Akiko Tsuruga Quartet When the Lou Donaldson Quartet played the XRIJF a few years ago, the audience couldn't help but notice a second star on the stage. Behind the B-3 organ playing one great solo after another was Osaka, Japan, native Akiko Tsuruga. While in Japan she honed her skills with Roy Hargrove, Grady Tate, and others. After moving to the U.S., she studied with Dr. Lonnie Smith and quickly became a fixture on the New York jazz scene. (RN) akikotsuruga.com/en
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy See feature on page X. bbvd.com
Don Thompson Toronto's Don Thompson is a virtuoso piano player. That is, when he's not playing the vibraphone. Did I mention that Thompson played bass for several years with Jim Hall and for five years with George Shearing in the 1970's and 1980's? No matter what instrument he decides to play, Thompson swings with the best. (RN) canadajazz.net/2013/01/21/don-thompson
Gap Mangione For more than 50 years, Gap Mangione has been a staple of the Rochester scene. With Gap on piano and his brother, Chuck, on trumpet, The Jazz Brothers recorded their first album in 1960, kicking off fulfilling, robust careers for both. Whether as a soloist or with his big band, Gap continues to pour love into his craft any chance he can. (JC) gapmangione.com
Gem City Dayton, Ohio, rock band Gem City overflows with charisma. The eight-piece rock band's high-energy mix of funk, jazz, and brass has already landed the group opening gigs for The Werks, Joe Pug, and Lupe Fiasco. (JC) gemcityhorns.com
Holophonor The seven members — including Rochester-born trumpeter Mike Cottone — of Holophonor came together in 2012 at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA. The group is the perfect blend of improvisational freedom and accessibility. Jazz fans don't sweat it, Holophonor still gets up and out there. (FD) holophonormusic.com
Janelle Monae Thought-provoking concept art is the driving force behind pop-soul singer Janelle Monae's career. It's seen not just in her music — her albums and EP's fit into a larger seven-part series called "Metropolis" — but also in Monae's clothing style, innovative staging, and public image. Behind those swinging electric, retro-meets-future R&B tunes is an artist in full control of her vision. (JC) jmonae.com
Joel Miller Quartet There's no doubt that Montreal-based saxophonist Joel Miller is a muscular, hard-bop tenor player of the highest order. But it may be his inventive and infectious compositions that set his music apart. Miller's quartet features the equally formidable Geoffrey Keezer on piano; Fraser Hollins, bass; and Greg Richie, drums. (RN) joelmillermusic.com
Lorraine Klaasen Group Emerging from Soweto and following in the footsteps of her mother, South African legend Thandie Klaasen, and the great Miriam Makeba, Lorraine Klaasen has taken her infectious brand of African township music to festivals around the world. In 2013 she won Canada's Juno award for World Music Album of the Year. (RN) lorraineklaasen.com
Mingo Fishtrap Folks can get touchy when it comes to their soul and R&B. If you stray too far from it, you lose them. If you adhere to tradition too hard, they're gone. However, if you get funky and do it right, they'll flock to you. Join the flock as this Texas band gets up and gets down. (FD) mingofishtrap.com
Nikki Hill Hyperbole aside, St. Louis-based soul shouter Nikki Hill is one of the best roots-rock singers I have ever seen. At 28 years old, Hill is stiletto sharp and bouffant cool — flamier than Little Richard (or perhaps more appropriately, Esquerita), raunchier than Sharon Jones, more straight-ahead than Rachel Nagy of The Detroit Cobras. I rate her up there with Wanda Jackson, Barbara Pittman, Etta James, and Ruth Brown. Have mercy. (FD) nikkihillmusic.com
Partisans If the name Partisans suggests resistance, guitarist Phil Robson, saxophonist and bass clarinetist Julian Siegel, drummer Gene Calderazzo and bassist Thaddeus Kelly are clearly taking a stand against complacent jazz. With the double-barrel attack of Robson and Siegel and the driving force of Kelly and Calderazzo, Partisans' sound is a ferocious departure from the traditional side of the music. (RN) partisans.org.uk
Prime Time Brass Since it formed in 2005, Prime Time Brass has been everywhere from New Orleans to New York. The collection of drum and bugle corps all-stars boosts its repertoire with some of the staples of big band, jazz, and pop, like "Mack the Knife," "New York New York," and the "Mardi Gras Mambo." (JC) primetimebrass.com
Rob Mostert Hammond Group Considered one of the best Hammond B3 musicians in The Netherlands, Rob Mostert leads his nine-piece band through tantalizing soul and jazz with a little bit of funk thrown in to kick it up. (JC) robmosterthammondgroup.com
Roberta Gambarini Singer Roberta Gambarini's parents met at a jazz concert, so it isn't much of a stretch that she would get her start singing around jazz clubs in Northern Italy. Gambarini released her first album, the Grammy-nominated "Easy to Love," in 2006 and quick followed it with "You are There," a collaboration with legendary pianist Hank Jones. (JC) myspace.com/robertagambarini
Roy Hargrove Discovered by Wynton Marsalis while in high school, Roy Hargrove was invited to sit in with Marsalis' band. After working as a sideman with greats like Sonny Rollins and Jackie McLean, Hargrove has made a name for himself both in straight-ahead jazz and, with his R-H Factor, in more of a hip-hop mode. (RN) vervemusicgroup.com/royhargrove
Sun Trio The Sun Trio takes its name from the most powerful force in our solar system, so it's no surprise that these three musicians radiate energy. Consisting of Jorma Kalevi Louhivuori on trumpet, vocals, and electronics; Antti Lötjönen on bass: and Olavi Louhivuori on drums, the Sun Trio has shined on stages far beyond the band's home in Finland. (RN) suntrio.fi
Two Siberians Founded in 1995, Two Siberians is two Siberians who play electric guitar and electric violin. The duo composed a ballet and music for Russian television and wound up in the US after they mistook an American producer's compliment as an invitation. Two Siberians — called White Fort in mother Russia — plays elegantly with an effects-laden curiosity. The approach is earthy, and the sound is beautifully yonder. (FD) twosiberians.com
XRIJF Nightly Jazz Session with The Bob Sneider Trio After all the shows are finished, the out-of-town musicians head back to the Rochester Plaza Hotel. But they don't go to their rooms. Lured by the sound of a world-class combo, many head for the State Street Bar & Grill where the Bob Sneider Trio holds down the after-hours jam session. Sneider is a monster guitarist who has superb support from Mike Melito (drums) and Phil Flanigan (bass). And while the evening might start with student players joining them on stage, the kids step aside for the heavyweights as the session progresses. Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, Chris Potter, Eric Alexander, and too many more jazz stars to mention have sat in with the band. (RN) myspace.com/bobsneidermusic
