First Two Headliners Announced for 21st Edition! Samara Joy & Lee Ritenour
Tickets on Sale Friday December 8th at 10 AM
Rochester, NY—December 5, 2023—CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival producers Marc Iacona and John Nugent today announced the first two headliners for the nine-day 21st Edition Festival, June 21 to 29, 2024.
Tickets for both shows go on sale this Friday, December 8th at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time only at rochesterjazz.com or by phone at (585) 454-2060.
2023 GRAMMY-winning Artist of the Year, Samara Joy, who performed in sold-out shows at RIJF in 2022 and 2023 in the Club Pass Series, returns in 2024 as a headliner on Friday, June 28 at 8 p.m. at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 26 Gibbs Street, Rochester. Tickets are $83/$73/$53/$33 plus service charge.
Jazz guitar legend, Lee Ritenour makes his debut performance at RIJF on Saturday, June 22, with his band and special guests Randy Brecker and Bill Evans. The concert is at 8 p.m. at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 26 Gibbs Street, Rochester. Tickets are $83/$73/$53/$33 plus service charge.
For artist high-resolution images, visit rochesterjazz.com/artist_images.
GRAMMY WINNING "ARTIST OF THE YEAR" 2023!
SAMARA JOY
With her GRAMMY-Award winning and chart-topping album, Linger Awhile, 23-year-old Samara Joy makes her case to join the likes of Sarah, Ella, and Billie as the next mononymous jazz singing sensation recorded by the venerable Verve Records. Her voice, rich and velvety yet precociously refined, has already earned her fans like Anita Baker and Regina King and appearances on the TODAY Show, The Tonight Show w/Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show w/Stephen Colbert, CBS Mornings, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and more, in addition to millions of likes on TikTok — cementing her status as perhaps the first Gen Z jazz singing star. The New York Times praised the “silky-voiced rising star” for “helping jazz take a youthful turn” while NPR All Things Considered named her a “classic jazz singer from a new generation.” In February 2023, Samara Joy took home two GRAMMYs - Best Jazz Vocal Album and the auspicious Best New Artist award. Read more
JAZZ GUITAR LEGEND!
LEE RITENOUR BAND
+ Special Guests Randy Brecker & Bill Evans
For Lee Ritenour, there aren’t many ‘firsts’ left to achieve. During his dazzling five-decade career, the fabled LA guitarist has taken his music to the outer limits, alighting on every genre and occupying every position in the rock ‘n’ roll firmament. He’s been an enfant terrible of ’70s fusion, a crossover star of the ’80s pop chart, an honorary exponent of Brazilian jazz, and the fingers behind ’90s supergroup, Fourplay. Ritenour’s accolades include 45 albums,16 Grammy nominations, Alumnus of the Year at USC, Los Angeles’ Jazz Society Honoree (2019), plus thousands of sessions with legends such as Frank Sinatra, Pink Floyd, B.B. King, and Tony Bennett, among others. Read more
Club Passes On Sale Now at Lowest Prices
Order at rochesterjazz.com or call (585) 454-2060
9-Day
Access Club Pass Series shows all nine days of the Festival.
Oct 27 to Dec 31: $294 + $6 service charge - lowest price! (Just $33 a day)
Jan 1 to March 11: $324 + $6 service charge (Just $37 a day)
March 12 through festival or until sold out: $354 + $6 service charge (Just $40 a day)
3-Day
Access Club Pass shows on any three days of the Festival.
Oct 27 to Dec 31: $174 + $6 - lowest price!
Jan 1 to March 11: $194 + $6
March 12 through festival or until sold out: $204 + $6 service charge
To purchase Club Passes online, visit: rochesterjazz.com/tickets.
About The Rochester International Jazz Festival
The Rochester International Jazz Festival (RIJF) is one of the world’s leading jazz festivals. Founded in 2002, the nine-day multi-dimensional festival is held annually in downtown Rochester, NY, drawing more than 211,000 people to 300 shows and 20 venues. Presenting more than 1750 legendary performers, familiar favorites and new discoveries, the Festival navigates all genres of creative improvised music from all corners of the world. RIJF is produced by RIJF, LLC, a privately held company owned by John Nugent and Marc Iacona. Nugent, Producer and Artistic Director, is a noted tenor sax player, who has traveled the world with many jazz artists, including Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, The Woody Herman Orchestra, and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Marc Iacona, Producer and Executive Director, is a Rochester native and President of Simcona Electronics. A business and community leader, he is an avid trumpeter and supporter of the arts.
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