After a two-year hiatus, Northwest Jazz Festival returns celebrating 20 years in Historic Lewiston. This year the festival will highlight local, international, and North American jazz artists including Sally Terrell, John di Martino, Stacey Kent, and more.
The last Northwest Jazz Festival took place in 2019 with a two-year break due to NYS (New York State) COVID-19 restrictions. In 2021 there was not a full festival, however, local musicians were hired to perform in Lewiston. This year’s event brings live music to Center Street with a selection of the region’s finest food and beverage vendors including local wineries, distilleries, and breweries.
“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 20th 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.”
Each year, the festival relies on the support of donors and sponsors to remain the largest free jazz festival in the region alongside hosting an annual fundraiser in the Spring.
“We are grateful for the overwhelming support we have already received from the generosity of sponsors to make sure a 2022 event takes place. We are hard at work on the anniversary celebration and plan to give you another two days of spectacular entertainment featuring international stars as well as some of our own local super talents. It is clear that everyone loves and misses the jazz festival and wants it to continue to be a success” says Carol Calato, the Chairwoman of the Jazz Festival Board of Directors.
The Jazz Fundraiser will be held on Sunday, May 1 from 1 pm to 5 pm at the Brickyard Brewery in Lewiston, NY. The event will feature music by the Stu Weissman Trio, Saranaide, and the Buffalo Dolls.
Tickets for the Fundraiser are available at the festival website linked here.
For more information about the fundraiser and the festival, as well as, to sign up for alerts on the jazz festival news, please visit the link here.
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