40 day of show
Show @ 7:30 -10pm

tickets on sale NOW!

Bill Kirchen - the Titan of The Telecaster

Upon tallying how many decades he’s worked as a professional guitar slinger, Telecaster master Bill Kirchen quips, “Well, they don't make 50 years like they used to.” They don’t often make careers like his, either.

From performing with his Who Knows Pickers jug band in Ann Arbor High School’s senior talent show (also on the program: the future Iggy Pop), to birthing the Americana genre with the original “hippie country band,” Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, this affable Austinite has been everywhere, man, flying alongside some of the planet’s coolest cats — including the Jesus of Cool, Nick Lowe, and Lowe’s old protégé, Elvis Costello.

Kirchen has toured the world with Lowe, who produced an album by Kirchen’s post-Airmen band, the Moonlighters, and Costello recruited Kirchen for high-profile gigs like the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival — and even named his festival band after Kirchen’s Hammer of the Honky-Tonk Gods album. Lowe appears on that 2006 album, and its 2010 follow-up, Word to the Wise, along with Costello, Maria Muldaur, Dan Hicks and other luminaries.
Thursday, May 14, 2026...Doors 4pm, Music 7pm
Abilene Bar and Lounge
153 Liberty Pole Way, Rochester, NY 14604
Tickets: $30 advance, $35 day of show
Sponsored by Bop Shop Records

Joel Miller is an award-winning saxophonist and composer based in Fredericton, Canada. His compositions, improvisations, albums, and shows communicate joy, celebration, humour, and curiosity about our amazing planet.

Joel grew up with a musical family. He got his passion for jazz music from his mother and her record collection, but his bass-playing brother, Andrew, suggested the saxophone at the dinner table one evening. Andrew said to a ten-year old Joel, “You know, the instrument that Zoot on the Muppet Show plays”.

He  took up saxophone at age ten, and as a teenager studied with maritime-raised Jazz legend Don Palmer.  This launched him off to study Jazz performance at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec where he lived until 2020.  His career as a bandleader took off in 1997 when he showcased his debut CD, Find A Way, at the Montreal Jazz Festival and won the DuMaurierGrand Prix de Jazz.

Miller has performed with pianists Geoffrey Keezer (heard on his 2012 Origin album Swim),  Henry Hey & Jean-Michel Pilc; drummers Matt Wilson, Bob Moses & Brian Blade; and guitarist Ben Monder and Kurt Rosenwinkel (heard on 2005’s Mandala, on Effendi), Tuco Bouzi et le Dixie Band, Joé Armando y su groupo picante, Projecto Iré, Roberto Lopez, Sachabuché, Symphony New Brunswick, Michael Bublé and the Glen Miller Orchestra.

His dedication has been recognized with a long list of honours, including a Juno award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album (Swim) and ECMA awards for his albums Swim (2012 Origin Records), Dream Cassette (2016 Origin Records) and UNSTOPPABLE (2019 Multiple Chord Music). 

“Passionate and creative, melodic yet exploratory” -Sharonne Cohen, Downbeat Magazine

Tickets $20 in advance on-line or at the door. 
Half price for students with valid ID
SHOWS START AT 8PM, DOORS AT 7PM

Phil Haynes, tunes and drums

A concert + recording debut by 2 HORNS & WHAT? - presenting nearly 50 years of original compositions by Haynes in a spirit driven  setting with next gen saxophone whizzes Pleninger & Ragonese - a raw jazz SAXrUS 'Colossus' unearthed for us all, HEAR & NOW

Phil Haynes (b. June 15, 1961, OR) is a 25 year veteran New York based artist/author now teaching at Pennsylvania’s Bucknell University. Haynes is featured on more than 100 LP, CD and video releases by numerous American and European record labels. The international media have compared his drumming to masters Jack DeJohnette, Roy Haynes and Elvin Jones, and his compositions to Duke Ellington, Charles Ives, Charles Mingus and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. 

"The perfect middle between tradition and avant-garde, between power and sophistication, between accessibility and adventure."

~ Stef, www.freejazzblog.org

Haynes' recording credentials include many of the seminal musicians of this generation, notably saxophonists Anthony Braxton, Ellery Eskelin, and David Liebman; trumpeters Dave Douglas, Herb Robertson, and Paul Smoker; bassists Mark Dresser, Ken Filiano, and Drew Gress; pianists David Kikoski, Denman Maroney, and Michelle Rosewoman; guitarists Ben Monder, Steve Salerno, and Jim Yanda; vocalists Theo Bleckman, Nicholas Horner, and Hank Roberts; violinist Mark Feldman, and the composers collective Joint Venture.

