Why You Should Join Us on February 18
For years, downtown Buffalo has sought new formulas to bring life back into its historic core — places where people can gather, explore, connect, dine, and experience culture. In recent months, one transformation has stood out: the reinvention of a landmark space into a vibrant hub for food, art, and community life. Beebe’s on the Square, the latest incarnation of the Brisbane Building’s cultural footprint under Executive Chairman Peter Hunt, is emerging as a key part of that revival.
More than just a new bistro and bar, Beebe’s is designed to be a welcoming destination — a place where lunch, cocktails, art, and performance intersect. It’s a chef-driven space with European-inspired fare that invites workers, visitors, and residents to linger, gather, and build new rhythms in the heart of downtown. Hunt’s vision reflects something larger: an intentional effort to make Buffalo’s urban core a place people want to be again by combining food, culture, and placemaking all in one setting.
This holistic philosophy aligns perfectly with what JazzBuffalo’s Art Meets Jazz series has set out to do from its inception.
Where Art and Jazz Meet Community — and Spark Downtown Renewal
When Art Meets Jazz debuted at the Hunt Art Gallery & Beebe’s (then Beebe’s at the Gallery), it was more than a music series — it was a deliberate effort to bring people back downtown through a uniquely Buffalo initiative rooted in arts and culture. From its inception, the vision was clear: activate an iconic downtown space not simply with programming, but with purpose. Art wasn’t just something to hang on a wall, and music wasn’t merely something to hear. Together, art and jazz could energize a historic setting, create meaningful gathering experiences, and help renew our urban core.
That first series brought regional musicians together with curated gallery exhibitions, fostering an atmosphere where conversations about art and life flowed as naturally as the music itself. But it also accomplished something equally important — it gave people a reason to come downtown on an evening, to rediscover the architectural beauty and cultural potential of Buffalo’s city center. It demonstrated how creative expression can catalyze vibrancy, drawing visitors not just to see or to hear, but to participate in the reawakening of downtown through shared artistic experience.
From the beginning, Art Meets Jazz has been about more than performance. It has been about place-making — about using jazz and visual art as a bridge to reconnect our community with the heart of the city.
A Mardi Gras Kickoff You Won’t Want to Miss
On Wednesday, February 18, Art Meets Jazz returns with a truly special event that celebrates both tradition and community spirit. Featuring Ray Skalski’s Trad Messengers, this evening will spotlight the joyful sounds of traditional jazz — an apt tribute to one of the oldest living forms of American music. And for this edition, the Art Meets Jazz experience is elevated by an art exhibit showcasing Skalski’s own jazz-inspired paintings, offering another layer of creative engagement for attendees.
This celebration is also a nod to Mardi Gras, where rhythm, color, and cultural expression come together. It’s an opportunity to bring downtown alive on an otherwise mid-week evening — with music, art, and connection — and to experience Beebe’s on the Square in a new light.
Why This Matters
Art Meets Jazz isn’t just another gig on the calendar. It’s part of a larger vision for Buffalo’s downtown — one that recognizes the transformative power of arts and culture in creating places where people want to spend time. By combining visual art, exceptional live music, culinary creativity, and community engagement, events like this help make our city more vibrant, more welcoming, and more connected.
Live jazz in intimate, beautiful settings offers a different kind of downtown activation — one rooted in shared experience rather than passive consumption. It complements the broader effort by leaders like Peter Hunt to make cultural engagement a cornerstone of downtown’s renaissance, drawing in people who might otherwise look elsewhere for inspiration, enjoyment, and social connection.
Join Us on February 18
We invite you to be part of this unique Mardi Gras celebration — where music, art, and community come together in true Art Meets Jazz fashion. With a special Ash Wednesday menu prepared by Chef Jess, Ray Skalski’s Trad Messengers delivering spirited performances, and a gallery of jazz‐infused artwork to explore, this is more than an event — it’s an experience in downtown Buffalo’s artistic evolution.
Don’t miss it:
Wednesday, February 18
6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Beebe’s on the Square
Reserve your spot now and join us as we continue to build community around great music, visual art, remarkable food, and historic spaces.
Rserve Here: Art Meets Jazz Mardi Gras
