Your weekly guide to Jazz in Buffalo.
Tony’s Thoughts
I’m looking forward to spending time in some of my favorite Buffalo spaces over the next few months. The Hunt Art Gallery and Beebe’s on the Square have become places I really enjoy for jazz. You’re close to the musicians, surrounded by art, and there’s a relaxed feeling to the evening that is hard to duplicate anywhere else.
Then there’s the Rendezvous Room at the Statler. I love what happens when that room fills up, the lights come down, people have a cocktail in hand, and it becomes a fun night out.
And Kleinhans is Kleinhans. No matter how many times I am there, I still get a feeling every time I walk in and see people there for jazz. Three very different spaces. That’s what I like about them.
Over the next few months, we’ll get to experience jazz in all three. I’m excited about the performers we’re bringing to each of them, but I’m just as excited about seeing people out enjoying themselves.
I think we’re going to have a good fall together.
With gratitude,
Tony Zambito
Executive Director, JazzBuffalo
What We’re Building
Experiences You Can Plan For
One of the things I’m excited about this fall is that we’re able to give people more JazzBuffalo experiences they can plan for.
Art Meets Jazz has found a home at the Hunt Art Gallery and Beebe’s on the Square. The Jazz Lounge has become a night out people look forward to at the Statler in the Rendezvous Room. And Jazz at Kleinhans gives us the opportunity to bring international artistry to one of Buffalo’s great concert halls throughout the season.
We’re still learning and improving each of these experiences. But I like that they’re becoming something people recognize and can put on their calendars. You know where we’re going to be, and you can make plans to join us. That’s important to us.
We want JazzBuffalo to be something you can count on. Great music is certainly at the center of it. We also want to create experiences that make you want to get together with friends, go out for the evening, and come back again.
We’re excited to be able to do more of that this fall.
This Week’s Featured Event
Celebrating Rick Strauss Before His Hall of Fame Induction
Next Wednesday, we’ll welcome guitarist Rick Strauss to Art Meets Jazz at the Hunt Art Gallery and Beebe’s on the Square.
The timing couldn’t be much better. Just two weeks later, Rick will be inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, recognizing a musical career that stretches from his early work with Spyro Gyra and contribution to the platinum-selling Morning Dance album to decades of performing, composing, teaching, and making music here in Buffalo.
What I’m looking forward to is the chance to celebrate Rick the best way we know how—by hearing him play.
He’ll be joined by Lisa Hasselback on keyboard and Ed Croft on bass, and I’m also looking forward to returning to the atmosphere we’ve come to enjoy at Beebe’s on the Square. Seeing familiar faces again, having a drink, enjoying something from the wonderful menu Chef Jess puts together, and being surrounded by the artwork at the Hunt before the room settles into the music. That’s become part of Art Meets Jazz for me.
You’re close to the musicians and there’s time to enjoy the evening before and around the performance. It should be a wonderful way to welcome Art Meets Jazz back for the fall and celebrate someone who has contributed so much to Buffalo’s musical life.
Art Meets Jazz: Celebrating Rick Strauss
Wednesday, September 23 | 6:00–8:30 PM
Hunt Art Gallery + Beebe’s on the Square
403 Main Street, Buffalo
Reserve Your Spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-meets-jazz-celebrating-rick-strauss-tickets-1998816070674?aff=oddtdtcreator
Great American Songbook Spotlight
“September Song“
It seems only right that sometime during September we spend a few minutes with “September Song.”
Kurt Weill wrote the music and Maxwell Anderson the lyrics for the 1938 Broadway musical Knickerbocker Holiday. Walter Huston introduced the song in the original production, but like so many songs that became part of the Great American Songbook, it went on to have a much bigger life than the show itself.
Over the years, “September Song” has been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, and many others.
I’ve always found it interesting that a song written more than 85 years ago can still make you stop and listen. The idea behind it is actually pretty simple. Time moves quickly, and the time we get to spend with people matters. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons so many great singers have been drawn to it.
And since it’s September in Buffalo, this seems like a pretty good week to listen to it again.
This version by the great Sarah Vaughan, with a classic recording featuring Clifford Brown, is mesmerizing:
Community Spotlight
The Joy and Energy of SwingBuffalo
If you’ve been to some of our jazz events and festivals over the past two or three years, there’s a good chance you’ve seen members of SwingBuffalo out on the dance floor. And they’ve brought something special with them.
There’s an energy that changes when people start dancing. The music becomes something you’re participating in rather than just listening to. We’ve seen it at our festivals and other JazzBuffalo events, where SwingBuffalo dancers have added a sense of fun, movement, and joy that people around them seem to pick up on.
I’ve really enjoyed watching that happen.
This weekend, SwingBuffalo is bringing its community together again for Rhythm Shuffle, and it seems like a good time to recognize what they’ve contributed to the jazz experiences we’ve shared.
Since their earliest years, jazz and swing dancing have always belonged together. It’s been wonderful to see SwingBuffalo helping more people experience that connection right here in Buffalo with their dance lessons and participation.