Contemporary Haynes ensembles include: his Americana string band, Free Country, featuring vocalist/cellist Hank Roberts; Two Brass Hit, w/trumpeters Thomas Heberer, Nate Wooley, and bassist Ken Filiano; Terra with guitarist Ben Monder and saxophonist Peyton Plenninger; his new originals trio, 2 Horns & What?, as well as the romantic piano trio, Day Dream, featuring Yamaha artist Steve Rudolph and bassist Drew Gress.   

philhaynesmusic.bandcamp.com/music

www.chasingthemasters.com

Peyton Pleninger (b. April 7, 1996,  NJ) is a saxophonist, improviser, bandleader, astrologer and guerilla contractor(!), forging a personal path that challenges the boundaries of what it means to be a musician. Pleninger’s experience involves a variety of disciplines centered around music, which also includes astrology, painting and sculpture, botany, construction, massage and medical inquiry.

Pleninger worked as a mentee of artist/musician Milford Graves, from spring 2019 until Graves’ passing in early 2021, helping Graves prepare artwork and archival materials for his retrospective exhibit A Mind Body Deal at the ICA Philadelphia; Heart Harmonics: Sound, Energy and Natural Healing Phenomena at the Fridman Gallery; as well as Fundamental Frequency at Artist's Space.

Pleninger leads his group, Biotonic, which has recorded the live album alive (2019), plus 2 EPs. He has also released two solo saxophone recordings Post Human Folk Dances (2022) and Wind Music (2023). Pleninger has performed with Henry Threadgill’s "One" and "The Other One", which resulted in the recording The Other One (2023); drummer Phil Haynes’ Terra, with guitarist Ben Monder; John Benitez’ Latin-Bop; Roy Ben Yosef's Moringa; Colin Hinton’s Glassbath; Michel Maurer’s Meridian and Quinn Bachand’s Brishen, among numerous others.

www.peytonpleninger.com

Composer-arranger-saxophonist, Jonathan Ragonese is the Director of Jazz Studies and Saxophone Professor at the Wells School of Music at West Chester University. As a saxophonist he has performed and recorded with a wide array of musicians including Steve Wilson, David Liebman, Jon Faddis, The Sirius Quartet, Gideon Alorwoyie, the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, Tim Warfield, Tin Can Buddha and Steve Rudolph. 

As a composer his works have been commissioned and premiered by The New York Film Festival, saxophonist Steve Wilson, Jazz@Lincoln Center, The Museum of Modern Art, the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra, the Harrisburg Symphony, the The Righteous Girls, Bucknell University, Messiah University, West Chester University and the Harrisburg Youth Symphony. Pandora’s Box, a new film score for G.W. Pabst’s iconic film, was commissioned by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and premiered at Alice Tully Hall in October of 2017, with Jonathan conducting a 17-piece ensemble. In 2014 Ragonese premiered his ‘Not-this’ for two saxophones, at Carnegie Hall. His Concerto for Saxophone and Wind Ensemble was premiered in 2021, and in April of 2022 portions of letters from an unknown woman to an unknown people, a double concerto for Trumpet and Marimba was premiered by William Stowman and the Messiah University Symphony Orchestra. 

Active educational endeavors include lectures, writings, and the development of Music Before Words, a music program for infants with educator Renee Bock. His first recording, Ardent Marigolds, was released in 2013, a duo with musical father Steve Rudolph. He has many other recordings to his name since that time, including pale blue flowers and two men singing, with four new recordings released in the past year. 

www.jonathanragonese.com

Tickets $20 in advance on-line or at the door.
Half price for students with valid ID
SHOWS START AT 8PM, DOORS AT 7PM

From now on, we’re offering 10% off everything in the store every Sunday. Yes—everything. It’s a great chance to grab some of those rare and hard-to-find records you’ve had your eye on. Don’t miss out on this awesome ongoing opportunity!

From now on, we’re offering 10% off everything in the store every Sunday. Yes—everything. It’s a great chance to grab some of those rare and hard-to-find records you’ve had your eye on. Don’t miss out on this awesome ongoing opportunity!

Since forming in 1988, Tempest has delivered a globally-renowned hybrid of high-energy folk rock, fusing Irish reels, Scottish ballads, Norwegian influences and other world music elements. The last 30-plus years have seen the San Francisco Bay Area-based act release eighteen critically acclaimed albums, and play more than 2,500 gigs.

The current line-up of the band features all the original members, performing a variety of selections from the band's extensive repertoire, sparkling with vitality and energy.

