Your weekly guide to Jazz in Buffalo.
Tony’s Thoughts
A New Season of Experiences Begins
Last night, as Art Meets Jazz returned to the Hunt Art Gallery and Beebe’s on the Square, I found myself thinking about how different the next few months are going to feel.
During the summer, so much of what we do happens outdoors. We’re on a street, a rooftop, or around a festival stage. There is an energy that comes with that, and I’ve always enjoyed watching people gather around the music in those settings. Fall changes things. We move inside. The rooms become more intimate. And last night was a good reminder of what I enjoy about that.
People came in, had something to eat and a drink, spent some time with the art, caught up with friends, and then listened to the music from just a few feet away. It felt less like coming in for a concert and more like spending an evening together.
We’ll be back at the Hunt and Beebe’s for Art Meets Jazz. We’ll have a couple of special nights in the Rendezvous Room at the Statler. And we’ll return to Kleinhans, where we’ll welcome artists from beyond Buffalo and continue building something I believe can become very special for our city. None of those evenings will feel quite the same. I like that.
Last night felt like the new beginning that you can often feel when a change of season takes place.
I’m looking forward to what is ahead.
With gratitude,
Tony Zambito
Executive Director, JazzBuffalo
What We’re Building
Making Room for Discovery
There’s something I’ve been thinking about as we look at the months ahead.
It’s easy to put a concert together around a name everyone already knows. It’s different when you’re asking people to take a chance on someone they may not know yet.
Jazz has always worked that way for me. You hear a musician you haven’t heard before. Someone tells you about a recording. You walk into a club or concert not knowing quite what to expect. And every once in a while, you walk out wondering how you hadn’t heard this person before. I’d like JazzBuffalo to create more of those moments.
That doesn’t mean every artist has to be unfamiliar. But I do think we should introduce people to musicians we believe are worth hearing, whether they’re coming from across the country, Rochester, or right here in Buffalo. If we didn’t have this mindset, we would have never discovered Emmet Cohen, Veronica Swift, Samara Joy, and others early in their forming years as jazz artists.
Nicole Zuraitis is a good example also. Some people in our community already know her. Many probably don’t. But listen to what she’s doing, look at where she’s performing, and see the recognition she’s receiving. There’s an opportunity for Buffalo to hear an artist at a really interesting point in her career. I have no doubt she’ll get another GRAMMY nomination and another possible GRAMMY win.
There’s something enjoyable about being able to say, I remember when I first heard them. That’s part of what I’d like JazzBuffalo to become known for. When we tell you about an artist you haven’t heard before, give them a listen. You may discover someone you’ll be following for years.
I think that’s part of the fun of jazz.
This Week’s Featured Events
Coltrane at 100: The Music Continues
This week, jazz communities around the world are remembering John Coltrane on the 100th anniversary of his birth. We’ve been doing that here in Buffalo too, and what I find especially encouraging is seeing different generations of musicians spending time with his music.
Friday night at Black Dots, several of Buffalo’s younger musicians will explore the music of both Coltrane and Miles Davis with MILES & TRANE: Centennial Theme. Jacob Jay will focus on the music of Miles, Alex Quinn on Coltrane, joined by Dalton Sharp, young pianist Zeki Ozay, Faith Quinn on drums, and veteran bassist Sabu Adeyola. They’ll be reaching into music from Blue Train, Giant Steps, Milestones, Somethin’ Else, Kind of Blue, and more. I like seeing this.
Coltrane was born 100 years ago, yet here are young musicians who weren’t around for any of this music the first time, still wanting to study it, play it, and find their own way into it.
Then on Saturday, the Pappy Martin Legacy Jazz Collective continues its annual tradition of celebrating Coltrane’s birthday at the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts.
And earlier this week, Hallwalls marked the centennial with the Ricky Ford Quartet. That’s quite a week for Coltrane’s music in Buffalo. More importantly, it reminds us that this music isn’t something sitting on a shelf from another time. Musicians are still playing it. Younger musicians are still discovering it. And audiences are still showing up to hear where they take it.
Great American Songbook Spotlight
“My Favorite Things” — John Coltrane
Since we’re remembering John Coltrane at 100 this week, our Songbook Spotlight should belong to him too. And there may be no better choice than “My Favorite Things.”
Most people first know it as the Rodgers and Hammerstein song from The Sound of Music. But when Coltrane recorded it in 1960, he took a familiar Broadway song and found something entirely different inside it. Playing soprano saxophone, Coltrane opened the song up and turned it into a vehicle for exploration and improvisation. His recording became a hit and eventually one of the performances most closely associated with him.
