On September 6, we have an opportunity to continue building a jazz festival that proudly carries Buffalo’s name—and a tradition that can grow for years to come.
We were certainly disappointed to make the difficult decision to cancel Sunday’s Taste of New Orleans, especially after such a wonderful Summer of Jazz on Ellicott Street. We wanted one more Sunday together. But perhaps there’s no better moment to turn our attention toward what comes next on Ellicott Street.
On Sunday, September 6, we’ll return to Ellicott Street for something that has been five years in the making: the 5th Annual Buffalo Jazz Festival. And I believe this year’s festival could be pivotal in determining what the Buffalo Jazz Festival becomes.
Across America, there are cities whose annual jazz festivals have become part of their cultural identity, where over time the name of the city and the name of the festival grow almost inseparable. I’ve long believed Buffalo should have that, too.
We have the musicians, the history, and the audiences. And increasingly, we’re demonstrating that we can create experiences that bring people together through jazz. Buffalo deserves a jazz festival worthy of its name, and for five years we’ve been working to build one. When we talk about that aspiration, there are examples all around us. The Detroit Jazz Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, and Rochester International Jazz Festival have each become closely identified with the cities whose names they carry.
They are different festivals, with different histories and scales, and we’re certainly not suggesting that a five-year-old Buffalo Jazz Festival is there yet. But they demonstrate what can happen over time when a city embraces a jazz festival as its own. That’s the aspiration: to build an annual Buffalo Jazz Festival that grows in stature, attracts people from beyond our region, and becomes part of what people associate with experiencing Buffalo.
Like anything meaningful, it takes time, consistency, and partners who believe in the vision. Most importantly, it takes a community that decides this is something worth supporting and growing.
That’s why I believe this fifth year matters.
This year’s lineup reflects what we want the Buffalo Jazz Festival to represent: our own outstanding musicians alongside nationally and internationally recognized artists, different expressions of jazz, and music that can connect with longtime jazz listeners as well as people who may be curious enough to come downtown and experience it.
Vibrant Strings will bring the energy and distinctive sound of one of Buffalo’s exciting ensembles to the festival stage. Victrola Voilà is a group from Rochester that brings the irresistible spirit of 1930s Paris to life through the music of Django Reinhardt, hot club swing, and vintage jazz. Led by guitarist Melanie Moralez, the trio combines infectious rhythms and old-world charm for a joyful trip back to jazz’s swinging past. Then we welcome home Marcus Goldhaber, a Buffalo native who has built recognition as one of the finest male jazz singers in New York City while remaining connected to the city where his musical journey began. Marcus brings a deep respect for the Great American Songbook while making the music unmistakably his own.
And we’ll close the festival with something truly special. Três Mais featuring Karrin Allyson brings together the sophisticated rhythms and colors of Brazilian music with jazz, topped by the extraordinary artistry of five-time Grammy-nominated vocalist Karrin Allyson. She’ll be joined by multi-Grammy-nominated drummer Rafael Barata, who has performed with renowned artists including Eliane Elias and Kenny Barron.
Four performances, four different experiences. Together, they represent the kind of musical journey we want the Buffalo Jazz Festival to offer.
But the experience goes beyond the stage.
If you’ve joined us for Summer of Jazz this year, you’ve already had a glimpse of what we’re trying to create on Ellicott Street. The music is at the center of it, but look around, and something else is happening. Tables and chairs fill the street. People meet friends, enjoy something to eat or drink, and run into someone they haven’t seen in a while. They arrive early, stay awhile, and talk between sets. For a few hours, a downtown street becomes a place people choose to spend time together.
We saw it during our Big Band Dance, when Taste of Paris transformed Ellicott Street into our own little Parisian café, during Havana Nights, and certainly during the beautiful afternoon we shared for Voci d’Amore. Each experience was different, but the feeling of people enjoying downtown together was remarkably consistent.
On September 6, we have an opportunity to create that feeling on an even larger scale.
Five years is a milestone, but I don’t see it as a finish line. I see it as an opportunity.
Festivals become traditions because communities decide they matter. People put them on their calendars, bring friends and family, and return the following year. Businesses and civic partners begin to see their value. Visitors begin to associate the experience with the city itself. Eventually, a festival can become part of how a city sees itself—and part of what others come to know about that city.
That’s the aspiration I have for the Buffalo Jazz Festival: not simply another event on the calendar, but a Buffalo tradition.
And that’s why September 6 matters.
Your presence can help make this fifth year pivotal. Come downtown, bring family and friends, and spend the afternoon with us. Experience these remarkable artists, enjoy Ellicott Street, and help us demonstrate that Buffalo will embrace and support a jazz festival that proudly carries its name.
Because our ambition isn’t simply to produce a successful 5th Annual Buffalo Jazz Festival. It’s to build the Buffalo Jazz Festival for years to come.
And we hope you’ll be part of it.
5th Annual Buffalo Jazz Festival
Sunday, September 6, 2026
Ellicott Street | Downtown Buffalo
12:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Featuring Vibrant Strings, Victrola Voilà, Marcus Goldhaber, and Três Mais featuring five-time Grammy-nominated vocalist Karrin Allyson.
Free and open to everyone.