Hailing from Oslo, Norway, founder and lead singer/electric mandolinist, Lief Sorbye, is recognized as a driving force in the modern folk-rock movement. He started Tempest after years of touring and recording on the folk circuit. He is joined by Bay Area native Rob Wullenjohn on guitar and San Diego's Ian Butler on bass. Rob and Ian rejoined the band after performing an impromptu reunion concert in Berkeley, California, that rekindled the original spirit of Tempest. Vermont-born fiddler Jon Berger first joined the band in 1993. He is now back, bringing his passion for Celtic and British Isles traditional music. Audience favorite, Cuban-born drummer Adolfo Lazo, thickens the band's sound with inventive rhythms, and rock-steady drumming. After more than three decades Adolfo has never missed a Tempest gig!

Tempest is regularly featured at prestigious festivals such as The Philadelphia Folk Festival, and has also appeared at Denmark's Skagen Festival, Britain's Cropredy Festival and The Winnipeg Folk Festival in Canada. The band is also a mainstay at countless American Celtic festivals. 

Wednesday April 15, 8pm, tickets $25

Tempest Wed Apr 15  - https://www.ticketweb.com/event/tempest-lovin-cup-tickets/13988064?pl=lovincup

Arco Belo is:

Simone Baron, piano & accordion

simone baron is an accordionist, pianist, composer, and improviser,  whose playing is known for its “gestural joie de vivre," marked by “living, breathing vitality and exquisite nuance” (Washington Post). Engaging a broad spectrum of idioms, her music “ego-less, genre agnostic and without expectations” (JazzTimes) explores dreams, somatic empathy, memory and transformation. Educated at Oberlin Conservatory and Tel Aviv University and joyfully de-educated through festivals, residencies, and performances across Europe and the Americas, simone has received grants, fellowships, and residencies from organizations including South Arts, Chamber Music America, Conserere Milan, Sacatar Foundation (Brazil), the Banff Centre, Strathmore, Hambidge, ArtOMI, Avaloch Farm, Marble House, Bloedel Reserve, and Spectrum Toronto. 2026 engagements include tours with her chamber jazz ensemble Arco Belo, DeCollage trio, a transatlantic duo with Italian clarinetist-composer Federico Calcagno, and a multimedia solo project.  Simone Baron.com

Tickets are FREE at the door.
 Half price for students with valid ID
 SHOWS START AT 8PM, DOORS AT 7PM

The trio of Kenny Wessel, Ken Filiano and Lou Grassi explores the boundaries between freedom and structure. With a keen sense of musical interplay and open ears, the group reinterprets the standard jazz repertoire (and original music) with a playful and exploring sense, discovering new musical territory with each journey. All leaders and composers in their own right, Kenny, Lou and Ken bring that sensibility into their collaboration, each player having a strong voice, but being flexible enough to follow. With their combined experience encompassing straight ahead jazz, free jazz, Indian music, dixieland, tango and classical music, these three musicians negotiate musical intersections, finding exciting and surprising tangents along the way.

Reviews   

Tickets $20 in advance on-line or at the door. 
Half price for students with valid ID
SHOWS START AT 8PM, DOORS AT 7PM

Detroit born baritone sax extraordinaire ALEX HARDING and Transylvanian expat pianist LUCIAN BAN have been at the forefront of contemporary jazz for more than two decades, collaborating and founding several groups together, releasing a handful of diverse albums for American and European labels, performing countless concerts and tours all the while documenting an amazing body of music. From their debut duet Somethin’ Holy  (Cimp 2001) to their Premonition quintet (Cimp 200), from the Tuba Project (Cimp 20065) featuring legendary Bob Stewart to Mr. Harding’s own Blutopia (Jazzaway 2006) featuring master drummer Nasheet Waits, from The Romanian – American Jazz Suite sextet led co-led with soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome, the two musicians have developed an extraordinary musical partnership. In 2003 their co-lead ensemble Lumination featuring drum legend Barry Altschul was voted BEST SHOW OF THE YEAR by All About Jazz NY Magazine among shows by Cecil Taylor, Joe Lovano and others.

https://www.lucianban.com/media/dark-blue/

Tickets $25 in advance online at bopshop.com or at the door.
 Half price for students with valid ID
 SHOWS START AT 8PM, DOORS AT 7PM

Stick Men is a powerhouse progressive rock trio featuring legendary musicians Tony
Levin, Pat Mastelotto, and Markus Reuter. With a combined experience of over 100 million
records sold worldwide, this supergroup brings unparalleled musicianship and innovation to
every performance.

