| Music Festival Name: | CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival Presented by M&T Bank |
| Years Active: | 2002-Present |
| Dates: | June |
| Website: | Official website |
Established in 2002, the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival Presented by M&T Bank 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, Lutheran Church of the Reformation, Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, Max of Eastman Place, Montage Music Hall, The Auditorium at Broad and Chestnut, Wilder Room, The Little Theatre, Bethel Christian Fellowship, 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 almost $500,000 in scholarships since 2002 to 40 students to attend the Eastman School of Music.
In 2008, attendance was estimated at a record 125,000 for the nearly 250 concerts presented.[1]
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.[2]
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.[3]
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.[4] M&T Bank is the presenting sponsor.
| Year | Days | Headliners | No. of shows | No. of venues | Est. attendance | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 7 | 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 | 14 | 30,000 | ||||
| 2004 | 9 | 55,000 | First year that Gibbs Street was renamed "Jazz Street"; first year for the RIJF Big Tent | ||||
| 2005 | 9 | 65,000 | |||||
| 2006 | 9 | 80,000 | First year club passes sold out | ||||
| 2007 | 9 | 200+ | 18 | 120,000 | First year for Nordic Jazz Now | ||
| 2008 | 9 | 125,000 | Jake Shimabukuro, Carolyn Wonderland, and Catherine Russell also appeared | ||||
| 2009 | 9 | 225 | 133,000 | First year with Xerox as title sponsor | |||
| 2010 | 9 | 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 | 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 | > 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 | 280 | 19 | 195,000 | Trombone Shorty again closes the festival with a free concert | ||
| 2014 | 9 | 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 | > 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, | ||
| 2016 | 9 | 325 | 18 | 205,000 | Trombone Shorty again closes the festival with a free concert | ||
| 2017 | 9 | TBD | TBD | TBD | |||
| 2018 | 9 | 300+ | 20 | 208,000 | |||
| 2019 | 9 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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. |
The 2009 lineup of major performances was announced on March 24, 2009.[5]
The following headlining acts all played ticketed shows at Eastman Theatre
A blog covering the RIJF and live jazz in and around Rochester, New York.