Archive for June, 2011
Doug’s Fish Fry: BEST in the Finger Lakes
In 1982 a tiny storefront opened in Skaneateles called Doug’s Fish Fry. It sold a long slab of breaded cod tucked precariously inside a too small hamburger bun. I watched cases of fish, packed in ice and carried off a truck, into the long skinny restaurant, which was just big enough to tight pack workers in and fry fish, while running a long line of people through, in the front door, and out the back. Doug claimed that he shipped his fish in fresh every day, and based upon the taste it made a BIG difference. Within a very short time there were lines of people coming out of Doug’s on Friday and Saturday nights winding way down the street, as people patiently waited for their fish sandwich, french fries and coleslaw (which by my opinion is the BEST you will get anywhere). Back then there wasn’t even a place to sit down. Doug set up picnic tables outside in the back, and eventually bought a separate building to seat the growing numbers of Doug’s Fish Fry Fans.
Doug's Bumper Sticker on cook stove with fans, Whitney and Emily
Fans take a free bumper sticker as they leave, travel back to their homes, ALL OVER THE WORLD, and send Doug a photo from a far off location featuring the bumper sticker. Today as you wait in line at Doug’s, you can look at the gallery of photos spanning the last 20-something years.
Doug, like his restaurant, is a now a famous fixture in Skaneateles. I caught him as he passed though on a Sunday afternoon and chatted with him. His comment was “I’ve only been here since 1982, so I’m a newcomer.” The restaurant has gone through several expansions over the years and now has a large dining room attached to the kitchen area, but still has the picnic tables out in back.
There are lots of other great things to try besides the fish sandwich, like scallops, clam, lobster, and home-made seafood bisque. Doug retired a few years ago. He sold the business to one of his first employees, who started with him in 1982 as a teenager. Its run just the same way as always, but now they have another store in Cortland and they are also at the New York State Fair.
I was 21 years old when Doug’s opened. I have raised my kids to judge the world of fried fish and coleslaw against his famous fish dinner. Alex my son is now 20 and we look forward to his celebrating his 21st birthday at Doug’s so we can get him a beer to go with his fish dinner, and complete the perfect meal.
Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival
G-Love and Special Sauce Concert shares what he likes at the East and Alexander Stage. An incredible closer for the Jazz Festival.
Day 9: Xerox International Jazz Festival
Some amazing music was taking place during the Jazz Festival at parties in the city — in preparation for the evening’s events. Here are some images from a street party in the city with a local band, led by Mikaela Davis on harp and vocals, backed up by Alex Patrick on keyboards, vocals, guitar, mandolin and banjo, and Alex Coté on percussion and vocals.
Day 7: Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival
Bill Kirchen, Abilenes
Sleep deprivation is setting in. So much talent, so little time to sleep!
Bonerama, Harro East
Sinne Eeg
Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival: Day 5
Last night traffic was thick at the Crown Plaza Open Jam as headliners from all genres filed in and signed up for the open jam session. A couple of out-of-towners who innocently came to the Crown Plaza on business and then discovered they were in the middle of a major happening asked “Is Rochester always like this?”
Show of the night: Bela Fleck and the Flecktones at the Kodak Theater.
Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival: Day 4
Monday Night: All Funked Up at Montage.
A triode is an electronic amplification device having three active electrodes.
Triodes is a genre-jumping instrumental group that traces its roots to the upbeat instrumental R+B, soul, and funk of groups such as Booker T and the MGs, and The Meters.
Day 2: Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival
Far beyond a cover band, the Fab Faux play the music of The Beatles with passion. My friend Brian said “I expected them to be fun, but I did not expect them to be so good.” Their renderings of “Strawberry Fields Forever” or “I Am the Walrus” were sung in complete part-perfect renditions, while harmony-driven songs as “Because”, and “Paperback Writer”, had extra vocalists for a double-tracked effect.
Mingo Fishtrap in the Big Tent
Mingo Fishtrap describe themselves as “gutbucket soul, N’awlins grit-down funk and horn fueled Motown pop,” rocked the Big Tent with bandleader Roger Blevins, Jr. featured in the video paying homage to Otis Redding.
Bill Charlap Trio
The triple treat for day 2 was Bill Charlap Trio @ Kilbourn Hall, with Peter Washington and Kenny Washington was jazz at it’s best. They are tight in only the way that a group that has been playing together for many years can be. Charlap is best known for his interpretations of American songs by Gershwin and Bernstein.
Day 1: Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival
"How I drove from Vermont to Rochester, via Shortsville, Poland and Rome!"
Best Show of the evening: Matt Wilson, Arts and Crafts, at the Montage Grill, 6 and 10pm.
From City Newspaper Blog: By Paloma Capanna
“Wilson is a drummer, composer, bandleader, and more. For five consecutive years in a row, Wilson has been voted the No. 1 Rising Star Drummer in the DownBeat Critics Poll. From his downbeats to his change-ups, Wilson played the drums as an instrument not to be thought of as background. During “The Bat,” Wilson tapped the edge, ran sticks around, shook the wire brushes in the air. Wilson made slow, jazz love upon the drums.
Not to be outdone, Eastman graduate Gary Versace made his way around the electric organ, dancing his fingers around the keyboard in sequences and combinations of notes that can’t be learned in a classroom. This ain’t your auntie’s church organ. Versace is jazz organ.
And on the bass was Martin Wind, eyes closed, left hand up and down the neck, right hand plucking a low note range.
There were moments that Arts & Crafts resembled a revival, so intent were they within the music they were making. Arts & Crafts has an uncanny ability to feel the jazz rhythms, modulations, and entrances and exits of each individual instrument.”
Terrell Stafford on trumpet
Matt Wilson on drums
For more of this see The Gary Versace Trio tonight at 6 and 10 in the Rochester Club.
Rochester International Jazz Festival
Crowd at the stage on East Ave.
My favorite time of the year is the second week in June during the Rochester International Jazz Festival. For 9 days Rochester is the coolest, and swingin’est place earth. Gibbs Street changes to Jazz Street, (location of the Eastman Theater) and is closed off, with a stage at one end, and the Xerox hospitality tent at other end. John Nugent, an internationally renown sax player, who who cut his festival teeth at the Stockholm Jazz Festival, is the Rochester Festival’s founder and producer.
Map of all venues
The magic of this festival is that at any given moment there are several performances taking place, held at multiple venues throughout downtown Rochester’s East End cultural district:
Fun on Jazz Street
There are more than 70 free concerts at outdoor stages, rain or shine.
Booker T
Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba
The best deal is to buy a Club Pass, which allows you unlimited access to 185 concerts at 14+ venues (purchase in advance).
Last year 162,000 people attended the Festival’s 250 concerts.
10:30-2:30 every night: free Open Jam at Crown Plaza
For those wishing for an opportunity to play, there are nightly jam sessions, 10:30 p.m. – 2:30 a.m. at the State St. Bar & Grill in the Rochester Crown Plaza Hotel. Festival performers will stop by and jam with Bob Schneider’s combo.
Finger Lakes Summer's Blog 