Tony Levin, renowned for his work with Peter Gabriel and King Crimson, is one of the most
recorded bass players in music history. His mastery of the Chapman Stick, from which the band
takes its name, allows him to cover both bass and guitar parts simultaneously.

Pat Mastelotto, drummer extraordinaire, is known for his tenure with King Crimson and chart-
topping success with Mr. Mister. His unique setup combines acoustic drums with electronic
elements, creating a rich tapestry of rhythms and textures.

Markus Reuter rounds out the trio with his self-designed touch-style guitar, pushing the
boundaries of what's possible on a stringed instrument. His innovative approach complements
the group's progressive sound.

Stick Men's music defies easy categorization, blending elements of Art Rock, Progressive
Rock, and at times Progressive Meta. Their live shows are a testament to their improvisational
prowess, featuring extended jams that showcase each member's virtuosity. The band also pays
homage to their King Crimson roots by performing select pieces from that legendary group's
catalog.

Tickets: $40 in advance $50 at the door

Phil Haynes, tunes and drums

A concert + recording debut by 2 HORNS & WHAT? - presenting nearly 50 years of original compositions by Haynes in a spirit driven setting with two unique voices, creating a raw sound unearthed for us all, HEAR & NOW.

Phil Haynes (b. June 15, 1961, OR) is a 25 year veteran New York based artist/author now teaching at Pennsylvania’s Bucknell University. Haynes is featured on more than 100 LP, CD and video releases by numerous American and European record labels. The international media have compared his drumming to masters Jack DeJohnette, Roy Haynes and Elvin Jones, and his compositions to Duke Ellington, Charles Ives, Charles Mingus and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. 

"The perfect middle between tradition and avant-garde, between power and sophistication, between accessibility and adventure."

~ Stef, www.freejazzblog.org

Haynes' recording credentials include many of the seminal musicians of this generation, notably saxophonists Anthony Braxton, Ellery Eskelin, and David Liebman; trumpeters Dave Douglas, Herb Robertson, and Paul Smoker; bassists Mark Dresser, Ken Filiano, and Drew Gress; pianists David Kikoski, Denman Maroney, and Michelle Rosewoman; guitarists Ben Monder, Steve Salerno, and Jim Yanda; vocalists Theo Bleckman, Nicholas Horner, and Hank Roberts; violinist Mark Feldman, and the composers collective Joint Venture.

Contemporary Haynes ensembles include: his Americana string band, Free Country, featuring vocalist/cellist Hank Roberts; Two Brass Hit, w/trumpeters Thomas Heberer, Nate Wooley, and bassist Ken Filiano; Terra with guitarist Ben Monder and saxophonist Peyton Plenninger; his new originals trio, 2 Horns & What?, as well as the romantic piano trio, Day Dream, featuring Yamaha artist Steve Rudolph and bassist Drew Gress.   

philhaynesmusic.bandcamp.com/music

www.chasingthemasters.com

Nate Wooley

Hailed as making “… the most progressive campfire music ever” by The New York Times, Nate Wooley has been a quiet force in reshaping contemporary American music. Born in Clatskanie, Oregon, Wooley began playing professionally in his father’s big band at age twelve. He is now an internationally recognized performer, a leading-edge composer, and a champion of the wonderful strangeness of American experimentalism.

As a trumpet player, Wooley has been an important interpreter of experimental composition, making his premiere as a soloist with The New York Philharmonic in 2019. His For/With series has led to the commissioning, premiere, and documentation of new works for trumpet from composers such as Christian Wolff, Wadada Leo Smith, Sarah Hennies, and others. As an improviser, he has been a part of a movement to redefine the technical possibilities of the instrument. His solo performances have been described as “exquisitely hostile” by Massimo Ricci of Touching Extremes, and he has worked with such iconoclasts as Anthony Braxton, John Zorn, Evan Parker, Annea Lockwood, and Éliane Radigue.

Wooley’s compositions are evolving amalgams of improvisation, folk music, text, and immersive experiences that communicate an arc of human experience from the fragility of being alone to the ecstasy of collectivity.

https://natewooley.wordpress.com/

Peyton Pleninger (b. April 7, 1996,  NJ) is a saxophonist, improviser, bandleader, astrologer and guerilla contractor(!), forging a personal path that challenges the boundaries of what it means to be a musician. Pleninger’s experience involves a variety of disciplines centered around music, which also includes astrology, painting and sculpture, botany, construction, massage and medical inquiry.

Pleninger worked as a mentee of artist/musician Milford Graves, from spring 2019 until Graves’ passing in early 2021, helping Graves prepare artwork and archival materials for his retrospective exhibit A Mind Body Deal at the ICA Philadelphia; Heart Harmonics: Sound, Energy and Natural Healing Phenomena at the Fridman Gallery; as well as Fundamental Frequency at Artist's Space.

