The Syracuse Jazz Festival was an annual free admission outdoor summer

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...

staged in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

. It was founded by jazz presenter Frank Malfitano and ran from 1982 to 2017. Syracuse_Jazz_Fest

Recognition

Syracuse Jazz Fest was praised by the

International Association for Jazz Education International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), formerly a not-for-profit corporation based in Manhattan, Kansas, was a volunteer-run organization that, among other things, allocated student scholarships through its approved festivals program ...

(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'') Referred to by ''Down Beat'' and ''Jazz Times'' Magazines as "The Northeast's Largest Free Jazz Festival".

History

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

headlined the 2015 festival, which also featured Lake Street Dive, Wynton Marsalis & The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra and

Buckwheat Zydeco Stanley Dural Jr. (November 14, 1947 – September 24, 2016), better known by his stage name Buckwheat Zydeco, was an American accordionist and zydeco musician. He was one of the few zydeco artists to achieve mainstream success. His music gro ...

. 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. Food Truck at the Syracuse Jazz Fest

Smoothie food truck at Syracuse Jazz Fest

Greenwood Winery at the Syracuse Jazz Festival

2016

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.

References

External links

{{Official website, syracusejazzfest.com Jazz festivals in New York (state) Culture of Syracuse, New York