Jeff is the master packer of the van.
We drove in from a delightful time in Ithaca, only to land in Super-Jazz-Mecca in Rochester NY! Filled with more vinyl than I’ve ever seen in one place on the East Coast, The Bop Shop is equal parts fun, treasure, and adventure. Tom Kohn and his compatriots are of the highest quality and can show you the way, be it jazz, blues, folk – lots of goodness. We had lots of fun looking at all of the CDs and LPs in the store.
Fraser checking out some of the tunes at the Bop Shop
One of the perks that comes with playing at the Bop Shop Atrium is the hospitality. Donna and Robert Iannapollo, jazz fans and all-around incredible people, prepared the most delicious gourmet spread for us (Donna is a professional chef) which included:
Parsnip/Carrot Soup with homemade parsnip chips and chives
Smoked Salmon Risotto with fresh dill
Green Tea Mousse with Sake-marinated dried cherries
After that, it was back to the Bop Shop to play our gig for a small but enthusiastic crowd who you just knew were big supporters of the jazz community in Rochester. The concert was recorded, and we had a great time. We even sold our first concert t-shirt on the road!
It was an early-morning wake-up call the next morning for a clinic/concert at Penfield High School, where Music Director Jim Doser is doing an incredible job with these kids. Our first stop was his Music Business class, where the group of 24 students had done research on all of us and came prepared with fifteen questions, all of which were so thought-provoking that we were only able to get through ten of them in 45 minutes!
After that, we gave a concert in the school’s gym, which was really fun. (Have we ever played in a gymnasium before? I think this was a first.) The entire music department showed up, and were an attentive and polite crowd. We had a blast.
Then, it was off to Schenectady…
