The Rochester International Jazz Festival is a music festival held in June each year in Rochester, New York. The nine-day festival is held at multiple venues throughout downtown Rochester's East End cultural and entertainment district, including Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre and Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music - 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.
In 2008, attendance was estimated at a record 125,000 for the nearly 250 concerts presented.
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.
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.
In 2012, the 11th Edition hit another attendance record of 187,000, a record number of headliner sell-outs and the addition of a new venue, Hatch Recital Hall. 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 title sponsor as of July 2018, succeeding Xerox, which was the title sponsor for 10 years from 2009 through 2018. M&T Bank is the presenting sponsor. In 2024 Rochester Regional Health (RRH) succeeded CGI and became the festival's title sponsor. https://rochesterjazz.com/history/ Festival history
Year Days Headliners No. of shows No. of venues Est. attendance Notes 2002 7 Aretha FranklinAverage White BandThe Blues Brothers BandDr. JohnNorah JonesThe RippingtonsSonny Rollins 50 14 15,000 2003 10 Tony BennettGeorge BensonDave BrubeckAl JarreauSpyro Gyra 14 30,000 2004 9 Yolanda AdamsStanley ClarkeAl Di MeolaBobby McFerrinMarian McPartlandOscar PetersonJean-Luc PontyDavid Sanborn 55,000 2005 9 The Bad PlusChris Botti & Madeleine PeyrouxDave BrubeckChick CoreaSonny Rollins 65,000 2006 9 Woody AllenJames BrownEtta James 80,000 2007 9 Dave Brubeck QuartetDr. John and Madeleine PeyrouxJerry Lee LewisWynton Marsalis & Lincoln Center Jazz OrchestraRaul Midon and "King" Solomon BurkeJean-Luc Ponty, Trio Beyond 200+ 18 120,000 2008 9 Al GreenMedeski Martin & WoodBoz Scaggs 125,000 2009 9 Dave BrubeckMichael McDonaldSmokey RobinsonJake Shimabukuro & Carolyn WonderlandSusan Tedeschi & Taj Mahal 225 133,000 2010 9 Jeff BeckHerbie HancockKeb' Mo'Gladys KnightJohn PizzarelliBernie Williams 250 15 162,000 2011 9 Chris BottiNatalie ColeElvis CostelloThe Fab FauxBéla Fleck and the Flecktonesk.d. lang 285 18 182,000 2012 9 Daryl Hall with Keb' Mo'Norah JonesDiana KrallSteve Martin & the Steep Canyon RangersEsperanza SpaldingZappa Plays Zappa > 300 19 187,000 2013 9 David Byrne & St. VincentPeter Frampton with Robert CrayRoger HodgsonBob James & David Sanborn with Steve GaddWillie Nelson and FamilyPink Martini 280 19 195,000 2014 9 Earth, Wind & FireFourplayBuddy GuySteve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers ft. Edie BrickellMichael McDonaldJanelle Monáe 322 20 196,000 2015 9 Herb Alpert and Lani HallGary Clark, Jr., with Beth HartSteve Gadd Band with special surprise guestJennifer HudsonDiana KrallSteep Canyon RangersTedeschi Trucks Bandwith Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kingsand Doyle Bramhall > 325 19 TBA 2016 9 Gregg AllmanErykah BaduChris BottiChick Corea "Trilogy" Trio with Joey AlexanderBruce Hornsby & The NoisemakersGrace Potter 325 18 205,000 2017 9 Sheryl CrowKing CrimsonMaceo Parkerand the Ray Charles Orchestra ft. The RaelettesPostmodern JukeboxMavis StaplesJoss StoneMonty Alexander TBA TBA TBA 2018 9 Béla Fleck and the FlecktonesAlison KraussLake Street DiveSealBoz ScaggsJill Scott 300+ 20 208,000 2019 9 George BensonMarc Cohn w/ The Blind Boys of AlabamaSteve GaddJeff Goldblum & the Mildred Snitzer OrchestraPatti LaBelleSteve Miller Band 320+ 20 TBA 2020 9 Garth Fagan DancePuss n Bootsft. Sasha Dobson, Norah Jones, Catherine PopperNile Rogers & ChicSpyro GyraTrombone Shorty & Orleans AvenueWynonna & the Big Noise w/ Country Tribute Celebration 0 0 0 2021 9 0 0 0 2022 9 Devon Allman Projectw/ Dirty Dozen Brass Band & Samantha FishThe Bacon BrothersChris BottiSheila E.Tommy EmmanuelG Love & Special SauceDrew Holcomb and the NeighborsNew Power GenerationSpyro GyraBooker T Presents: A Soul Stax RevueRobin Thicke 325 20 210,000 2023 9 Keb' Mo'Pat MethenyBonnie Raitt 300 19 211,000 2024 9 Samara JoyLaufeyTaj MahalJohn OatesLee Ritenour Band with Randy Brecker & Bill Evans 326 20 > 200,000 2025 9 Rickie Lee JonesWynton Marsalis & the Jazz at Lincoln Center OrchestraSmokey RobinsonThundercatThe Wood Brothers TBA TBA TBD 2026 9 Chris BottiCount Basie OrchestraGladys Knight 300+ 19 211,000
Past performers
Woody Allen and his New Orleans Jazz Band Tony Bennett Ravi Coltrane Chaka Khan Al Jarreau The Respect Sextet Chris Botti Bobby McFerrin & Jack DeJohnette Bill Frisell Al (Roomful of Blues) Copley Sonny Rollins Chick Corea Hilton Ruiz Madeleine Peyroux Steve Turre Strunz & Farah Aretha Franklin Charles Ellison Quartet Sonny Rollins Dr. John Dave Brubeck George Benson Stephane Wrembel Norah Jones The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band led by Jon Faddis John Hammond Willem Breuker Michael Moore Harold Danko Dave Pietro & Banda Brazil Wallace Roney Paul Smoker Juana Molina Derek Trucks Gap Mangione Harry Allen Lew Tabackin Paula West Quartet Joe LaBarbera Jonas Kullhammar Quartet autorickshaw Raul Midón Wycliffe Gordon The Shuffle Demons Marian McPartland Dave Mancini Quartet David Sanborn Oscar Peterson James Brown Das Contras Phil Woods McCoy Tyner Toots Thielemans Wayne Shorter Susan Tedeschi Etta James Little Feat Soulive Dickey Betts Dianne Reeves Slide Hampton Medeski Martin and Wood
References
External links Rochester International Jazz Festival Official Website Jazz@Rochester: A blog covering the RIJF and live jazz in and around Rochester, New York.