Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 2

DemocratandChronicle.com DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE 2 A SUNDAY, JUNE 2006 ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL I REVIEWS The quotable file Woody's strictly an amateur but oozes charm nevertheless NEWSMAKERS 300 clowns salute 'clown of all times' Hundreds of clowns paraded through Vincennes, on Saturday in a tribute to hometown boy Red Skelton, perhaps the greatest clown of them all. Filled with slapstick, the 300-clown parade was the kick-off to a multimillion-dollar fundraising campaign for a Red Skelton museum. Known for his signature pantomime, pratfalls and colorful characters such as Freddie the Freeloader, Clem Kadiddlehop-per, Willie Lump Lump and Junior The Mean Widdle Kid, Skelton starred in more than 30 movies and wrote 5,000 musical pieces. He often painted portraits of clowns, which sold for more than $80,000. He died at 84 in September 1997 after a career that spanned six decades and four genres vaudeville, radio, film and TV.

"His legacy is a clown of all times," said gala headliner Tom Smothers, the buffoon foil to his brother Dick in The Smothers Brothers act. In Uh, oh. Pete Seeger is having second thoughts about the Boss. He now says he doesn't like the way Bruce Springsteen treats some of his songs in his tribute album, especially Mary Don't You Weep." "He turned that into a minor key it's like vv i i if WILL YURMAN staff photographer Jazz Band headlined opening night of Rochester's jazz festival. JOHN PITCHER STAFF MUSIC CRITIC Woody Allen rarely performs outside of his beloved Manhattan.

So why did the filmmaker and enthusiastic jazz clarinet player agree to bring his New Orleans Jazz Band to the Rochester International Jazz Festival? "Why not?" asked Allen during an impromptu news conference Friday night outside the Eastman Theatre. "We were invited to play and it was for a good cause." The cause was the New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund, a nonprofit group that's helping out that city's large and dislocated jazz community. Allen is a life-long jazz aficionado he derived his stage name from the legendary Woody Herman and so he was quick to agree to a concert benefiting New Orleans' beleaguered musicians. Allen said he spent the day in Rochester touring the George Eastman House (a veritable mecca for a filmmaker) and taking his family for a swim at an indoor hotel pool. As for all the buzz and fuss in the city over his appearance at the jazz fest, the famously cynical humorist seemed uncharacteristically modest and unassuming.

Looking relaxed in his white button-down shirt and signature black-frame glasses, Allen said he gets by as a musician "strictly because of my movies." That seemed like a pretty fair assessment. Over the course of a set consisting of a dozen or more pieces, Allen proved to be a categorically bad clarinet player. Clearly, the only reason anyone would want to listen to this guy play jazz is because he is a famous director. As a musician, he barely qualified as an amateur. Indeed, what Allen lacked in technique he made up for in Donald Trump Megadeveloper, explaining his aversion to changing baby son Barron's diapers: "I'd just do it wrong." singing 'America the Beautiful' in a minor key," the iconic folk singer tells Guitar World Acoustic magazine.

Earlier, Seeger said he loved the work. Passage. Lula Mae Harda-way, mother of singer Stevie Wonder, and the co-writer of several of his songs, including "I Was Made to Love Her" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours," died May 31 in Los Angeles at 76. Hitched. Actor Oliver Hudson, 29, married actress Erinn Bartlett, 33, in Mexico on Friday.

He's Goldie Hawn's son, and Kate Hudson's brother. Flash! The New York Daily News says Jamie Foxx will play Bob Marley in a film backed by the reggae icon's widow, Rita. Algerian Rachid Bouchareb will direct. On a final note Namibia has bid farewell to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, perhaps the world's most famous baby, and her parents. But they are "definitely hungry to return," said Brad Pitt as he and Angelina Jolie, their newborn daughter and their two older children ended a two-month stay at the luxury beach resort at Walvis Bay.

Their likely destination is their $9 million home in Malibu. Herm Archunde compiled this report from wire services. CORRECTIONS CLARIFICATIONS The Democrat and Chronicle strives to cover the news fairly, accurately and honestly. It is our policy to correct errors of fact or statements needing clarification. Please write to the News Editor, Democrat and Chronicle, 55 Exchange Rochester, NY 14614 or call (585) 258-2251.

mo. x24 ft Woody Allen and his New Orleans gross exaggeration. Melodies were distorted beyond recognition standard practice in bebop but not in traditional New Orleans jazz. Vibratos were overblown. And mannerisms I'm thinking about Allen's weird, spasmodic puffing on the reed all but took the place of style.

Yet strangely, Allen and his band left me feeling positively charmed. That's partly because Allen brought with him some appealing players. Cynthia Sayer, for instance, proved not only to have decent piano chops but also a voice of sweet purity, which she put on display in "By the Light of the Silvery Moon." Eddy Davis, the group's director and banjo player, also sang with a soulful and throaty voice, while the rest of the band trumpeter Simon Wettenhall, trombonist Jerry Zigmont, bassist Conal N.Y. LOTTERY Winning Numbers Saturday Udday Evening Win 4 Midday 3 8 Evening 8 Pick 10 4 6 7 8 12 14 15 17 19 23 24 27 28 35 38 41 48 53 73 80 Lotto Saturday's Lotto jackpot was $35 million. For New York lottery numbers, call the Democrat and Chronicle Lottoline at 258-2778.

