11:03 PM Blues, gospel, bop, Isaiah Thompson does it all with aplomb and showmanship. There’s a lot to say about the show, which I’ll leave to a more comprehensive review to publish tomorrow. But I wanted to report that the earlier hype I heard was spot on. 9:10 PM Tessa…
Posts published in June 2026
I set a trap for myself, and fell in. I made an early prediction about the best show of the festival when we were only halfway through it. And another show on Day 6 rose to the occasion, which will be added to my personal ‘best of RIJF 2026.’ That…
10:32 PM: Jamie Baum had more than a septet with her in her show at the Theater at Innovation Square. She had 10 musicians—an decet—including herself. That’s a lot of timbres and textures to work with, in terms of compositions and arrangements. On the flute and alto flute, she was…
Hiromi was restrained on Tuesday night. Those who saw her late concert, and who were seeing her for the first time, might think that’s a preposterous thing to write. One person, after the concert, called it “caffeinated jazz.” Compared to most performers, she was dynamic and energetic, scaling the keyboard…
11:48 PM Hiromi and Sonicwonder took the audience to wild, electrified places in her 9:30 p.m. show in Kodak Hall. She opened with the tune “Sonicwonderland,” the title track from her band’s debut album, which I consider an anthem of sorts for her. And then she played her four-part suite,…