4th Annual Buffalo Jazz Festival

Name: 4th Annual Buffalo Jazz Festival
Start: 2025-08-31T12:30:00-04:00
Location: Ellicott Street near Huron Buffalo NY 14203

Schedule

Sun, 31 Aug, 2025 at 12:30 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Ellicott Street near Huron Buffalo NY 14203 | Buffalo, NY

Set in the heart of downtown Buffalo, the 4th Annual Buffalo Jazz Festival returns with a vibrant new format—turning Ellicott Street in front of Tappo Restaurant into a full-blown street jazz celebration on Sunday, August 31st, from 12:30 PM to 7:30 PM. With the street closed to traffic, we’re creating a dynamic atmosphere where the sounds of live jazz will fill the air—and yes, there will be dancing in the street!
Featuring four electrifying performances, including Buffalo’s finest jazz artists, the day will capture the spirit of a city-style block party with vintage swing, favorites from the Great American Songbook, Latin grooves, and high-energy community fun.
Bring your friends, your folding chairs, your dancing shoes, and your love for music—this is Buffalo’s jazz celebration like never before!
Paul Hage & Mirage: Mediterranean Jazz Like No Other
Paul Hage & Mirage
Led by composer and multi-instrumentalist Paul Hage, Mirage crafts a sun-drenched sound where Nuevo-Flamenco, world rhythms, and classical-style guitar meet contemporary jazz improvisation. Their performance promises an energetic fusion of melodies drawn from the three continents bordering the Mediterranean Sea—a truly global jazz experience you won’t find anywhere else. Paul Hage (Lead Guitarist, Keyboard) is joined by Dan Innes (Guitar, Bass) and Hicham Mihab (Cajon, Percussion) to create music like no other.
Vanessa Vacanti Quartet: Timeless Classics
Vanessa Vacanti
Next, the Vanessa Vacanti Quartet honors timeless classics and standards, led by JazzBuffalo Poll winner Vanessa Vacanti, who was named Rising Star of the Year. Joining her are fellow JazzBuffalo Poll winners Ian Liedke on piano (2024 Jazz Piano Poll winner) and Abdul-Rahman Qadir on drums (2024 John Hunt Jazz Artist of the Year awardee), along with Nate Kalnitz on bass (2023 JazzBuffalo Poll winner for Jazz Electric Bass), forming an ensemble that celebrates our next generation and bridges tradition with fresh interpretation.
My Cousin Toné: Celebrates the Great American Songbook
My Cousin Toné is one of Buffalo’s most beloved jazz ensembles, known for its joyful performances and deep connection to the timeless melodies of the Great American Songbook. With a repertoire that celebrates the golden era of American music, the ensemble brings to life the songs of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, and more—along with the cherished stylings of vocal legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole.
Voted Favorite Jazz Ensemble in the annual JazzBuffalo Poll, My Cousin Toné has delighted audiences for more than a dozen years, performing across Western New York with a mission to uplift and unite through classic swing, ballads, and soulful jazz standards. The group is also the heart of the long-running JazzMondays at the Tappo Restaurant Rooftop Patio, a summer tradition now in its 10th year, which has helped breathe new life into downtown Buffalo with magical nights of live music under the stars.
Wendell Rivera Latin Jazz Ensemble
Led by Buffalo Music Hall of Fame percussionist Wendell Rivera, the ensemble has been a cornerstone of Latin jazz in the Western New York region for over twenty years. Their high-energy performances draw on inspirations from Mongo Santamaría and Tito Puente, delivering sensational percussion, bright horn charts, and vibrant solos that invite audiences to dance. Comprising some of the area’s finest musicians—including Lisa Hasselback (piano), Ben Levitt (bass), Joey Gonzales (timbales), and trumpeters Hansel Herrera and Calvin Rice—the ensemble crafts a rich, dynamic sound uniquely their own.