Carnival of Soul

With a blast of Trombone Shorty’s horn, the Rochester International Jazz Festival roared to a satisfying close Saturday night.

Responding to a final day of gorgeous weather over its nine days, the fest drew an estimated 208,000 people, pretty much matching last year’s total. 

This was only the second time in its 18-year history that the fest escaped rain. The only other time that happened was in 2007. So the gods were with us. “I made a few phone calls,” festival co-producer John Nugent said.

The alchemy began with the opening salvos of Acoustic Alchemy and its powerful performance. The band made wide-sweeping strokes across the canvas. Just when you thought they were going to break free stylistically, they’d pitch an elegant U-turn back to their roots and the thrill at hand. 

Steve Miller Band, along with Suitcase Junket, and Matthew Whitaker were some of the performers that dazzled the crowds on the final Friday of the 2019 CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival. Relive some of Friday night with photos from WXXI photographer Fred SanFilipo in our Flickr album.