Rochester International Jazz Festival

Established in 2002, the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival Presented by M&T Bank takes place in June of each year, in Rochester, New York. It is owned and produced by RIJF, LLC, whose principals are John Nugent, Co-Producer and Artistic Director, and Marc Iacona, Co-Producer and Executive Director.

The nine-day festival is held at 20+ diverse venues throughout downtown Rochester New York's East End cultural and entertainment district, including Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music, Hatch Recital Hall, Lutheran Church of the Reformation, Rochester Regional Health Big Tent, Max of Eastman Place, Montage Music Hall, The Auditorium at Broad and Chestnut, Wilder Room, The Little Theatre, Bethel Christian Fellowship, and multiple outdoor free stages and venues - 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. More than 90 free concerts and events are presented on outdoor stages and other free venues. A five-day Jazz Workshop provides an opportunity for elementary and high school music students to learn from and play alongside noted musicians performing at the festival. The festival supports the RIJF Eastman School of Music Jazz Scholarship, which has awarded almost $500,000 in scholarships since 2002 to 40 students to attend the Eastman School of Music.

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, the addition of new venue, Hatch Recital Hall and 9 days of spectacular weather. 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 new 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.

Festival history

 * Table data gleaned from and

2009 appearances
The 2009 lineup of major performances was announced on March 24, 2009.

Headliners

 * Smokey Robinson
 * Michael McDonald
 * Dave Brubeck

Other appearances

 * Taj Mahal
 * The Susan Tedeschi Band
 * Jake Shimabukuro
 * "SMV" (bassists Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten) on their Thunder Tour

Headliners
The following headlining acts all played ticketed shows at Eastman Theatre
 * Gladys Knight
 * Herbie Hancock
 * Keb' Mo'
 * Jeff Beck's first show sold out soon after it was announced, prompting the announcement of a second show
 * John Pizzarelli
 * Bernie Williams

Other Appearances

 * Trombone Shorty played three nights in a row at the festival
 * Los Lonely Boys made a repeat appearance, playing a free outdoor show
 * Smash Mouth closed the festival with a packed, free, outdoor finale concert.

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