If anyone feels like the nine days of this year's Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival went by in a blur, you're not alone. According to XRIJF organizers, more than 208,000 people followed the music downtown across this year's run. But if you missed it, the festival will be back for an 18th edition on June 21-29, 2019.

CITY music writers Ron Netsky, Frank De Blase, and Daniel J. Kushner were out every night of the festival, and all said and done, reviewed around 80 acts. You can check out all of that coverage right here.

After a much-needed Sunday recuperating, Ron, Frank, and Daniel had a few parting thoughts about the 2018 Jazz Festival.

What did you think of this year's festival? Join the conversation in the comments below.

Ron Netsky

After 17 years, the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival continues to be a fantastic showcase for all kinds of music and a great event for Rochester. One night, as I sat with 800 others in the Temple Building Theater, I thought, right now there are another 1,000 people at Anthology, hundreds more at the Harro East Ballroom, and more at the churches, Kilbourn, Hatch, Max, Montage, Xerox Auditorium, etc., not to mention thousands at Kodak Theater, the Big Tent, and all of the outdoor shows. Tens of thousands of people swarming downtown Rochester.

Derrick Lucas of Jazz 90.1 lamented that it's like Brigadoon; it's here for nine days and then it's gone. If only it could be like this all year, he said. We've got a similar situation during the Rochester Fringe Festival in the fall, but for most of the year, downtown is far from thriving. I know we don't have the critical mass of Manhattan to make downtown lively every night, but these events show us what's possible. As the downtown revival continues, let's hope the planning involves lots of theaters, nightclubs, galleries, and restaurants, making downtown Rochester alluring all year long.

As for my favorites of the 2018 XRIJF: Early in the festival it was a joy to hear Sigurdur Flosason at the Lutheran Church, expressing his feelings about his native Iceland through his saxophone. A few nights later Lucia Cadotsch "Speak Low" rocked the same stage, singing gorgeously while her saxophonist and bassist played the most wonderfully wild accompaniment I've ever witnessed. Hometown hero Joe Locke whirlwinded over his vibraphone at Kilbourn Hall with a great band and superb special guests. And Jazzmeia Horn reinvigorated vocal jazz with four octaves of power at the Temple Building Theater.

Frank De Blase

The editors asked me to wrap up our Jazz Fest coverage with my likes, my dislikes, and my suggestions. I don't want to appear to be a Monday morning quarterback, but I've got a few likes, dislikes, and, whatever they're worth, some suggestions ... or one suggestion, actually.

Likes: The whole vibe and excitement of the hardcore jazz fans mixed in with those wide-eyed newbies who couldn't tell Dexter Gordon from Flash Gordon. Between each faction lies the reality of jazz. The air around and the space between the notes: That's where the jazz lives.

Dislikes: I really don't have any to speak of, except for VickiKristinaBarcelona's take on Tom Waits.

Suggestions: Yes, nine days is enough for a festival, and I don't want to make work for the producers, but I would love to see a series of XRIJF-presented events throughout the year. Just sayin'.

Daniel J. Kushner

The most incredible thing about the annual Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival is getting to hear so many artists live for the first time, in one place. Here are the 2018 acts that threw me in the best possible way:

No other band was more musically alluring than Phony Ppl, with its kaleidoscopic blend of pop, R&B, soul, and hip-hop. Elbie Three's vocals were slick and versatile, Bari Bass brought the low end with unrivaled swagger, and Elijah Rawk's supercharged guitar chops singularly upped the energy.

The Dustbowl Revival was undoubtedly my biggest surprise of the festival. It was downright stupefying how frontman Zach Lupetin and his cohort shifted from soul to Americana, from classic rock 'n' roll to swing so seamlessly — often within the same song. This eight-piece juggernaut feels like the next big thing.

Moon Hooch was so much fun to experience live, I went to hear them play the same set twice. The trio turned the festival into a wild dance party without warning, and they let loose with the heavy beats and soul-jarring squawks that left me clamoring for more.