The Syracuse Jazz Festival is an annual free admission outdoor summer music festival staged in Syracuse, New York. It was founded by jazz presenter Frank Malfitano and ran from 1982 to 2017. [1]
This festival is still active and starts on June 21 in 2023.
Syracuse Jazz Fest was praised by the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), and previously ranked as the Central New York Region's "Best Music Festival". Syracuse Jazz Fest and was ranked as "One of the top five free jazz festivals in America". (Fest Press: A Guide To US Music Festivals) [2] Referred to by Down Beat and Jazz Times Magazines as "The Northeast's Largest Free Jazz Festival". [1]
Aretha Franklin headlined the 2015 festival, [3] which also featured Lake Street Dive, Wynton Marsalis & The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra and Buckwheat Zydeco. [4]
Other artists and headliners who appeared and performed at Syracuse Jazz Fest include: Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Dave Brubeck, Sonny Rollins, Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Smokey Robinson, Gino Vannelli, Blood Sweat & Tears, Chuck Mangione, David Sanborn, Roberta Flack, Dionne Warwick, Diana Krall, Grover Washington Jr., Boz Scaggs, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, The Neville Brothers, Pete Fountain, Mark Murphy, Dr John, Little Jimmy Scott, Gregory Porter, Donovan, The Doobie Brothers, Ronnie Laws, Average White Band, Chico Hamilton, Fathead Newman, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Mose Allison, Les McCann, The Funk Brothers, Pat Metheny Group, Return to Forever, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Ivan Lins, Freddy Cole, New York Voices, Treme Brass Band, Larry Coryell, John McLaughlin, Manhattan Transfer, Kenny G, Lizz Wright, Cyrille Aimee, Jane Monheit, Yellowjackets, Jaco Pastorius Big band, Nancy Kelly, Brubeck Brothers, Count Basie Orchestra, Moscow State Jazz Orchestra, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones and The Brecker Brothers. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]
Frank Malfitano received a national "Jazz Hero Award" from the Jazz Journalists Association presented by JJA's Susan Brink.
Featured artists included Michael McDonald, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Larry Coryell's Original Eleventh House, Raul Malo & The Mavericks, and a Jazz Fest All Star Tribute to legendary jazz vocalist Mark Murphy, featuring appearances by New York Voices, Randy Brecker and Nancy Kelly.
David William Sanborn was an American alto saxophonist. Sanborn worked in many musical genres; his solo recordings typically blended jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He began playing the saxophone at the age of 11 and released his first solo album, Taking Off, in 1975. He was active as a session musician, and played on numerous albums by artists including Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Sting, the Eagles, Rickie Lee Jones, James Brown, George Benson, Carly Simon, Elton John, Bryan Ferry and the Rolling Stones. He released more than 20 albums and won six Grammy awards.
Michael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as a performer and composer, received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 2004, and was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame in 2007.
Michael H. McDonald is an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist. Known for his distinctive, soulful voice, he was a backing vocalist for Steely Dan from 1975 to 1980 and the lead vocalist of the Doobie Brothers across various stints. McDonald wrote and sang several hit singles with the Doobie Brothers, including "What a Fool Believes", "Minute by Minute", and "Takin' It to the Streets." McDonald has also performed as a prominent backing vocalist on numerous recordings by artists including Steely Dan, Toto, Christopher Cross, and Kenny Loggins.
Established in 2002, the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival Presented by M&T Bank takes place in June of each year, in Rochester, New York. It is owned and produced by RIJF, LLC, whose principals are John Nugent, Co-Producer and Artistic Director, and Marc Iacona, Co-Producer and Executive Director.
Randal Edward Brecker is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B.
David W. Bargeron is an American trombonist and tuba player who was a member of the jazz-rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears.
Christopher Brubeck is an American musician and composer, both in jazz and classical music. As a musician, he mainly plays bass guitar, bass trombone, and piano. The son of jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck, he joined his father and brothers Darius and Daniel in 1972 to form the New Brubeck Quartet. He later formed the Brubeck Brothers Quartet.