Pleninger leads his group, Biotonic, which has recorded the live album alive (2019), plus 2 EPs. He has also released two solo saxophone recordings Post Human Folk Dances (2022) and Wind Music (2023). Pleninger has performed with Henry Threadgill’s "One" and "The Other One", which resulted in the recording The Other One (2023); drummer Phil Haynes’ Terra, with guitarist Ben Monder; John Benitez’ Latin-Bop; Roy Ben Yosef's Moringa; Colin Hinton’s Glassbath; Michel Maurer’s Meridian and Quinn Bachand’s Brishen, among numerous others.

www.peytonpleninger.com

Tickets $20 in advance on-line or at the door.
Half price for students with valid ID
SHOWS START AT 8PM, DOORS AT 7PM

Many species use sound to communicate. Elsa Nilsson, Santiago Leibson, Marty Kenney and Rodrigo Recabarren asked themselves; what is the line that makes sound music? If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then isn’t music in the ear of the listener? As they listened to words around them they became enchanted with the subtleties in the sounds of voices. It began with Rodrigo playing rhythms along with speeches where he wanted to accentuate the meanings of what was being said. He sent Elsa Maya Angelou’s “On the Pulse Of Morning” full of rocks, rivers and trees. Elsa fell in love with the deep musicality present in every sound. She listened and heard echoes of Ornette Coleman in how Maya Angelou ended her phrases. She heard thematic development and musical build in the pitch materials. 

Together this band took the time to hear the musical communication in the sounds of Maya Angelou’s words. They play with her voice, enhancing the music that is already there and bringing to light the full depth of her sonic brilliance along with her poetic brilliance.

John Cage heard music in every sound. Groove in a tin can. Humor and art co-existing. This band takes a similar approach to communication. Intentionality does not require a plan, directionality does not imply rigidity. With the wide open space of the music ahead they stand together with their toes over the edge and jump.

Pulses - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_7RXmm9C7w

Tickets $20 in advance on-line or at the door.
Half price for students with valid ID
SHOWS START AT 8PM, DOORS AT 7PM

Born of a session in Paisley, Scotland and named for the town’s historic weaving industry and local poet laureate Robert Tannahill, the group has made an international name for its special brand of Scottish music, blending the beauty of traditional melodies with the power of modern rhythms. The Tannahill Weavers began to attract attention when founding members Roy Gullane and Phil Smillie added the full-size highland bagpipes to the on-stage presentations, the first professional Scottish folk group to do so. The combination of powerful pipe solos, Roy’s driving guitar backing and lead vocals, and Phil’s ethereal flute playing breathed new life into Scotland’s vast repertoire of traditional melodies and songs.

Over the years the Tannies have been trailblazers for Scottish music, and their tight harmonies and inventive arrangements have won them fans from beyond the folk and Celtic music scenes. In 2011 the band was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame, and in recent years released their highly acclaimed 50th Anniversary album Òrach (“Golden” in Gaelic) and were nominated for Folk Band of the Year in the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards. Roy and Phil are joined by renowned fiddler Alistair McCulloch, and piper/fiddler Iain MacGillivray, who is a fluent Gaelic speaker and also Scotland’s youngest Clan Leader.

Thursday March 12, 8 pm, tickets $35

The EASTERN BOUNDARY Quartet is a collaborative quartet featuring the Hungarian master musicians. drummer Balazs Bagyi and saxophonist Mihaly Borbely, and the long-standing bass/piano partnership of New York City bassist Joe Fonda and pianist Michael Jefry Stevens (co-leaders of the Fonda/Stevens Group and Conference Call).  Since 2007 the quartet has toured Europe and the United States numerous times.  The Quartet will be touring the Eastern United States in February/March of 2026. The group has released four CDs.

The group uses Hungarian folk rhythms and melodies in combination with Jazz harmonies and rhythms to form an original “hybrid” improvised music.

The Eastern Boundary Quartet performs original music by all members of the group. The band was formed with the imagination of connecting two worlds of the jazz scene today. This unique collaboration is a mixture of avant-garde jazz and ethno-music from Hungary, forming a cultural bridge between the USA and Eastern Europe. This bridge is made of talent, respect, brotherhood and friendship, built by the common language of jazz and improvised music.

The members...

