2022 Northwest Jazz Festival in Historic Lewiston, NY

Northwest Jazz Festival in Historic Lewiston, NY returns after a two-year hiatus celebrating 20 years.

After a two-year unexpected hiatus, the Northwest Jazz Festival in historic Lewiston, NY returns on August 26- 27, 2022.  The event will highlight local, international, and North American jazz artists including Sally Terrell, John di Martino, Stacey Kent, Corrine Mammana, Allison Au, Emmet Cohen, and Joey DeFrancesco.

The highly anticipated two-day event brings live music to Center Street with a select representation of the region’s finest food and beverage vendors including local wineries, distilleries, and breweries. The last jazz festival took place in 2019 with a two-year break due to NYS COVID-19 restrictions.  In 2021 there wasn’t a full festival however local musicians were hired to perform in Lewiston. This year the board of directors will celebrate the festival’s 20-year anniversary alongside Northwest Bank as the presenting sponsor and an impressive listing of supportive businesses and organizations. The 2022 music line-up is curated by Music Director, Tony Zambito.

“The headliners this year are all incredibly shining stars in the jazz world who have demonstrated creative resourcefulness in overcoming the pandemic.  We are excited to have Grammy® Nominees and a Juno Award winner on the Main Stage this year,” states Tony Zambito. “This year we will celebrate the festival’s 20^th anniversary and we could not be happier to welcome Joey DeFrancesco back to the Niagara Falls region where his father, Papa John, cemented the DeFrancesco legacy.  In addition, we welcome back jazz vocalist Sally Terrell, who is also from this area and has a fabulous new album being released with jazz pianist extraordinaire John di Martino.  We are excited to share that we will have a rare appearance and debut performance by Grammy® Nominee and jazz vocalist Stacy Kent.  If anyone embodied perseverance during the pandemic, it was Emmet Cohen and we are excited to have him and the trio perform.  Having Juno Award winner, the Allison Au Quartet from Canada is a chance to welcome our Canadian fans back to the festival.  We are also delighted to have the opportunity to showcase an up-and-coming jazz vocalist, Corinne Mammana.”

The Main Stage lineup for 2022 is as follows:

Friday, August 26^th

• Jazz Vocalist / Pianist Sally Terrell with acclaimed jazz pianist/arranger John di Martino

• Grammy® Nominee, Jazz Vocalist Stacey Kent – A regional debut performance

Saturday, August 27^th

• Acclaimed by Jazz Times Magazine, Jazz Vocalist Corinne Mammana

• 2018-2019 Juno Award Winner, the Allison Au Quartet

• 2019 American Pianist Award Winner and “Live from Emmet’s Place”, Emmet Cohen Trio

• 5-Time Grammy® Nominee and Downbeat Critic’s Poll #1 Jazz Organist, Joey DeFrancesco.

4 STAGES!

In addition to the Main Headliner Stage, four stages will present twenty-five performances featuring local, regional, and national jazz artists.   Highlighting the schedule will be a performance on Friday, August 26 on the Center Street Stage by the jazz guitarist from Indianapolis, Charlie Ballantine, and his quartet. Ballantine has reached wide acclaim with his “The Music of Bob Dylan” album and last year’s “The Music of Thelonious Monk” album. Jazz pianist and UB professor George Caldwell, who won a Grammy as a member of the Count Basie Orchestra in 1997, will bring his sextet to the Center Street Stage on Saturday, August 27. The festival will also present for the first time Hanna PK, who was a semi-finalist in the 2019 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN, and whose recent album debuted at #13 on the Billboard Blues Chart. Returning from a 2019 performance will be the award-winning organ trio, Paradigm Shift.

Continuing an initiative started in 2017, the festival will shine a spotlight on the youth with performances by Matt’s Vocal Performance Team on the Center Street Stage on Friday, August 26.   The Peace Garden Stage this year will highlight contemporary and international music.  The DiCamillo Courtyard Stage will have a focus on jazz guitar duos while the Frontier House Stage will present notable trios and quartets.

The 2022 Northwest Jazz Festival in Historic Lewiston, NY lineup:

The Frontier House Stage:

Rick Strauss Quartet

The Skiffle Minstrels

The Far Trio

The Jay/Sharp-tet

Paradigm Shift

Hanna PK

Peace Garden Stage:

Becky Davis Trio

Alex McArthur

Saranaide Trio featuring Sara Rodriguez

Dozo My Lady featuring Carolyn Lansom

Hot Club of Buffalo

The Buffalo Dolls

Ralph Fava DiCamillo Courtyard Stage:

Adam Bronstein Duo

Autonomous Vehicles

Lance Tanner Duo

Stu Weissman and Avery Weissman Duo

Dale Toliver Duo

Jared Tinkham Duo

Center Street Stage:

Matt’s Vocal Performance Team

Charlie Ballantine Quartet

Original River Dogs

Maria Sebastian’s American Songbook

Summer Wind: A Tribute to Frank Sinatra ft. Zach Carr

George Caldwell Sextet

Tony Zambito, Music Director for the Northwest Jazz Festival, notes “we’re very excited to be returning in 2022. With an expected attendance to reach in the thousands, we want to provide a wide variety of jazz for everyone to enjoy. Introducing new music and new artists to festival goers.”

For more information regarding the festival and to sign up for future notices on schedule and times, visit www.lewsitonjazz.com.