The fundraisers are complete, the community has stepped up, and the inaugural Floyd Fried All-City Jazz Festival will soon be underway. Thanks to the vision, determination and fortitude of host organizers the Buffalo Public Schools and The Buffalo Jazz Collective, the two-day festival is now set to take place on Friday, February 3 and Saturday, February 4.
The Buffalo Jazz Collective is a nonprofit group comprised of jazz musicians and advocates dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and advancing jazz in Western New York.
The festival will not only highlight some of the most touted jazz players in the region, it will also pay tribute the next generation of Buffalo’s jazz greats. But in order for that next generation to shine, we as a city must elevate those who are hoping to climb the ranks of jazz musicianship. To do that, the festival will feature a multitude of clinics and rehearsals, followed by performances by a number of public high school jazz ensembles, an all-city jazz ensemble, and the award-winning, Mark Filsinger Eleventet.
To pay tribute to our city’s musical past and nurture its future by ensuring jazz remains at the core of our cultural landscape, for all ages and experiences.
The Floyd Fried All-City Jazz Festival will be a collaboration between this city’s jazz greats, and those who are looking for inspirational tutelage and guidance.
The festival is named after Floyd Fried, father of Andrew Fried – a board member of the collective. Floyd is known as a dedicated musician and teacher whose efforts will forever ripple throughout the community.
To see the full schedule, along with performance venues, click here.
Click here to learn more about the Buffalo Jazz Collective, or visit the group on Facebook.
Lead image: Auditions for the All City Jazz Ensemble. Top students from City Honors, Hutch Tech, Olmsted 156, BAVPA, and South Park will comprise the All-City Jazz Ensemble