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Syracuse, New York - Legendary keyboardist and NEA Jazz Master and 14-time Grammy winner Herbie Hancock will join legendary songstress, seven-time Grammy winner and 2022 Kennedy Center Honoree, Gladys Knight to co-headline the 37th edition of the National Grid Jazz Fest in Syracuse, NY from Wednesday, June 21 to through, Sunday 25.
Produced by Jazz Fest founder Frank Malfitano, the event features forty bands performing on two outdoor stages and in 24 clubs throughout downtown Syracuse, New York. National and internationally touring and recording artists, including Spyro Gyra, Tower of Power, Postmodern Jukebox, Tuba Skinny, Joyce Di Camillo, Nancy Kelly and Marissa Mulder.
Opening Night, June 23, the festival will feature 24 indoor and outdoor club performances at two dozen downtown clubs, bars and restaurants featuring the Syracuse region’s top jazz artists from 4-11 p.m. The Late Night New York Band featuring bassist Tom Brigandi, trumpeter Joe Magnarelli and saxophonist Eric Alexander heads the list of the Syracuse area’s top jazz groups, along with Syracuse Area Music Award Hall of Fame vocalist Ronnie Leigh.
On Thursday, June 22 there are two performances at the Visit Syracuse Stage at Hanover Square, including Harri Stojka & Acoustic Drive from Vienna, Austria and the all-star soul jazz ensemble Something Else!, which features jazz legends Vincent Herring, James Carter, Randy Brecker, Paul Bollenback, Dave Kikoski, Jeff "Tain" Watts and Essiet Essiet.
The 2023 festival will close out on Sunday, June 25 at the Syracuse University Hendricks Chapel with a Jazz Fest-ending gospel concert and celebration. The Syracuse University Faculty Jazz Ensemble and The Syracuse University Student Jazz Ensemble will also be performing during this year’s Jazz Fest.
Admission to all 2023 National Grid Jazz Fest events, concerts and performances is free and open to the public. Support for the Syracuse Jazziest is provided by a Market New York grant from I LOVE NY/ New York State’s Division of Tourism through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative. According to festival organizers and NY State Assemblyman Al Stirpe, funding will be used to engage in the largest major statewide marketing campaign in Jazz Fest history, with the goal of boosting attendance and regional tourism.
The festival’s free admission policy is made possible through the generosity of area Corporations providing major corporate underwriting, and public sector grants from New York State and Onondaga County. The complete list of 2023 Jazz Fest stakeholders includes National Grid, Onondaga County, Amazon, I LOVE NY, Syracuse University, NYS Empire State Development, Price Chopper/Market 32 Supermarkets, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, CNY Family Care, and Visit Syracuse.
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