• Balázs Bágyi

• Mihály Borbély

• Michael Jefry Stevens

• Joe Fonda

Drummer Balázs Bágyi was Born 1973 in Pécs, Hungary.  In 1998 Balazs graduated with honor at the Jazz Department of The Ferenc Liszt Music Academy in Budapest. Since then he has become a well-respected artist on international music scene including collaborations with several renowned American musicians, music for theaters, mainstream jazz, world music, and avant-garde jazz.

He is Director of the Dr. Lauschmann Jazz School and teacher of the Hang-Szín-Tér School of Arts in Szekesfehervar.  He is also the president of the board of the Hungarian Jazz Federation and a representative of the Canadian Ayotte drums in Central Europe.

Balazs has performed with William Parker, Hamid Drake and Rob Brown as part of the International Improvised Music Workshop at the Mediawave Festivals. He has also played with Eldad Tarmu, Chuck Jennings, Arthur Kell, Geoff Warren, Marcello Sebastiani and Pedro Negrescu.For more information check the following links:
http://www.balazsbagyi.com/ - Balazs Bagyi
www.mihalyborbely.hu - Mihaly Borbely 

Tickets $20 in advance on-line or at the door.
Half price for students with valid ID
SHOWS START AT 8PM, DOORS AT 7PM

The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble was formed in 1974 shortly after Sir Kahil El’Zabar graduated from Lake Forest College, with the goal “To combine concepts of African American music with its earlier roots in traditional African music, to produce new motifs and sounds true to their origins yet firmly pointed in a new artistic direction ”of enlightenment and deep listening.” Half a century later and the rich, compelling, ever-evolving sound they are known for, is still going strong. Together with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is one of the two remaining original groups active in the world today that were nurtured in the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians).

“I knew in my heart, this band would endure,” El’Zabar attests. “My concept was based in logic as it pertains to the history of Great Black Music.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOfq6F6BxSA

In other words, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble has a strong rhythmic foundation, innovative harmonics and counterpoint, well-balanced interplay and polyphony among the players for highly developed ensemble dynamics. They are strong individual soloists with an in-depth grasp of music history, originality, fearlessness and deep spirituality. Alongside multi-faceted El’Zabar, the EHE’s current line-up includes Corey Wilkes on trumpet, who has worked with numerous jazz masters, including Wynton Marsalis, Kurt Elling, and Kevin Nabors on tenor sax, who has performed with Roy Hargrove, Fred Anderson, Hamid Drake, Oliver Lake, and KRS-One. They whip up an electrifying mix of spiritual jazz and African rhythms built around fundamental brass improvisations and a swing-induced groove. The resulting trance-like fervor, transports one into a mind opening journey of spiritually enlightened deep listening.

Sir Kahil El’Zabar was Knighted by the Council General of France for his Global contributions to the Arts. He has performed with luminaries like Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball Adderley, Pharoah Sanders, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Archie Shepp, Eddie Harris, Donny Hathaway, Paul Simon, Ntozake Shange, Nona Hendryx, Neneh Cherry, Lester Bowie, Hamiet Bluiett, Malachi Favors, Billy Bang, and Gene Ammons, to name a few. Dr. El’Zabar holds a PhD from Lake Forest College in Inter-Disciplinary Arts. He taught music at the University of Nebraska/Lincoln, and University of Illinois Chicago. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the National Task Force for Arts Presenting in Education.

Corey Wilkes, one of the most sought after trumpeters in the world today, is an alumnus of the famed Berkley School of Music. He’s a former associate professor of jazz trumpet at Roosevelt U., 2008-2016. He is a current member of the world famous AACM. Mr. Wilkes had the honor of being chosen to replace the late, great Lester Bowie in the Art Ensemble of Chicago. He is currently starring in a reoccurring role in the hit TV show,”Empire”. Wilkes has played with the greats— Roy Hargrove, Dr. Lonnie Liston Smith, James Carter, Bilal, Roscoe Mitchell, and Nona Hendryx.

Alex Harding was the most sought after baritone saxophonist in New York City. In recent years, Alex has moved back to his hometown of Detroit and still is one of the busiest musicians in the world. He studied privately for many years with the legendary baritone saxophonist, Hamiet Bluiett. Alex was the band director of the Tony Award winning Broadway hit, ”Fela”. He has worked with legends such as Dollar Brand, Sun Ra, Hamiet Bluiett, James Carter, Roy Hargrove, Oliver Lake, Joe Bowie’s Defunkt, and Aretha Franklin.

Ishmael Ali is a dynamic cellist, guitarist, improviser, and composer based out of Chicago. His work centers on exploring sound through improvisation, experimentation, composition, and collaboration, focusing on a wide array of idiomatic approaches in an ever-changing, always-growing list of projects informed by diverse influences. Though varying drastically from group to group, a common thread in his work is the juxtaposition of seemingly disparate elements to create something new: both foreign and familiar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjoQZmiJgNc

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.

