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 honor goes to Cécile McLorin Salvant, whose voice seems capable of anything. I mentioned in my live reviews last night that her voice sounds and feels more like an instrument in its facilities than just a pretty voice. Of course, the voice is always an instrument, and it takes the same practice and skill as it takes to master a physical instrument. But McLorin Salvant’s voice feels dialed in, focused on the minutiae of diction, timbre, articulation, and depth, with an uncanny level of control. With straight tones, vibrato, belts, trills, and chiaroscuro singing (a mix of light and dark from classical music), there’s a foundation to her voice or an open canvas that allows her to take it in any direction and create a multitude of sounds and colors. And she performs songs that a singer can’t hide behind. Grabbing deep notes in Broadway ballads like “With Every Breath I Take” from City of Angels was as easy as the bell-clear, sacred trills in the French Renaissance tune she sang (video from a recent performance below), and as easy as the stylized swing of a 1920s hot jazz tune. She’s a gripping singer, and it was all the more fun to hear players like pianist Sullivan Fortner support her and lend their adornments.
Another top festival experience, check!
Before I get into tonight’s recommendations, I want to let readers know that Anna Reguero, founder and editor of Rochester Overture, will be on WXXI’s Connections on Friday, June 26 at noon, to chat with Music Director Mona Seghatoleslami about the New York Times‘s The 30 Top Living American Songwriters list. (That should be a gift link.) It drew a lot of ire from the music industry and should make for a lively discussion. It will be livestreamed here.
Here’s what’s on my schedule for tonight:
1. Camila Meza, whom I wrote about in a Jazz Festival retrospective. Here’s an excerpt:
Meza, a Chilean singer and guitarist, takes the Latin-steeped world-music genre she inhabits and places it in conversation with jazz currents. With simmering electronics and sweeping harp effects along with her sensual vocals, her songs evoke a kind of magical realism. She’s worked with artists ranging from Paquito D’Rivera to Pat Metheny. She performs on two sets on Thursday, June 25, at Kilbourn Hall.
Club show, Kilbourn Hall, 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
2. Tessa Souter, the British singer whom I wrote about in the Democrat and Chronicle for her very first jazz festival appearance, back when the festival introduced the UK Jazz series alongside the much-missed Nordic Jazz series. From that article:
Souter – for whom singing is a second career pursued while living in New York City – does it with a mix of world music in the earthly stew she sings. She has a penchant for adding vocal decoration in instrumental tunes, such as Pat Mertino’s “Willow Weep for Me,” Pharaoh Sanders’ “The Creator Has a Master Plan,” and even in Rodrigo’s classical guitar warhorse “Concierto de Aranjuez.” Staying clear of over-worn vocal standards, her focus is on developing a personal style with a unique repertoire.
“I always thought my music had a Middle Eastern, North African vibe. I’ve never understood why,” she says, before recalling her use of minor scales and almost Celtic sounds. “That’s very old English. I didn’t realize that.” As for African roots, “It’s synthesized into English music, and now I’ve taken it and done my thing with it.”
Club show, Temple Theater, 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.
3. Isaiah J. Thompson, another rising star pianist whom I nearly pointed out in the Jazz Festival retrospective and discovery piece I published earlier this month. I left him off, only because he’s not truly an up-and-comer (he’s been around), but he has certainly found his stride as of late. In 2023, he won the prestigious American Piano Awards, which have previously been awarded to pianists such as Sullivan Fortner and Emmet Cohen. He’s on Wynton Marsalis’s guest list for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and he’s both a graduate of and current faculty member of the Juilliard School. He’s tuneful, with a tremendous technique. Definitely not someone to miss, especially not at Max of Eastman Place, which Gary Craig points out will be a great venue to hear him.
Club show, Max of Eastman Place, 6:15 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Grab some coffee, we’re two-thirds through with three more nights of this jazz marathon. Bring an umbrella and your club pass, and I’ll see you at the festival tonight.
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Featured Photo of Tessa Souter: Evi Abeler
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