I’ve always thought that’s one of the wonderful things about the Great American Songbook.
The songs don’t have to remain frozen in the time in which they were written. Great musicians take them somewhere else. They hear possibilities that weren’t necessarily there before—or perhaps were there waiting for someone to find them.
Coltrane certainly did that with “My Favorite Things.” One hundred years after his birth, it’s still a wonderful recording to put on and hear again.
Listen to and experience John Coltrane in this video — “My Favorite Things”
Community Spotlight
Keeping the Doors Open Downtown
Spending time at the Hunt Art Gallery and Beebe’s on the Square last night reminded me of something else. We talk a lot about wanting more activity downtown. More people. More reasons to come downtown and spend some time. But somebody has to actually create those reasons. That’s what I appreciate about what the people at Hunt and Beebe’s are doing at the Brisbane Building on Main Street.
The Hunt Art Gallery continues to bring artists and exhibitions into the heart of downtown, while also providing emerging artists with studio space, mentorship, and opportunities to show their work. Next door, Beebe’s has created a place where people can have lunch, meet someone for a drink, attend an event, or simply spend some time.
And together, they’re willing to try things. Art openings. Artist talks. Food and cocktails. Special gatherings. Live music. Art Meets Jazz.
Not everything you try downtown is going to work immediately. Building activity doesn’t happen that way. It takes people and organizations willing to keep trying, adjusting, opening the doors, and giving people another reason to come back. I think that deserves some recognition.
We’re grateful that JazzBuffalo gets to be part of what they’re doing through Art Meets Jazz. But more than that, I’m glad they’re there. Downtown needs people willing to keep at it.
ArtsBuffalo Spotlight
Some of you have been following the early development of ArtsBuffalo and the conversations we’ve been having about the role arts and culture can play in the future of downtown Buffalo. We’re still in the early stages. We’re listening, learning, developing ideas, and beginning to build relationships with people and organizations who share an interest in seeing downtown become a more active and desirable place to spend time. This week, we took another small step.
ArtsBuffalo.org is now up as an informational website.
It’s a place where you can learn more about why we’re building ArtsBuffalo, what we’re hearing from the community, some of the ideas we’re exploring, and the thinking behind the work. Over time, it will grow along with ArtsBuffalo.
One thing we’ve heard clearly already is that people don’t necessarily believe downtown needs more events for the sake of having more events. They want more reasons to spend time there. They want experiences that make downtown feel active, interesting, welcoming, and worth returning to. That’s a distinction we’re going to keep exploring.
You’ll also find our ArtsBuffalo Community Survey under Ideas & Insights (https://artsbuffalo.org/#/ideas) on the new website. If you haven’t taken the survey yet, we hope you will. The more we hear from people about what would bring them downtown—and what would keep them coming back—the more useful this work can become.
If you’re curious about what we’re building, I hope you’ll take a look around and continue the conversation with us.
Visit ArtsBuffalo.org!
Plan Ahead
Buffalo, The Challenge Is On
Yesterday, I posted a photo of Nicole Zuraitis performing before more than 2,000 people in Taiwan. And I couldn’t resist issuing a little challenge to Buffalo.
Are we really going to let Taiwan show us how it’s done?
We’re not looking for 2,000 people when Nicole comes to Jazz at Kleinhans on November 8. But I’d certainly like to see 500 people fill the Mary Seaton Room to welcome her to Buffalo.
There’s a larger reason behind the challenge.
We created Jazz at Kleinhans because I believe Buffalo can support a series that brings some of today’s most interesting jazz and Great American Songbook artists to one of our city’s great cultural institutions. Nicole is exactly the kind of artist we had in mind. She’s a two-time Grammy winner. She’s a vocalist, pianist, songwriter, and arranger. She’s performing around the world. And on November 8, we have the opportunity to hear her right here in Buffalo.
Some of you already know Nicole’s music. Many of you are just discovering her. That’s okay. In fact, that’s part of what Jazz at Kleinhans is supposed to be about. So I’m keeping the challenge going.
500 people. One beautiful room. And a Buffalo welcome Nicole will remember.
Can we do it? I think we can.
Nicole Zuraitis
Sunday, November 8 | 3:00 PM
Mary Seaton Room at Kleinhans Music Hall
Join the Buffalo Challenge!
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 […]
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
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