Please join us for a special recording event; a live and intimate live set with Finger Lakes favorites The Travis Prinzi Band!

After over 20 years of playing together, the music made by Travis Prinzi (guitar, vocals), Brad Prinzi (bass, vocals), and Abbey Gebel (fiddle) will keep people around the pub, listening and even dancing.

Tickets are $20 at the door, or online. Doors open at 7pm, and recording will begin at 8pm.

All ticket sales are reinvested into this this recording project.

Doors open at 7pm, and recording will begin at 8pm.

FREE FOR:
Students with valid ID!

For more than 20 years, guitarist Christine Tassan has led her boat with brio, aplomb and an absolutely contagious dynamism. One of the rare female jazz guitarist and gypsy jazz soloists, also singer, composer, author, director and producer, she takes part in numerous musical projects in Quebec and on the international scene, both as a leader and as a guest musician.

In 2003, she founded her gypsy jazz and swing songs group, Christine Tassan et les Imposteures, which was immediately successful and became a must of the gypsy jazz scene. Unique in its kind, this feminine ensemble performed in more than 600 festivals and venues in Quebec, Canada, Europe, United States and China.

This new show On the Road revisits twenty years of adventures and tours, taking you from the Great Wall of China to Stanley Park in Vancouver, from snow-covered Rockies to the charming Samois-sur-Seine of Django Reinhardt. A captivating musical journey through magnificent landscapes and delightful anecdotes!  

Christine Tassan et les Imposteures Website

• Christine Tassan on Facebook

• Christine Tassan YouTube Channel

  • videos  https://youtu.be/Ga3cSObQA70?si=K7uQG6zduSV26br- : https://youtu.be/32xOb_Ta_YI?si=sbaMoUDYoY__WX-Z

  • another good Video

• Tickets are $20 in advance or at the door.
  Doors at 6:30 show begins at 7:30pm

PRESENTED BY LOVIN’ CUP & BOP SHOP RECORDS

Albert Lee “Lay It Down” album release tour.

Albert Lee has played with everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis to Eric Clapton, to Emmylou Harris.  He was a member of The Crickets in the post-Buddy Holly era, and forged an impressive solo career along the way.

Albert is out on the road this summer with a new album, “Lay It Down” recorded at the legendary Konk Studios in London.

From Mark Knopfler’s blistering Setting Me Up to Jimmy Webb’s soaring piano ballad Too Young To Die, to The Everly Brothers’ storming hit The Price Of Love, Albert’s latest album sees his triumphant return to the studio, recording live, as one of the greatest guitarists ever.

Don’t miss the man known as “Mr. Telecaster,” one of the legendary guitarists of rock and roll, rockabilly and country music.

“The ultimate virtuoso. His skill is extraordinary, his ear is extraordinary and he’s gifted on just about every level.” – Eric Clapton

“When Saint Peter asks me to chronicle my time down here on earth, I’ll be able to say – with pride if that’s allowed – that for a while I played rhythm guitar in a band with Albert Lee.” – Emmylou Harris

“To hear Albert Lee play guitar is a joy I’ve never experience with any other musician.”- Dave Edmunds

Links: https://albertleeofficial.com/

New Album – Lay It Down – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mwj_eim4Y3OERtH4FAq9clJXo-hcf73UU

The Cryers open the show at 7pm.

Doors @ 6:00pm | $35 ADV / $40 DOS
Show @ 7:00-9:30pm

The musical evolution of Old Blind Dogs began in Aberdeen in 1992 with roots that grew from the eclectic music scene that flourished in the Granite City during the early 90s. Four musicians from very different musical backgrounds came together to create a full-time professional touring band with the aim of showcasing the rich tradition of songs and tunes of the northeast of Scotland on an international stage.

​Like many of the early flag-bearing Scottish folk bands, the Old Blind Dogs lineup has faced inevitable changes over the years, but the core values at the band's musical heart continue to beat strong. The current band lineup has been settled for several years now and consists of some of Scotland's finest traditional musicians at the top of their game. Founding member Jonny Hardie (fiddle/vocals) is joined by Aaron Jones (cittern/guitar/vocals), Donald Hay (percussion/vocals), and Mike Katz (pipes/whistles); they collectively make up one of the hottest live tickets on the traditional Scottish music scene today.

