Syracuse Jazz Festival

The Syracuse Jazz Festival is an annual free admission outdoor summer music festival staged in Syracuse, New York.

Now in its 34th year, Syracuse Jazz Fest has been praised by the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), and has been ranked as the Central New York Region's "Best Music Festival" for the past 10 years. Syracuse Jazz Fest and has also been also ranked as "One of the top five free jazz festivals in America". (Fest Press: A Guide To US Music Festivals) Referred to by Down Beat and Jazz Times Magazines as "The Northeast's Largest Free Jazz Festival" It was founded by noted national jazz presenter Frank Malfitano and has been running since 1982.

Aretha Franklin headlined the 2015 festival, which also featured Lake Street Dive, Wynton Marsalis & The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra and Buckwheat Zydeco.

Other Artists & Headliners that have previously appeared and performed at Syracuse Jazz Fest include: Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Dave Brubeck, Sonny Rollins, Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Smokey Robinson, Gino Vannelli, Blood Sweat & Tears, Chuck Mangione, David Sanborn, Roberta Flack, Dionne Warwick, Diana Krall, Grover Washington Jr., Boz Scaggs, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, The Neville Brothers, Pete Fountain, Mark Murphy, Dr John, Little Jimmy Scott, Gregory Porter, Donovan, The Doobie Brothers, Ronnie Laws, Average White Band, Chico Hamilton, Fathead Newman, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Mose Allison, Les McCann, The Funk Brothers, Pat Metheny Group, Return to Forever, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Ivan Lins, Freddy Cole, New York Voices, Treme Brass Band, Larry Coryell, John McLaughlin, Manhattan Transfer, Kenny G, Lizz Wright, Cyrille Aimee, Jane Monheit, Yellowjackets, Jaco Pastorius Big band, Nancy Kelly, Brubeck Brothers, Count Basie Orchestra, Moscow Big Band, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones and The Brecker Brothers.

2016 Syracuse Jazz Fest Headliners, Artists and other festival details were announced on Tuesday, April 19th at 10:30 am at the 34th Annual Jazz Fest Press Conference to Announce, when festival founder and executive producer Frank Malfitano received a national "Jazz Hero Award" from the Jazz Journalists Association presented by JJA's Susan Brink.

According to Malfitano, M&T Syracuse Jazz fest 2016 will feature free performances on Saturday July 2nd and Sunday July 3rd on the campus of Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, NY, by Michael McDonald, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Larry Coryell's Original Eleventh House, Raul Malo & The Mavericks, and an Jazz Fest All Star Tribute to legendary jazz vocalist Mark Murphy, featuring appearances by New York Voices, Randy Brecker and Nancy Kelly.