Learn more about Rhythm Shuffle with the Boilermakers here: https://swingbuffalo.com/rhythm-shuffle/
ArtsBuffalo Spotlight
Curtain Up! Is One of Buffalo’s Great Nights Downtown
There are certain nights when you can really feel what the arts mean to downtown Buffalo. Curtain Up! is one of them.
This Friday, the Theatre District will come alive again as Buffalo celebrates the opening of another professional theatre season. People will be having dinner downtown, heading to performances, meeting friends, walking Main Street, and staying afterward to enjoy everything happening in the district.
Over the years, Curtain Up! has become much more than the opening of a theatre season. It’s become one of those nights people put on the calendar and look forward to. I think that’s so great for downtown Buffalo.
When the arts give people a reason to come downtown, spend time there, and make an evening of it, you begin to see what a strong cultural district can mean to a city. The theatres are at the center of Friday night, but restaurants, bars, businesses, artists, and the streets around them become part of the experience too.
That’s part of what makes Curtain Up! such a great Buffalo tradition.
If you’ve never experienced it, Friday would be a good night to see what it’s all about.
Curtain Up! 2026
Friday, September 18 | Buffalo Theatre District
Curtain Up! 2026 details
Plan Ahead
November 8: Get to Know Nicole Zuraitis
November 8 may seem like a long way off, but I want to start introducing and get more people planning to witness the incredible talent and artistry of Nicole Zuraitis now.
Nicole opens our new Jazz at Kleinhans 2026–2027 season, and I know her name will be new to some people in Buffalo. That’s okay. Part of what we’ve always enjoyed doing at JazzBuffalo is giving people the opportunity to discover artists they may not have heard before. And sometimes, we get the chance to hear stellar artistry before an artist reaches the point where seeing them becomes much harder—and much more expensive.
We’ve seen that happen before with artists like Veronica Swift and Samara Joy, who Buffalo audiences had the opportunity to hear earlier in their rise. I think Nicole may be one of those opportunities.
Nicole is a two-time Grammy Award winner, as well as a vocalist, pianist, songwriter, and arranger. She knows the Great American Songbook, but she’s also writing and arranging music of her own. There’s a lot to explore in what she does.
Her newest project, The Devil I Knew, is an ambitious 20-track recording produced with Larry Klein, and this summer NPR’s Jazz Night in America devoted an entire episode to Nicole and her music. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear considerably more about this album as Grammy season approaches.
And here’s something worth knowing about Nicole. When How Love Begins won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2024, she became the only artist to win that award with an album she had written and arranged entirely herself.
We’ll be sharing more of her music between now and November 8. I hope you’ll take some time to listen and get to know her.
That’s part of the fun of planning ahead!
Nicole Zuraitis
Sunday, November 8 | 3:00 PM
Kleinhans Music Hall
Reserve your spot to not miss Nicole Zuraitis! https://kleinhansbuffalo.org/event/zuraitis/
Nicole Zuraitis
Sunday, November 8 | 3:00 PM
Kleinhans Music Hall
This Week on JazzBuffalo.org
As we look ahead to fall, here are a few stories from JazzBuffalo.org you may have missed this week.
Fall with JazzBuffalo: Different Ways to Experience the Music
Posted on by Tony Zambito
From the intimacy of Beebe’s on the Square and a night at the Statler to the stage at Kleinhans Music Hall, fall brings a different rhythm to JazzBuffalo. Fall changes […]
Art Meets Jazz Returns This Fall with Four Distinctive Evenings of Music and Art
Posted on by JazzBuffalo
Rick Strauss, Elena Izquierdo, Victrola Voilà, and the Ed Croft Trio bring four very different evenings of jazz to the Hunt Art Gallery and Beebe’s on the Square this fall. […]
Rick Strauss: From Morning Dance to the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame
Posted on by JazzBuffalo
Before his induction into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, Art Meets Jazz offers an intimate look at the artistry behind the recognition. Sometimes an honor gives us an opportunity […]
Check Upcoming Jazz at JazzBuffalo.org
As we enter the summer season, Buffalo comes alive with jazz performances, festivals, and concerts. Be sure to visit the Upcoming Events section on JazzBuffalo.org to stay current on all the live jazz and other music taking place throughout the city and region. With many unique events submitted weekly, we encourage you to visit the website regularly to discover where jazz is happening. Click here to view all the upcoming events!
https://jazzbuffalo.org/upcoming-event
Every week, thousands of readers, audience members, musicians, and supporters help strengthen the jazz community that makes Buffalo special. Thank you for being one of them.
Become a JazzBuffalo Patron
Many thanks to those who have explored and contributed via Patreon. Every patron helps JazzBuffalo continue creating experiences, supporting musicians, strengthening our jazz community, and bringing more people together through the joy of music. Will you consider becoming a JazzBuffalo Patron and help us continue building Buffalo’s future through jazz and live music? Click on the Become A Patron link below and become a supporting patron for as little as $1/month.