$35 in advance or at the door

Tickets: https://www.ticketweb.com/event/old-blind-dogs-lovin-cup-tickets/14648803?pl=lovincup

The musical evolution of Old Blind Dogs began in Aberdeen in 1992 with roots that grew from the eclectic music scene that flourished in the Granite City during the early 90s. Four musicians from very different musical backgrounds came together to create a full-time professional touring band with the aim of showcasing the rich tradition of songs and tunes of the northeast of Scotland on an international stage.

​Like many of the early flag-bearing Scottish folk bands, the Old Blind Dogs lineup has faced inevitable changes over the years, but the core values at the band's musical heart continue to beat strong. The current band lineup has been settled for several years now and consists of some of Scotland's finest traditional musicians at the top of their game. Founding member Jonny Hardie (fiddle/vocals) is joined by Aaron Jones (cittern/guitar/vocals), Donald Hay (percussion/vocals), and Mike Katz (pipes/whistles); they collectively make up one of the hottest live tickets on the traditional Scottish music scene today.

$35 in advance or at the door

Tickets: https://www.ticketweb.com/event/old-blind-dogs-lovin-cup-tickets/14648753?pl=lovincup

Please join us for a special recording event; a live and intimate live set with bluesman and finger-pickin' maestro Raedwald Howland-Bolton!

Whether it's Piedmont blues, Delta blues, rag time, Travis picking, or old time music, Raedwald Howland-Bolton delivers incredible interpretation, virtuosity, and authenticity. Rad pairs that picking with a gritty and impeccable voice, with phrasing all his own, for a magical combination.

presented by: Stereo Field Recordings and Bop Shop Records

Tickets are $20 at the door, or online.

All ticket sales are reinvested into this this recording project.

FREE FOR: Students with valid ID!

Doors open at 7pm, and recording will begin at 8pm.

John Viviani & Friends plays the music of Vince Guaraldi:

 A guitar player arranging a tribute to pianist Vince Guaraldi (of Peanuts fame) may seem like an odd occurrence, but Viviani holds a deep reverence for the instantly recognizable melodies and playful swinging style of the late Guaraldi. Viv has put together a talented group of players to perform the beautiful Guaraldi tunes that many have known since childhood. This show will feature Jon Stevens on drums, Michael Edwards on Sax, Flute, and violin, Sheldon Tripi on bass, and Gregg Dougherty-Herman on piano. 

Viv is a veteran in the Rochester music scene leading original bands Filthy Funk, Blue Falcon, and the Able Bodies over the years, while also playing in successful party band Shine. He's a longtime guitar instructor and has worked and co-written music with notable Rochester musicians such as Danielle Ponder, Eli Flynn, Jimmie Highsmith and many others. He lives with his family in Brighton, NY. 

Tickets are $20 in advance or at the door.
Doors at 7, show begins at 8pm

BILL KIRCHEN’S HONKY TONK HOLIDAY TOUR is cancelled.

Unfortunately, Bill has to cancel this tour. He was, as always, really looking forward to being in Rochester. If you bought tickets for Monday’s show, refunds are being taken care of by Lovin’ Cup.

Look for the possibility of a show this summer at Abilene as Bill’s touring resumes.

Thanks for your understanding, and happy holidays.

Tom

New Orleans trombonist and composer Mark McGrain (originally from Rochester) joins forces with Western New York jazz stalwarts Mike Kaupa (trumpet), Dave Arenius (bass), and Rob Varon (guitar) to form the NOROC (New Orleans/Rochester) quartet. NOROC performs original compositions and improvisations.

Mark McGrain is a New Orleans based trombonist, composer, and educator. He is the leader of the critically acclaimed trio Plunge and a busy instrumentalist and arranger for many New Orleans artists, including backing singer John Boutté (since 2006) and frequently in duo with pianist Matt Lemmler. Formerly on the faculty of Berklee College of Music, Mr. McGrain is the author of the text book Music Notation (Hal Leonard pub.)

Tickets are $20 at the door, or online.

Half price for students with valid ID!

Doors open at 7pm, and concert will begin at 8pm.

Dan Bruce is a recent transplant to Ohio after spending a decade as an important member of Chicago’s jazz community. He is active throughout the Midwest and nationally as a performer, recording artist, composer and educator. He has performed on more than twenty albums as a sideman, and is releasing his second album as a leader this summer. As a performer and recording artist, Bruce has had the opportunity to work with a number of eminent musicians including Seamus Blake, Ali Jackson, Dan Wall, Lynn Seaton, and The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra.
"...without a doubt one of the finest of today's young jazz guitarists. He plays with great creativity, soul, and intelligence." -William Piburn, Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine.

Tickets are $20 at the door, or online.
Half price for Students with valid ID
Doors open at 7pm, and recording will begin at 8pm.