Guitarist Hunter is two musicians in one; Smith specializes in 2006 Mazda Speed 6 Sport 6 SPD, 2.3L TURBO 274 HP, AWD, ABS, TRACTION CONTROL MSRP $28,755, STKZ60178 -'iffiM Fowlkes and Rob Garcia all played with demonstrable enthusiasm. But what most charmed me was the authenticity of this band. I can readily imagine New Orleans jazz getting started with a bunch of friends, amateurs all, getting together to give ragtime and pop music their best shot. The results of their playing may have been far from perfect. But there was never any questioning of their sincere love for music.

Far from being an amateur, pianist Rachel (aka Rachel Nicolazzo) proved to be a bona fide virtuoso. This musician can do it all sing, compose, improvise and play piano with the fleetest of fingers. She exceeded expectations, and it's a good thing, since some of us who waited in line for an hour to get in to her 6:15 p.m. gig at Max of Eastman Place went DEM0CRATANDCHR0NICLE.COM Hear podcasts about last night's shows with our critics John Pitcher and Jeff Spevak, and see a collection of our extensive previous coverage of the jazz festival. how his contract reads.

Doctor in the house Dr. Lonnie Smith on the Hammond B-3 organ was the pure jazz moment of the night. He wears a turban. Not for religious reasons, but because he likes them. And he's not a real doctor.

But the guy was really operating for a standing-room only crowd at The Montage. Accompanied by two excellent Rochester players, guitarist Melvin Henderson and drummer Jared Schonig, Smith demonstrated just how loose the improvs get in jazz after local saxophonist Gray Mayfield joined them onstage for a few numbers. "What's your name again?" Smith asked as he attempted to introduce Mayfield. Newspapers for classroom use 258-2387 Advertising Inserts NOTE: Because advertisers may buy different geographic areas of our circulation, not all editions contain the same Inserts. ADVERTISING To Place A Classified Ad Call us Monday Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

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I don't know what the temperature was, but the sustained 25 mph wind blowing through Gibbs Street was positively bone chilling. Fortunately, it didn't take Rachel long to thaw me out. She opened her set with a heart-warming rendition of "Autumn Leaves." Rachel played the piece with impressionistic harmonies and sparkling filigrees. Her fantastic trio partners drummer Bobbie Rae and bassist Maeve Royce added their own energetic swing to the mix. Rachel was convincing on the standards, but she was most memorable in her own songs, especially the deeply felt "Protect This Child." mellow Smith showed off his Ph.D.

in mellow on the slow ballad "Blues Moment," but the show was generally upbeat throughout. "She thinks she's hot!" he sang on "Your Mama's Got a Complex." This was after he had exhibited his skills at vocal mimicry, scatting on Louis Armstrong and Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely." (Second appearance of Wonder that night at the festival.) New city theme Djabe reprised a composition it had written for Rochester after playing the festival two years ago. All six members of the Hungarian troupe set aside their traditional instruments in the Club Pass Big Tent in favor of some curious wood percussion pieces, the Indonesian angklung. It was a rattling, show-stopping moment by a band that otherwise fused contemporary Hungarian crime jazz with African rhythms, bone-curdling howls and traditional European folk violin and flute. Djabe plays on the Jazz Street Stage today.

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playing together for only the fourth time: No self-indulgent drum solos while the other two guys wandered offstage for a cigarette. They soared from machine-like rhythms to a reverb-filled solo by Hunter. And suddenly, you realized, they were jamming on Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground." Their individual personalities were quite evident. Hunter is the cool groove cat in sandals. Keyboardist Erik Deutsch was the academic.

Drummer Simon Lott was leaning his lanky frame into the drums, his face a mixture of grimace and giggle. He was positively delighted to be there, and the chemistry between him and Hunter was obvious; they stared each other down throughout the hour-long show, measuring each other's intentions, sweeping Deutsch up in jamming improvisations. But it was Hunter's show. He's unique, playing a specially designed eight-string guitar. Two of the strings are bass, which he plays separately from the guitar strings.

It's like two musicians for the price of one, although we really don't known I -iriir S2000 Cap Cost ReductionCash Down or Trade Includes first payment, sec dep, bank acq. fee, tax, lie 8 OMV fees, incl. SI 500 Customer Cash 5500 MAC Cash, 1 21! miles per year plus per mile over 51 1,828,10 residual, 58275 TOP, .00141 Money Factor On approved credit. Take delivery by 63006. 0ny 8 Remaining at Similar Discounts wmmirmmmmmHmBBwmi Dr.

Lonnie JEFF SPEVAK STAFF MUSIC CRITIC The wind, and producer John Nugent, were howling on Jazz Street. But safe haven was to be found a few steps away inside Kilbourn Hall, as the Charlie Hunter Trio opened the fifth annual Rochester International Jazz Festival on Friday night. The source of Nugent's despair was evident enough. With a band of high school students from Chili already onstage on the closed-down Gibbs Street (renamed Jazz Street for the fest), and Hunter's show just an hour off, preparations were running behind. "That tent was supposed to be set up five hours ago," he said, waving a hand at the still-grounded canvas that was intended to house merchandise sales.

"They only sent two guys to set this whole thing up." Stress, rather than music, was in the air. But Hunter's casually attired group would have distracted the fest's maestro. Aching moments of lingering notes and then Whooom! Full blown groove. It was a stunningly cohesive trio throughout, particularly for a band ROCHESTER Democrat" (Optiide Michael G. Kane President Publisher MlTZI Bainbridge Vice PresidentInormation Technology Linda B.

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