Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

M&T Syracuse Jazz Fest Founder Says "Reinvention" is the Key After 33 Years

  The 33rd edition of Syracuse Jazzfest is approaching, and founder and executive producer Frank Malfitano says he’s always seems to set a new bar for himself.

"It doesn't get any bigger than the queen of soul, the prince of jazz, and the king of zydeco."

That would be headliners Aretha Franklin, Wynton Marsalis with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and Buckwheat Zydeco. 

Malfitano is mixing things up a little bit this year.  Instead of the fireworks closing things out Saturday, he decided they fit the programming better on Friday.

"It's tough to follow Buckwheat Zydeco.  His energy level is off the charts.   So we thought by putting the fireworks in between the end of Buckwheat's set and the start of Wynton's set at 9:00,  families and kids would have an opportunity to come.  When you do the fireworks at 11 p.m., it's a little tougher on families, I think."

Credit Syracuse Jazz Fest
Buckwheat Zydeco brings a taste of New Orleans to the stage Friday at 7:45.

Plus, he says, Aretha will bring enough of her own fireworks Saturday.  As always, local and regional artists are also on the schedule, including a supergroup of sorts called Applejazz, The Upstate Burners, and Noteified, a five piece, scholastic-age ensemble featuring some of the area’s finest young jazz musicians.

"When you showcase resident artists from the region, they get greater exposure.  You're putting them out there in front of anywhere from five to 20,000 people.  The opportunity to play along side their professional counterparts is really something that takes their game to another level."

Credit Syracuse Jazz Fest
Notefied will open Jazz Fest Saturday July 18th, featuring 17-year-old Dunham Hall, 17-year-old Sam Smith, 16-year-old Scottie Madonia, 17-year-old Dave Millen, and 21-year-old Rich Bostick (not in that order in photo).

Malfitano wishes he could include more, but the timing of this year’s festival didn’t fit well with high schools.   The schedule and more information is at syracusejazzfest.com.

  

Scott Willis covers politics, local government, transportation, and arts and culture for WAER. He came to Syracuse from Detroit in 2001, where he began his career in radio as an intern and freelance reporter. Scott is honored and privileged to bring the day’s news and in-depth feature reporting to WAER’s dedicated and generous listeners. You can find him on twitter @swillisWAER and email him at srwillis@syr.edu.