The Duke is a Club Pass Venue for the 2024 Rochester International Jazz Festival! | The Mercantile On Main (2024)

• Jeremy
• May 16, 2023

The 2024 Rochester International Jazz Festival is fast approaching, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it this year as The Duke plays host to an incredible lineup of artists every night of the festival.

The Duke is a Club Pass venue, which means once you’ve purchased your Club Pass, you can attend any Club Pass event. For details and to purchase, simply visit the official Rochester International Jazz Festival website.

Entry to shows at The Duke are also available for $30.00 at the door on a limited basis.

Electric Kif is a Miami-based power quartet that explores the boundaries between rock, jazz fusion, and electronic drum & bass. Made up of bassist Rodrigo Zambrano, keyboardist Jason Matthews, drummer Armando Lopez and guitarist Eric Escanes, Electric Kif formed as an outlet for the musicians to stretch out and be themselves between recording sessions and touring with other artists. They started playing monthly at a tiny place called Lagniappe, which became their home base in Miami. These nights became the time when the band would dive into their own musicality, and chemistry was undeniable. The quartet clicked, and there was no stopping them. On any given month, you could witness fantastic musicianship, mind-blowing grooves, and the occasional guest appearance from a national touring artist who knew if they showed up, they would be challenged and delighted to play with these cats. Memorable nights included guest spots from Cory Henry, Michael League, Mark Lettieri, Bobby Sparks, and more.

The Shuffle Demons are a high-energy Canadian band that blends virtuosic jazz and funk playing with eye-catching costumes and over-the-top stage antics to produce an incredible show. A hit at festivals all over the world, the Shuffle Demons are a crowd-pleasing, full-on musical group that backs up wild stage antics with phenomenal playing by some of Canada’s most talented musicians. The Shuffle Demons first broke onto the Canadian music scene in 1984 with an electrifying musical fusion that drew in equal measure from Sun Ra, Charles Mingus, Run DMC, and the Beastie Boys. This band is genre-bending, highly visually entertaining, funny, and best of all, can really PLAY. All their eye-catching, crowd-pleasing stunts are backed up by incredibly solid musicianship and real groundbreaking playing.

Bill Tiberio is in his 40th year as a music educator and has degrees from Ithaca College and SUNY Fredonia. He has been a band director at Fairport (NY) High School for 36 years where he directs two concert bands and three jazz ensembles. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the Eastman Community Music School, and directs the Educator Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble as well as a high school wind ensemble camp. He leads ensembles at Ithaca College, University of Rochester, and SUNY Geneseo. Bill is an active saxophonist and clarinetist in the Rochester, NY music scene and has recorded four albums withhis own contemporary jazz quintet, the Bill Tiberio Band. He was recently honored as one of 100 recipients of the Eastman School of Music Centennial Award, and has been given the Rochester Philharmonic Educator Award, University of Rochester Excellence in Secondary Teaching Award, and selected for the Fairport Educator Wall of Distinction, and Fairport Alumni Wall of Fame. He is a frequent guest conductor of concert bands and jazz ensembles around New York State, and has participated in festivals at Ohio University and University of South Carolina. His ensembles have been invited to perform at conferences around New York State.

​The Aquaducks are a high-energy funk and soul band from Nashville, TN, with a fresh yet nostalgic brand of modern funk music. The Aquaducks’ live show is a party on the stage and off, from start to finish. While the musical influences of artists such as Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, and Lettuce provide enough musical meat to satisfy the appetites of even the most discerning critics, their light-hearted and fun approach to performance ensures that no one in the audience is left behind.

Born and raised in L.A. but a diehard New Yorker for the past five years (drawn by “the music, art and energy, its motivating factor”), 28-year-old Michael Mayo finished work on his debut solo album Bones, on the Artistry Music/Mack Avenue Music Group, just before COVID hit. The tracks were cut live with his band — keyboardist Andrew Freedman, bassist Nick Campbell, and drummer Robin Baytas, all of whom he’s played with since high school or college — at Figure8 Recordings in Brooklyn. Eli Wolf, a veteran Grammy®-winning producer of albums by Al Green, Norah Jones, and The Roots, did the honors behind the board. “Being from L.A., I really know how to chill, but coming to New York has really kicked me into gear,” says Mayo.

Having touredinternationally, sharing stages with both African and American luminaries including Kojo Antwi, Amakye Dedeand Victor Wooten, Ghana born drummer and composer, Paa Kow, (pronounced Pah-Ko),blends rhythm and artistry from his home with jazz and African roots creating his own Afro-Fusion sound.Dubbed “Ghana’s most artistic drummer” (Modern Ghana), he plays a custom, hand-carved, traditionally inspired Ghanaian drum set that is the only one of its kind in the world,guaranteeingan extraordinary cultural and musical experience.

Since their inception in early 2018, Bermuda Search Party (formerly known as The Q-Tip Bandits) have emerged into the Boston music scene as an energetic and vibrant act that continues to touch audience’s hearts while getting them up on their feet. Their smooth yet powerful sound is backed by the raw energy of rock and the coolness and colors of R&B and funk — with palpable grooves coated with savory, soul-inspired riffs, anthemic horns, and meaningful lyrics.

HAZMAT MODINE is “a uniquely intercontinental sonic collage encompassing a tremendous range of instrumental, vocal, and conceptual originality–all with a lot of soul and groove.” This dynamic eight-piece band has toured and performed original songs for 25+ years with genre-defying music that is quintessentially New York–vibrant international cultures meet American Roots. Diverse backgrounds in Gypsy Jazz, Downtown Avant Guard loft music, Blues, Soul, Country, Rock n’ Roll, and Roots is written and performed by musicians whose ages span every decade from their 20s to 70s.

Dirk Quinn is the guitarist for a high-energy funk/jazz band based in Philadelphia that travels extensively throughout the US and Canada. Utilizing over a decade of steady performing, Quinn has developed a unique and progressive style—one that appeals to a wide variety of music listeners, with fans ranging from the jam band hippies to the jazz snobs.