Tickets & Venues
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre Series
Headliner shows are held in the Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre (60 Gibbs Street). These are ticketed shows; a Club Pass doesn't work here. Tickets, which range from $40 to $105 (plus service charges), are available through the Jazz Festival website (rochesterjazz.com) or by calling 585-454-2060.
Club Pass Series
A Club Pass is your ticket to the Club Series: you can go to as many concerts as you'd like at 12 smaller clubs and venues (listed below). This year, the Jazz Festival has introduced a new three-day Club Pass, which allows access to concerts on any three days of your choice during the festival. Three-day passes are $154, plus service charges. The full nine-day Club Pass costs $204, plus service charges, and almost always sell out in advance of the festival. If you don't have one, you can still buy tickets ($30-$35) to the individual Club Pass concerts at the door, if space is available. Be advised that Club Pass shows tend to sell out on a first-come, first-served basis; even if you have a Pass, you should get there early.
The Jazz Festival this year is also testing a new line system at Kilbourn Hall and Max of Eastman Place. Starting two hours before Kilbourn Hall's 6 p.m. show and Max of Eastman Place's 6:15 p.m. performance, Club Pass holders and those paying in cash at the door can line up for color-coded wristbands that will specify return times for the show. Patrons can then leave, wander the festival, and come back at their designated time to enter the venue. You must be present in line to receive a wristband. And seating is still first-come, first-served.
Club Pass venues:
Christ Church 141 East Avenue (Made in the UK Series)
Harro East Ballroom 155 North Chestnut Street
Hatch Recital Hall at Eastman School of Music 433 East Main Street
Kilbourn Hall at Eastman School of Music 26 Gibbs Street
Little Theatre 240 East Avenue
Lutheran Church of the Reformation 111 North Chestnut Street (Nordic Jazz Now Series)
Max of Eastman Place 25 Gibbs Street
Montage Music Hall 50 Chestnut Plaza
The Rochester Club Ballroom 120 East Avenue (Oh Canada! Series)
Squeezers Stage at Anthology 336 East Avenue, entrance on Lawrence Street
Rochester Regional Health Big Tent Corner of Main and Gibbs streets
Xerox Auditorium at Xerox Plaza 100 South Clinton Avenue, entrance on Broad Street
Free venues:
Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (115 South Avenue) Free shows June 27-July 1
City of Rochester Jazz Street Stage (Gibbs Street at East Avenue) Free music daily
City of Rochester East Avenue & Chestnut Street Stage Free shows June 24-25, July 1-2
Rochester Regional Health Big Tent (corner of Main Street and Gibbs) Free shows daily at 6 p.m.
City of Rochester Midtown Stage (corner of East Main Street and Andrew Langston Way) Free shows July 2
Avangrid Foundation / RG&E Fusion Stage (corner of East Ave. & Chestnut St.) Free shows June 26-30
Holiday Inn Rochester Downtown (70 State Street) Free jam sessions nightly at 10:30 p.m.
Parking
Parking for all East End venues can be found in the East End parking garage at the corner of Scio Street and East Avenue. Additional parking can be found in the Washington Square Garage (111 Woodbury Boulevard) and the NYSUT & Isaac Heating lots (30 North Union Street). Daily parking at each of these locations costs $7 per car. Also be on the lookout for street parking or spots in surface lots throughout the neighborhood. Parking for jam sessions at the Holiday Inn can be found at the Sister Cities Garage (28 North Fitzhugh Street, $2 per hour up to $10 max, weekends free). For further details and specific street closings, visit XRIJF's website (rochesterjazz.com).
Additional Information
The Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival's official website is rochesterjazz.com. You can also visit the Jazz Ticket Shop & Info Center on the corner of East Avenue and Gibbs Street, open daily during the festival, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. The XRIJF also has a mobile app for both Apple and Android phones. It includes a full schedule, venue and artist lists, maps, and an option to buy tickets online. Find the download button on the Jazz Fest website's homepage.
Be on the lookout for other venues in the area hosting their own mini-festivals during the Jazz Fest. While they are not affiliated in any way with the XRIJF, Abilene Bar and Lounge (153 Liberty Pole Way), Bernunzio Uptown Music (122 East Avenue), Downstairs Cabaret Theatre (20 Windsor Street), and Victoire (120 East Avenue) will have performances June 24 through July 2. City will post more information online to our Jazz Blog about those series as it becomes available.
For additional Jazz Fest info, check out rochestercitynewspaper.com to get the online version of this guide, plus our daily Jazz Blog. City's critics will offer up their reviews of the previous night's concerts, and you can post your own thoughts in the comments section. We'll also be posting photos, videos, and more. New blogs will be up by 7 a.m. each morning of the festival. We'll also post updates on our Facebook page (facebook.com/CityNewspaper) and on Twitter (@roccitynews).
