The official band lineup for the 2006 Rochester Interational Jazz Festival will not be announced until April 6, but some acts are being revealed ahead of that announcement. The Jazz@Rochester blog's been all over it.

There's one performer, though, that the organizers must have felt that they couldn't keep user wraps, or maybe they are looking to generate some buzz, because they've gone and announced this act ahead of schedule.

Woody Allen and His New Orleans Jazz Band will open the Festival on June 9 at The Eastman Theater with a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina victims. That's right, when Woody's not soing his slump-shouldered kvetching on the set of his own films, he's playing a mean jazz clarinet down at Café Carlyle. Personally, I'm more interested in seeing the Charlie Hunter Trio that night, but that's just me.

[Looks like Seth's also scooped me on this story. Nothing like being late to the party.]