ChicagoFest was a Chicago music festival established in 1978 by Mayor Michael Bilandic. It was a two-week event held annually at Navy Pier that featured sixteen separate stages, each sponsored by a national retail brand and a media sponsor compatible to the stage's format, e.g. Rock WLUP, Chicago Tribune Jazz, Miller Brewing Company Blues and WXRT, that broadcast live from the festival. The stages were: Rock, Classic Rock, Country, Blues, Comedy, Roller Disco, Pin Ball Arcade, Jazz, Children's, Variety, Ethnic, as well as a Main stage seating 30,000. There were approximately 600 concert performances by headline artists produced each year.
David Darius Brubeck is an American jazz pianist, author, and educator. He is the son of jazz pianist Dave Brubeck with whom he worked professionally in the 1970s, while also performing in his own bands, the Darius Brubeck Ensemble and Gathering Forces.
Soundstage is an American live concert television series produced by WTTW Chicago and HD Ready. The original series aired for 13 seasons between 1974 and 1985; a new series of seasons began in 2003, with the latest starting in April 2018, each presented in high-definition with surround sound. Some performances have been made available on DVD. The performances are taped on stage at the WTTW television studio in Chicago, as well as large venues throughout the United States.
Troy Andrews, also known by the stage name Trombone Shorty, is a musician, most notably a trombone player, from New Orleans, Louisiana. His music fuses rock, pop, jazz, funk, and hip hop.
"Sophisticated Lady" is a jazz standard, composed as an instrumental in 1932 by Duke Ellington.
The ESSENCE Festival of Culture is the largest African-American culture and music event in the US. The annual music festival started in 1995 in New Orleans, Louisiana to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Essence magazine. The festival features artists simultaneously performing on a main stage as well as four standing-room only stages.
The Malta Jazz Festival is an annual musical event held every July in Malta, organised by Festivals Malta. It is held outside Our Lady of Liesse Church, on the Valletta waterfront.
The Hampton Jazz Festival is a major musical event started in 1968, and features many of the world's major jazz artists. It is held during the last full weekend in June each year, with the primary venue being Hampton, Virginia's Hampton Coliseum. Festival organizers describe it as "the best available jazz, R&B and blues artists that are on tour during the time of the festival... packaged at a reasonable price." In 2024 it was re-branded as the Hampton Jazz & Music Festival, with an emphasis on a broader range of musical acts.
Artscape is an annual art festival held in the Mount Royal neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland in July. Since its first annual event in 1982, it has become the largest free arts festival in America. It has boasted acts such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Matisyahu in the past, attracting over 350,000 people from the city, and surrounding areas. Film programming during Artscape is provided by Maryland Film Festival. There are artists in a variety of visual and performing media. Events are free and open to the public.
Aura-Sonic, Ltd. (ASL) is a remote recording company based in Queens, New York, that specializes in mobile and location production, audio for video broadcasting, video production, sound reinforcement and on-site automated dialogue replacement. ASL was founded in 1977 by recording engineer and producer Steve Remote. The company owns and utilizes a fleet of adaptable mobile vehicles and portable packages for its audio/production projects.
Rock the Ocean's Tortuga Music Festival is an annual music festival held at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The festival is usually scheduled for early April in Fort Lauderdale. Founded by A.J. Niland and Chris Stacey, the annual spring festival aimed to raise awareness and support for ocean conservation. A portion of the ticket proceeds goes to charity, and as of 2019 over $1,200,000 has been raised for ocean conservation.
Robert Avel Holz is an American drummer and composer. Holz was born in Syracuse, New York and resides in Los Angeles, California. He played with jazz guitarist Larry Coryell's trio between 2015 and 2017 appearing at major venues such as Blues Alley in Washington, D.C.; and, has led his own groups: Bob Holz and A Vision Forward, and Bob Holz Band.